<ul><li>Tonic Worldwide’s Gipsi decodes consumer needs of 2021 which were born out of 2020. </li><li>It predicts that brands can advance the good news and work hard to indulge the consumers in positive sentiment with Good news.</li></ul>United in surviving the pandemic albeit separated by screens, 2020 has forced many learnings upon humanity. India saw a new digital audience and quick adoption of e-commerce, video apps and WFH culture thriving. But it also came with a lot of side effects of deprivation, slow-down, lack of social connect and much more. It is fair to say that predictions and forecasts need to underplay this season with the uncertainties that the world witnessed in 2020. With this in mind, Tonic Worldwide’s insight division GIPSI decided to decode the consumer needs of 2021 which are born out of 2020. It applied the “Deep Listening methodology” across multiple data points on the brink of a fresh year, to decipher sentiments, conversations and interests to decode the needs of 2021. <div type="image" title="gipsi - Tonic" msid="79854186" hostid="261"></div> The 4 Key Needs of 2021 according to GIPSI are: <ul><li>The Need to Heal from 2020</li><li>The Need to find Balance post-2020 imbalance</li><li>The Need for Good News post-2020, which was the year of bad news</li><li>The Need for Reassurance post-2020</li></ul><ol><li>The Need to Heal from 2020:</li></ol>GIPSI observes that there is a need to heal beyond physical health- mental, financial, social and more. <ul><li>In 2020 multiple factors triggered importance of ‘Mental Health’ – celebrity suicide, job losses, domestic violence etc. As a result, awareness hit its peak, with a 1021% surge in "Mental Health Quotes" searches, and 40K conversations around "Mental Health".</li><li>Further, the year also saw an increasing concern on the career forefront with nearly 3.6 Mn LinkedIn updates for #Opentowork, #Opentojobs, #Openforbusiness.</li><li>People have begun to value self-care, with a 2x increase in “guided meditation” and 147% surge in YouTube trends of "Yoga for beginners''.</li><li>Consumers are busy bonding with puppies as a means of social healing, 302% search increase in "How to train a puppy".</li><li>Many relationships were put on hold with the mounting uncertainty, leading to a 2020 phenomenon - Situationship, with over 174K posts on Instagram.</li></ul>GIPSI’s implication spells - “Brands can be the vaccine for the side effects of 2020 damage. Brands, what are you healing in 2021?” 2. The Need to find Balance post 2020 imbalance GIPSI says, Consumer sentiment to take charge and take risk to bring back the lost balance is promising. <ul><li>Freshers take charge - 326% increase in searches for "how to make resume for freshers", and 187.5K conversations on Job opportunities with a positive sentiment. The #workation trend hits India with 5K+ posts, while the debate of “Work from home or Work for home continues”.</li><li>Relationships extend beyond romantic nature, as long distance #workbuddies becomes a norm, and calls for a catch up.</li><li>Consumers interest in money matters surges once again - 2x increase in trends towards “stocks to watch today” and 4x increase in trends towards “is it a good time to invest”.</li><li>Indians find a way to make weddings grand over virtual means, with wedding meals home-delivered and streamed live.</li></ul>GIPSI’s Implication spells - “Brands can help bring back the lost balance and help consumers feel more in control.” 3. The Need for Good News post 2020, which was the year of bad news GIPSI identifies, the deprivation of ‘good news’ in 2020, makes Good news in 2021, an essential! <ul><li>With the common plea being “Go Away 2020”. The biggest good news people want to hear is over Vaccine arrival- 19.4K + conversations and 153.7K engagement, with an overall positive sentiment.</li><li>Rising interest trends towards events, festivals and shubh muhurat indicates the eager anticipation for celebration.</li><li>India in vacay mood: High intent on leisure and getaways with 11.4K conversations and 67.5K engagement on Travel 2021.</li><li>Sustainability takes center stage with a cumulative 186% search increase on Sustainability packaging and ecofriendly materials. 2021 will need some serious steps with respect to sustainability packaging.</li></ul>GIPSI’s implication spells - “Brands can advance the good news and work hard to indulge the consumers in positive sentiment with Good news.” 4.The Need for Reassurance post-2020 After leaping and flitting through 2020 consumers are pandemic hungover and seeking confidence over their choices of anything to do with 'stepping out'. They're seeking reassurance in each step of their decision journey <ul><li>Be it sending kids to school, going out to a mall or a restaurant, or even scrutinizing brands on purity quotient. Where a neutral sentiment of 78% looks for assurance from schools to provide safety. At the same time a booming 71% positive sentiment over malls and cafes adapting to safe personalized measures for consumers.</li><li>They're also demanding transparency and promise of purity from brands as 35.7 k + online conversation over purity test, a 700% + search of rice purity tests are on the rise.</li></ul>GIPSI’s Implication spells - “Brands will need to re-build trust to regain the confidence to be re-considered. Gipsi also informs consumer reviews will play a big role” Commenting on the report, Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer and Director – India &amp; MENA region, Tonic Worldwide, says, “While the crisis has been ongoing for a while now, there has been some lead time for marketers to recalibrate and be better prepared to communicate with consumers in 2021. This <keyword id="10265037" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gipsi-report">Gipsi report</keyword> equips marketers across categories to be the catalyst in the Consumers life by uncovering their need gaps in the given situation.” Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide says “Unlike any new year report with speculative insights, with GIPSI 2021, we decided to get more realistic and thus discovered an unusual scenario for a new year report –consumers’ needs of 2021 are heavily impacted by the 2020 pandemic experience. Consumers are increasingly experiencing and engaging on digital, it’s only natural to say a regular deep listening can give brands an upper edge and a digital ear to the ground.” Gipsi was launched in 2018 and is being headed and driven by Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer, Tonic Worldwide and Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide.

2020 saw a cumulative 186% increase in search on sustainable  packaging and ecofriendly materials: Report

<ul><li><keyword id="3671421" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tonic-Worldwide">Tonic Worldwide</keyword>’s HI+AI insight division ‘GIPSI’ shares Diwali 2020 profiles with insights and implications for marketers’ quick reference.</li><li>Revenge consumers are the ones who want to live the old normal, and are ready to pay the premium in the new normal to experience the same and more.</li></ul>Diwali 2020 is here and so are many perspectives. The industry is buzzing with positive sentiment and brands are extending the sentiment by supporting smaller players. Everyone has been waiting for Diwali in 2020 as a ray of hope for recovery. Digital data is a powerhouse of insights. ‘GIPSI’, the HI +AI insights division of Tonic Worldwide has published a brief <keyword id="10265036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="diwali-report">Diwali report</keyword> about the digital consumer profiles with insights and implications. This attempts to decode the pre-Diwali digital behaviour with its ‘Deep Listening’ methodology. The data sources are multiple for ‘Deep Listening’ Method – it goes beyond digital conversations and maps the data with interests and searches added with unique HI perspectives giving actionable insights. According to the report: The Revenge Diwali celebration consumer intends to spend, not save! For them splurge is the new retail therapy. This profile of TG is ready to pay the premium to celebrate Diwali in the old normal way and more. Their heavy wallets need a breather. Which is good news for marketers. This is reflected in staycation syndrome - 289% increase in conversations, and 179% increase in intent. International travel - 171% increase in conversation, and 650% increase in searches. What’s more - 433% increase in interest in "Premium" trends across categories. GIPSI is asking brands if they are premium worthy for the Revenge celebration? The Cautious Diwali celebration consumers are the non-risk takers and want to play by the book. They find the mobile screen as the safest window for – buying, experiencing, celebrating and meeting! The interesting part about this is that ‘caution’ has led to the tech adoption as we can see Diwali shopping is on full swing with 600% interest growth in ‘live shopping’. 164% increase in conversations and 129% increase in search volumes w.r.t video shopping. GIPSI suggests brands to keep the ‘screen mask on’ to engage with the cautious ones. The 40% interest increase in ‘car purchase’ and 105% interest increase in ‘test drive’ booking shows that the cautious want to invest in safe private travel transport The Diwali in disguise celebration profile wants to celebrate Diwali without peer pressure, social calendar and social expectations, leading to celebrating Diwali in the most authentic way. The behaviour can simply be understood with DIY meeting CIY (Celebrate It Yourself). There is an 800% increase in DIY Outfit, and 247% increase in DIY Home Décor, added with 90% increase in searches related to ‘Diwali at Home’. What’s more, this TG is even going hi-tech with Diwali cleaning with 300% search increase in "vacuum robots". GIPSI says brands which keep it authentic and appeal to CIY sentiment for this TG will win their hearts. For the ones in denial of Pandemic, Diwali is a break from the Pandemic. The greed for Diwali celebrations has got the better of them –even the pandemic cannot come in the way of Diwali and them. They are in ‘Pandemic off. Party on’ mode. There is a 26 times increase in conversations related to ‘Festive Crowd’ during pre-Diwali compared to the beginning of this festive season. 68% increase in searches for ‘Diwali Party’, 55% increase in searches for 'local sale'. 50% increase in searches related to 'street shopping’. This has concerned GIPSI, while GIPSI is a great promoter of listening to consumers, for this profile she is urging brands not to listen to the consumers. Instead, take care of their safety while they are not taking care of themselves. Commenting on the report, <keyword id="5909082" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unmisha-Bhatt">Unmisha Bhatt</keyword>, Chief Strategy Officer and Director – India &amp; MENA region, Tonic Worldwide, says, “There are a lot of expectations from Diwali 2020. The power of digital is also far more realized than previous years by brands across categories. Deep listening and data enables brands to navigate uncertainty by understanding underlying sentiments, currents, trends, insights. Once brands understand what their TG cares about, it enables them to build long lasting relationships. With this report, we are uncovering the types of consumers and their mindsets in the current times so that brands can capitalise on these insights.” <keyword id="6618180" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anjali-Malthankar">Anjali Malthankar</keyword>, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide, says “In a data overloaded world, what’s missing is the perspective and the HI touch to the AI data. Agile, HI +AI is a great combination for a tool which can report consumer insights in real time! Whether you are a marketer or a consumer, all will enjoy and relate to the profiles defined in this report- check out how you or your consumers relate to the profiles.” Gipsi was launched in 2018 and is being headed and driven by Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer, Tonic Worldwide and Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide.

