ITV

Tag: Snapchat

  • Are brands ready to make the most of Twitter fleets?

    Are brands ready to make the most of Twitter fleets?

    MUMBAI: Recently, micro-blogging site Twitter joined the likes of Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook by launching fleets, stories which will disappear in 24 hours. The purpose is to encourage timid Twitter users to post their drafted thoughts without the social pressure of public likes and replies.

    The stories function is a popular feature on other platforms, especially Instagram, where brands and users have used it to craft different interactions than just a picture one can like. On the arrival of fleets in India, many social media users took at dig at Twitter for recycling features but experts are of the opinion that fleet is here to stay and it opens a new door for content creators and brands to engage with their audiences.

    AdLift co-founder and CEO Prashant Puri says, “Just like Instagram stories have been usefully leveraged by brands and influencers (over 500 million Instagram accounts use stories) – we see that fleets would also be leveraged by both brands and content creators. Short video (three to six seconds), text content, offers and sales (by brands), breaking news by content creators are some of the content that will be shared.”

    According to GenY Medium VP strategy Niki Singh, fleets look like a great opportunity to share more authentic, real and behind the scenes content with the audience hence, making the brand more relatable. It gives the brand a more human touch, thus making the viewer feel ‘this brand is for me.’ Disappearing story format is a great way to build urgency for time-bound offers. Think coupons, flash sales, giveaways, announcements or information that is relevant only for that day, Singh states.

    BC Web Wise creative director Yorick Pinto believes that the disappearing stories format is here to stay. However, he says that it’s too early for brands to use this opportunity as they are still getting used to Instagram stories even as Facebook stories hasn’t been leveraged much. Some of the names that come to his mind are magazines and other content portals that can make use of fleets.

    He adds that fleets will be another way for Twitterati to express themselves, especially if it’s a more fleeting story like a picture of them enjoying a coffee during the rains. This is to be noted since Twitter has been viewed as a more serious platform compared to its peers.

    “I can expect to see a lot of fleets on monsoons, memes, gifs, etc., anything that’s in the fun space and is topical, as opposed to tweets that would remain on their timeline. I’m also guessing that there could be a behavioural change in the way Twitterati use the platform,” he says.

    Adding to this, Pulpkey founder Amit Mondal says that influencers, who predominantly have their primary channel on other social networks, now have a way to be more active on Twitter. A fashion influencer can share his or her visual lookbook, a food influencer can share recorded recipes, etc. It opens a new door for Twitter to onboard newer influencers. Influencers always had a mindset that Twitter was serious copywriting, breaking news-heavy, so getting a casual feature like fleets will make them share their daily life updates, behind the scene etc more comfortably.

    So, will fleets surpass Instagram or Snapchat in terms of popularity? “Each platform has its own unique features and influencers. So, I might follow a journalist or a business leader on Twitter, whereas I’m more likely to follow a musician or a sportsperson on Instagram, and the ones I follow on TikTok would be a completely different set. So, comparing fleets to stories on the platforms is not an apple to apple comparison. Only time will tell as to how popular will fleets become,” Pinto responds.

    While perishable content has proven to work well for all major social platforms including Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, Twitter is a fairly busy platform.

    According to growth marketer Rohan Chaubey, the lifespan of a tweet is between 15 to 20 minutes, so Twitter’s fleet gives content creators and brands an opportunity to enjoy extended lifespan and visibility for their content.

    “Fleets will help brands and creators have more direct and personal conversations as their fans and followers will be able to reply or react to the fleets. Creators can share more personal thoughts and brands can leverage perishable content by sharing glimpses from behind-the-scenes. Fleets will be suitable for live reporting on any news or events. They can post a series of fleets sharing live updates,” he says.

    Since its launch two days ago, celebrities and brands alike have made a smashing debut on fleets. The announcement received a resounding response and instantly piqued the curiosity of Twitter enthusiasts, including Amitabh Bachchan, who expressed his desire to learn more about fleets in a good old tweet.

    Brands like Netflix, Zomato, Amazon Prime Video and Tinder made the most of fleets too.

