Here’s my list of the Best of 2018 – my favorite movie, ad, book, podcast, and innovation of the year. These selections inspired me, moved me, and compelled to share them with you. Find out what these are and put them on your list! What’s on your list?
- The Best Movie I watched in 2018 (This is the only tie on my list):
ROMA (U.S. and Mexico) & ANDHADHUN (India)
- The Best Ad of 2018:
NIKE “BELIEVE IN SOMETHING”
Runner-up: IKEA “Pee Ad”
- The Best Book I Read in 2018:
EDUCATED (by Tara Westover)
Runner-Up: Immigrant, Montana (by Amitava Kumar)
- The Best Podcast I listened to in 2018:
THE DREAM (From Stitcher Podcasts)
Runner-up: Terrible, Thanks for Asking (From APM Podcasts)
- The Best Innovation I know of, in 2018:
PIXEL BUDS TRANSLATE
Runner-up: MODEL 3 Smart Water Heater
Read on for the What, So What and Now What of my 5 Best of 2018
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- The Best Movie I watched in 2018 (This is the only tie on my list):
ROMA (U.S. and Mexico) and ANDHADHUN (India)
ROMA (Spanish, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, distributed by Netflix)
What: The work of a master filmmaker at the top of his game, this intimate love letter is a story of a family in Mexico City in 1970 and 1971. Set in the middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhood of Roma, Alfonso Cuarón tells a semi-autobiographical story that focuses on a family and their live-in housekeeper and nanny, Cleo. He dedicates the film to “Libo”, his own childhood nanny Liboria Rodriguez. This is a movie that will move you, in the quietest and yet most compelling of ways, not because of any grandiose plot, but because it feels so real that every emotion is earned. It becomes impossible to resist being completely immersed in Mr. Cuarón’s evocative world.
So What: Alfonso Cuarón wrote, directed, photographed (in stunning black and white), co-edited, and co-produced this movie. He found his protagonist, Cleo, in a Mixtec pre-school teacher, Yalitzi Aparicio, who had no experience in acting prior to being cast as Cleo in Roma. The luminous Ms. Aparicio gives a performance that will stay with you long after you’ve watched the end credits of this powerfully personal masterpiece. As detailed and specific as this movie is – in its setting, time, and place – it is overwhelmingly universal in all that it evokes. And it does evoke a lot – memories, emotion, nostalgia, empathy, and most of all, what it means to be human.
Now What: For sharing something so personal and precious with the world, for making such a delicate yet powerful piece of cinema, for giving us his “Libo” (Cleo in the film), Alfonso Cuarón and his team will likely take home many accolades and awards in 2019. More importantly, his ROMA will outlive those awards to become a staple on lists of great movies of all time. It is already on mine.
ANDHADHUN (Hindi, directed by Sriram Raghavan, produced by Viacom 18)
What: A thriller with generous doses of dark comedy, Andhadhun is a rare occurrence in Indian cinema. It is entirely unpredictable, dangerously twisted, and deliciously layered. It is a movie that demands multiple viewings because Sriram Raghavan packs so much into it – not just the plot twists that never stop, but the numerous references, things he pays homage to, and an ending that has spawned countless theories and fan discussions online – that you cannot help run through scenes in your head for days. On the face of it, the movie is about a blind musician who ends up at the scene of a yesteryear movie star’s murder. Well, here’s the thing – it is anything but the story of a blind musician who ends up at the scene of a yesteryear movie star’s murder. What a ride!
So What: Andhadhun stars Tabu as Simi, the younger wife of a 70’s movie star. To say that her character is unlike any we’re seen before in Hindi cinema is an understatement. To say that no other actor could have played Simi like she does, is an understatement of equal measure. She has long been one of my absolute favorite actors (see The Namesake, Chandni Bar, Maachis, Haider, and Maqbool for a brief glimpse at her impressive oeuvre), but in Andhadhun Tabu is something else. Here, she becomes a perfect vessel for Sriram Raghavan’s vision of a villain unlike any. You will be at the edge of your seat, you will laugh out loud, and then realize that the joke may be on you after all (in the best of ways:) With pitch perfect casting – Ayushmann Khurrana as the blind musician, Anil Dhawan as the 70’s superstar (he actually was a movie star in the 70’s), Radhika Apte, Zakir Hussain, Manav Vij, Ashwini Kalsekar – this is a movie that defined its own genre in Hindi cinema.
Now What: Here’s my prediction – just like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (a dark satire released in 1983) became a cult classic and remains a perennial favorite among discerning movie lovers in India, Andhadhun will enjoy a similarly deified position for generations to come. Each of these films created their own genre in Indian cinema. Sriram Raghavan, take a bow.
