Year-ender 2021: 'Advertising and media business has metamorphosised' – Monaz Todywalla

Your stand-out moment or learning from 2021?

 

The one key stand out highlight of 2021 for me is how much the learning curve has intensified. The success of any organisation’s transformation and growth depends on not just technology but also its human capital and it is here that we’re now seeing significant progress taking place. Upskilling has gained steadfast momentum and people are proactively taking the initiative to get themselves certified, irrespective of whether it’s a paid investment of their own or sponsored by organisations. 

 

Furthermore, the nature of the advertising and media business has metamorphosised.

 

Organisational talent will never be the same again - from what motivates people to what talent is seeking out in organisations now, a lot has changed fundamentally and intrinsically and I don’t foresee it going back to the 2019 ways of working. And this change is now visible across the board - from agencies to clients alike. 2021 also saw more and more consultants becoming an integral part of the solution, bringing their unique set of skills and services to the table; which has been a gamechanger for many in the overall scheme of things.   

 

An outrageous prediction for 2022?

 

2022 is going to be a critically tipping point for authentically inclusive advertising. As the consumer population diversifies (race, ethnicity, for example), it’s imperative for brands to authentically reflect a range of backgrounds within their messaging. 

 

Year-ender 2021: 'Bravo advertising industry India' – Piyush Pandey

Year-ender 2021: 'TV and digital will grow and content will glow' – Megha Tata 

Year-ender 2021: 'We will start going to space for a day trip' – Malaika Arora 

Year-ender 2021: Swati Bhattacharya on the one thing that will drop from case videos 

Year-ender 2021: 'We will see whacky, fun, bizarre humour again' – Prasoon Joshi

Year-ender 2021: 'AI solutions will start becoming mainstream in 2022' – Apurva Chamaria

Year-ender 2021: 'We have done magnificently well to bounce back as an industry' – Rana Barua 

Year-ender 2021: 'I have improved my social media presence considerably' – Hrishikesh Kannan

Year-ender 2021: ‘We shall see a Metaverse radio world’- Abraham Thomas

Year-ender 2021: 'This year has memories that I will always learn and lean back on' – Babita Baruah

Year-ender 2021: 'We will have to prove our worth to the planet' – Poran Malani

Year-ender 2021: 'Believe in people, their resilience and their creativity' – Gautham Narayanan

Year-ender 2021: ‘We aimed at bringing about a change in attitude towards vaccine hesitancy’ - Prathyusha Agarwal

Year-ender 2021: 'Hopefully, the only mask we will need to know of, is the one you wear to a masquerade party' - Anil Nair

Year-ender 2021: 'Policymakers will take note of long-pending requests from the radio industry'- Nisha Narayanan

Year-ender 2021: 'New age Indian brands will be seen adopting metaverse advertising'- Rahul Mishra

Year-ender 2021: 'The relationship between real and virtual is growing more complex' – Titus Upputuru

Year-ender 2021: 'We have started our walk towards having more global champions' – Rahul Trehan

Year-ender 2021: 'Don’t take anything for granted' – Sam Balsara

Year-ender 2021: ' Traditional retail will be back with a vengeance' – Ninad Umargekar

 

Brands would have an opportunity to activate DEI initiatives not just across their talent pool and society but also in their practice. Similarly, environmentally conscious initiatives are no longer going to be relegated to just a tick in the box for corporate social responsibility. It’s intrinsically going to be a larger part of the way we conduct our businesses in the long run.