The revenge Diwali consumer wants to spend, not save, reveals report

<ul><li><keyword id="3671421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tonic-worldwide" source="Orion">Tonic Worldwide</keyword>’s GIPSI launches the world’s first Insights report on the Metaverse as NFTs.</li><li>As per the report, Gamers are the early adopters.</li></ul>GIPSI, Tonic Worldwide's HI+AI (Human Intelligence + Artificial Intelligence) division today launches first Insights <a href="https://bit.ly/3gvIbXl" data-type="tilCustomLink">report </a>on the Metaverse as NFTs. Experience is at the core of the metaverse, which is now called Web 3.0. When GIPSI deep dived into AI data to understand and decode the Metaverse, it observed that people need to experience it first-hand, and not just learn about it passively. The report, “Metaverse Loading '' is a collection of NFTs on Opensea.io. which can be viewed, liked and shared GIPSI believes that metaverse is still loading. To help people understand this complex topic, GIPSI decided to show-and-tell! “Metaverse loading” is a snackable mini report in the form of NFTs. The idea is to nudge people to get started on the topic of the metaverse and encourage them to start their own Metaverse journey. The report sheds light on the scale of conversations, emotions, early adopters and side-effects of the metaverse. Further, it shares thought-starters for brands to step into the Metaverse and grab more opportunities to offer more experiential engagement to their customers. Key Findings of the <keyword id="10265037" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gipsi-report" source="Orion">GIPSI Report</keyword>: <ul><li>Metaverse is here to stay. As of early Jan‘22, 23.4 million conversations were happening globally and 414k conversations were happening in India. </li><li>GIPSI reports rapidly changing emotions around the metaverse. What started as ‘fear’ has evolved into ‘concern’ which needs discussion and answers. On the other hand, the ‘mockery’ around it being a kiddish concept or a smokescreen has now got the audiences to feel the FOMO.</li></ul> <ul><li>The <keyword id="13128243" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="early-adopters-of-metaverse" source="Orion">early adopters of metaverse</keyword> identified by GIPSI, basis the data as of early Jan ‘22 are </li><li>Gamers, with 3.95 Million conversations. They are the metaverse natives</li><li>Investors, with 755K conversations. They are here to mint money</li><li>Entertainers, with 310K conversations. They are in the search of a new stage</li><li>Last but not the least, brands! They are here to be part of the new marketplace</li></ul> <ul><li>Well, GIPSI also wants readers to not ignore the other side of the metaverse. The side effects. Some of these are the undercurrents and some, big concerns.</li><li>Fear of eyes: While the larger conversations are, excitement around AR glasses, VR lenses, there is an undercurrent of concern about the impact of these on the eyes. Giving a clear indication for the eyecare sector to pay attention to.</li><li>Future of brains: 1420% increase in conversations are happening around how it will affect mental health. Experts are concerned. This is not an undercurrent.</li><li>Future of Environment: This is a mix bag. There is a good and bad side to the metaverse as far as environment is concerned according to the data.</li></ul>Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide said, “Metaverse simply put is an ‘experiential web’. It is still loading but it won’t take too long before it becomes a new way of using the web for everything. I think marketers this time are keen on, not missing the bus, big-medium and small, all brand teams are eager to know and enter the space, which is a good sign. Unlike web2.0 where it took a pandemic for all brands to adopt digital, for web 3.0 there is no dearth of curiosity and excitement. Metaverse Loading is an attempt by GIPSI to get started on the topic by interacting with the report NFTs on Opensea.io." Commenting on the report, Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer and Director – India &amp; MENA region Tonic Worldwide, said “Metaverse is still a mystery for most marketers and consumers. This inhibition comes from the fear of the unknown and the fear of technology. This is our attempt to de-mystify Metaverse for marketers by enabling them to experience it firsthand as a report in the form of NFTs."

Metaverse in India: Around 414k conversations in India happened on the Metaverse in early Jan 2022: Report

