In 2007, the recurring theme of articles on Indian advertising scenario was: talent or the lack of it. The interviews with CEOs read like MAD magazine’s DIY articles.
They lamented the churn at all levels and moaned about the inability to attract the right talent. The attraction & pay packets of BPO units, media channels and IT services were blamed. There is some truth in this, but the industry has to take concrete steps about it instead of providing lip service.
Like elsewhere in the world, use of online media was on the rise here too. But unlike the efforts of Dove or Doritos, no single brand had a huge breakthrough idea on the net (setting up a blog does not count as a break through idea anymore). Viral ads were common with stuff from Protex and Radio City doing the rounds.
As far as 2008 is concerned, the pundits have spoken about key trends like user-generated content and social networks gaining popularity. I would say that the next big thing in India waiting to happen and that is, regionalization.
