Good News - Brands realized, It’s all about connecting to the consumer.
Bad News - Most of the brands are still playing safe.
We have all known and grown with: advertising is the key to get consumers to do something that will benefit the client. Figure out the strategy & execute it, it's just a skill that matters whether it's TV, Mobile or Web.
2011 - Brands & agency started exploring; Cross media is the key to make any campaign work.
Just Digital cannot work a pull that needs to be expected… Digital, one simple key, throw it to online users and watch it. They will drive it.
Few interesting learning’s in 2011
Engaging with online users is very challenging because they are very impatient, get easily bored & want to maintain a social status.
Why Kolaveri di is a success- Though, the music is excellent and it is an innovation in lyrics, it is something you will publish on your wall to show you are in the crowd. How ‘share’ worked for kolaveri - Some shared they loved it and want others to see it.
Some felt, it’s not that great but shared, just for social status by thinking, I know about it.
Tamil fans shared by letting others know tamil music is interesting. Majority of the people loved the music & took pleasure by listening to it again & again, & passed it on. It just happened to be viral.
It’s more challenging now, the whole world heard the music and is bored now, a strategy should be in place to sell the music – CDs.
I support - India against Corruption, Brand - Anna Hazare was a genuine online campaign and from heart. People wanted to speak, they connected with the issue and they raised their voices. The platform was available. Most of them who couldn't contribute physically, contributed in other ways online to make this campaign a success in digital. It made the whole India come together after a long time.
Ra.One was an interesting experiment by Shahrukh Khan. By using all potential online properties from Rich media to YouTube innovation, from social media to microsite, the objective was set and beautifully reached the online audience.
All Brands must have opened to see the results and leverage the full potential of digital media. Movie promotions will bring a swing into digital properties in 2012.
Coming 2012, We are evolving with Rich media by experimenting various innovations, micro sites, but at the same time Social media is still fan buying. Few of them are exploring on the engagement ideas rather fan building exercise, which is a good sign.
Indian Brands & agencies should be careful in trying stunts in this year 2012- like flash mobs by not over doing it.
Augmented reality is the space where most of the brands are going to be excited & exploring, we just need to be careful with the right idea & knowledge of executing it.
Mobile is marching; it is already been a part of an integrated strategy for all the brands crossed. But yes of course, over the years every agency has experimented with mobile applications. From the learning’s, it will be developed for the consumer which will be a useful part of routine life.
The Way all digital agencies are moving, we will be seeing lot of innovation in campaigns as compared to earlier ones. Web Films will be taken seriously.
