Be it HUL’s Six Pack Band, TVF’s Pitchers or Bindass’ Girl in the City, content marketing and branded content have won over audiences in a jiffy. But are marketers likely to treat it at par with traditional advertising?
By Samarpita Banerjee
(with inputs from Simran Sabherwal and Neeta Nair)
Recently, a child participating in a popular reality show was made to drink a ‘health and brain tonic’ - manufactured by an FMCG giant - in the middle of the show, while calling out the numerous benefits of the product. While the same FMCG company is the sponsor of the show, the sudden product insertion looked as forced as the child’s excitement at drinking it.
Meanwhile, an automobile giant has tied up with a popular YouTube channel as part of a web-series where the car is as important a part of the storyline as any of the protagonists. The integration is such that the viewer barely realizes that the story does talk about the product, time and again.
In the ever-evolving digital world, marketers have a tough job - that of coming up with innovative ways to capture the attention of their target audience. With a bombardment of advertising content from all sides, how do marketers ensure that the content they create not only reaches their consumers but also translates into actual conversion for the brand? If trends of the past few years are analysed, the answer for most advertisers today seems to be content marketing.
While some industry experts feel that any route of marketing – be it a blog, ad film or PR - can be considered a piece of content, content marketing has been largely defined as ‘the creation of relevant content targeted at a brand’s TG’. The aim of content marketing is simple: to educate consumers about a brand in a way that it drives transactions.
The past few years have seen the emergence of a lot of digital superstars. The Viral Fever (TVF), All India Bakchod (AIB), Pocket Aces and Culture Machine, among others, enjoy immense popularity. With an array of online shows, short format videos, memes and even ads, these channels have been able to seamlessly integrate brands with content. With shows like TVF Pitchers (Kingfisher), Permanent Roommates (Commonfloor.com and Ola), Girl in the City (Castrol Activ) and Honest Bars and Restaurants (Swiggy), that took the Internet by storm, brands have succeeded in not only engaging with their audience in a unique way but also educating them – albeit unobtrusively - about their offerings at the same time.
However, as stated earlier, there also have been instances where brands have been forcefully integrated into TV shows and movies, most of which has not really worked in favour of either the brand or the creative piece.
How useful then is the use of branded content or content marketing for advertisers? And more importantly, while a lot of good brand integrations have worked wonders for brands, are they as effective as traditional advertising?
The answers to these questions aren’t very simple.
BRANDED CONTENT OR CONTENT MARKETING?
For starters, how does one define branded content and content marketing, and are they one and the same? Aditya Swamy, Senior Director, Digital Media & Content Marketing, Flipkart feels they are not. He says that for him, both come under new age or new media marketing but are quite different from one another. “According to me, one should not confuse branded content with content marketing. They are very different and can be used at different life stages of different brands. For me, branded content drives brand values while buying mind measures. And content marketing has the clear aim of educating customers about the brands to drive transactions.”
However, for many others, the line distinguishing the two is blurry. Ferzad Palia, Head, Youth and English Entertainment, Viacom18 says, “Both content marketing and branded content are the same thing, but sometimes go by different names and are being used in different formats. Effectively, when you look at branded content, brands refer to it as content where the brand is mentioned. The whole idea of the story - whether it’s a 1-minute or 30-minute content piece – is that it should really be about the brand. Content marketing is pretty much the same thing, perhaps with a little twist. Whichever way you look at it, both can be spun in different ways, but to me it is actually the same thing being used differently, with different names.”
The move towards content marketing and brand integration was mostly prompted by the rise of the digital medium. A lot of YouTube channels integrated with brands, which proved to be successful. However, for Sameer Pitalwalla, CEO, Culture Machine that operates popular YouTube channels like Being Indian, Put Chutney, Blush, Epified, What's Trending India, Whack, Old Delhi Films, Rascalas and Vendhar TV, the move towards content marketing was fuelled by various other factors too. “The social medium has moved to video, and social has cornered consumption on the web. There is a huge active user base on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter that is watching tons of video-led content. Secondly, the rise of digitization in TV has killed ratings for niche youth TV channels, and hence diminished the reach they offer to advertisers, which in turn has caused them to pull the plug on original content and move ad monies to web and social. Thirdly, smartphones and better connectivity have made online video a daily reality for many consumers. Lastly, the rise of ad blockers and general apathy towards typical banner advertising has caused advertisers to look for a format that can have their communication married with a context that viewers won't reject. Together, these factors have created a situation where content marketing/branded content has become the in vogue recipe for digital marketing,” explains Pitalwalla.
