Year in Review: Most talked about movies, trends and searches in 2019

With major elections, skirmishes with neighbouring countries and internal conflicts being discussed across the platforms, it is no wonder that political stakeholders have shifted the debate online. Since most of the lists were generated in early December, they do not mention the CAA discussions or the debate around internet shutdown across regions which has ruled digital conversation in December.
 
Read between the lists and one gets a picture of who we are, and importantly for all the marketers scouring the data charts, an image of the consumer in our midst. Pops K V Sridhar, founder and chief creative officer of HyperCollective who has spent a lifetime in the advertising business says, “Always look at a couple of lists, check for data authenticity and third party verification.”

 
Of course lists are not to be taken with the seriousness that one would, other research metrics. But they do throw open a window into the consumer’s mind and act as weather vanes on a popularity track. Sometimes reading between the lists can be instructive too. For instance, underlying the popular movies watched or hashtags and posts are a wave of discussions around toxic divisive politics, patriarchy and hyper-masculinity. A movie such as Kabir Singh drew heated discussions on toxic masculinity while brands such as Zomato and Airtel found themselves on the firing line for perceived religious and nationalistic undertones. The lists don’t always capture the undertone, but smart copywriters and brand masters do.

 
Top trends across platforms:
 
Lok Sabha Elections 2019

Article 370

Pulwama attack

Chandrayaan 2

ICC Cricket World Cup

Ayodhya verdict

Kabir Singh
 
Twitter Trends

1. #loksabhaelections2019 was heavily debated and followed

2.  #chandrayaan2, a tweet from NASA  commending ISRO became one of the top ten most retweeted tweets this year by Indians

3. #cwc19, from game analysis and reactions to viral memes, the hashtag was present everywhere.

4. #pulwama, the news of the death of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel led to heated debates

5. #article370, in August 2019, the government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir, drawing opposition and support on Twitter

 
TOP SEARCHES/CONVERSATIONS

On Google

1. Cricket World Cup
2. Lok Sabha Elections
3. Chandrayaan 2
4. Kabir Singh
5. Avengers: Endgame

On Sharechat

1. Elections 2019
2. Pulwama attack, tribute to martyrs
3. Abhinandan Varthaman
 
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

On Google

1. Abhinandan Varthaman
2. Lata Mangeshkar
3. Yuvraj Singh
4. Anand Kumar
5. Vicky Kaushal
 
On TikTok

1. Jacqueline Fernandez
2. Riteish Deshmukh
3. Kapil Sharma
4. Madhuri Dixit
5. DJ Bravo
 
On Twitter (Male)

1. Amitabh Bachchan
2. Akshay Kumar
3. Salman Khan
4. Shah Rukh Khan
5. Vijay

(Female)

1. Sonakshi Sinha
2. Anushka Sharma

3. Lata Mangeshkar
4. Archana Kalpathi
5. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
 
WHAT PEOPLE WATCHED

BookMyShow Top 5

1 Avengers: Endgame
2 URI - The Surgical Strike
3 Kabir Singh
4 Saaho
5 War
 
IMDB Top 5 Web Series

1. Kota Factory (YouTube/TVF)
2. Sacred Games (Netflix)
3. The Family Man (Amazon Prime Video)
4. Delhi Crime (Netflix)
5. Humorously Yours (YouTube/TVF Play)