<ul><li>Based on ‘Deep Listening’ methodology, <keyword id="3671421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tonic-worldwide" source="Orion">Tonic Worldwide</keyword>’s insights division GIPSI, has arrived at unique and actionable insights.</li><li>The pandemic has led to the creator economy phenomenon, with an increase in conversations around product as well as store reviews by a massive 1447%.</li></ul>We're always consuming, wish-listing and adding items to multiple carts, across multiple E-commerce portals, consciously or unconsciously, especially due to pandemic induced behaviour. GIPSI, Tonic Worldwide's HI+AI (Human Intelligence + Artificial Intelligence) division applied its ‘Deep Listening’ methodology, triangulated with a survey (100 respondents) and 20 SME interviews to arrive at unique insights. The data sources are multiple for ‘Deep Listening’ Method – it goes beyond digital conversations and maps the data with interests and searches, coupled with unique HI perspectives giving actionable insights. All data compare January 2021 to July 2021, as well as to 2020 Data wherever applicable. Key Findings of the GIPSI Report: The Pandemic Effect is the key trigger for increased E-commerce adoption, with the majority of respondents shopping online tried at least 2 new E-commerce shopping sites/ apps in the past year. <ul><li>Rise in the Types of E-commerce: Social commerce, Conversation Commerce, Homegrown Small Commerce, Delivery commerce, Video commerce, Sustainable commerce, Thrift commerce, Gift commerce, Creator commerce....the list is endless! Implication: The digital audience of India today is approximately 620+ million which consists of Fans, Friends, Followers, subscribers, passive surfers, who are all likely to be consumers!</li></ul><ul><li>The Rise of ‘Apps’ in E-commerce: Currently, there are 1103 most used E-Commerce apps in India and shopping apps have today captured the mobile home screens and they have made it to the Top 4 categories in the list of Most Used Mobile Apps in India, in 2021. Implication: Fight for the home screens has begun. Are you ready?</li><li>Rise of surfing in E-commerce: Every month approximately 620K searches take place for Social commerce, increasing month-on-month. With the average Indian today spending about 2.25 hours on social media everyday, commerce has become content now! Implication: Only presence is not enough! Your E-commerce content needs to be thumb-stopping.</li></ul><ul><li>Rise of "Search" in E-commerce: About 54% of product searches takes place on Amazon, with respondents attributing to the same, rather than using a search engine. Implication: How discoverable is your brand? Use Search behaviour to decode consumers’ intent and interest.</li></ul><ul><li>Rise of “Experience” in E-commerce: Today, From chatbots, Live videos, conversation commerce to AR features, the options are plenty. Inclination towards conversational commerce is on the rise, with 79% increase in industry-led conversations on decoding conversational commerce, and the technologies involved. Further, top conversational AI platforms see steady growth. Implication: "Experience" can be your post-pandemic advantage. Invest in experiences now.</li></ul><ul><li>Rise of “Entertainment” in E-commerce: E-commerce destinations are now competing with Social Media networks and OTTs, with customers spending more and more time on these shopping destinations. Soon, this experience will replicate malls - with the option to watch movies, shop and order food, all in an 'E-comm mall'! Implication: E-commerce is not just a medium. It’s now a Destination for Entertainment.</li></ul><ul><li>The Rise of shopping on ‘Visual and Video platforms’ in E-commerce”: Visual platforms are seeing a whopping surge across all the platforms. Preference for ‘Instagram shopping’ rules the roost, followed by Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest. There’s also a strong inclination towards Pinterest shopping, with 799% growth. Implication: Make visual platforms your shop’s new address.</li></ul><ul><li>The Rise of ‘Reviews’ in E-commerce: Led by the “creator economy” phenomenon, E-commerce reviews are also determined by Social Media Creators’ reviews and recommendations which can make or break brands on digital. There has been a 1447 % increase in conversations, with a 3X positive sentiment and further 25K conversations specifically on reviews and recommendations on E-commerce destinations. Implication: Brands, what’s your Review Quotient (RQ)?</li></ul><ul><li>The Rise of "Small Commerce" &gt;&gt; "Delivery Commerce" : The boom of Small commerce has seen an immense growth with creators, home businesses and local stores which have moreover taken their consumer experience completely online, with 155%+ increase in adopting Whatsapp catalogues and 46%+ increase in Shopify app downloads.. This thriving space has seen over 1.5 million searches on topics related to build/ set up E-commerce websites, free tools and related queries. Further, there has been a growth of 73%+ in monthly active users of popular hyperlocal delivery players from the beginning of 2021 - to now. Implication: Brands, time to re-check who your competition is. Don't forget to include the new-shops-in-town</li></ul><ul><li>The Rise of ‘<keyword id="1479775" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eco-activism" source="Orion">Eco-activism</keyword>’ in E-commerce: Witnessing a 50%+ surge in conversations around the topic and specifically 833K conversations on eco-friendly and <keyword id="6660763" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-packaging" source="Orion">sustainable packaging</keyword>, this <keyword id="12201157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="conscious-shopping" source="Orion">conscious shopping</keyword> behaviour is now on the rise. Implication: Products, persona and packaging with an eco-filter is a must</li></ul>Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide said, “Who knew that the biggest barrier ‘contactless shopping’ will become the biggest trigger for the rise and rise of E-commerce! With abundant data, there is no looking back on the reasons to adopt commerce on digital. Trends are available to all but brands which identify undercurrents will have an advantage. Our GIPSI report is for anyone who is riding, considering or fearing the rise and rise of E-commerce”. Commenting on the report, <keyword id="5909082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="unmisha-bhatt" source="Orion">Unmisha Bhatt</keyword>, Chief Strategy Officer and Director – India &amp; MENA region Tonic Worldwide, said "At Tonic Worldwide, we enable our clients to meet their business objectives with better insights. That is why we exist! In the last year and a half, E-commerce and digitization has been a game changer for multiple companies of all sizes. In an effort to accelerate their business, GIPSI's ecommerce insights report focuses on ways and means to see higher growth by adopting best practices. By making this report accessible to other brands and businesses beyond tonic, we look forward to contributing to the larger growth story for marketers" GIPSI was launched in 2018 and is being headed and driven by Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer, Tonic Worldwide and Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide.

Conscious shopping behaviour is now on the rise as eco-activismwitnesses a 50%+ surge in conversations; 833K conversations happenaround sustainable packaging: Gipsi report