IT ALL BEGAN WITH PRODUCT PLACEMENT
The use of product placement has been prevalent in the West for many years now. One of the earliest examples is the use of Reese’s Pieces in E.T. the ‘Extra-Terrestial’ where Elliot tries to lure the alien with the chocolate or the use of FedEx in ‘Cast Away’ where Tom Hanks’ character Chuck works for the organization or even the use of Wilson, Chuck’s volleyball friend (named after the sporting goods company of the same name).
Closer home, Indian audiences have witnessed some blatant product placements where brands have been crammed into the film’s script without much thought. A few examples can be Yaadein that awkwardly placed brands like Coca-Cola and Pass Pass in many scenes or more recently, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara where instead of drinking Sangrias or Kalimotxos, the three protagonists were seen enjoying Mountain Dew in numerous scenes. The integrations did not go unnoticed. But does such branding really serve the purpose?
Maruti Suzuki India has been integrating with both movies and TV shows lately. The 2013 movie ‘Mere Dad Ki Maruti’ had seamlessly integrated a Maruti car into the script. The auto brand has also recently associated with popular TV series 24 on Colors. When asked about what is more important, subtle branding or in-your-face integrations, Sanjeev Handa, VP & Head Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India says that subtlety is the magic word. “Subtlety is good because subtlety has class. What a brand wants is to sublimely settle in the minds of its audience. If a brand wants to do in-your-face integrations, it should probably go for advertising.”
But do any brands intentionally go for loud content marketing? Rajat Uppal, Marketing Head, Red FM answers the question: “Different brands have different philosophies. There could be brands which like to be in your face. And then there are brands which would want to do integrations subtly. It depends on the personality of the brand or the brand which is being advertised. Subtle integrations work well because consumers today are very smart. We don’t want the content to be bombarded with blatant advertising. So consumers also prefer a smart, subtle integration, but that’s where the expertise comes from the creative or marketing team – they need to strike the fine balance.”
BRANDED CONTENT VERSUS TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING
How effective is the use of branded content in comparison to traditional advertising? According to Suresh Eriyat, Founder, Eeksaurus, the audience today is tired of watching plain vanilla ads and thus, content marketing makes more sense for advertisers. “Let's face it. People don't really like to watch ads. When they are watching their favourite entertainment content, they hate the interruption caused by ads. So the obvious way for brands and ad agencies to grab viewers’ attention is to create content that will entertain them first and do the marketing job later. Content marketing is far better in terms of effectiveness when compared to traditional advertising.”
Echoing Eriyat’s view, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Business Head, Kids Entertainment, Viacom18 says, “Content marketing seems to be working well for all the stakeholders. For advertisers, the message of the brand is being beautifully told in a way which is very unconventional, captivating and clutter-breaking. The win-win from an audience perspective is the fact that they are not watching just plain vanilla ads anymore, but an interesting promotion of the brand, which is much more relatable. It works well for the broadcaster as well, because not only does it go with our own content, it benefits us commercially as well. So content marketing is here to stay.”
While many believe that there is still some time before content marketing comes even close to traditional advertising in terms of attracting ad spends, many big advertisers like Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Tata Motors are riding the wave and have come up with enviable content for their brands.
Says Arunabh Kumar, Founder & Group CEO, The Viral Fever & TVF Media Labs, which has associated with Tata Motors for the web series Tripling, “For Tripling, we have tied up with Tata Motors and there is hardly any brand that is more traditional than Tata. Writing for brands is the toughest craft ever, it is the most premium talent and we have taken a decade to deliver that. When you have to write for a young audience, while at the same time ensuring that both our values and the values of the brand are aligned together, it is a difficult task. However, we have probably done the maximum number of branded stories and probably have the maximum experience in this area. So by virtue of practice, we have become good at what we do and hopefully will be able to deliver great content in future too.”
