Year-ender 2022: Lot of brands are trying to be woke just for the sake of it - Sujoy Roy Bardhan

Like every year, Campaign India is celebrating the last month of the year by engaging with industry leaders and asking them about the year gone by.

This is what, Sujoy Roy Bardhan - head OAP, marketing and licensing, Sony Yay! had to say:

What do you not want to see in advertising next year?

A lot of brands this year are trying to be woke just for the sake of it. I think most advertising should be coming from the premise of their product. Being woke for the heck of it and not incorporating it in the brand is something I don't want to see. 

Your favourite ad campaign from 2022?

The Livspace campaign stood out for me. I liked it because my house was going through a renovation at the same time. It is a very good combination of consumer insight and showcasing its functionality. It was executed in a very palatable and humorous manner. 

From Sony Yay! I think what we did with Naruto was interesting. We introduced anime content within India. The campaign is very close to me as well, simply because I got introduced to anime. 

A learning from this year?

A lot has been said about how times have changed and how we are in a new take. The learning that I have at least incorporated into Sony Yay! is that the basics should continue to remain the same. As long as you are being true to what you are doing to communicate and having relevance in what you're saying to the audience is essential. 

The overused marketing jargon of 2022?

In the industry at large, what I'm seeing people use a lot is this 'new normal' concept. For one it's not new anymore, at least for people who have completely come back to normalcy in the way we work. And how do you even define normal anymore? The concept is a bit overused at this point.

Were you able to maintain your work-life balance this year? If yes, how? If not, how do you plan to correct it next year?

From a personal point of view, the work-life balance has been maintained but on further reflection, I should check with my family on this as well. 

But travelling has always been the main ingredient for me. Periodically taking time off to be able to see new places does it for me. 

Taking time to pursue one's interests is essential too. Like I love music and if I can give myself some time to explore new forms of music I think I'm quite balanced in my life. 

Also read: 

Year-ender 2022: Don’t want to see underpaid and overworked creative people everywhere - Ira G

Year-ender 2022: Work-life balance is difficult when you’re part of an industry that prioritises hustle culture - Joono Simon

Year-ender 2022: PR industry needs to reinvent itself - Ameer Ismail

Year-ender 2022: Would love to see more truth, less BS - Josy Paul

Year-ender 2022: We are excited to bring many new projects online, on-air, and on-ground - Nisha Narayanan

Year-ender 2022: Make the consumer journey a seamless experience - Harshil Karia

Year-ender 2022: Use cultural experts while drafting communication in local languages - Harikrishnan Pillai

Year-ender 2022: Stop all references to casual misogyny and stereotyping - Geet Nazir

Year-ender 2022: Don't want to see pitches without a cause - Arvind Krishnan

Year-ender 2022: Please quit going to town with low quality randomness - Mayur Hola

Year-ender 2022: We forgot we were humans marketing to humans - Titus Upputuru

Year-ender 2022: Traditional agencies have what it takes to deliver experiential/digital ideas better than specialist - Sambit Mohanty

Year-ender 2022: Logic plus magic in the perfect dose is what creative agencies must persevere for - Vineet Singh Hukmani

Year-ender 2022: Tech makes it possible, but creativity makes it brilliant - Rahul Mathew