<ul><li>From concert tickets, learning the language, albums, and photo books, to online or in-person meet-and-greets, K-pop fans leave no stone unturned in immersing themselves in their idols’ culture.</li><li>Now, with <keyword id="10879114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Non-fungible-Tokens" source="Orion">Non-fungible Tokens</keyword> (NFTs), owning a special item is always going to be attractive to all dedicated fans.</li><li>K-pop fans, brand experts and NFT marketplaces tell us all you need to know about the oncoming wave of K-pop NFTs.</li></ul>It was in 2012 that Korean Singer Park Jae-sang’s (PSY) song ‘Gangnam Style’ took the world by storm, became the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/12/20/youtube-most-viewed-music-videos-from-gangnam-style-to-despacito/2702463001/">most </a>streamed song on YouTube and what followed was the birth of the South Korean Wave or Hallyu in India. <div type="image" title="Gangnam style gif" msid="90628215" hostid="261"></div> This global phenomenon was later driven by music, movies, and dramas, which further rose to popularity in India during the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/9/15/k-craze-korean-dramas-and-culture-are-taking-india-by-storm">lockdown</a>. For most fans, the affair with South Korean culture began with Korean popular music (K-pop) and its biggest bands such as Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS), Blackpink, MonsterX, iKon, Big Bang, Twice, and Red Velvet. Slowly, the fondness expanded to the food they ate, the language they spoke, the make-up and jewellery they wore, and a highly enthusiastic, loyal and active fandom was born. As per research and analytics firm <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/956032/south-korea-kpop-popularity-in-india/">Statista’s </a>recently conducted survey in India between the ages of 15 and 59 years who had experienced South Korean cultural content, K-pop was considered to be very popular by 34.4% of respondents. Statista’s another <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/5098/music-industry-in-south-korea/#:~:text=All%20in%20all%2C%20the%20South,to%20become%20a%20global%20phenomenon.">report </a>on Korean culture said that the South Korean music industry achieved an all-time high sales revenue of over ₩6.8 trillion in 2019, as well as an export value of over $756 million, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/30/bts-kpop-bighitentertainment/">which accounts for a sizeable 0.3% contribution to South Korea’s GDP</a>. The same survey found that the <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/937260/south-korea-reasons-for-kpop-popularity-worldwide/">main reason for its popularity</a> were the catchy rhythms and choruses. Indian digital content creator, Radhika Bangia, who often dresses up as her favourite Korean characters on Instagram, is followed by 1.6 million people. Her bio, “Crash landing on K-dramas”, explicitly declares her love for the Korean culture to the world. It was her Korean best friend in New Zealand who introduced her to K-pop. Bangia got really hooked on to the music when Boy With Luv, a BTS song, came out and in the world of K-drama, it was Boys Over Flowers for her. She says that she has been surprised at the speed which K-Pop and K-drama have grown in India. “K-Pop/K-Drama is mainly a love-it or hate-it affair (even though it’s so catchy I’m not sure how you can hate it). It’s so much fun to meet and interact with other K-Pop/K-Drama fans and see their enthusiasm for it,” says Bangia in an emailed reply to Business Insider. Why Indian advertisers need to take K-pop fandom more seriously Fans of K-drama and K-pop have created various groups on Facebook, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/">Reddit</a>, Telegram, Clubhouse, where they bond over their shared love for South Korean culture. Their loyalty for their favourite stars is most apparent in the <a href="https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/the-power-of-k-pop-groups-in-endorsement-deals">rise </a>of K-Pop Twitter fancams, record-breaking YouTube streams, and sold-out concerts and merchandise. As per Southeast Asian e-commerce aggregator, iPrice Group, a devoted member of the BTS army across Southeast Asian countries, must have <a href="https://iprice.ph/trends/insights/how-much-money-do-kpop-fans-spend-on-their-idols/">spent </a>an average of $1,422, which is equivalent to buying an iPhone 12 Pro. This average purchase includes at least 15 studio albums, five concerts and numerous merchandise. <div type="image" title="k-pop" msid="90628210" hostid="261"></div> Fans of K-pop across South Asian countries and globe, do not shy away from spending money to support their idols. It is a quality that brands look for in their ambassadors -- the ability to start a conversation among a huge fan following and their social currency. BTS followers are also one of the major representatives of the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-10-28/bts-k-pop-stans-are-fighting-qanon-and-maga-on-social-media?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-businessweek&amp;utm_content=businessweek">online “stan” culture,</a> where super fans use different online channels, especially social media, to continuously promote and defend their idols. According to <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bts-twitter-account-mentions-fans-1128480/">Twitter</a>, BTS has been the most-tweeted-about band on Twitter for four consecutive years. However, in India, only multinational food chain McDonald’s has tried to leverage on this huge stan culture. Last year in April, McDonald’s launched the BTS Meal across 11 countries in Asia, including India. The internet <a href="https://www.campaignasia.com/article/bts-campaign-in-asia-has-been-phenomenal-mcdonalds-asia-marketer/469926">exploded </a>with messages from ARMY, fans of BTS, and McDonald’s. Apart from that, we have only seen international collaborations such as Samsung, Coke and Hyundai with BTS. Telling us why Indian brands have failed to jump in the whirl of Hallyu, Lloyd Mathias, business strategist and marketing expert, says, “Indian brands have yet to tap into the immense potential of K-Pop as a marketing tool, partially because of the inability of marketers to fully comprehend the phenomenon and more specifically as Indian brands will have to enter into specific licensing arrangements with them. For global brands like Coke and McDonald’s and Korean brands like Hyundai and Samsung, this clearly poses no problems.” K-drama fan Bangia was thrilled at the idea of two cultures coming together. “I would personally love to see some Indian brands collaborating with BTS or BlackPink. I think the mixing of cultures would be cool to see!” While Indian fans are getting their dose with international collaborations and the merchandise available online, the unconditional love that ARMY and various K-pop fans extend, offer an immense potential for brands in bringing in new consumers. Anjali Malthankar, national strategy director at digital advertising agency Tonic Worldwide, says, “Indian brands are treating K-pop as topical content, but there is a big opportunity for Indian brands to ride the wave and appeal to the K-pop fanbase. What fans in India would want, is to be as close to the K-pop stars as possible, and to have access to them. In fact, that’s what K-pop has cracked on social media. They know what their fans want and the whole model is about giving power to the fans to make their favorite stars more popular. I feel, a live concert, physical or virtual/experiential can be a big platform for Indian brands to participate.” On the other hand, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of blockchain analytics company bitsCrunch, Vijay Pravin Maharajan points out that it would be unfair to say that Indian brands have failed to capitalise on its popularity as there are so many different opportunities for brands to draw in audiences. “It is important to remember that, like South Korea, India is home to a thriving local entertainment industry and is a melting pot for entertainment worldwide. Even among those who were favourable to K-pop, there are certainly other genres and industries they engage with. It is highly unlikely that the average Indian K-pop fan engages exclusively with the genre. Indian brands are likely to go with local entertainment and artists, of which there is an almost continuous supply,” says Maharajan. Can NFTs be a place where fans get their due? Any fan is not just a spectator or silent admirer of art, they are active stakeholders who go out of their way to support their idols. From concert tickets, learning the language, buying albums, and creating photo books, to online or in-person meet-and-greets, K-pop and K-drama fans leave no stone unturned in <a href="https://homegrown.co.in/article/803152/merchandise-events-more-a-guide-to-everything-k-pop-in-india">immersing </a>themselves in their idols’ culture. And Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are pushed toward heavily engaged fandom. Apart from <a href="https://www.verizon.com/business/small-business-essentials/resources/beliebers-why-care-231604811/">Beliebers</a>, <a href="https://fandomwire.com/popular-actors-who-are-bigger-potterheads-than-you/">Potterheads</a>, <a href="https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/taylor-swift-and-story-swifties-fandom">Swifties </a>and fans who form a beeline diligently in front of Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan’s bungalows in Mumbai, K-pop and K-drama lovers are amongst the biggest communities. With K-pop NFTs, fans can own a special collectible item that would stay with them forever, even transfer onto different clouds. It would get them an opportunity to support their artist directly, flaunt their fandom and become a part of the larger community. So, can K-pop NFTs be the next big wave in the growth of Korean culture in India? Brand guru Mathias says yes. “I believe NFT can help take this to the next level given that many can now ‘own’ part of the phenomenon in the metaverse.” Korean culture has successfully built a sense of connectivity and relativity with the Indian masses, owing to the commonality of culture in terms of food habits, manners, and behaviour. With NFTs, fans of these two cultures can support their favourite artists. Ramkumar Subramaniam, CEO and cofounder of no-code NFT platform GuardianLink, says, “With the rise of NFTs aided by the popularity digital currency and assets have garnered, especially in the entertainment and art fields, even the globally famous South-Korean band, BTS, entered the red-hot NFT space in November. Given that India is rapidly adopting NFTs as a way of building connect with their favourite artists, NFTs are anticipated to be the next big thing fuelling Korean culture’s penetration in India.” Sai Krishna VK, founder of visual tech company Scapic, who is also known for his content around crypto and investment, says, “NFTs intrinsically capture value that fandom has always had, the only difference is that this value is now a direct relationship and with ownership too, in some cases. Industries like K-pop will be among the biggest to benefit from this as the chance to interact, engage and be closer to the stars you idolise is the sort of technology product that was simply not possible before this.” The initial buzz around the world of NFT was by crypto investors. They finally found a medium to spend their digital money on. Now, from <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/prabhas-posters-from-radhe-shyam-to-be-available-as-nfts/articleshow/90054402.cms">Prabhas </a>fans to K-pop, NFTs are attracting more diverse audiences and fandoms. Finfluencer Neha Nagar has been talking about the growth of NFT and crypto in India. She thinks that the introduction of K-pop NFTs to India will give a push to both Korean culture and NFT’s adoption. “K-pop fans are a very strong community, now every K-pop fan will be forced to think about NFTs, which will lead some of them to actually buy those NFTs for the sake of love for their k-pop stars. K-pop fans already have spent on merchandise and tickets to support their stars. Owning k-pop, NFTs will now be called ‘a proof of being a k-pop fan,’ especially genZ will get more attracted to NFTs now, which will push the NFT craze to next level. This is going to be quite exciting!” Maharajan of bitsCrunch says, “With the growing popularity of K-pop in India, moving the production of music videos to the digital realm may be the way of the future.” While K-pop fans are voicing their <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/12/nft-kpop-environmental-problems/621091/">concerns </a>over carbon-torching NFT, various <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/binance-and-the-record-label-behind-k-pop-sensation-blackpink-will-work-on-creating-eco-friendly-nfts/articleshow/89435868.cms">labels </a>have started working on launching greener NFTs. Bangia is optimistic that K-pop fans will accept NFTs that support their favorite artists, “but my personal hope is that we can find a way to minimise the amount of energy that blockchain requires,” she adds. K-pop has been able to make international inroads in recent years and now with the arrival of various K-pop NFTs, the future of hallyu in India looks <a href="https://youtu.be/gdZLi9oWNZg">Dynamite</a>!

