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Tag: Arun Fernandes

  • GUEST COLUMN: How will metaverse redefine the advertising industry?

    GUEST COLUMN: How will metaverse redefine the advertising industry?

    Mumbai: The recent advent of the metaverse—a continuous and virtual 3D world where users may interact with one another, hold meetings, and even shop for items—has been a popular topic of discussion in recent months. The opportunity for advertisers to target metaverse users with branded material and other sales strategies is evident.

    When it comes to advertising in the metaverse, immersion will be the key selling point. This implies that marketers will not only be able to provide better, broader, and more sophisticated branded experiences, but they will also be able to do it without appearing intrusive because customers will already be immersed in a virtual environment.

    But how will that manifest itself on a practical level?

    Brands should see the metaverse first and mainly as a new Advertising channel. The metaverse, like any other channel, will provide advertiser’s with unique chances that will lend themselves nicely to richer, more immersive narrative experiences. Advertisements in the metaverse have already taken on some common forms, such as product placement.

    Here are some instances of how brands may utilise the metaverse to advertise themselves:

    Characters and virtual real estate

    It’s understandable to wonder if businesses may own virtual real estate and have branded characters in the metaverse. This is how it might work: World of Virtual Reality, a company can purchase VR world for its specialty and incorporate a storefront / experience center for consumers to visit and shop, as well as an exercise space where people can compare items side by side. Many businesses have built branded characters and venues, as well as reproduced their services, within the virtual world. Interestingly, advertising has blended in seamlessly with surroundings.

    Avatars in metaverse

    When you first started using the internet, you probably came across avatars. They are virtual representations of our physical identities and may provide a great chance for advertising industry to establish its presence in the metaverse. Avatars are an essential component of the metaverse, and they would be crucial in a variety of metaverse advertising use cases. Once you’re able to totally immerse yourself in a world using your holographic glasses, your avatar will be the first ‘connection’ you’ll be able to wear and feel. Branded avatars, one of the most engaging and participatory methods to advertise a business, would play a significant role in upgrading your avatar’s appearance. In the future, businesses may give their new collections to customers virtually before they are released. It is easy to see the dual benefit of having avatars as tools for allowing customers to evaluate things.

    Massive Interactive Live Events (MILE)

    Massive Interactive Live Events, or MILEs, employ a single simulation to bring together a large number of participants on a single platform. Events are the next big thing that will provide chances for marketing in the metaverse. The power of live events is already being used by numerous businesses, but it has the potential to be taken to a whole new level in the metaverse. Events may be used to build interest in a product, market new products or services, and teach employees. Advertisers seeking to attract the attention of a large audience might utilise events to generate interest in new items that will be offered at a later date.

    Diversity and inclusion

    Finally, the most essential element influencing chances for metaverse advertising examples would be inclusion and diversity. These characteristics are critical to metaverse adoption since they not only provide a chance to get more users into the systems but also allow users to have a better understanding of who they are and how they interact with other users. As part of a wider campaign to promote the benefits of the metaverse among current users, these features must be reinforced through advertising possibilities. The metaverse, on the other hand, may enable companies to break through such barriers by allowing customers to construct their own experiences. Brands may seamlessly enter consumers’ metaverse experiences, making them feel connected.

    In the end, the metaverse provides a unique marketing platform. If the advertising industry can create an atmosphere in which people can engage with brands it will make their communications more real. This may lead to increased retail and other business development, as well as more interactions with customers when they are on-site. Brands may reach a worldwide audience for advertising objectives by using SL avatars and user-generated content. While the structure of SL and OS projects may not be as prominent in mainstream advertising as video or social networks, the metaverse is a perfect place for the advertising industry to experiment with new advertising strategies and concepts.
    However, every new marketing channel or technology has its own set of obstacles. So one should proceed with extreme caution when it comes to metaverse advertising. 

    (About Author: Arun Fernandes is the founder and CEO of Hotstuff Medialabs)

  • GUEST COLUMN: Digital innovation in the advertising industry

    GUEST COLUMN: Digital innovation in the advertising industry

    Mumbai: While the age-old basic tenets of advertising (4Ps) remain the same, digital innovations have opened more channels than ever before. Back in the day digital innovations ran speedily and dynamically changed how marketeers approached these basic tenets. But, today there are no drastic innovations, only steady transformation. New technologies have now become an integral part of marketing strategies and their ecosystems. 