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The Best Ad of 2018: NIKE “BELIEVE IN SOMETHING”
If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do… Good. Stay that way. Because what non-believers fail to understand, is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult. It’s a compliment.
Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school. Or the fastest in the world. Be the fastest ever.
Don’t picture yourself wearing OBJ’s jersey. Picture OBJ wearing yours.
Don’t settle for homecoming queen or linebacker. Do both.
Lose 120 pounds and become an Ironman. After beating a brain tumor.
Don’t believe you have to be like anybody, to be somebody.
If you’re born a refugee, don’t let it stop you from playing soccer for the national team, at age 16.
Don’t become the best basketball player on the planet… Be bigger than basketball.
Believe in something, Even if it means sacrificing everything.
When they talk about the greatest team, in the history of the sport, make sure it’s your team.
If you only have one hand, don’t just watch football. Play it. At the highest level.
And if you’re a girl from Compton…Don’t just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever. Yeah, that’s more like it.
So, don’t ask if your dreams are crazy, Ask if they’re crazy enough.
It’s only crazy until you do it. Just do it.
NIKE “BELIEVE IN SOMETHING” also called “DREAM CRAZY” (Ad Agency: Weiden & Kennedy)
What: Launched in September 2018, marking Nike’s 30-year anniversary of Just Do it, this ad campaign created a firestorm. One that resulted in heated debate, completely off-the-mark predictions by many so called “experts”, polarized and bitter political rhetoric, but most importantly, a 15% jump in net income in that quarter over the same quarter last year and a 36% jump in digital sales year-over-year. The campaign included a rousing 2-minute commercial narrated by Colin Kapernick featuring 16 athletes with inspiring stories, billboards, print ads, and digital ads. Kapernick started the movement of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality against African Americans.
So What: Social media lit up almost immediately after Nike and Kapernick tweeted nine simple words to launch the ad campaign, “Believe in Something. Even if it means sacrificing Everything.” From images and videos of people burning their Nike shoes to tweets from political figures, debate raged on social media on whether Nike was on the right side of history or if it was alienating consumers. Many experts weighed in, even the kind that I pay attention to – marketing academics and industry experts. All the nasty political rhetoric aside, sample these opinions from experts – “Can brands afford to alienate consumers?” “Should brands take sides in a political debate?” “Why should brands weigh in on a controversy?” “A brand should focus on making products and satisfying consumers, not on dividing its consumer base.” A brand should not exploit sentiments for commercial greed.” Many of them predicted that this was a costly mistake for Nike. Guess who disagreed? Millennial and Gen-Z consumers. Nike’s core consumer base.
Now What: I have a set of three simple questions to ask my fellow academics, marketing professionals, and industry experts – (i) since when is it bad for a brand to have a Point-of-View? (ii) We want brands to do good, to evoke an emotional connect with consumers, to be ethical, and yet, when a brand expresses its voice on something remotely controversial why are we hesitant to let it do so? (iii) Should the belief that brands exist purely to provide value for shareholders prevent brands from taking sides?
No, I didn’t wait till the end of the year to review Nike’s sales revenue to express my opinion. I discussed this ad in detail, including whether a brand should have a point-of-view, with my most important stakeholders – my students. In my brand management classes, and in discussion with my students, my stance was clear: All great brands should have a point-of-view and the courage to freely express it. All great brands should ignite a conversation. Nike is a great brand.
At its core, Nike has always honored athletes and the no-excuse, Just Do It mentality of great athletes. With Dream Crazy, they stood by their athletes and expressed a point-of-view. Exploitative or not. Just Do It, undeniably one of the most memorable advertising slogans of all time, just got a whole lot stronger in 2018.
Runner-up: IKEA “Pee Ad”
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The Best Book I Read in 2018:
EDUCATED (by Tara Westover)
What: Born into a Mormon, survivalist family in rural Idaho, Tara Westover did not go to school or even see a doctor all through her childhood. She didn’t even have a birth certificate until she was nine years old, and her parents didn’t remember her exact birth date by then, only the month. Growing up in a world cut off from the real one, she self-taught herself to take the ACT and then attended Brigham Young University at age seventeen. Her desire for education continued to grow stronger and along the way she earned an M.Phil. from Trinity College in Cambridge, and a PhD in Intellectual History, also from Cambridge. She is 32 years old, but reading her memoir makes you realize the many lives she’s lived. It’s not an easy book to read – I wanted to stop reading it twice – but one that is ultimately satisfying and remarkable.
