#Recap2019: Campaign constructs did not follow the cookie-cutter style, Shekhar Mhaskar

Isobar India’s Chief Growth Officer, Shekhar Mhaskar shares the big learnings in digital marketing from 2019, as well as how organisations are adapting to the digital medium and key trends for the year 2020 .

Did any creative trend or strategy catch your attention? What was it and how was it different?

Largely what sticks out is that the campaign constructs did not follow the cookie-cutter style. Every campaign has been highly tailored to deliver the ultimate communication purpose.

Moreover, it was a judicious amalgamation of elements ranging from the latest technology to a creative trend, or for that matter even a social craze. Topping it all was the apt use of Voice, Video, and Vernacular that struck the perfect chord with the audience sentiment resulting in prolific engagement.  

Which were your favourite top 5 digital campaigns of 2019? (Can be local or global)

My personal favourites are the ones done by Isobar - (a) Blockchain-powered campaign for CEAT Tyres which I believe was ahead of its time, and (b) The ‘Aeronaut’ - a VR experience that blended technology and creativity to create a world-first unique, highly immersive and social experience. The other ones from India, that really touch your heart are the social campaigns ‘GoodNewsIsGenderFree’ by Prega News and KeralaIsOpen by Samsonite. From around the globe, a company as mature as Porsche, dived into digital marketing with a fresh approach to fuse traditional and digital advertising in their 911 campaign. In fact there are many more that one could rave about.

In terms of brands spending and adapting digital medium, how was 2019 vs 2018?

Hands down, 2019 saw a conscious uptake in the spends by many different brands. Over 2018, I would say, the spends must have grown by about 15%-20%. There were concerted efforts by marketers to make sure they got the best bang for their marketing buck by wisely shifting monies from offline to online.

And, what's the next big thing in digital in 2020?

Shekhar» I will love to see brands taking even more risk, experimenting, and being on their toes while executing campaigns. They usually mull over it a lot, not realising that being current and relevant in the digital space is of utmost importance.

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