NFTs may finally leverage India's fandom for Korean drama and music, which Indian brands have failed to cash in on

<ul><li>After the global pandemic, <keyword id="49089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> and health seem to have become important factors for consumers.</li><li>According to Capgemini’s recent report, consumers engage more readily with brands and retailers that they perceive to be sustainable and genuinely committed to green practices.</li><li>The report found that 48% of consumers share an emotional connection with products or organizations that demonstrate eco-friendly qualities.</li><li>As we move forward this year and health concerns and sustainability continue influencing consumer decisions, we speak to brands, research and design agencies about how brands can integrate sustainability into their core values and move beyond mere lip-service.</li></ul>It might be a new year but the world continues to grapple with familiar challenges and threats: we are on the verge of entering the third wave of COVID-19, the country’s capital, New Delhi is currently facing alarmingly high levels of indoor air pollution and Uttarakhand's forest fires emitted nearly 0.2 megatonnes of carbon in the past one month, a record since 2003 (CAMS report). So 2022 will clearly be a busy year for brands as consumers get more serious about climate change and expect brands to increase their focus on living sustainably in harmony with nature. While businesses exist to make money, Manish Chowdhary, Co-CEO, Body Cupid Pvt Limited says that there are two ways to do that. He explained, “One is sustainable, by keeping other living and non-living things in mind. The other one is inspired by greed. So no matter how small a brand’s effort may be, it has to be aligned with sustainability if the brand wants to continue in the long run. Brands exist for consumers and it is important that we listen to what they want.” From driving workforce diversity to taking a stand on climate change, there’s a definite change that has taken place in consumer expectations. In the last few years, sustainability has become one of the biggest decision-making factors for consumers, and more so after the pandemic. They have realised that mother earth has suffered enough. In this digital world, consumers are demanding more transparency and are quick to call out greenwashing. They are expecting to see concrete actions. And as Chowdhary said, it has become imperative for brands to listen to what consumers want because they exist to serve consumers. Today’s consumers are not only pivoting towards more sustainable products but are also willing to pay a premium for them. Gen Z and Millennials lead all other age groups in this respect. When shopping for groceries, 72% of Gen Z and 66% of Millennials say they are willing to pay more for organic foods and in fact, did so the last time they were grocery shopping, compared to 56% of Boomers, found Capgemini. Its recent report said that 80% of consumers want to contribute to the fight to save the planet for future generations. And it is not just a phase. 70% of consumers agreed that post-pandemic, they will be more careful in terms of maintaining and protecting their personal health. Covid has only reminded us that there is a long way to go on sustainability. On how the pandemic has altered consumer behaviour, Lulu Raghavan, Managing Director, Landor and Fitch said, “The pandemic has fundamentally shifted consumer behaviour. An IBM study shows that 93% of consumers have changed their views on sustainability after the pandemic. This is totally understandable. The horrid virus which came out of nowhere has ravaged lives, ruined livelihoods. The only silver lining is that it has woken us up to the paramount importance of our own health and wellbeing and that of our Mother Earth. Sustainability is now a definitive transformative force that will upend existing industries and create new ones. If digital transformation was the buzzword in corporate boardrooms, ECG will take centre stage in the coming decade.” But what exactly is a sustainable brand? Ashwini Deshpande, Co-Founder and Director, Elephant Design defines it as, “A brand that values ethical sourcing and supply chains, is inclusive, and follows environment-friendly processes and materials while staying viable for its stakeholders is qualified to be labelled as a sustainable brand.” Kartik Johari, VP, Marketing &amp; Commerce, Nobel Hygiene believes that in the coming months, people will start to question what is sustainable and what is not along with how we can continue to reduce our carbon footprint across all aspects of our lives. He said, “Consumers at the end of it are people and they expect what is good. The ‘brand promise’ is essential to them. Now, alongside they are also making space for the environment due to excellent work by activists and journalists around the world. You will remember, for example, that riveting photo of a straw stuck in a turtle's nose. How many millions of turtles have we lost to this? Yet it took just that one photo to break through the global psyche. Now straws are the Number One environmental enemy. But this does not mean the onus should be entirely on people to choose better! Companies have to improve their offering. And that is correct for consumers to expect. Moreover, important to note, there are some 50 or 60 companies in the world, which are responsible for majority of emissions. Strong regulations on them can solve what collectively 500 million people may have to do. But who’s going to bell the cat? As Mr Musk rightly has been saying that, give the solar industry the same amount of subsidies, for a year, that you give to oil and gas, and see the amount of transformative change it brings! The onus cannot be on that one little end consumer and their war to save their environment.” During the pandemic, brands like WOW Skin Science, Diageo and Dettol launched eco-friendly packaging to test the waters, indicating that more brands in India have started reevaluating their packaging strategy to put the environment first. Big FMCG companies such as Marico, HUL, Nestle India, Future Consumer, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-co, Parle Agro also announced in 2020 that they will move to 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 helping towards a sustainable future. Joining the bandwagon, the Indian Government has also started its efforts towards reducing our country’s carbon footprint. Currently, India is the world’s third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, after the US and China. According to an Assocham and PwC report, landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital, New Delhi. And consumers aren’t ignoring these horrifying numbers anymore. Elysha Young, Trends Manager, Mintel APAC said, "India’s Prime Minister has pledged it will reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, backed by aggressive 2030 targets. By laying the groundwork in the form of policies, India is signaling that it is open and willing to support innovation around sustainability, and indeed that carbon-emitting industries will no longer be tolerated. This presents an opportunity for global companies looking to tap into India's vast population but also issues a challenge to foreign and domestic companies to ensure they are cutting emissions throughout their value chain. It's in India's self-interest to stem global warming, with the nation of 1.3 billion people being one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The nature of the short-term targets means that action will need to be taken immediately, which will see a strong focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, as well as the batteries needed to store such energy. Companies would do well to look at the emissions within their own value chains and determine where cuts can be made. Communicating these to consumers will help them to make choices that align with the national strategy; the opportunity exists to ensure consumers feel like they're also doing their bit." In 2022, brands that snooze will definitely lose More and more consumers are becoming aware of their choices and realising that whether it is a worn-out piece of mask they decide to throw or a sanitary napkin or even as simple as a plain t-shirt, never really goes ‘away.’ It all ends up in a landfill. Human activities are clearly harming the global environment and brands have no choice but to migrate to sustainable solutions and work towards building a circular economy. So, in 2022, if brands don’t switch, they lose consumers, investors, and all stakeholders. Chowdhary said, “At the industry level, there is nothing without sustainability. The consumers of today are conscious and aware. They know the choices they are making. So if companies &amp; brands do not opt for sustainable practices, eventually the smart consumers are going to make a switch. We can only expect the awareness to grow and actions to increase, especially with the challenges that our planet is facing today.” Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide sees sustainability as one of the big topics in 2022 – right from fashion, green products, green living to electric vehicles, every category will be touched by sustainability filter. She said, “If the brands have already not made sustainability part of their commitment in any form yet, it’s high time they join the eco-wakening movement. Consumers are already looking for some form of reassurance or the other from brands in terms of conscious behaviour, as consumers are at different stages of adoption – it is a mix of curious, concerned, and advocates. At the very least, they are looking to not feel guilty about consuming the brand. Conscious living, mindful living, Green living, purposeful living are all the buzz words in communications today. For brands it is inevitable to have sustainability as a larger goal.” It is not just the environment and consumers who benefit from eco-friendly practices, businesses with low carbon footprints are more likely to have a better brand image and can easily woo consumers. Deep Bajaj, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Sirona Hygiene said, “Companies are realizing that being conscious of their environmental impact can benefit them in every manner possible. Consumers desire sustainability owing to the ailing earth. Companies that work to become more environmentally responsible, not only contribute to a better future, but also establish a progressive brand image, happier employees, and a loyal client base. Consumers are real people who are affected by real environmental issues on a daily basis. They are aware that it is no longer limited to textbooks and that industrial activities have a direct impact on their daily lives. As a result, what goes into the making of a product and what goes inside it is extremely important to them. Other than environmental consciousness, they expect transparency from brands.” While brands in India have already started taking baby steps towards converting their business into a sustainable choice for consumers, we will get to witness more demonstrable actions in 2022. And those who fail to prioritise mother earth, will have to face consumers’ wrath. Deshpande said, “The emerging consumer base of millennials &amp; Gen Z is not a forgiving lot when it comes to ethics or ecology being compromised by a brand. But others are not quite as aware and may base their decision only on factors like price or convenience above sustainability. There is no choice. It is a survival mandate for a brand to become sustainable. Otherwise, we will see every resource being depleted in the next few decades.” Kantar BrandZ data shows that brands with weak purpose grow 70% but brands with strong purpose grow 175%. At the same time, India is still a price-sensitive country and consumers stick to the convenience of buying what you are used to. So, on how brands can move beyond mere lip-service and greenwashing this year, Raghvan suggested, “Use innovation to develop products developed against that purpose. Embrace design thinking across the board. Embed a new mindset deeply in the culture and transform from within. Communicate and evangelise with consumers." In 2022, experts are confident that brands will embrace sustainability that will benefit people, planet and profit.

Is 2022 the year when Indian brands will get more serious about sustainability?