  • 7 Top Video Trends to Watch Out for in 2020

    7 Top Video Trends to Watch Out for in 2020

    In a world where capturing consumers’ attention is getting harder, and customer acquisition is getting more expensive, video is one of the best ways for brands to communicate with their target audience. With the new year rolling in, now is a great time for brands to rethink their video strategy and take it to the next level in order to maximize conversion. Here are a few exciting video trends that we believe will be game-changers in 2020 and beyond:

    Personalized Videos

    Personalized videos include the viewer’s name and other details in the storyline, enabling brands to deliver communication that is highly relevant and targeted. Such videos leverage CRM data to help build stronger relationships with customers and enable effective generation of qualified leads.

    Interactive Videos

    Interactive videos put viewers in the driver’s seat, enabling them to make choices as they watch. Infused with quizzes, opinion polls, treasure hunts and more, interactive videos pique viewers’ interest and help build brand loyalty. Since they have higher recall value, they result in better conversion rates.

    Shoppable Videos

    Making videos shoppable allows brands to shorten the consumer journey and increase last-mile conversion. Being able to choose products and add them to a cart is not only a ‘wow’ factor for viewers, it also empowers them with greater convenience and ease of access.

    Vertical Videos

    With smart phones becoming the de-facto device among millennials, creating videos for viewing in portrait (rather than landscape) mode is the latest megatrend. As influencer marketing gains popularity, and brands cash in on the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) factor, vertical videos are fast becoming the norm across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

    360-Degree Videos

    360-degree videos literally provide a larger than life viewing experience, by capturing the action from all directions! This innovative technique offers an immersive, interactive viewing experience that results in higher video completion rates.

    User Generated Content (UGC)

    Today, brands are increasingly listening to their audience and tapping into the stories that people are co-creating. UGC videos are now a vital part of brands’ community building efforts.  They inspire greater trust than brand sponsored content, are shared more widely and require very little investment.

    Silent Videos

    Silent videos, which primarily rely on visuals for messaging, are currently trending on social media platforms. The convenience they offer is clear – people can watch these videos whenever, wherever without missing anything. Whether they are in a busy public place (like an airport/metro), or in a quiet area (like a hospital), they can enjoy an uninterrupted viewing experience.

    As the lines between content and commerce blur, brands must adopt new trends and technologies for video marketing. These can help deliver dynamic, compelling viewing experiences which build brand love, drive transactions and increase ROI. For best results, brands should partner with a one-stop video agency that offers both high quality creative services along and cutting-edge technology.

    (The author is vice president, Brands Services, Prime Focus Technologies. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

     

  • Likee Emerges As One Of The Most Popular App Worldwide

    Likee Emerges As One Of The Most Popular App Worldwide

    New Delhi: Likee, the pioneering global short video creation platform from Singapore based BIGO Technology has been named among the top 10 most downloaded apps globally. The 2019 report released by Sensor Tower Inc. saw Likee entering the top 10 downloaded apps club for the first time. Likee, ranked at No. 6, saw a tremendous year on year growth of 173% with more than 330 Million downloads. It is to be noted that India drove more than half of installs. Likee has over taken other popular apps such as SHAREit, YouTube, Snapchat and Netflix.

    Year 2019 has been the remarkable year in growth for Likee in India. Throughout 2019, Likee cultivated its top position by engaging with Indian youth via unique #challenges and campaigns which went viral in no time. Some unforgettable campaigns from the platform in 2019 were 'No matter where I am, #IAMINDIAN', #Flashbeat, #KillTheEvil, #DiwaliWishQuiz and many more. Likee's #IAMINDIAN campaign was launched to celebrate India's 73rd Independence Day and had also won a Guinness World Record for creating the world's largest video album of people waving Indian national flag. Other noteworthy initiatives by Likee are #Likeedreams, #KillTheChill and a few more campaigns that were launched with the aim of societal development.

    Likee is available in different Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam and Punjabi. The platform's sharp focus on hyper-localization of the content is contributing to its strong growth. Today, Likee has emerged as an app the youth identifies with. It provides them with a stage to accelerate their creativity, thus producing high-quality video content. It gives them confidence, recognition and a chance to earn a living. With an increasing number of collaborations with music producers, movie production houses, and others, Likee is becoming a preferred choice in the industry for budding artists.

