2007 & the world is the same

The New Year is here and so are the lists. Resolutions, to-do's, trends and whats in store lists.
I love lists so no guesses on what I did on the first morning of the new year...in bed in my pj's with at least 3 dailies and read thru all the supplements. Ooh the simple joys of life!
So here's my list...no resolutions but what I in my rather short sighted, ill informed, hastily put-together way think will be the trend for 2007:
- the big brands & corporations will bend backwards to reach any consumer they may not have already bombarded with their so called 'USP' They will have interactive platforms, 60 sec spots, jingles, billboards, events and even sales to push up that bottomline- everything infact except actually working on their product or improving their service. No need for that if the PR is in overdrive.
Think Big Play Small- SME companies will continue to feel threatened & look apprehensive and act scared. They'll even win all the sympathy with photo ops of cutsie cuddly mom & pop store owners outside giant cold large retailer. But secretly they too will find the balance sheet not too bad. Large corporations on the other hand will bring out their own devices to make people part with their money & they too will find the going smooth.
- Indian companies will continue to buy out never-before-heard of companies in their bid for global domination. The pink dailies will froth over with excitement on the exotic locales these companies are going.(Reports of executives in Brazil, Switzerland, Belgium negotiating multi million dollar take over bids will keep us green with envy). In all the hype & hoopla no one will check on the health of these so called strategic investments for awhile and no one will question why on earth we are suddenly so damn good at running an enterprise which has been in deep trouble.
- Economists will disagree on everything from slow downs to safe landings to growth projections and inflation worries. But whenever in doubt will put yet another India growth story on front page news and relax in the feel good haze.
- MBA salaries will make headlines & the competition will become intense. This will be the road to the city of gold but it will suddenly find the traffic a trifle too much to handle.

Finally the real main trend will be Duality and everything in between. While sometimes we will find consumerism on the rise, at another we'll see more socialists on the streets of Paris - giving up a warm bed but not their revelry.
Chavez will enjoy the attention his remarks will bring him and Bush will give him adequate competition in stupid sound bytes.
The Indian economy will grow yet it will isolate its own large majority.
We will sign trade treaties with our neighbors but mistrust them completely. For all the trade growth, we will see a far higher growth in our defense purchases.
Salaries will go up and so will our EMI's.
You will enjoy greater connectivity with the world yet find no time for a family life.
Web 2.0 will have to work harder to find new shining stars or find itself in the midst of another small bubble...
SRK will hunt out all of AB's old shoes and try to fill them.