    Having said that, are we future-proofing our marketing strategies? No, but there are a few innovations that will grow on us and become fundamental to how we are going to develop marketing concepts.

    Amalgamation:

    Gone are the days of linear model. Today, technological innovation and consumer behavior have created a complex reality. The key to combat this challenge is to amalgamate creativity with data to maximise consumer experience. While storytelling will remain fundamental to the process but data will give the marketing strategies an impactful edge. Art and science have always sat on different silos in the traditional method but in the new world they will converge and we will have to think holistically.

    Decentralisation:

    Many agencies have a centralised marketing structure, but nearly half of them plan to decentralise their operations in the near future. As data hacking becomes more common, demand for decentralisation will rise, and decentralisation is a solution since it places a greater emphasis on privacy and security. 

    Here are a few more advantages of decentralisation:

    1. It has a higher level of customisation for brand-specific campaigns.
    2. Content is distributed much more quickly.
    3. It will enable agencies to be more innovative and work more quickly for their clients.
    4. It will assist you in making quicker decisions.

    AI, ML, IoT, and NFT:

    When we talk about the future of going digital, we’re talking about AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The new world would not exist without it, because these technologies provide us with the dynamism of what our future can be and how we can shape it. Personalisation at scale requires AI, which collects enough consumer data to see trends and offer more relevant communications to their target audience. It can learn new information as it comes in using machine learning, and then make modifications to increase performance without having to be programmed to do so. IoT improves performance across the board, from content to interactive advertising. In the year 2021, the globe will also witness a recent innovation known as NFT. A digital asset, such as a patent, can now be owned by anybody.

    CTV advertising:

    TV advertising will work harder as a result of smart TV and the entire web and connected devices ecosystem. People are already replacing their televisions with Smart TVs, which is causing a significant increase in the Indian market share for TVs. It will play a major role in the commercial experience as the traditional linear TV format loses its relevance. Connected to the internet platforms it is paving the way for selective, targeted, and flexible advertising formats. The CTV evolution has already entered India and has made significant inroads (growing in double digits month on month), as the web ecosystem is enabling connectivity through smart TVs, dongles, gaming consoles, etc.

    Just when we thought that we have mastered Facebook, metaverse caused unimaginable disruption. The treadmill of innovation doesn’t show any sign of slowing down in the near future. In such a scenario how creativity will pan across devices, experiences and platforms, how you will tell your story effectively through voice-enabled, geo-tagging, and wearable chatbots will now become crucial to us dream merchants. We will have to adapt fast and adapt with humility as we break down silos and embrace the new world order.

    (About Author: Arun Fernandes is the Hotstuff Medialabs founder and CEO)

  • GUEST COLUMN: Five game-changing Indian ad trends to watch out for in 2022

    GUEST COLUMN: Five game-changing Indian ad trends to watch out for in 2022

    Mumbai: The pandemic came as a sudden blow to every industry, with the Indian advertising industry being no exception. But this industry turned a challenge into an opportunity and is now on its path to recovery with a 12.4 per cent growth rate predicted by 2022. Advertising spends on digital media are expected to reach Rs 58,550 crore by the end of 2025. With the market dynamics changing constantly, brands and marketers are tapping into new advertising avenues and adapting their marketing strategies to align with the evolved consumer habits.

    Going forward in 2022, the Indian advertising industry will witness a major surge in digital advertising. It is important for brands to understand the top trends that will shape the future of Indian advertising to be on top of the game. Listed below are some key trends to watch out for in 2022.

    1.      Vernacular content is the future

    Vernacular content consumption is on the rise in India especially with the increased participation from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Brands are now expanding digital advertising to include regional languages with the rural and semi-urban populations consuming digital content in large numbers. Regional language advertising has emerged as a key technique to tap into a diverse consumer base hailing from different social and economic backgrounds. With increased digital activity from the tier-2 and tier-3 cities, vernacular content will continue to dominate the Indian advertising landscape in the coming years.

    2.      Influencer marketing is here to stay

    India is witnessing a surge in the number of quality content creators, pushing brands to capitalise on influencer marketing. Consumers today are inclined towards video content more than ever resulting in huge followership for social media creators. In fact, we are now living in an era where even venture capitalists are willing to invest huge sums of money in creators. Brand partnerships and collaborations with influencers, or rather, micro-influencers, will continue to be a trend in the coming year as influencer marketing presents high engagement opportunities at a competitive price. Influencer-driven ad content powered by predictive AI will assure ROI for brands, giving more impetus to influencer marketing spend.