So What: What is undeniably evident in Educated is the transformative power of education. Tara Westover’s journey underscores her thirst for knowledge and education – be it self-taught or at a prestigious university – and how it opened up a world that she didn’t know existed. I think it gave her the courage, as she went along, to shape her life as she wanted and not how it would have turned out purely based on what she was born into. It also gifted the world this formidable memoir.
Now What: I have not read too many memoirs, but Educated and Shoe Dog (Phil Knight’s 2016 memoir on Nike’s origins) have ignited my interest in this genre. There are many stories to be told, and many experiences to be shared, to inspire many others. I hope to explore these experiences and expand my reading range. On my list to read this year are memoirs of Lisa Brennan Jobs (Small Fry), David Small (Stitches), André Aciman (Out of Egypt) and David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day). I will be starting with, however, a classic I never read but always meant to, James Herriot’s memoir All Creatures Great and Small.
Runner-Up: Immigrant, Montana (by Amitava Kumar)
· The Best Podcast I listened to in 2018:
THE DREAM (From Stitcher Podcasts)
What: Jane Marie, a Peabody and Emmy award winning journalist who was a producer of This American Life, hosts this podcast, The Dream, which delves deep into the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) phenomenon. MLM companies recruit scores of personal sellers, mostly women, to sell products (tupperware, cosmetics, etc.) to their friends and family and to recruit them to sell to others. While it is apparently illegal(!) to call MLM a pyramid scheme, one can form their own opinion on how these two concepts align. Ms. Marie leads us through a fascinating and personal investigation of how MLM works, and invites us to “follow the money.” There are many personal stories, some of them tragic, but the narrative also takes us into the world of deep corporate and political influence that makes the MLM model thrive.
So What: Even if you’re not a marketer and have no interest in understanding how MLM works, this podcast is riveting. It will draw you in and never let go. Unsuspecting women get sucked into MLM schemes with the lure of making big bucks, and thousands of dollars get pumped into this system every day. What hides in plain sight, though, is that a lot of this is credit card debt. The Dream not only exposes the predatory behavior of MLM companies but asks how many influential individuals are complicit in this scheme with an alluring “get-rich-quick” appeal. I was hooked from start to finish.
Now What: Podcasts have exploded – in terms of the sheer number of podcasts available today (estimated to be around 630,000), and in their influence (73 million Americans listen to at least one podcast a month, while the average listener subscribes to 6 shows). Combine this with listener habits as compared to the audience for other forms of media (podcast listeners consume long form content with less advertising clutter, are loyal, affluent, and educated), and what you have is a powerful media vehicle delivering entertainment, news, and long form discussions. The format makes it ideal for investigative pieces like The Dream. It is indeed fitting that the untold story of a non-traditional and somewhat niche marketing channel like MLM has found its ideal home a non-traditional, somewhat niche media channel. With internet connectivity in cars becoming more common, the boom in podcast listening is expected to continue. Long live the Podcast!
Runner-up: Terrible, Thanks for Asking (From APM Podcasts)
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The Best Innovation I know of, in 2018:
PIXEL BUDS TRANSLATE
What: Most of us are, no doubt, familiar with Google Translate. It’s a ubiquitous service for those who travel frequently or straddle multiple cultures and languages. In fact, I think I’ve used Google Translate more than Google in the last six months. I don’t know what I’d do without it (it’s my new answer to the “greatest thing since sliced bread”). Now imagine Google Translate working with a pair of headphones to translate everything you hear or speak. What a simple yet powerful innovation! Pixel Buds Translate (which works with Google’s earbuds, Pixel Buds) is that innovation. Thanks to numerous tech blogs and news outlets that tested how well it works, you can catch a quick glimpse of how this works.
So What: The simplicity of this innovation and its potential to make the world even more connected than it is make it my choice of the best innovation I know of in 2018. I am reminded of television images of large gatherings of world leaders, all with headphones (with interpreters and translators helping to translate), listening to a fellow world leader speak in their native language. Can this innovation disrupt the world of translators? AI and machine language enhance the nuance of what is being translated?
Now What: Pixel Buds Translate is not without bugs. Two primary drawbacks are that the earbuds only work with Google’s Pixel smartphone, and that translation isn’t entirely error proof. However, given that it’s only version 1.0, I see endless possibilities for improvement. I don’t use a Google Pixel smartphone (yes, I use the “other” brand), but have experienced this innovation first hand thanks to a friend. Though I typically root for the “other” brand, being a loyal customer and whatnot, I cannot help but enthusiastically applaud Google on this innovation for breaking language barriers one pair of Pixel Buds at a time.
Runner-up: MODEL 3 Smart Water Heater
now what? 