<ul><li>The Advertising Standard Council of India has released a new set of guidelines for <keyword id="10879114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="non-fungible-tokens" source="Orion">Non-Fungible Tokens</keyword> and <keyword id="6357017" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cryptocurrency" source="Orion">Cryptocurrency</keyword>, effective from April 2022.</li><li>After November 2021, all major <keyword id="2721952" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="crypto" source="Orion">crypto</keyword> exchanges had to put a pause on their marketing and advertising activities as PM Narendra Modi had announced in a Parliament meeting that attempts to mislead the youth through over-promising and non-transparent advertising need to be stopped.</li><li>After a long hiatus, now that there will be more clarity and standardization in crypto advertisements with <keyword id="169284" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asci" source="Orion">ASCI</keyword>’s guidelines, their ad expenditure is likely to return on digital and traditional mediums.</li><li>We reached out to experts to discuss how players in the segment can navigate these challenges and woo consumers without violating regulations.</li></ul>The latest trend flooding the internet is Non-fungible Tokens. From Indian celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Nucleya, Yuvraj Singh to brands such as Yum!, Rage Coffee, MG Motors India -- have announced their foray into the <keyword id="4668945" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nft" source="Orion">NFT</keyword> world. A recent report by Deloitte predicts that India will be quick to catch on to the global NFT revolution with favourable regulations. In fact, it says that NFTs for sports media will generate more than US$2 billion in transactions in 2022, about double the figure for 2021. Another report from market research firm Finder said that Asian countries are outpacing the rest of the globe in terms of crypto adoption. The Asian country with the highest percentage of crypto ownership was Vietnam at 40% followed by Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, respectively. However, since November 2021, all major crypto exchanges in India had put a pause on their marketing and advertising activities after PM Narendra Modi had announced in a Parliament meeting that ‘attempts to mislead the youth through over-promising and non-transparent advertising should be stopped.’ Since then, the crypto exchanges have refrained from launching fresh advertisements on print, television and radio. Now, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/ad-tech/news/asci-frames-guidelines-for-advertising-and-promotion-of-crypto-and-nft-products/articleshow/89764550.cms">Advertising Standards Council of India</a> has released a new set of guidelines for NFT products and crypto exchanges. Under the new standards, all Virtual Digital Assets and services will be required to carry prominent disclaimers. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="89764550" title="ASCI frames guidelines for advertising and promotion of NFT products" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Experts welcome new ASCI guidelines; call it a step in the right direction Crypto platforms, after a long hiatus from marketing, are up for the challenge and are excited to be resuming their marketing activities before the Indian Premier League. Welcoming the new guidelines, Ashish Singhal, Founder and CEO, CoinSwitch said, "The ASCI guidelines are a step in the right direction to standardize advertisements within the VDA space. The VDA industry is supportive of all efforts towards investor protection, however, there are nuances that need to be addressed as the space is ever-evolving. We will continue to work together with ASCI and other stakeholders to refine them further.” Manasa Rajan, Business Head at Jupiter Meta also said that the new guidelines will improve accountability. She said, “This move is welcome and will offer further legitimacy to this space and create more accountability from the marketers, which is a positive direction for a nascent category with a customer-centric approach. While cryptos are seen as purely investment or trading opportunities, where the ultimate goal is profit., NFTs have a value proposition that is far more versatile than just speculative worth. It is more about changing the way we consume content, engage with art &amp; artists and immerse ourselves in popular culture. So, NFTs’ value cannot be seen from a trader’s lens alone. The experience of involvement, decision making, ownership &amp; utility have emotions attached to it, just like art, gold or even high-end brand purchases. Hence, a regulatory framework should be more inclusive in approach for a nascent category, where the inherent value of these NFTs is still being discovered.” The regulations come almost a month after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced plans to tax crypto investments by 30% during India’s Union Budget. While most <keyword id="12386484" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crypto-ads" source="Orion">crypto ads</keyword> did come with disclaimers, they were easy to miss as they appeared at the bottom of the screen or flew by in a few seconds at the end of it. As per the new guidelines, the voiceover will be required to be at a normal speaking pace so that the consumer can’t miss it. In the case of a long-format video of over two minutes, the disclaimer will be required to be repeated at the beginning and at the end of the video and stay on screen for a minimum of five seconds. No crypto advertisement can now contain statements that promise or guarantee future increase in profits either. Overall, the current guidelines indicate that ads cannot mislead, misguide, give false information, or exploit a consumer’s lack of expertise on a subject. Whether it was CoinSwitch’s maiden B2C advertisement with Ranveer Singh or Ayushmann Khurrana’s campaign with CoinDCX, advertisements last year showed how investing in crypto is the future and it is very easy and simple to invest in. All of these ads painted a rosy picture that highlighted the highs and downplayed the volatility and risk of the assets. Therefore, ASCI is now restricting VDA products from claiming that their assets are so easy that consumers do not have to think twice about investing. It is also barring the use of the words ‘currency, securities, custodian and depositories’ in crypto-related ads. The task now for these crypto players is to win the confidence of people, raise awareness and educate, while convincing them that it is safe to invest in crypto. On top of these regulations and lack of trust in the market, crypto exchanges will be competing with the government’s own digital currency. Rikki Agarwal, Co-Founder &amp; COO from Blink said, “Last year, we saw an uptick in the crypto ad spends during the festive season and during important cricket matches. The new guidelines by ASCI will certainly have an impact on the brand spends, especially during the upcoming IPL tournament. The associations with Influencers and celebrities will also witness a radical shift. The move will definitely help in education and creating awareness amongst the consumers but it is too early to comment on the impact on the brands. Currently, India is the second-largest market in cryptocurrency adoption and the culture seems to be growing rapidly. With the adoption increasing among young men and women, private players such as CoinSwitch Kuber, CoinDCX and WazirX had plans to increase their ad spendings to compete with the possible launch of the government's digital currency. With the move from ASCI, the brands will definitely have to relook at their strategy and plan their ad spends. Brands will also have to consider spending on other platforms and mediums to interact with the consumers and will open up new avenues for growth.” Crypto platforms will also have to relook at the duration of their ads because it might get difficult for the audience to understand crypto in 10-15 seconds; it could send the wrong message across and mislead consumers. Navigating the challenges of advertising in the NFT, Crypto landscape While there are a lot of grays in crypto ads and ASCI guidelines will certainly bring transparency, will it restrict creative freedom? Vijay Pravin, Founder &amp; CEO of bitsCrunch, does not