    3.      Growth in video commerce will continue

    Internet connectivity in India has drastically improved compared to a few years ago. People can now consume online content at high internet speeds, opening doors for advertisers to effortlessly reach the audience where they spend most of their time. Video commerce refers to shopping during live video streaming of events. Video is one of the most popular ad formats in India and mobile video ad spending is projected at $596 million in the year 2022. Going forward, brands will exploit video advertising in many ways to motivate purchases from consumers. Indian consumers’ purchases are no longer just price-driven. They are experience-driven and videos help humanise a brand, raking in more sales and brand loyalists. The video-watching user base increased by 25 per cent in India in the past year alone with the number of users touching 350–400 million and this stat alone is a testament to the rising popularity of video content in the country.

    4.      Shift towards CTV and OTT platforms is imminent

    The CTV and OTT market is growing at a faster pace opening monetization opportunities for advertisers within the video realm. Connected television advertising now presents an incredible opportunity for advertisers to deliver content to the audience. CTV advertising enables advertisers to engage advertisers in a linear TV-like environment, encouraging co-viewing and one-to-many relationships. With the increasing adoption of casting devices in India, advertisers are expected to allocate a substantial budget for CTV and OTT advertising.CTV’s ability to provide incremental reach to linear TV has enabled advertisers to grab the attention of young adults.

    5.      Cookie less advertising will be in vogue

    The push for consent-driven data has forced advertisers to find alternatives to third-party cookies. Advertisers will have to rely on first-party data and rethink their advertising and marketing tactics. Retargeting consumers may not be possible like before as the use of data in the name of hyper-personalisation has raised huge privacy concerns. Instead, the coming year will see advertisers using first-party sources to align their campaign planning and customer segmentation, staying compliant with the consumer data privacy guidelines.

    In conclusion

    India is the fifth fastest-growing ad market in the world with the industry bouncing back to normalcy to touch pre-pandemic levels. Brands vying for consumer attention must capitalise on the above-mentioned critical trends to ride the wave of success. With digital advertising penetrating into tier-2 and tier-3 cities like never before, the ad industry is set to witness some interesting developments going forward in the future.

    (Arun Fernandes is the founder-CEO of Hotstuff Medialabs. The views expressed in this column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • GUEST COLUMN: Responsible advertising during times of a national crisis

    GUEST COLUMN: Responsible advertising during times of a national crisis

    New Delhi: The second wave of COVID-19 brought us back into a jarring reality that we in some fluke had disregarded as a battle won. We thought that we could be back to being what we were living before, in wanton abandonment.

    As we learn to adapt to the new world order and start living with health & global crises, there is a lot of recalibration to be done. As lockdowns keep customers away from stores and logistical issues continue to affect e-commerce, health is taking priority & not lifestyle and need-based expenditure is taking precedence in the face of economic & financial uncertainties. All this has compelled marketeers, advertisers, and businesses to re-evaluate their strategies. 

    As brands seek to strike the right tone during a global health emergency, the future is staring at market alteration, increased competition, and rising demand for aggressive, yet conscious marketing practices. Especially in the age of the internet, the race to prove a brand more “humane” than the other would be quite challenging.

    Values Matter

    Honesty, integrity, transparency are values that are all the more important now. Brands may send “humane” messages, yet if there is a disgruntled employee who has been given the pink slip could be highly detrimental to the brand. The brand needs to be seen as an entity that has shown support to employees, communities as much as they are showing it to its customers or stakeholders

    Being genuine

    Being genuine is better than being “more humane”. The latter could be just mere lip service and the consumer will see-through. The consumer is another human with a life, a personality, with her own stories. Brands need to connect to that person and be genuine in doing so. Accepting mistakes or vulnerabilities would be better than trying to cover up, thereby engaging with that person would be ten times better.

    Timely planning and not scheduling

    Media plans or in the digital parlance – “ad scheduling”, two weeks old could be redundant in the ever-dynamic times that we are living in. Is it inappropriate given the current scenario? Chuck it! Asking the consumer what they would like to see or hear is a good thing to do and it can be quickly done through the social media/digital empowering tools. Observe, listen and then only respond. A “feel-good” promo could be seen as a ‘milking opportunity’ by consumers and brands need to be very careful about that.

