2021 Year in Review
2021, just like its predecessor, was a year full of uncertainty and flux. However, with increased vaccinations came the possibility of opening up of markets, sports, travel, and a hint of normalcy. Some sectors saw an uptick in spending while others saw a contraction. One aspect that registered double-digit growth was advertising revenue.
Compared to 2020, which saw a -2.5% growth, 2021 registered a 22% growth in ad revenues across the globe. India too registered an impressive 14% increase in this sector. The growth for 2022 is expected at a robust 14.5%, projecting a positive outlook for this sector.
Coming back to 2021, we saw ads and campaigns across the spectrum. Some campaigns won awards, some won hearts, and for some….well, the less we talk about them, the better. Here’s a selection of some of them.
What Worked.....
Cadbury's Khaas Ad
The original ad, aired in the 90s, aimed at changing the customer’s perception towards chocolates. It showcased the chocolates are not just for children, but for adults as well.
Ad agency Ogilvy brought back the ad with a simple simple twist, swapping gender roles. This time the agenda was not revenue generation, but challenging social issues. Cricket is largely seen as a men’s sport, and women’s cricket goes under the radar, an aspect that Cadbury challenges and brings women’s cricket at the forefront.
The ad and the brand wanted to bring the focus on woman achievers and received overwhelmingly positive reviews by the whos-who of the Indian ads world.
Now that’s some wholesome content.
Cred - never cease to suprise
Okay, where do we start here? Cred took India by storm when they launched their first wave of “star ads”. Download Cred Baby, Download Cred still hums in my mind from time to time. Slightly tweaking a popular phrase, With great success, comes great expectation. The IPL season had everyone eagerly waiting for the next wave of Cred ads, and they did not disappoint. Cred again took the “Star ads” route but with prominent sports personalities this time like Rahul Dravid and Kapil Dev.
Honestly, can anyone look at Rahul Dravid the same way again?
And then came the best of the lot. Capitalising on the recent Olympic success, Cred made an ad with India’s newest poster boy, Neeraj Chopra.
While most of India still doesn’t know what Cred actually does, they certainly know they are a cool company.
Can’t wait for the next IPL season…
CoinDCX - A good attempt, but under the radar
A great moment marketing advert that not a lot of people are aware of was when CoinDCX leveraged the “Ek quarter mein kitna hota hai meme”.
The Meme
The Ad
The ad received 11K likes. A quick look at the CoinDCX Instagram page shows that they rarely receive more than 1000 likes on their post. This makes this ad a categorical success in terms of pure engagement for the brand.
Zomato - Free meal Gaffe
And here’s Zomato showing us that memorable marketing campaigns don’t really need expensive video shoots or prominent personalities. The brand knows what sells: Food and Funny. And Zomato has found the right balance between them to capture the audience and keep them engaged.
Bordering on controversy and not afraid to be edgy, the brand portrays itself as young, interacts with users, keeps its content relevant to the times and is always trying to be innovative.
What did not....
Kent RO - Some sensitivity please?
COVID and lockdown affected every person in one way or the other. Throwback to 2020 when migrant and daily wage workers suffered enormously and had to walk back to villages, a fact that Kent RO seems to have completely forgotten about. On the path to catering to their TG, they caused an uproar by hurting the sentiments by publishing an ad dissing low-paid workers.
The ad was soon pulled down, but not before social media took jabs at the company for this mistake.
Tanishq - A success by creative standards, a failure in terms of ROI
Rarely does it happen that a company like Tata manages to upset India with its ad. But this feat is exactly what Tanishq managed to achieve with its ad showcasing interfaith marriage.
Hashtags like #BoyCottTanishq started trending, stores were damaged, and lives of employees were threatened. Tanishq had no choice but to pull down the ad and issue an explanation.
While a part of society supported and loved the ad, saying it promoted unity, others feared it promoted “Love Jihad”.
A lovely and creative ad, pulled down due to communal differences.
Sabyasachi mangalsutra ad
Sabyasachi justified this campaign by saying that it promotes inclusivity, empowerment, and beauty.
Needless to say, the netizens were not happy and displayed their displeasure, resulting in Sabyasachi’s withdrawal of this campaign.
International corner
Moldy whopper - Marketing Kings
How do you market a boring and mundane quality like “No artificial preservatives”. By showcasing the truth, ofcourse. Real food gets ugly. And Burger King took this route to highlight product superiority and made a clown of their competitors.
It breaks convention and takes guts to launch a campaign that may potentially damage their own brand.
Yucky? Maybe.
Effective? Hell yes.
Results? Check for yourself.
Vodafone Hungary - A Christmas special
Christmas is always a special time in the advertisement world, just ask John Lewis. Ads on social issues have become more and more prominent over the past few years.
Brands leverage the day to not only focus on increasing revenue but also brand image by tackling such issues.
Here’s a special one from Vodafone Hungary this year.
We’re not crying, you’re crying.
Goes without saying that we have left a lot of ads off the list to keep the list concise. Tell us about your favorite marketing campaigns from 2021 in the comments below!
And obviously, here’s to a safer and healthier 2022!
It’s an interesting read.
Storytelling through advertisements is an artform that never ceases to amaze!
Nike – play new ad campaign is my favourite!!
Intresting Read.
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