think it will. “With the new tax rules and now ASCI’s regulations, I don’t think it will be challenging for digital products to be creative. In fact, this will bring out more creativity among the Web-3 people. When people came out with the concept of Cryptocurrency, it was laughed at, since it was new and seemed confusing. Likewise, the laws and regulations for cryptos will take time to be able to cover all bases. With web-3, we are enabling an additional asset class for the future. For sure, in the years to come, we are going to witness a quirkier side of NFT and crypto projects than now. Regulations or laws keep changing. This is the current stand but in a few months or years, we could witness something else. But the technology or the infrastructure remains the same. We already witness that India is making progressive steps towards Blockchain technology. I am personally looking forward to seeing how this technology and the landscape evolves,” said he. Raj Shamani- Digital Content Creator, Entrepreneur, Investor and Podcaster said that while creativity will get hampered to some extent, the overall impact on the whole industry and people interested in this industry will be positive. “A lot of people have been misusing their power to pump &amp; dump and promote wrong things just to make quick bucks. This is going to be good for people who are here for the right reasons because they are anyway educating. And if they are providing good value education, people are going to learn about it. Also, it's always the best to tell people I am not personally recommending so that people can easily differentiate between honest opinion and promotional opinion,” said Shamani. He also shared some advice on how to connect with consumers. He said, “The best way to woo consumers is to provide them the right education and value. If you educate your audience right. If you tell them the right things. If you let them know the use cases. If you tell them about the community power. If you tell them how this is going to empower their life and not 'sell it'. The content will connect. People who have been already doing this thing in the space won't face a problem. In fact, this will make people more aware and push them to promote and make the right content. This will only help to eliminate the promotion of bad projects.” Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide said that with everything new comes excitement and concern and both need our attention. "I think the attention from regulators for any space which is seeing a crazy traction in such a short period, is expected. At the pace that NFT, Crypto are growing in popularity the interventions are understandable. As far as the challenge for creative promotions is concerned, I think the creative agencies have often come across the term during briefings – “It’s a creative challenge” So, in that spirit creative will always find its way to not let this come in the way of creativity. There have been very many categories, including traditional finance categories which have disclaimers and yet it does not stop good creative work. In fact, the fence sitters or doubters who were unsure of the VDA products, might consider the category, as promoters get more upfront and transparent about it. If VDA brands are strategically not dependent on or riding on the fad, confusion, consumers’ lack of knowledge and noise but have a genuine offering, then it is just about giving space to disclaimer which for today’s smart and conscious consumer is nothing but a sign of transparency. In fact, if we see closely Crypto and NFTs are born out of blockchain and the need for transparency and hence in intent they are both (the regulators and VDA category) on the same page." Rage Coffee recently made its debut in the blockchain matrix with its valentine's NFT campaign. Its Founder, Bharat Sethi said that the growing adoption of crypto tokens has led to the emergence of advertisements that downplay the risk associated with these assets. Therefore, according to Sethi, increased transparency is a welcome move and where it might impact creative freedom, when it comes as a hit on the consumer interest, it is best to be transparent and supply critical information/disclaimers in this volatile category. “Even after including the disclaimers and adhering to the guidelines, there is scope for being creative. It does restrict creative freedom in communication; however, this is in the best interest of an average consumer who might not have in-depth knowledge about cryptocurrency and VDAs. A promise that can not be kept should ideally not be made in a promotion. There is a need to educate the consumer on the basic ideas around NFT, cryptocurrencies and take the customer on a journey to understand how these assets are. The risks can not be downplayed as risk appetites are very personal. There is plenty of space to experiment, spread awareness and create a buzz,” said Sethi. NFT marketplace Fullyfaltoonft.com curated by Viacom18’s Youth Music &amp; English Entertainment cluster and powered byGuardianLink.io has already received an overwhelming response for its digital artwork preview. Keyur Patel, Co-Founder &amp; Chairman, GuardianLink and Co-Founder, BeyondLife.club said that consumer education comes first and it's a welcome move from ASCI to ensure customers are aware of the market volatility. "Crypto as an investment class is quite volatile compared to stocks or real estate. All investment Ads and campaigns have a responsibility to educate the users on the risks and affiliated volatility and liquidity restrictions and aspects of the asset. Even media, ad agencies, and other supporting ecosystems have the responsibility to educate the same market in a responsible method. NFT is not a financial asset. It is a digital asset associated with games, entertainment, and art. Its inherent value is either in art or utility. Also, the buyers of NFT don’t buy it because there is instant gains, they do it because they find affinity to Amitabh Bachchan or Stan Lee or they find Game like Racing very interesting and want to participate in it. Crypto is purely a trade asset, for investments and hence it needs very aggressive education to make sure, the expectations of returns for the buyers are not skewed by hype and unrealistic aspirations. So, this declaration will not just motivate consumers to study the brand/product before purchasing but also put the onus on celebrities who endorse digital assets to do due diligence thereby promoting a responsible environment. Many industries have been following such guidelines without seeing any impact on creativity. It will rather inspire marketers and content creators to make their storytelling more creative and credible than ever before." Sagar Pushp, Co-founder and CEO, ClanConnect agreed that clear-cut norms were needed in this space. “For advertisers, the greatest purpose of communication is to put across accurate messaging for users. The new promotion and advertising guidelines for crypto assets will bring this authenticity into the segment. It is a welcome move by ASCI as it will ensure that brand communication is not misleading. Going forward, brands will need to operate within the guardrails of these guidelines, making sure their messaging is not limited to quick money and gains. The intrinsic value of blockchain is much wider than the prospect of big money, and we’ll need to get creative to empower users with precise information,” said Pushp. After a long pause, now that there will be more clarity and standardization in crypto advertisements, their ad expenditure is likely to return on digital and traditional mediums. During the festive season and IPL last year, crypto platforms were at their peak. The month of Diwali, which was October in 2021, nearly had a 30% share of the category in digital advertising and it took a dip by 6% in November 2021, whereas on television, there wasn’t a single ad from Crypto platforms in 2020, revealed TAM. In 2021, television saw 33.4 hours of advertising from Crypto platforms. The festive season proved to be bountiful for television too as October had more than 75% share of Crypto platforms, up from 2% in June and 23% in September. A lot of people have been speaking about the risks of investing in digital currency without fully understanding how the crypto ecosystem works. ASCI’s guidelines, therefore, could help bring about more transparency and accountability into the ecosystem.

