Adgully REWIND: The biggest news and happenings of the year 2011

It's that time of the year, when we bid adieu to the year gone by and open our arms and welcome the next year. The next year ' a new year would bring along new plans, challenges and ofcourse, new resolutions. But it's incomplete to proceed further without knowing what went right and what went wrong in 2011. As the world waits for the clock to join the two hands, we at Adgully take a rewind motion to look at back at the year gone by, a retrospection of the major happenings and landmarks of 2011 in media.

Small Screen - Big Screen -

2011 got the cinema faces, quite literally, to the living rooms of the people. Major films of the year were on television, big names were on television; while so much was happening on the GEC front, the English movie channels were not far behind. They were in a race of its own kind to beat the competition and offer high quality Hollywood to the audiences. Just a year old in the business, Movies Now gave a tough fight to the well established players - HBO and Sony Pix. Pix not only gave tough competition, but beat HBO to gain good position in the genre. Amidst competition, the three channels offered the best of the best from across the borders. While Pix had well acclaimed The Kite Runner, Salt, The Tourist in its kitty, HBO had The Game Change, Aurtur to offer.

And when one talks of films how can the great marketing and promotion example of the year - Ra. One be left behind! Any brand, you name it, its with the man himself - SRK. From Happy Meals with McDonalds, to deo's with Cinthol, to Play Station games with Sony to major, to one of its kind association with Youtube and Google +, from appearances at the World Magazine Congress 2011, to that of television reality show grand finale's to small concerts at malls - SRK and Ra. One fever had literally caught up the country. Ra. One is easily not only the highest grossing Hindi film of the year, but the most fine example of well thought marketing and promotion plans for a film.

The ad world, did bring in a breath of fresh air for the audiences through their delightful TVC's. It was a year a TVC's with joyful and well crafted jingles to dominate the consumer's mind. When Vodafone brought out its Broadway style TVC for Facebook for Vodafone Blue, it became a humming line for parents who said, "He's always on Facebook !", while Airtel's new and revived young approach targeting the youth seemed like an answer to this comment by young Indian. Airtel's smartly written jingle "Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota hai", is one jingle, we believe that would be hard to replace. Riding on the acceptance and growth of the 3G technology, Idea! cellular services brought out its spoofy commercial to say, "Ab India ho gaya hai 3G pe bijee (busy)." The commercial also showcased actor and its brand ambassador Abhishek Bacchan joking about his wife's ' Aishwariya Rai Bacchan's pregnancy as well. While December 2010 got the automobile industry and the business sector talking about the major splitsville for Hero Honda, one of corporate India's oldest and most successful joint ventures, with the two founding partners”India's Munjal family and Japan's Honda Motor Corp”agreeing to part ways and terminate the 26-year-old relationship, 2011 gave us another TVC with a reason to simply smile. Hero Moto Corp's TVC with soulful music and well thought lyrics brought the "trust' and "feel good' factors live to the consumers through the TVC. The TVC had A. R. Rehman singing "Humme hai Hero", with simple stories to tell.

While the world was talking high of 3G and internet, India marketers spoke "digital'. Almost every brand of the country was using the medium to reach out to their desired customers in very innovative and creative manner. All industry member opined in chorus that "digital is the way ahead' ' 2012 will enhance the digital medium and its potential shall be used to the optimum.

Happenings 2011 '

The media fraternity also received some opportunities to interact and exchange knowledge at occasions like Adtech, the largest gathering of online marketers that did quite create a buzz. Brands, agencies, publishers and service providers came together to share, network, learn and do business.

Another major happening was World Magazine Congress 2011 held at the national capital. The 38th FIPP World Magazine Congress was one place of intense discussions on a variety of aspects that have an impact on the national and international magazine business. An elaborate ensemble of people attending the congress, various ideas and thoughts were obvious to float around. At this multi-cultural platform, speakers and delegates present from across the world had a lot of different things to offer the attendees, while a lot more to take back with the.

Another interesting place for creative minds to meet was AdAsia2011 again at the national capital. The event was much higher scored high than the previous years with 20 intellectually thought provoking sessions of debates and discussions that redefined how one looks at the world they operate in. Nearly 50 speakers from across the globe including leading lights from the fields of business, marketing, advertising, media and communications shared their invaluable experiences, insights and sharp analysis of on-going events, providing new ideas, concepts and a firm handle on how the changes are witnessing today will translate into trends in the future. The overall event also scored high on all aspects that make a conference memorable - content, venue, facilities, entertainment, networking, administration. The conference was planned to engage and involve you from the word go so that you are an integral part of the rethink of systems, strategies and solutions.

Let the Games Begin -

2011 has truly been a year of come's and go's and up's and down's for marketers and media professionals. The mushrooming television channels and show, experimenting with film scripts, India welcoming sports other than cricket..all seem to a positive sign for the industry. 2012, we hope, pushes the limits even further and turns to be healthy, wealthy and prosperous year for all. Here's wishing you all a very prosperous and a happy 2012. | By Ankita Tanna [ankita(at)adgully.com] & Aanchal Kohli [aanchal(at)adgully.com]