    Paid Promotion

    It is critical to understand how the consumer would observe your paid promotions. Some campaigns may need to be paused or stopped. As a brand, you are increasingly communicating on walls, feeds, timelines and you will need to evaluate whether you are being awkward, inappropriate, a useful resource, or a happy break. And most importantly, is your target audience, even paying attention to you?

    Ease of use and supportive

    If you are viewed as a brand that is using a marketing opportunity to capitalize upon, you will be banned. It is ‘help’ that your consumer needs and the brand needs to be positioned as just that. A case in point is the SII’s Covishield! Despite its life-saving use, as soon as the Serum Institute of India declared its pricing strategy, there was a huge consumer backlash. Ideally, this could have been managed better and though a need, the announcement of the pricing strategy could have been avoided.

    Brands that reach out and not just being accessed would make a difference. While people are running helter-skelter in these emergencies, brands that make life simpler would be most remembered.

    As brands adapt and figure out how to promote products and services during this pandemic, government agencies have become all the more vigilant and are closely monitoring unfair and deceptive business practices. In India, financial products, especially, are under the scanner by the regulatory bodies and the IRDA has very recently made its policies much stricter to ensure fair, honest, and transparent practices, while issuing advertisements and including best practices.

    Brands like SBI General Insurance have been always responsible in their communications and one of their campaigns #MissionZimmedari was a case in point. A series of films with an emotional connection citing protection as a responsibility and using key occasions as triggers drove the message. Another investor education campaign #AdviceZarooriHai by Edelweiss Mutual Fund should get a special mention here for its appreciatory work in a series of films that connected various life stories to the importance of sound financial advice. All these within the precincts of responsible and best practices norms.

    Defining events such as the COVID-19 crisis, are forcing brands to be mindful yet tactful in a competitive and uncertain environment. Brands must acknowledge this and constantly reflect upon positive values that would keep consumers wanting to engage more with the brand.

    (Arun Fernandes is the founder & CEO of Hotstuff Media Group. He has worked with India’s leading financial brands on various national and International campaigns over the last 30 years. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • Decoding Hotstuff’s quirky hit campaigns for BFSI brands

    Decoding Hotstuff’s quirky hit campaigns for BFSI brands

    NEW DELHI: With the digital domain growing at a magnificent pace, brands across categories are looking towards it for marketing their products. In the past year, several businesses have admitted to increasing their digital ad spends and investing more time and energy to make the most of the medium. In fact, many legacy brands have adopted a digital-first approach to reach out to their potential customers. One such category, that is continuously growing on digital platforms, be it for marketing or customer services, is the BFSI sector. 

    Hotstuff CEO Arun Fernandes estimated that the BFSI sector is annually spending Rs 2,000 crore on digital advertising and is the second-largest contributor to the digital marketing industry after e-commerce. “The BFSI sector has been showing great growth on digital platforms, not just for advertising but also product development because of the growing awareness around digital media,” he noted. “That’s also because a lot of transactions are now happening digitally and even the government is spreading awareness about it. The top spenders in the category right now are SBI and HDFC, along with Kotak.” 

    He added that he expects an eight to ten per cent increase in expenses by the sector on digital platforms. “The primary focus is going to be on the hybridisation of their services, followed by product development and improving the convenience for the user. Additionally, a substantial amount is going to be diverted towards educating the consumers.” 

    Fernandes is willing to make the most of this vast pool of opportunities that lie in the sector with Hotstuff – a more than a two-decade-old agency known for its marcomm solutions. 

    “We started with Hotstuff in the year 2000 and currently, 90-95 per cent of my business is coming from the BFSI sector. It is a growing segment, yet, we see that not many specialised agencies are there to cater to their unique needs. For example, most of the big agencies have started creating specialised wings for the healthcare sector. So, we are the only player right now in the mid-size agency category doing this work and I see great opportunities out there for us,” he shared. 

    The agency is currently planning to become the one-stop-shop for all the creative and marketing needs of the BFSI sector. “We want to position ourselves as a content-driven company that creates meaningful stories and can educate the customers on investment opportunities, help them do better in their financial and saving capabilities, and convert them into permanent customers for our clients,” Fernandes said. 

