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

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, Nisha Narayanan, chief operating officer and director, Red FM and Magic FM, had to say:

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

I’m looking at a positive year ahead. Our focus for the upcoming year is to expand our portfolios further.

In 2022, we built a rock-solid foundation to establish ourselves as holistic entertainers. Our strategy constitutes creating irreverent, socially conscious content, and offering 360-degree solutions for our advertisers, IPs, on-ground events, podcasts, digital audio video production, and social media amplification.

In the Media and Entertainment sector, radio adds up to less than 5% of the pie while we see the volumes go up, and more innovative advertising solutions are taken up by the brands. While everything remains unpredictable, we are excited to bring many new projects online, on air, and on-ground.

Your favourite ad campaign from 2022?

Every campaign is unique in its own way. They are a product of passion, creativity, and hard work. One such campaign that included storytelling, history, and something that private FM does not do is 'India @ 75.' It was our Independence Day campaign, urging people to pause, relive and remember the gems of the past which helped our country grow and develop. 

A weekly audio magazine was created, dedicated to one historic achievement. Topics like the nationalisation of Indian Railways, White Revolution, Green Revolution, Mangalayan, Nobel Peace Prize, Chipko Movement, and many more were a part of the story lineup. These episodes were compiled with interviews of bureaucrats, government officials, and scholars like Javed Akhtar, Malika Sarabhai, Madan Lal, and Bachi Karkaria to name a few. It was voiced by RJ Praveen who is known for his narration, storytelling skills, and voice modulation. It added a whole new listening experience to these audio episodes. 

A learning from this year?

Consistency is the key. It is all about being at it day after day and building a body of work that is appreciated by the audience and that we can be proud of. We believe in creating content that connects with our audience. This year made us learn that you need to be on your toes all the time. This year has certainly made us resilient, persistent, and even more passionate about it all. 

As I always say, radio is not about studios and boardrooms, it is about being out there shaking hands and kissing babies. 

The overused marketing jargon of 2022?

Ah, there have been many. But the one that I have used most frequently is ‘building communities through inclusion.’ Radio is one medium that has the last mile reach, works even during natural disasters, can broadcast local and regional content, and most importantly, is live 24x7. Our focus for this year was to build a lot of regional IPs as we believe there is huge power in regional content. 

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?

Radio is a 24x7 job. We joke about maintaining a work-life balance and hardly ever do. However, since it is a hobby turned into a profession, it doesn’t necessarily feel like a job.

The demands of a fragmented hyperlocal industry do not leave much time for balance, which is why I feel we put too much pressure on the term work-life balance. Either you are knee-deep into it or you are not. It’s all about living a wonderful life in all shades and touching others' lives in some possible ways with being as humble and modest. The biggest strength of a human being is being able to look after others. Therefore, reaching out to the poor and needy in whatever possible issues is what I consciously consider doing.

I take out adequate time to pursue my long-standing hobbies of reading and going for long treks on the mountain trails. I also like to go on jungle safaris and watch the untamed wilderness and the habitat in all its splendour. Keeping fit, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is part of my ongoing pursuits to keep a proper balance in all my endeavours. 

These days whenever I get some time, I focus on studying different segments of science, be it naturopathy, acupuncture, or various forms of meditation.

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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