Another brand that has made waves with its content is HUL, be it for its unique ‘Six Pack Band’ for Red Label, Lakme’s association with YRFs ‘Bang Baaja Baraat’, Lifebuoy’s ‘Help a Child Reach 5’ or Dove’s latest ‘Change the Rhyme’. Gauravjeet Singh, Head, Media Services, HUL says, “Creating good content has clearly become a very important part of our strategy. We have worked hard and built a strong cavalry around it. When it comes to content, there are two things one needs to do – create great content and then communicate it on a grand scale. We are already working hard on the first part, which can clearly be seen from the brand movement and metrics. And we are working on the second part as well, as we are building a lot of muscle on how to super distribute the content.”
CHALLENGES BEFORE CONTENT MARKETERS
While most advertisers are jumping onto the content marketing bandwagon, there are a few who think that there is a need to understand the concept better. Lack of a standard measurement metrics has prevented a lot of brands from getting into content marketing full throttle.
Commenting on why a lot of brands are still cautious about content marketing, Kumar Deb Sinha, Head, Wavemaker, the content arm of GroupM’s MEC says, “The most critical challenge faced by content marketers today is the absence of standard measurement metrics for content initiatives. Thanks to that, it is still seen as a ‘good to do’ innovation for brave CMOs. Secondly, there is still a huge gap in understanding content marketing. Mostly, it is equated with digital video. The moment we equate content with just videos, we are crippling the effectiveness of content and forcing a marathon run on one good leg. A good content marketer knows the effectiveness of seamless story-telling across mediums, platforms and formats, ensuring engagement at multiple levels with a consumer. A content marketer is not a video-producer; he is a story-teller across mediums. Films are just one part of it.”
Talking about the effectiveness of content marketing vis-a-vis traditional advertising, Navin Kansal, National Creative Director, Indigo Consulting, says, “The effectiveness of content marketing depends on what the communication objective is. Traditional advertising is also content, except that it is more brand out. And that in itself is not really a bad thing. As long as it communicates right, reaches the audiences it is meant for and delivers value, it has done its job. The current opinion seems to swing more towards content marketing, given its potential to have a longer shelf life compared to traditional advertising or the ability to tailor the content depending on the audience. However, it begs the question as to the purpose that the ‘content’ is looking to serve and is it addressing a business problem or, better still, solving a consumer problem.”
ARE MARKETERS WILLING TO SPEND?
Brands that have already experimented and reaped the results of the new wave are considering content marketing as an important part of their marketing strategy. Handa says, “While we haven’t really earmarked budgets in our annual marketing plans towards content creation, we are working on it. The effort has to be made by the brand and marketing team to work towards creating curated content, to work at aligning towards sponsorships that work meaningfully for the brand. As we go ahead, I see our expenditures increasing. In the past, we have associated with movies like Mere Dad ki Maruti, or Alto Chalti Ka Naam Gadi. We are also doing some content creation for Maruti Swift as we move ahead and we did some digital content for Maruti Swift Dzire for last year's Independence Day which was completely spontaneous. So yes, going ahead, we will increase our spends aligning with relevant content.”
With a lot of good content being created in the country currently, the situation looks like a win-win for both consumers and brands. While it could be a long way from derailing traditional media to become the most important marketing medium, it will probably evolve further in the next few years and become a very important marketing tool.
According to Bobby Pawar, MD & Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Worldwide, all marketing will be content marketing in future. “The very nature of content is that it has to be hugely relevant to the person who is consuming it and of course it has to be relevant to the person who is creating it. So, it has to be a virtuous cycle where I give to you and you give back. As long as we follow that mindset, I think it will impact everything. If I tweet something that you haven’t inherited still and that furthers your enjoyment or knowledge or even fiscal, your bank balance, you will give it back to me in the form of a retweet or a like or even by buying stuff that I am offering. And that’s how I think it’s going to evolve. We’ve got to go from ‘me’ selfish mode marketing to outward-driven, and marketing which is about somebody else. In return, they will make it about us.”
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