    According to him, the biggest strength for Hotstuff right now is the strong domain knowledge that the entire team has, and their ability to tell impactful stories in the financial space. “We have a strong video production team that understands the conversations and the formats. Additionally, we have an incredible digital team and an activation & events team, so the clients do not have to look anywhere else.” 

    While digital is the core focus of the agency, it also helps the brands leverage other ATL and BTL mediums too. In the past few months, Hotstuff has worked on many incredible projects; one of their best ones being the ICICI Prudential SIP-hop campaign. The campaign beautifully utilised the desi hip hop genre to educate the customer about SIPs. 

    “Over three weeks, the radio campaign targeted listeners across seven markets, with spots on the top three stations in every city. The client limited the plan to the morning time-band only, to have a higher frequency during prime time, further amplified reach during these hours through music streaming platforms like Spotify, JioSaavn and Gaana. Over and above running regular advertisement formats, the song was also listed organically across various platforms. Besides being able to serve relevant content to a targeted audience, we were also able to rack up over 10 million complete 30 second listens, at a very effective cost per spot, in a short period,” elaborated Fernandes. 

    Another interesting campaign that came from the brand was Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance (SUD Life) attempting to educate people on why insurance is a prime need and induce people to inquire about insurance and the adequateness of their cover. Hotstuff worked with adman Prahlad Kakkar to recreate the sets and music of the 70s in order to position Life Insurance as the fourth basic need after Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan. The campaign that ran across television, cinema, OOH, and digital platforms received great attention. 

    While the path ahead looks quite promising to Fernandes, the only immediate challenge he sees on the way is the new work-from-home system, wherein the face-to-face meetings have drastically reduced. “I feel it's easier to close the deals and get clients to know our work and team better in personal meetings. We have done just two physical meetings in the past year, that too while we were sitting six-seven feet apart from the client. I really want to change that,” he rued.  

    However, he is positive that 2021 is going to be a good growth year for the agency. “We had clocked a 25 per cent growth in 2019. While 2020 did not turn out to be a good year for numbers, we definitely grew in our skills and popularity. So, I am expecting that this financial year will also bring at least 25 per cent growth for us.” 

    He is quite excited about some of the projects that they are working on and is also planning to pan out the offerings. “We are also willing to take up some co-partnered media projects with our clients and I am quite excited about that too,” he signed off. 

  • Top 4 trends in advertising for the year 2021

    Top 4 trends in advertising for the year 2021

    MUMBAI: 2020 is passing in the blink of an eye, but we are curious to see what 2021 will bring to the digital world. While there have been several memes that went on to amusingly take pot shots on the eventful year 2020, those were dark humour that really went on to portray how the year panned into appalling uncertainty. Many of these memes have actually been used by advertisers to engage with consumers. Does this go on to signify that as dream merchants, we have always made the best use of adversity, confronted challenging situations and stood as shining examples to the society? If it were not for us, the whole of India would not have connected in virtual concerts, stood in solidarity with frontline workers through our remote habitats, portrayed how complex problems might be resolved in spite of social distancing and in particular made everyone within the country conscious of the safety measures that one needed to undertake during the pandemic.

    We as a community are not any strangers to disruption and turmoil. We have overcome economic pressures, political tensions and even natural disasters. With the outbreak and therefore the global spread of the pandemic resulting into an entire shut-down, mega events, gatherings and such platforms that engage with brands and consumers, advertising agencies had to rejig their strategies and work doubly hard to make things happen in shoe-string budgets and remotely placed production equipment & operational teams. The world of advertising is heavily hooked in to interpersonal and human connects, but we are rethinking the way we are operating. Some of the trends that might not just dot 2021 but a replacement era, since there'll be no going back so as to fortify the longer term of the planet in the first place. These could be listed as below:

    Building partnerships with data and tech platforms:

    The pandemic and the ensuing lock-downs in various phases have not just impacted the manufacturing sector & supply chain of companies but also impacted the consumer demand. Consumers have become very stringent and most of the buying patterns are seen only in essential goods. Brands have and would within the future check out lowering their offline budgets and invest in online which has become essentially the market place across sectors. That apart the digital space is also a veritable consumer touch point for news & entertainment consumption. So a digital explosion is on the cards before later.

