The century will enter its silver jubilee year in a few days. As the various wine and whine soirees help wrap up 2024 it is permissible to say that it has been a rather challenging year by most counts.  

Continued wars, climate conditions, economic humdrum, and the return of Mr T, can arguably be events that have caused most people to ponder. 

At home, three big pillars connections of politics, cricket and cinema saw a range of events. 

Opening of the mega temple, the third triumph of the current leading party, Team Blue championing T20, India’s glory at international cinema and a female-led horror comedy setting an all-time high record in popular cinema, we have had an action-packed laced with mixed emotions of highs and lows.
 
Yes, an intense 24 has left most overwhelmed including perhaps the wonderful adland too. 

Most commentary on the year gone by gives a fence-sitting analysis of the advertising and media industry. The year has given a whole bunch of mixed messages. There was growth yet there has been a slowdown. 

The focus on technology, its inevitable invasion and the continued quasi denial has been another example of being mixed up.  

The meh creative brand work and the desire of brands to do more content-led IPs ... the mash-up of contradictions has been a concentrated core for adland and finally to wrap the year the big merger has arrived to be the final nail. 

It has really left most more confused about what exactly happened and more importantly what are we going into the new year with. Dread and dismay or shine and sparkle as it’s the Silver?

If we take colour as a metaphor, then Team Pantone has given us something to think about. The colour of the year is Brown. Okay, Mocha Mousse, but it's still brown. Well, you may ask, have we lost our imagination? Become dull as brown in most of its definition has traditionally been that. 

Or, if you are like me and delight in the colour of your skin, do you feel it’s a sign? That our spotlight year is here, and we go marching into 25 with dazzle and dreams? As a country, as people and as a business category. Think about it. Look at our continent. India is certainly poised perfectly. Geopolitical stability, international trade and relations, and the youngest workforce make us certainly no afterthought or plus one. 

The country is defining the continent. And in the business, every global brand and network who are future-focused understands that and making serious efforts in getting the best talent to be part of them and hopefully weeding out the non-performers quickly, albeit sometimes with the help of mega-mergers!

Along with colour, another ode to the year gone by is to have a quick rearview mirror glance at the words of the year.  

Some learning can come from there too. 'Brain rot', 'polarisation', 'demure', 'brat' and of course the most favourite, 'manifest' (happy coincidence here). 

While the first four are interesting, 'manifest' does take a higher ground. 

Especially in a year where things were rather tough, it did give me hope to want better things in the road ahead. For the world at large and of course for Adland. If we all have practised some positive manifestation, it is certain to yield results and ROI.

No Que Sera Sera, the year ahead is looking sharp. All we need to do is to shake off the tinsel dust, recover from the cocktail-induced haze, the overdoing of the roasts and bakes and start. And try not to do the predictable ridiculous resolution of the gym, cleanse, detox and others such as new year, new me, blahs. Instead, let the Silver year be about shine. 

Let the work shine, accept technology and be unafraid of the AI, ML and more such alphabets and sprinkle them in the work repertoire. Let content truly sparkle. Let your people be the real stars. Let your agency be spectacular and let leadership be sane and secure.
 
The question is, how will this get done? Being prepared with caution would be a starting point. All is not bells and whistles. The last quarter’s slow down, degrowth of rural, rise and rise of commoditisation has certainly impacted brands and budgets. Brand building has had a hit. It is certainly a time to re-engage and revitalise. Leaders and custodians of the brand business need to relook at their approach. It's not business as usual and growth does plateau. Being pragmatic and innovative will be more than clever words. It will have to be embraced. The business will see portfolio and people rationalisation, more automation and certainly more network pressure. Essentially doing the new could and should have sure, stable and seriously sensational thoughts and ideas. For the rise and shine scenario for our beloved Adland.

Happy 25. Here's to great new beginnings for you all!

Shavon Barua is an independent brand curator. In her last full-time agency stint, she was chief client officer at PHD India.