ADVERTISING INDUSTRY
Udeni Perera
NEVER-SAY-DIE MINDSET
Profiling Sri Lanka’s advertising industry in a post-COVID environment
Advertising industry today in a sentence
Dynamic, fragmented and specialised.
Two key offerings in advertising
Solution driven strategies and insight-based creativity.
Prospective customer segments
Digitally active youth, emerging entrepreneurs and businesses, and the ageing population seeking digital inclusion.
Latest consumer trends or behaviours
Adhering to the ‘new normal’ with hygiene and safety practices, a high level of dependence on new age media and electronic devices, and conversion to convenience-based lifestyles.
Three barriers to the ad industry’s growth in Sri Lanka
Availability of low-cost compromised solutions, and time and budgetary constraints affecting the quality of end products.
Limitations to industry progress
Lack of industry specific award shows, which limits the opportunity to have work evaluated and recognised by local and global industry experts.
Gender balance in the industry
A well-balanced representation of both genders in the ad industry has always been a plus point.
An aspect of the ad industry that can be improved
Strengthening and facilitating the network to work remotely.
Initiatives to enhance communications and advertising post-COVID
Launching initiatives to draw traffic to social media platforms and identifying alternatives to execute production related services virtually.
Weaknesses of the ad industry
Lack of a well-defined path for career growth, nonexistence of a yardstick to value agency inputs and agency efforts being undervalued at times.
Scope of the industry in Sri Lanka
Finding new avenues to cope with the new normal, creating simplified communication methods and the rapid transformation from conventional media to digital solutions.
Regional advertising industry in a nutshell
The Asian region is a hotbed for insight-based creativity. We are greatly inspired by regional comms.
Describe the industry for millennials and gen Z in a sentence
An industry that opens avenues to use the left and right brain simultaneously.
View of millennials and gen Z
They are two generations who are freer, flexible, uncomplicated and connect well with the industry.
Impact of social media influencers on the advertising industry
A positive and targeted reach can be achieved. They push the industry from traditional to unconventional.
Contribution of social media influencers to the ad industry
They have the power to affect purchasing decisions among a preexisting follower base. Therefore, their endorsements seem more believable.
Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in a few words
‘Sri Lanka Can.’
Impact of the digital age in Sri Lanka
The impact has been positive, which is leading to a new age of consumerism.
Sri Lanka’s readiness for technology adoption
Sri Lanka is ready; yet, the country as a whole should be able to adapt to change and reap the benefits inclusively.
Virtual team management in one sentence
Effective and time saving, provided that all have supporting devices and connectivity.
Corruption is affecting industrial and economic growth
Yes – corruption destroys transparency and the right to fair play.
Competition drives innovation
Yes – competition drives the need to differentiate and stand out from the rest. It brings about out-of-the-box thinking, as well as game changing solutions and innovations.
Future of the industry in one sentence
The social reality cannot be ignored – we are faced with the pandemic and have begun to live a new normal life.
The ad industry in five years’ time
Although it may be too early to comment on the next five years, the ad industry as a whole should look at new initiatives to suit emerging trends and customer demands.
What you attribute your success to
It’s about being a committed team player with a ‘never-say-die’ attitude.