    Hyper-engagement model:

    Agencies would need to offer more to its clients and create Intellectual properties on the digital platforms that would enhance the relevant consumer touch points. These would be engagement tools that will have to focus on creating long-term relationships with the sharply targeted audience groups instead of making ads and hard-sell. A case-in-point is “Tattva” – a platform that is being created as a ‘centre of excellence’ for the BFSI segment audiences; IFAs and buyers simultaneously. A property like this is often a boon to the myriad financial brand that's trying to find a market place!

    B2B2C models through e-commerce solutions:

    One specific surge which we'll notice as a trend is that the B2B2C models of companies with specialize in e-commerce. Agencies would need to actively work with advisors and data driven firms to make be-spoke solutions for buyers. With an eye fixed on efficiency in cost-savings, value-driven approach and gains within the short-term and sustainable growth within the mid to long-term

    Focus on the experience:

    Interaction and engagement on the virtual platforms would be key to everything. From brand launches to sporting events, the entire ecosystem is moving online and consumers are going to engage with the brands from the comforts of their homes. Experiences therefore and a virtual transportation to another world would be important for advertisers. Fantasy games, virtual concerts or for that matter retailing of fashion & food would all need to give the relevant experience for the consumers to buy into that experience and thereby the product.

    Although one might not make certain, whether of these innovations would find out how to negate the large accumulated losses the industries faced this year but it's surely the right time for advertisers and advertising agencies to create capabilities in areas that might be primary within the new era. The agency of the future would need to be futuristic!

    (The author is CEO, Hotstuff Media Group. Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his views.)

  • Advertising agencies should recalibrate around Covid2019

    Advertising agencies should recalibrate around Covid2019

    As Covid2019 continues to sweep through the world, global ad spending is also sliding southwards. With major events being cancelled and slowdown in demands for lifestyle and consumer brands, marketing budgets are being slashed and advertisers are trying to find a silver lining among the gloomy clouds over the urban skyscrapers. USD 4.5 billion a day! That is how much the pandemic is costing the Indian economy! This has trickled down to every sector. With consumption dropping, manufacturing is seeing a halt. This would have been the wedding season in India, with increased spending on jewellery, etc. Sunscreen and myriad skincare-related television commercials would have by now been urging us to fill the online carts. But Covid2019 has impacted marketing and sales negatively. This variable can be fatal to creative agencies who fail to adapt to what we expect will come next.

    Given the current scenario, we have to wait until September when things start to ease up. Being nimble is the key to the game. In fact, we the advertising people are a race of humans who are no strangers to disruption and turmoil. We have overcome all kinds of pressures – economic, financial, political, natural, and many more. As the Covid2019 is no longer viewed as a short-lived outbreak and the world is calibrating itself to settle around it and with it, advertising agencies will also have to recalibrate. In fact, many mainline or legacy agencies will have to brace themselves for the slump that is yet to come. With businesses being conducted online now, creative pitches, client meetings, brainstorming and such have all moved online, and remote terminals are our new offices now.  Agencies that cater to tech innovations, digital and internal B2B can expect some sort of sustainability.

    While agencies understand the need to change, the same is required from clients’ side too. At Hotstuff, we mobilized our resources in March, even before the actual lockdown, setting up new systems and work management protocols that ensured business continuity. We helped our clients to do so too and adapt. During the lockdown we even created TVCs from home that set a precedence and a trend for other marketers to follow suit. Innovation is the key and as Indians, we are known to innovate the best during crises. This has helped us churn out campaigns and create communication pieces in full swing. As an agency we did not stop at that but kept our clients engaged through our huge network of experts who could add value to its world of clients. Our Tattva Knowledge Series of webinars are a huge success and only growing in its reach.

    Advertisements are nothing but human stories and one of the key factors that make them touch our hearts is how we interpret and imagine our interaction with each other. In pandemic times, this significant emotion itself is of high risk. Though our social interactions have lessened and are almost at a standstill, we are still humans, capable of managing all that and much more through our subtle perceptions.

    Physical expressions have evolved and are evolving to subtle expressions. Creative people are catching that and messages of hope and beauty and a world of subtle emotions will play a pivotal role. Strong ideas will matter more than exuberant productions. The power of storytelling will need to be honed better. We humans have the agility and the tensile strength to overcome anything and as dream merchants we are like the frontline workers who would keep the sanity alive. The templates would need to change – hope, beauty, gratitude, calmness, stoic, prayer, positivity, sombre and empathetic along with technological innovations would be the new norm in the brand new world.  

    (The author is Hotstuff CEO. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)