The end of good things & the beginning of great ones

Is the glass half full or is it half empty? A popular question asked to gauge your attitude. Well, another year coming to an end and it’s time to look back at the various happenings that transformed the marketing, advertising and business sectors. I see the glass half full and will be embarking on the journey for 2013 with a lot more optimism.

One of the biggest issues that garnered the nation’s eyeballs and frustration was the slower growth of our gross domestic product (GDP) as compared to the previous year. However, if we compare our economic growth to that of the global economy then we fare much better. World economy grew at 3.2 per cent this year, while the United States listed a growth of 2.1 per cent (online.wsj.com), as compared to our country’s economic growth of 5.4 per cent (Reuters). The automobile sector on the shoulders of successful launches with greater demands witnessed an upsurge in 2012. India’s luxury market, too, is doing well exhibiting an improved growth in 2012 and luxury products as men’s fashion and accessories, yachting and home furnishings expected to experience an increase in sales in the coming year. With FDI (foreign direct investment) opening up, the retail sector is likely to bloom too. The second dose of reforms by the government is anticipated to revive our GDP and put the country back on its track of upward growth. The telecom sector which has been hanging in all the policies will take a step forward with the advent of 4G. Smartphones have already taken telecommunications industry to another level, and with more data on 4G, value-added services are expected to be at premium making the telecom sector more profitable.

The airline sector which underwent a lot of turbulence last year can hope to see a much better year as Air India has resolved various issues at its end and is back with full force. With Captain Gopinath trying to reinvent the charter business people can expect some action in the skies.

The advertising industry is witnessing a consolidation with digital finally getting its due and gaining focus. Independent agencies that have burgeoned in the last few years of the likes of Taproot, Creativeland Asia et al. have been doing well and big clients have shed inhibitions to start entrusting them with the belief that great creative work can come out of these agencies. Agency reshuffling and alignments have happened and this is likely to settle down. Mudra Group’s chief creative officer Bobby Pawarhas moved to JWT as chief creative officer and managing partner, India. Groups like WPP and Publicis acquired digital agencies in the past year. The advertising sector experienced quite a bit of tumult in the previous year. All this will settle down and work will take precedence.

The coming year promises the reemergence of creativity as the most prevalent currency driving growth. Let’s hope that the New Year brings great work, happy clients, better growth and a reason for everyone to smile.

 

The author is National Creative Director, Leo Burnett