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Tag: Binaifer Dulani

  • Goibibo announces Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador

    Goibibo announces Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Goibibo, one of India’s leading travel brands, stands for its youth-oriented offerings and campaigns. So, when it came to choosing the new face for the brand, Goibibo went back to the recommendations made by its core audience set.  

    In a stellar illustration of two-way communication between a brand and its audience, Goibibo announces Kareena Kapoor Khan aka Bebo as its new brand ambassador. This announcement coincides with the launch of Goibibo’s new campaign – Hotels aise on Goibibo, full marks by Bebo’ – and a new adapted social media identity. The brand integrates cues from the actor’s most memorable roles and her name in real life to its own personality thereby converging the brand and the brand ambassador like never before.

     

     

    To bolster the announcement, Goibibo has also launched a new brand film that gives voice to the main character energy of every Indian traveller with Kareena’s famous ‘Poo’ as the mouthpiece. Goibibo chief marketing officer Raj Rishi Singh further explained, “We all have a main character energy to our personalities which becomes especially prominent when we are on our travel breaks. With Kareena Kapoor Khan, the brand not only gives representation to this facet of our personality but also seamlessly integrates the brand and the ambassador into a cohesive voice.  Our larger campaign speaks to the evolving expectations of Indian travellers and the increasing expectations from all operators in the space. We are hopeful that our audience will be as excited as we are for this new chapter for Goibibo.”  

    Kareena Kapoor Khan said, “It’s such a delight to be the new face of Goibibo, or should we call it ‘Goibebo’? Among all the roles I’ve played on screen, Poo has been one character that has been an all-time audience favourite, even after all these years! It’s fascinating to see how Goibibo has taken such a beloved character and infused it into their new, fun campaign. Becoming Poo again, twenty years later, was such fun and it reminded me that there’s a bit of ‘Poo’ in every Indian traveller… after all, who doesn’t want to have the best holiday! So, what are you waiting for? Because ‘Poo’ has already given her seal of approval!”

    Goibibo stands firmly committed to maintaining impeccable standards and the latest campaign speaks to this goal. Bebo’s charisma, enduring popularity and high standards perfectly align with Goibibo’s mission to make sure accommodations listed on the platform are authentic, and there is no expectation and delivery mismatch.  Whether it’s Poo, or an everyman, with Goibibo one can rest assured with ‘Bebo’s’ seal of approval.

    The film has been conceptualised by Talented and executed by Dharma 2.0.

    Founding partner Priyanka Borah and Talented founding member & creative Binaifer Dulani said, “When we uncovered that the Indian consumer wants to be treated like a main character, from the movies, when on vacation – it instantly connected the dots for us, and gave birth to Goibebo. While the Poo character is iconic and has been leveraged in different ways, the strategic soundness makes this special, and its familiarity in a new context makes it memorable.”

    Dharma 2.0 founder Punit Malhotra said, “There is an inherent stickiness to ‘goibibo’ and ‘bebo’ that will stay in the mind of the audiences. Poo is an unforgettable character, and it’s an honour to revive her quintessential sassiness, in a brand-new context to speak to the Indian masses.”

  • Netflix’s ‘Indian Matchmaking’ shows content is the best marketing tool for OTT platforms

    Netflix’s ‘Indian Matchmaking’ shows content is the best marketing tool for OTT platforms

    KOLKATA: A week after Netflix dropped Indian Matchmaking, Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia had her face splashed on memes and posts on social media. Unlike its reality TV breakout hits Love Is Blind and Too Hot To Handle, Indian Matchmaking does not show a liberal dating culture setup or deep connection of love. Instead, it promotes the Indian arranged marriage trope. 

    Media, content creators and millennials across the globe have expressed their views and written official reviews about the latest trending show. While some think we can’t hide bitter truths for long, some are of the view that Netflix should not have promoted such a tainted social system. The appearance of colourism and casteism has made it receive a fair amount of backlash.

    “While the show normalises patriarchy and racism, the reason why we are hooked (including those of us who are outraged by it), from my observation, is because Indian Matchmaking gives us an opportunity to project our ideals and ‘wokeness’ on the back of the show. Screenshotting problematic statements and uploading it on my Instagram stories is a part of my ‘full watching experience,’” says Dentsu Webchutney creative director Binaifer Dulani.

    The trend again establishes a cliched notion that content is the biggest marketing tool for OTT platforms. The appealing shows broaden the appeal of the platform and help to grow a diversified following. And obviously, content travels globally. The show was not an Indian original from Netflix but it has received a great response from the country. As on Thursday morning, it was trending as the number one show in the country. Oddly, its local originals have not been able to create any buzz lately. 

    “For an OTT player, there are two kinds of products, the tech platform and the content it hosts. And irrespective of the business category, the rules stay the same. No matter how buzzworthy the marketing campaign is, if the product lives up to it, it takes it notches higher. The show almost immediately opened up an undercurrent of conversation and everyone wants to be in on the memes they scroll past. This need for belongingness is a big driver for subscriptions. And a good marketing strategy would only add to it by evolving and capitalising on this wave,” Dulani adds.

    “As the OTT market matures, we would begin to see genre-specific specialised platforms emerge, and so a distinct image. However, as of now most OTT platforms are generic entertainment service providers with content driving their imagery. New content campaigns become their marketing drive to recruit new subscribers and segments,” says Brand-nomics managing director Viren Razdan. 

    The audience has always perceived Netflix as a progressive, socially-aware platform and the platform has always been aware of its take on sensitive issues.

    Dulani adds, “Funnily enough, Netflix has managed to create this persona where you feel it thinks like you and is secretly laughing at some of the catchphrases with you (in spite of the ‘Netflix, what is this trash’ comments). Perhaps because Netflix manages to play the role of creator and spectator seamlessly. Through its owned content on social, it’s part of the Indian Matchmaking meme culture, like the rest of the internet.”

    “However, I feel that all content creators, advertisers and OTT platforms should further content that shows a world that’s more equal and questions problematic norms rather than glamorising them. I strongly believe that time and money should be invested in the pursuit of that versus clickbait. We carry this responsibility together,” she points out.

    Razdan says that in the new scenario, with movie halls going out of the social scene for a while, new releases lining up on OTT platforms are going to create the new blockbuster labels of content viewing.

    For now, Indian Matchmaking, though not made in India, has created all sorts of criticism on social media and has only served to spread the name of Netflix. Despite the negative comments, it could work well in getting more subscribers as Netflix targets India with new lower-priced plans.