  • Gaana introduces ‘Stories’, the short-format content in music streaming

    Gaana introduces ‘Stories’, the short-format content in music streaming

    MUMBAI: After leading the industry with the vertical video format, Gaana videos, India's largest music streaming app, Gaana has launched its own form of video stories – a version of short-form video content to showcase engaging mini videos and influencer clips on the app. With seamless toggle and navigation gestures, the feature aims to offer uninterrupted music experience.

    Stories is the feature that has been popularized by apps like Snapchat and Instagram, has been adapted by Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Netflix and many others. With the advent of Gaana Stories, the brand has emerged as the only music streaming platform in the entertainment industry to showcase mini videos and influencer clips. These stories are designed to offer Gaana users a flavour of newly launched, upcoming or trending/popular songs. In its soft launch, Gaana has partnered with labels and artists to feature engaging stories to promote newly launched songs and artist stories.

    Speaking at the launch, Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal said, “At Gaana, we have believed in producing premium content that is meant to be mobile, social and shareable. After our industry-first launch of Gaana Videos earlier this year, we wanted to go above and beyond in our ambition to host differentiated & engaging content apart from the core music streaming experience, and that led to the idea of Gaana Stories. In its most purest sense, stories are previews of songs that will help music lovers get a quick taste of newly launched, upcoming and trending songs.”

    Earlier in April, Gaana made its first major foray into video content by adding music videos to its audio-led experience. Built for the mobile, these exclusive & immersive vertical videos now accompany new and popular music on Gaana, and is handcrafted by artists in partnership with the brand with the intention to bring music lovers closer to the artist as they enjoy their favorite music.

  • Snapdeal launches new brand campaign

    Snapdeal launches new brand campaign

    Gurugram: Snapdeal has launched a festive season brand campaign that showcases the rich diversity and depth of products available on its platform.

    The campaign comprises multiple short films each highlighting the “undiscovered stars” of online shopping – products for everyday living at great prices – all of which enable the user to upgrade her life in a snap!

    The campaign uses the theme of discovering products at “the snap of a finger” to underscore the ease of discovery on the platform. Set to foot-tapping music by Milan-based sound agency, Smider, each film shows users having fun with the products bought on Snapdeal.

    The range of products showcased in the films include fun, eclectic products like magnifying mirrors, makeup brushes, selfie lights and camera tripods for those putting up perfect pics on social media and blogs.

    For those using Diwali to upgrade their homes, sensibly priced products like multi-function fruit & vegetable peelers, wooden spoons, frying pan sets, USB-powered smoothie blenders, sponge hand gloves for cleaning, water pH meters etc have been showcased. A range of beautiful LED lights and diyas offer a short introduction to the vast range available on the platform.

    According to a Snapdeal spokesperson, “E-commerce in India is now beyond just brands and discounts. It is about accessing products that add value and help upgrade the daily lives of the users in multiple, small yet meaningful ways. The purpose of the “Snap-Diwali” campaign is to showcase the vast selection of unique and functional products that are available online. ”

    The campaign is already live on digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Voot, Hotstar etc. Later this week, it will also be seen across various top national and regional TV channels. The rise of regional consumption is reflected in the fact that the campaign will run in seven languages – Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bangla, Telugu and English. The campaign is expected to run across four weeks.

    According to Mohit Dhar Jayal, co-founder of Motherland Joint Ventures, which is Snapdeal’s strategic advisor on various aspects of customer experience, “Snapdeal is in a category of its own. It offers customers a kaleidoscopic, non-stop mix of shopping and entertainment – all wrapped up in fun, accessible user experience, and super-affordable pricing. And there’s a pipeline full of exciting innovations on the way from the Snapdeal lab!”

    The films have been made by Italy-based illo.tv, a design studio which has worked on iconic projects for brands like Airbnb, UEFA, Snapchat, Bloomberg and various other innovative international startups. Led by the creative duo of llenia Notarangelo and Luca Gonnelli, Illo’s  style is characterized by a minimal and colourful aesthetic with particular attention to clear storytelling. According to Ilenia Notarangelo, Creative Director, illo, “Snapdeal was one of the most fun & challenging projects in terms of production for our studio, this year. We tried to come up with some quirky, not stereotypical 15 second plots that could match the different and unusual products that Snapdeal offers. From a stylistic point of view, we tried to match our visually synthetic set design approach with the Indian Diwali mood. I think that the result is a pretty refreshing mix, with a little reference to the Memphis style.”