ASCI releases new guidelines for Non-Fungible Tokens, Crypto ads; here’s what experts have to say about it

<ul><li>With Mother’s Day around the corner, we reached out to the <keyword id="53257" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="working-mothers">working mothers</keyword> from the advertising industry to find out how they are dealing with quarantine blues and their kids being at home 24 hours. </li><li>They also shared with us some policy ideas that they wish the industry could take into consideration and help them juggle smoothly between work and household chores. </li></ul>In wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown, juggling between both work and home life has taken an even bigger toll on working moms. They have always been swamped but now that the entire family is under one roof, we can only imagine what a storm that must look like. Working parents have lost the privileges of ‘me time’ as there is no external help from grandparents, nannies or schools to share their load. They are also home-schooling while working as the CEO of their houses. And to top that up, they are dealing with work pressure, anxiety and waves of guilt for not being able to spend quality time with their kids despite being house arrested. While husbands have started shouldering the parenting responsibilities in India, the task of planning, organizing and supervising if everything is in place, comes with a mental load on women. With Mother’s Day around the corner, we reached out to some working mothers of the advertising industry to find out how they are multitasking during this quarantine period, a few policies they wish companies could introduce to help them juggle smoothly between household chores and work, and how is it they wished companies would help them cope up with anxiety and stress. Here is what these superwomen had to say: Rachana Lokhande, Co-CEO of Kinetic India and mother of a son: <div type="image" title="Rachana Lokhande, Mother and CEO" msid="75609058" hostid="261"></div> We are almost seven weeks into the lockdown and we will be into the lockdown for a few more weeks. And I'm sure most of them are working mothers multitasking -- juggling between household chores, traveling between office work managing kids, managing their studies, cooking, baking, cleaning, mopping, and everything. In the first few days, all the family members came together and said that "oh now that we are in the household together, we are going to help each other and we are going to distribute work and all" but all the euphoria, believe me, has died down and the ownership is back on us, to take care of many of the things if not all. While everybody is talking about how ‘managers need to be empathizing with their situation by being more sensitive.’ But I think more than all, what we require is having a mature conversation. Transparency and trust is what we need more than anything else. Having those transparent mature conversations with your managers or with your family, explaining them, what is the situation you are in? You need to listen to them and understand what their demands are. And what are the basics that need to be fulfilled. And then sitting together and prioritizing is the most important thing. I mean, that will build trust in all the relationships that we have. That is more important right now. If we have this conversation, and if we set our expectations right, between all the stakeholders currently in our life, our family and organizations or our managers, we will be able to prioritize our work and we will be able to better at everything. Multitasking is definitely not a solution for anything, because it will only end us up in stress and guilt. But prioritizing, setting timelines for all the work, everybody being on the same page, will help you deliver your hundred percent to each of the tasks that you do. And of course, organization should continue with Flexible Working Policy, work from home as a policy should continue. Organizations should also look at evaluating the matrix to ensure that it is more objective and more delivery-oriented. Rest, Happy <keyword id="6408068" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mothers-Day">Mother's Day</keyword> to all stay safe, stay healthy. Priya Balan, Executive Director, Mullen Lintas and mother of two kids: <div type="image" title="Priya Balan" msid="75609182" hostid="261"></div> Well, truth be told, I'm actually managing quite well. I have begun to enjoy this new way of working. And I seem to have found something, a rhythm that works quite efficiently for me, for my family and for work. It was all very overwhelming in the beginning when it just felt like your whole world order had collapsed and you're sitting in the middle of it all trying to be in different places at the same time. Multitasking, you have work, you have the children to be taken care of. There is the kitchen and there are various other domestic chores that need to be tied up. But I guess, a week into this new way of life I found my groove and that seems to be working very well. I think for me, one of the big positives of this lockdown is the fact that I'm able to be a more active weekday, ma'am. Which otherwise is not something that I end up doing. Because of the nature of my work. The fact that I'm home today when the kids finished their online school is lovely. No longer is it just a phone call to ask them how their day was, but the fact that we can actually hug and cuddle when they come back from school. It's a nice, sweet thing. Of course, there are lots of challenges; some days are great. There are some days that are not so good and there are some days that you just can't wait for them to get over. But I think given the circumstances we are in, given the need to opt for this kind of Working system. I think I am quite happy and I could actually do this for a little while more happily. If this is going to be a new way of life and living and working, I'm sure those policies will come into place. But once the policies do come into place, I think the onus of making the system work lies equally with the employee as much as it lies with the employer. I think there has to be a certain sanctity to working hours, as much as sanctity to family time is going to be expected. So otherwise, I see productivity could get marred in the long run. Also, the other thing I find funny is that you have all lost track of days, and there are lots of public holidays and bank holidays which otherwise would be holidays for us. Today, one doesn't even think twice before picking up a phone call or setting up a meeting. I think some discipline in what is going to qualify for working hours and working days will have to come in for this overall thing to work. Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide and mother of a daughter: <div type="image" title="Anjali, Tonic" msid="75609292" hostid="261"></div> Honestly, this quarantine period has been a seesaw. Some days are really high, some days are difficult. First 10 days were chaotic -- nobody knew what to expect from each other. My daughter, Tara, thought I was on a vacation and wanted my 100% attention. And, you know, when her homeschooling started, her timings used to clash with my morning meeting timings, and how much ever I would try to kind of set her up, she would invariably video bomb into my meetings, and it was getting very difficult. And I think that's where this whole flexibility aspect kind of comes into play. Tonic has always been very supportive and always been flexible. When it comes to these things, so soon enough, I realize how to kind of manage that. I think flexibility is the only policy that really can help mothers. So when we work in the office, when we say flexibility we mean work from home as an option. And when it comes to work from home, I think flexibility means maybe shifting a few meeting timings or being tolerant with the video bombing. And I think the rest, mothers can manage. I haven’t experienced anxiety related to work. But as a mother, I worry about my child's future and how their learning is going to be, and when she will get to meet her friends, when she will get to step out and experience things -- the way it should be. And some days, when you feel low and you want to kind of talk to someone, when the work culture is supportive, it really helps. You need to give that space to kind of speak your mind and feel vulnerable, that it's okay to feel low some days. I think that kind of support is always something that can help. Mitushi Verma, VP, FCB Interface and mother of daughter: <div type="image" title="Mitushi fcb" msid="75609252" hostid="261"></div> These are times like we have never experienced earlier. So it certainly is going to be an effort every day to adapt to the new normal. For the child it is a dream come true to have mom at home, at their disposal. But that also means that they want their undivided attention. They are not being able to understand why is mom at home and yet she is not. What helps, is to explain to them how it works and make them a part of the schedule. We are now not only working from home but also working for home, non -stop 24*7. I think companies are doing their best to make it as smooth for their employees as possible. However, being able to discuss work on calls has meant that sometimes work flows way beyond working hours or that calls get scheduled at a time a when there are other household duties waiting to be done. It would really help if at an individual level we are all a bit more empathetic towards the rather hectic schedules of working moms. It was really heartening to receive communication from the agency that simply said that they understand how it is to work from home. That it is ok if kids popped up in video calls to say hello! That it is okay if you stepped out to attend to a wailing baby! It is OK!!! Feels good to be understood! At work, a colleague introduced me to the concept of “mental load or emotional labor”,that women carry worldwide. Simply put what it means is that women always have lot more things on their mind, to do. So it’s not just about the physical load of doing the things, but also the mental load—the task of orchestration and project management which still falls disproportionately on women, mostly. So effectively, their mind is never ever free. This has only increased during the current times as there is a lot more to do and to get done. One is always on tenterhooks about someone in the family especially the kid, falling sick during these times. To be given access to doctors through Doctor 24*7 app, by the agency, is reassuring and much appreciated, to say the least. Rituparna Dasgupta, Vice President - Strategy and Analytics, Mindshare India and mother of two sons: <div type="image" title="Ritu, Mindshare" msid="75609321" hostid="261"></div> As a mother of two young energetic boys and the chief operating officer at home and the strategist at work, it’s surely a quick juggle between roles during a typical day. This is perhaps for the first time it has happened that both partners are at home along with children with reduced help for such a long duration. This is the opportune time for gender equality to be truly lived. And employers are a critical part of this behaviour change. Flexible work hours and mandatory breakfast and lunch breaks could make this juggle a smooth ride, especially for reducing the breakfast and lunchtime workload when the family is generally having meals together. There could be a no meetings policy in the 8-9:30 am or 1-2 pm time bands. Most schools are running e-learning sessions for children and probably not all families have personal laptops/computers. Companies could allow employees to use their official laptops to enable continuity of learning for their children. With always-on unsettling news blaring, disheartening projections of the economic impact of COVID-19 and to top it up, kids fussing about food and getting cranky due to this long lockdown, it’s only natural to experience anxiety and frustration at times. However, not giving vent and letting this build-up within oneself can have serious consequences on both mental and physical health. Companies could support employees through virtual counselling sessions with professionals, laughter yoga sessions, breathing exercises or something like a date with an anonymous agony aunt for simply venting out and shedding the load! A pep-talk with one’s manager, senior leadership or someone from the company’s talent team could also have a positive and comforting impact on the employee. Chanda Sarma, Regional Head-Operations(North), WATConsult and mother of two kids: <div type="image" title="Watconsult - Mother" msid="75609336" hostid="261"></div> Quarantine has not been easy for anyone and perhaps is slightly more difficult for mothers with young kids. Household chores and professional responsibilities clubbed with a time when kids are completely homebound is a struggle. However, based on my personal experience, co-workers and clients both have been an extension to our families and extremely understanding. Not even once has taking a feeding or diaper break been a challenge and nobody seems to mind a baby gurgling in the background either. I have always been in the camp for flexible timings but for once I feel what we really need are fixed timings. With coordination efforts being on the rise and personal efficiencies being at an all time high, the boundaries of work hours and post-work hours have been blurred significantly. The week is largely divided into work hours, screen time and sleep hours and an official cut off from work should be defined. For anyone who has an extremely active lifestyle, anxiety is not unnatural. I have been extremely lucky to have found coworkers who constantly check on each other and at WATConsult, our days have been filled with a lot of training sessions which go beyond the trade and are focused on our well-being and holistic living. Having attended quite a few of these, I actually feel this should be a norm, quarantine or not. Pragati Chavan, Director- Corporate Communications, DDB Mudra Group and mother of a daughter: <div type="image" title="Pragati, DDB" msid="75609365" hostid="261"></div> The hardest thing about this pandemic is the uncertainty it has brought with it. Having a support system is important at the best of times, and crucial in these testing times. At the cost of sounding like an acceptance speech, my husband, in-laws and colleagues have supported me fully to manage work, childcare, and running a household as best as possible. We share all the household duties, childcare responsibilities and everything else in between. As a parent to a toddler who’s entered terrible twos in full gusto, and as a busy working professional, routine is my best friend. There are days when everything’s going according to plan and on some days it's complete chaos. But for someone who’s a stickler for planning, being comfortable with the unstructured parts of my day is a huge learning experience for me. Guess there’s some silver lining after all. Currently, people are not working from home, they are working from home during a crisis. It’s an important distinction for companies to recognise. Luckily for me, my company has been extremely flexible and quick in framing policies that really look after working moms like me. Simple policies like no calls during 1-3 p.m. and following clear boundaries between work and home on weekends is a life-saver. During this lockdown, my parents are in a different location than me. So in addition to the stress of maintaining a work routine and looking after our own health, I am constantly anxious about my parents. During such times, more than policies, it is genuine empathy that helps. This, in turn, is driven by corporate culture. I’ve had colleagues offer to check in on my parents and to help with emergencies, which is really touching. Our HR team has also been proactively reaching out to everyone on a weekly basis.

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