The year-end is right at the corner. 2022 is waiting to be welcomed. It went fast like the shortened IP season, and you never could anticipate what would happen next. Oh yes, there were trend-watchers (not analysts) fishing in the chaotic world trying to make some sense of it. They knew everyone was for themselves and that predicting a trend was becoming dangerous. And even if one did pick the right trend, predicting when it would hit the shore and with what capacity was challenging. Predicting Typhoon and Tornado was more straightforward.
I was born in the last week of December, and here is the riddle with the date. ‘Three days here or there- the world celebrates with me’. The year-end is a new beginning in more ways than one. So, I am unsure if I should smile and celebrate surviving another year or cautiously welcome the future uncertainties with all hope and smile.
PRESSURE PLATES.
The tectonic plates of human Needs, Desires, Ambition, Greed, Love for Simplicity and Certainty have been rubbing against Fear, Anxiety, Complexity, Chaos and Uncertainty plates. All this is happening in an unstable ecosystem of uncertainty, scalability, digital technology-induced euphoria, job unsustainability, climate changes, Covid pressure, vaccination, immunity studies, conspiracy theories, religious zeal and regionalism fuelled by interested stakeholders. Something is going to give way soon. And what form will the resultant earthquake take is anyone’s guess.
MEDIA GAMES.
The media has been at its games. The lobbies and the puppeteers are clearly identified. Believability is dependent upon your loyalties and pre-existing POV. You and I, like everyone else, is already in a reverse spiral spin.
ACCELERATED RADICALISATION.
We are being sucked deeper and deeper into fixated ideologues. Arena where it is my way or no way. Unknown to us, we are getting radicalised.
We further help and accelerate the process with our over-dependent on the digital and social media world. A world that knows you better than your parents. And may better predict your reaction to a stimulus than you could.
Identifying fake news or harmful propaganda will be a colossal task in the future. Will digital provide a solution to the Bhasmasura it has created?
Artificial and Alternative intelligence, along with the machine learning capabilities, may soon be giving birth to the real android. And with that, the future unpredictability and uncertainties will spike.
IN SEARCH OF PURPOSE.
Purpose or no purpose, intended or unintended, overt, or covert- it seems everyone in the universe is seeking one. Technology is seeking purpose, so are the brands, and humans have been seeking meaning from time immemorial.
People without a defined life purpose keep defining the brand’s purpose, despite knowing they no longer own the brand.
Yes, when purpose resonates like the twin twining forks in a physics experiment, they get amplified. However, the range of this resonance is way limiting. And hence, believe that the business should and must keep growth, revenue, and ROI in focus- and treat purpose as one of the arrows it has in its quiver and not the only one. Because the purpose is higher up in the chain. Needs and wants at the primary level still need to be satisfied first. A 10-minute delivery may only matter to those who can afford to buy and experiment.
However, I must remind all that life on planet earth can be purposeful without living or chasing a stated- discovered- at times crafted purpose. Be true to yourself in every way possible and do justice to your potential. Purpose can take care of itself.
DIGITAL TSUNAMI.
Like Digital and Digital currency and wallets, OTT had a good year. More converts are deserting the earlier love- Television. Print is still holding. However, the OTT space is overcrowded, and niche play is not the answer. I do not see OTT behaving like Television and following price correction, original overloads, exclusive deals, genre dominance, and focus on availability, accessibility, acceptability, and affordability. This is another tectonic plate that is under pressure and set for disruption. The How and what of this trend is unknown.
LONG LIVE THE AGENCY.
The agency model is changing. In many ways, advertising is dead. However, there is still scope for a group of professionals who know their business well. Who sees themselves as a business contributor and not merely a communicator, storyteller, or advertising? The business is getting redefined, and the more it does- the more it will remain the same- Brand Creators- Brand custodians, Brand evolvers.
THE WAR OF CONSIDERATION SET.
Irrespective of technology price wars and delivery timelines, return policies and other interventions, the human mind will continue to gyrate towards the three-four brands in the consideration set. The Top brands in any business real or number lead will continue to make over evaluated and have disproportionate revenue and market share.
It may be advisable to be the strongest brand in smaller geographies, addressing a viable not necessarily a niche need than be one with marginalised shares across geographies. The dominance will be further fragmented across categories, and it will be price and geographic area dictated. Irrespective of the life-cycle stage, degree of dominance, stronger and vital chain management, or employee’s satisfaction- no brand will remain immune to business volatility. Hence, a brand must seek expansion and extension of its value and association.
RISE OF BHARAT END OF INDIA.
The unnecessary ill-defined polarisation of Bharat and India will continue to be pushed by consultants and Marketing managers. While they will start being more dependent on micro-market schemes, Geo-targeted brand communication is more and more in the language of relatability. India will die a niche death, and Bharat will emerge- one nation with many territories in market terms. More zones and regions will get redefined and recharted under a digital socio-cultural geographical divide.
MICRO-INFLUENCERS FOR IMPACT.
The influencers will have ore role to play. At some places, they will become the mini brand ambassadors and, at times, the brand ambassadors. The OTT celebrity and even regional sports person and personalities will find their role in the brand and marketing world and this trend is somewhat certain.
IGNORE AT YOUR OWN COST.
The brand will find that they are more and more in a market full of scattered market forts across categories, willing and well equipped to defend against the rebels and disrupters. No longer will the giants take any disruption at face value or ignore than as business unviable. They will drive innovation, disruption and even Jugaad. Guerrilla warfare and moment marketing will continue to be debated. And few desperate brands will even adapt and properly manoeuvre and execute a controversy as a marketing strategy.
TREND- BACK TO BASIC.
People have blamed westernised lifestyles and the pursuit of materialistic dreams for decaying emotions and relationships. They realised and accepted the need for interdependence. Thus, recognising the need for a healthy body and mind more than anything else. Finally, believing in the legacy of lineage – transferring of culture and heritage. A substantial upsurge of patriotic feelings will be reshaping the thoughts of people. A potpourri of mixed emotions and redefined needs will start shaping the ideas. And hence return to basics of Vegetarianism, Yoga, Healthy food, saving for the future, investing in family, taking care of elders, and working family life balance will happen. The ethical use of technology and data privacy will take centre stage. But will these grow to be a real trend? well, that is uncertain.
UNCERTAINTIES WILL CERTAINLY WIN.
The year 2022 will remain in flux with uncertainties and recoveries; hence the idea of these thoughts will find support, but I expect them to really flourish by 2023 or 2024. Undoubtedly, uncertainties will multiply, and emotions will be further stretched. Technology will keep disrupting life. And naysayers will keep asking for concrete proof of reality.
BLOG/076/2021.
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