    The music for the Snap-Diwali films has been created by Milan-based sound agency Smider, which has created iconic compositions for brands like Reebok, Nike, MTV, Yamaha, Ducati, Audi, BMW and others. Smider offers an unconventional flavour driven by a taste for experimental compositions mixed with the use of traditional instruments. According to Smider, “We are excited about this music since we wanted to merge a contemporary way of music production with some Indian elements. The sound design process, in this case, was all about the transitions from one scene to another, layering different sounds and of course using the “snap” as an element of both music and sound.”

    Snapdeal is India’s largest value-focused e-commerce marketplace. More than 70 million users visit Snapdeal every month to browse and buy from amongst the 200 million SKUs listed by more than 500,000 independent registered sellers on Snapdeal.

  • Snapchat launches first-ever global integrated campaign ‘Real Friends’

    Snapchat launches first-ever global integrated campaign ‘Real Friends’

    MUMBAI: The world thrives through connections. Meaningful bonds between people are often at the heart of great art and storytelling, both behind and in front of the camera. A constant reminder of the meaning and the true value of friendships is important. In line with this on 30 July, the United Nations’ International Day of Friendship, Snapchat announced the launch of the ‘Real Friends’ campaign – its first-ever global integrated marketing campaign. The campaign highlights the spirit of the brand and the product, where true friendship is and always has been at the core.

    As a part of the campaign, Snapchat connected with various friend-duos from 13 countries, each with a unique tale of their friendship journey. The videos capture their honest, intimate idiosyncrasies and unfiltered but relatable dynamics of these diverse sets of friends including a pair who have been lifelong friends, another a long-distance couple, and even one mother-daughter duo. For the first time ever, the friend-duos also shared a collection of their personals Snaps — 1:1 picture and video messages sent to each other on Snapchat.

    In India, Snapchat connected with duos, Zara & Prakriti, who have together overcome anxiety, Ronit & Tanisha, who found a judgment-free space with Snapchat to share zany, quirky and intimate moments with each other, and Ruchi & Sanabh, childhood pals, now in their late 20s and use Snapchat to stay connected despite their overwhelming schedules.

    The campaign, through the experience of these duos emphasises on the core philosophy of Snapchat, which was designed to empower users to be themselves with their real friends. Snap Inc. has also recently unveiled a Friendship Survey that highlighted the evolution of friendship across ages and cultures.

    Interesting finds from the survey indicate that interacting with friends, whether in person or online, also leaves us feeling overwhelmingly positive emotions: “happy,” “loved,” and “supported” are the three most reported globally. Of Gen Z and millennials, 61 per cent believe that video and photos help them to express what they want to say in a way that they can’t with words. Snapchat was founded in 2011 on the belief that talking with photos and videos, with our real friends, was more personal and more fun than texting or keeping up on social media. Since then, the platform has evolved but never deviated from this core mission of helping close friends express themselves and be creative together.

  • Snapchat launches the ‘Real Friends’ campaign

    Snapchat launches the ‘Real Friends’ campaign

    The world thrives through connection. Meaningful bonds between people are often at the heart of great art and storytelling, both behind and in front of the camera. A constant reminder of meaning and true value of friendships is important. In line with this on July 30th – the United Nations’ International Day of Friendship, Snapchat announces the launch of the ‘Real Friends’ campaign – its first ever global integrated marketing campaign. The campaign highlights the spirit of the brand and the product, where true friendship is and always has been at the core.

    As a part of the campaign, Snapchat connected with various friend-duos from 13 countries, each with a unique tale of their friendship journey. The videos capture their honest, intimate idiosyncrasies and unfiltered but relatable dynamics of these diverse sets of friends including a pair who have been lifelong friends, another a long-distance couple, and even one mother-daughter duo. For the first time ever, the friend-duos also shared a collection of their personals Snaps — 1:1 picture and video messages sent to each other on Snapchat.

