Advertising Evolution in Bangladesh

The era of superstars has seen its dusk as social media influencers rise with the dawn. This shift has left its footprint not only in movies but has significantly changed the advertising industry. While the late 90s to early 2000s saw timeless jingles that are enough to take any millennial to nostalgia, advertisements from 2000 to 2010 took it up a notch by infusing beautifully composed music with wonderful storytelling.

Chanchal Chowdhury, a prominent actor whom we know today, also gained his popularity from a Grameenphone advertisement. The same goes for film actress Dighi, who was once a child actor in advertisements. Highlights of Eid or Pohela Boishakh used to be Banglalink’s advertisements with their new songs—a trend which made Sarika, Shokh, Monalisa, Niloy, and many more actors household names.

As these trends started to dip, sports players began to become more popular among audiences. Prominent players are seen endorsing multiple brands at the same time. Be it a real estate company, financial institution, beverages, mobile operator, powdered milk, or clothing line, almost every other brand has a cricketer endorsing them. Has cricket become synonymous with advertising now?

The era of long, memorable jingles that we once set as our phone ringtones has come to an end, giving way to short, witty ads. Early Gen Z and millennials can recall their favourite celebrities starting off their careers with some iconic advertisements; late Gen Z is completely detached from it. There was a generation who bought Banglalink SIM cards to get free CDs of Habib Wahid’s album, which had Banglalink’s signature tune as its first track. The Nescafe anthem that accompanied countless university hangouts among students of that generation. Mojo, a beverage company that was once well-known for knowing the pulse of its TG, also gradually faded. It has been more than a decade since a good jingle has surfaced, with Shopno Jabe Baari Amar by Grameenphone being an exception. The jingle by Danish is a cult favourite among any millennial and Gen Z, finding its place in musical gatherings. Honestly, it only took a single advertisement for the brand to secure a place in our top-of-mind awareness. Though I wasn’t even a consumer of condensed milk at the time, I instinctively knew that Danish was the brand to trust.

Is it because of the decreasing television audience or the shrinking attention span of viewers? The 10-second bumper ads on YouTube are being prioritized over long-lasting brand awareness. As these trends echo in India and Pakistan, have social media, SEO, SERP, and other tools taken over the memorable ads that once created everlasting TOMA? Or is it just lazy advertising done by agencies and companies?