THE PROMISE OF 2017
Industry Honchos Ring In The New Year With Resolutions And Expectations... Given the tumultous 2016 we have witnessed, what with Trump in the US, Brexit in the UK and demonetization in India, I expect 2017 to be a good year when we will reap the benefits of the reforms that the BJP government has undertaken, including the benefits of demonetization. At Madison, I want to prepare all Madisonites including myself for the increasing Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world that we are likely to face in 2017, and seek out opportunity for our clients and ourselves in this VUCA world. Sam Balsara The New Year is an opportune moment to revisit old long term commitments and make newer short to medium term ones. For me, a recurring resolution every year is to give back to the society that we inhabit and in that spirit, I resolve to continue my support to the cause of providing quality education to underprivileged children. A more topical resolution this year is rooted in the new responsibility that the industry has bestowed upon me as the President of BARC. I am committed to work with all stakeholders to further strengthen our measuring mechanism and use data analytics to create an ecosystem that is more robust, inclusive and scientific. Sudhanshu Vats In 2017, Dentsu Aegis Network will become the second largest agency group in India overturning, for the first time, the existing ranking which has historically been in place for over 80 years in India. This will mark the coming of age of the first new age agency group and will free the industry from the lethargy and outdated thinking of legacy, old world creative agencies. Ashish Bhasin Like every year, this year too I have resolved to get my fitness agenda going. Shashi Sinha I am looking forward to people entering 2017 with hope, and with a degree of ambition and belief that that it will be a boom year. Vikram Sakhuja When you hold the philosophy that the best is yet to come, 2017 holds better promise than 2016! On a serious note, the positive effects of demonetization will be evident from the second quarter of 2107, when I expect our economy to move forward in an accelerated manner. The MarCom industry is sure to benefit from this surge and I look forward to the exciting period ahead. Srinivasan Swamy Chairman and MD, RK Swamy BBDO While the outdoor industry did witness a hit in business post demonetization, things will get better by April 2017, and I’m sure the industry is going to bounce back. Personally, my resolutions for 2017 are ‘very BIG and very SERIOUS’. Noomi Mehta I expect digital consolidation in the industry. Also, I look forward to the IRS 2016 launch, that has been postponed to 2017. I Venkat I hope to create more stillness in my universe within and outside, while retaining the energy I feel... and to do more of what I really feel intensely about and less of the trivial. In the industry, the best thing about 2017 will be the emergence of a ‘Forced Digitized Consumer’ as many will learn lessons on thrift and caution, while embracing a whole new world of choices. Charulata Ravikumar Manish Bhatt It’s going to be a digital life, that’s what I am looking forward to. Neeraj Roy Founder and CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment The OOH industry will see double digit growth during 2017, which is the best thing to happen for any industry. Pramod Bhandula Hopefully, the Year of demonetization will finally be over! Personally, I will do something that I had actually planned for 2015 and did not manage to do in 2016 – start running! Dhunji S Wadia I am really looking forward to GST getting implemented by the Government of India by April 2017. This will end all the indirect taxes levied on goods and services by the Centre and States. Sudip Ghose I am looking forward to making a big business impact. Last year, we did some really good work, but I think this year we will really make it. Amer Jaleel I am in a category which is supposedly a men’s category, and being a woman, I really want to make a mark because I think women understand men better and that’s how great work can happen. I am looking forward to some amazing work for Raymond in 2017, and to understand the insight of men and their mindspace. Madhu Dutta Demonetization has hit advertising in 2016, but it hasn’t hit hope. Everyone is expecting real estate prices to fall, but we are sure that won’t happen in 2017, instead the industry is going to grow as transactions become more transparent. On a personal note, my resolution for the coming year is to understand the consumer better. Jaideep Gandhi The year 2017 for me comes as a beacon of hope and promise, both professionally as well as personally. The last three years, i.e., 2014, ’15, and ’16, have been years of growth and profit for Droom, which has seen us rise as the sixth largest e-commerce company in India. If we continue to put in the same amount of efforts and keep the wheels of innovation moving, I see Droom becoming one of the largest and quickest tech-enabled unicorns arising out of India. On a personal front, I want to spend more time with my two sons - I missed seeing them grow up. Also, I want to work on improving my skills as a golfer. Sandeep Aggarwal Social will soon modify its meaning to online as well as offline spaces that would connect like-minded people. Expect innovations to help people upgrade themselves, be it health, finances and skill sets. While some people will embrace change to better their lives, there will be people making an effort to help their community and social causes they really care about. Personally, I want to run 1000 km in 2017. Malay Dikshit Rajiv Dingra I want the demons of demonetization to go away so that consumers can start getting excited about spending again – not to hoard the cash but to spend it on brands, so that brands advertise and the market revives. I am hoping for health and happiness for everybody, hoping for our industry to get back on a growth curve. It’s a theme of positivity that I am hoping for and I hope that works well for everybody. Pradeep Dwivedi I want to keep working on the ambition of making Tata Motors the Number 3 brand in India, to establish Tata Motors as a maker of desirable cars. I plan to work on this every day of the year. Vivek Srivatsa Arun Iyer My resolutions have seen evolution! I used to make many and not keep to them. Now I make none and keep to them all! Roshan Abbas Rather paradoxically, they've become both, more realistic and more ambitious at the same time. More than anything, I've become more strategic in my approach. The key is to break each resolution down into smaller measurable goals. Roopak Saluja Partha Sinha My New Year resolution is playing for an hour-and-a-half everyday and burning calories and then ensuring that I catch up on the burnt calories in the next 30 minutes. Mandeep Malhotra I won the Bronze medal at the national-level Table Tennis Championship in 2016, and look forward to enhancing that performance in the upcoming championship in January. While, God has been kind in taking care of my wealth aspirations, I want to divert some focus toward my health. I shed 17kg this year, and that has propelled me to take care of my fitness. Vivek Bhargava CEO, DAN Performance Group
Chairman, Madison World
Group CEO, Viacom18
?Chairman & CEO South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network
CEO, IPG Mediabrands India
Group CEO, Madison World
Chairman & MD, Selvel One Group
Director, Eenadu
CEO, SapientNitro & Razorfish India
Co-founder, Scarecrow Communications Ltd
Managing Director, JCDecaux India
President, Rediffusion Y&R
Vice President,Head Sales & Marketing, VIP Industries Limited
Chairman & CCO, Mullen Lintas
Head, Marketing, Lifestyle Business, Raymond
Managing Director, Jaya Advertising
Founder & CEO, Droom
Chief Communication Officer, Tata Sky
Founder & CEO, WATConsult
CEO, Sakal Media Group
Head - Marketing, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors
CCO, Lowe Lintas
MD, Geometry Global Encompass Network
Founder & CEO, The 120 Media Collective
Vice Chairman and MD, McCann Worldgroup
CEO and Co-Founder, The Social Street
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