    In India, Snapchat connected with duos, Zara & Prakriti, who have together overcome anxiety, Ronit & Tanisha, who found a judgement-free space with Snapchat to share zany, quirky and intimate moments with each other, and Ruchi & Sanabh, childhood pals, now in their late 20s and use Snapchat to stay connected despite their overwhelming schedules.

    The campaign, through the experience of these duos emphasizes on the core philosophy of Snapchat, which was designed to empower users to be themselves with their real friends. Snap Inc. has also recently unveiled a Friendship Survey that highlighted the evolution of friendship across ages and cultures.

    Interesting finds from the survey indicate that interacting with friends, whether in person or online, also leaves us feeling overwhelmingly positive emotions: “happy,” “loved,” and “supported” are the three most reported globally. Of Gen Z and millennials, 61% believe that video and photos help them to express what they want to say in a way that they can’t with words. Snapchat was founded in 2011 on the belief that talking with photos and videos, with our real friends, was more personal and more fun than texting or keeping up on social media. Since then, the platform has evolved but never deviated from this core mission of helping close friends express themselves and be creative together.

  • Snapchat serves up wimbledon fun with new ‘Bitmoji Tennis’ game

    Snapchat serves up wimbledon fun with new ‘Bitmoji Tennis’ game

    MUMBAI: Ace! Hit the courts with friends in Bitmoji Tennis, a new, made-for-Snapchat game, now available exclusively on Snap Games, Snapchat’s real-time multiplayer gaming platform found right within Chat. 

    Tap to serve the ball and run left and right — your racket will swing automatically when you get near the ball. Tilt your device to aim your shot — Wimbledon, here you come! The first player to five points wins. 

    Snapchatters can train solo, challenge a friend to a match, or hit the courts with a group of friends for rounds of winner-takes-next. Tap ‘Stats’ in the main menu to view your win count, best streak, longest rally and more. You can also upgrade your tennis racket by watching a short ad between games. 

    All Snap Games are designed for synchronous, high-fidelity mobile gameplay between friends, built on the powerful PlayCanvas game engine. Launched this past April, Snap Games features a curated selection of both first and third-party titles, such as Bitmoji Party and Zynga’s Tiny Royale. Bitmoji Tennis is Snap’s second original title following Bitmoji party and was created in house by Snap Games Studio. 

    Open a Chat or Group Chat and tap the rocket icon in the Chat Bar to launch Snap Games. Tap ‘Bitmoji Tennis’ in the game drawer and start serving!

  • Snapchat localised into 4 Indian languages

    Snapchat localised into 4 Indian languages

    MUMBAI: Snapchat is happy to announce its localization into 4 Indian languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. Reinforcing its commitment to the Indian market, Snapchat launched Discover in India last year and is now localizing into regional languages to engage and excite Snapchatters to share content in their very own language.

    Recently, Snapchat released localized lenses, filters and stickers on Holi – India’s Festival of Colours, for IPL teams – Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and collaborated with Indian women artists from across India to develop creative tools on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

  • IPL comes to Snapchat

    IPL comes to Snapchat

    MUMBAI: Snapchat has teamed up with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL season. The partnership will bring fans at home and in the stadium behind-the-scenes updates and the chance to show their support for their favourite team on match days through creative Augmented Reality Lenses, Our Stories and more.

    Follow your team

    Follow Mumbai Indians @mi_platan, Rajasthan Royals @rajasthanroyals, Chennai Super Kings @yelloveforever and Kolkata Knight Riders @kkrsnaps on Snapchat where they will be posting updates and behind-the-scenes highlights to their Official Account’s Story and opt-in to receive notifications when they post.

    In addition, from today CricTracker – the first cricket publisher on the platform – and Sportskeeda will launch on Snapchat’s Discover providing up-to-date news on all things IPL through their own Publisher Stories.

    Get creative

    Fans will also be able to celebrate key moments and show their support in creative ways – wearing their teams’ colours with special augmented reality Lenses as well as adding creative touches to their Snaps with a range of custom filters and stickers.

    There will also be Our Stories around the opening weekend games in Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata celebrating the best submissions from fans across India, with the first going live on March 25th. Our Stories are collections of publicly submitted Snaps from events and locations around the world and curated by editors at Snapchat.