Tag: YouTube

India’s DPDP Bill – a win-win for consumer tech platforms

Mumbai: India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill, is expected to be implemented over the next six to eight months in a phased manner; hefty penalties have been imposed for breach of data. This Bill will have a positive impact on companies/platforms that use first party data, whereas players using or sharing third party data (Google cookies, publisher platforms) could see a negative impact; this could potentially mean that sourcing data may become an expensive proposition for programmatic companies like Affle, as they may need to invest in enhancing their own database (first party). This Bill mirrors UK’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in terms of the major norms mentioned therein. Internet platforms like Zomato, Nykaa, Paytm etc may have relatively lesser monthly active users (MAU’s) as compared to social/search giants like YouTube, Meta, however the former has a detailed understanding of their limited customer base, with more intelligence around their purchasing/consumption patterns; e-commerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart too will have a big edge due to data protection, as they can earn ad. revenue with the help of their first party data, which will help provide better monetisation and profitability over the medium term.

Long haul for implementation of the DPDP Bill (six to eight months)

The DPDP (Digital Personal Data Protection) act, which has been highly anticipated, has been in the works for the past four to five years. Numerous drafts have been exchanged and extensive input has been gathered from the industry stakeholders. Although the Bill is set to take effect on 11 August 2023, its actual implementation has not yet occurred. Currently, the sections have not been enforced, but there are plans to assign specific dates for the phased implementation of these sections.

The scope of its applicability extends to all forms of digitised or digital personal data. Notably, the act also holds extraterritorial jurisdiction. This means that all entities, including those located outside of India, that process data to offer data services within the country, will be obligated to adhere to the provisions of the act. The Bill is anticipated to bring about a positive impact. India is undergoing rapid digital transformation, and with such swift digitization, there’s a substantial amount at risk. Considering the challenges posed by data leaks, the implementation of this law is crucial. It will establish a regulatory framework that offers a cleaner environment for the transmission and processing of personal data.

Substantial penalties for non compliance/data privacy breach

The entirety of the act’s liability is placed upon the data fiduciary. The responsibility for implementing safeguards to ensure data protection also falls solely on the data fiduciary. Implementing the requirements should not pose a significant challenge for data fiduciaries, provided they approach it with seriousness and a willingness to comply. The Bill makes it obligatory to report breaches of the principles, regardless of whether the breach is categorized as a high-security breach or not. Entities will undoubtedly feel apprehensive about the substantial penalties, given their magnitude. Data fiduciaries have a responsibility to uphold reasonable security measures for personal data when processing such information. Failure to inform both the board and the principle in case of a data breach can lead to significant fines being imposed. Rather than waiting for the possibility of never being reported and taking on the associated risks, companies could proactively reach out to a wider customer base about the data leak. This approach would involve enhancing compliance efforts and demonstrating a commitment to addressing the issue.

Contents of the DPDP Act have been drawn heavily from EU’s GDPR

The Indian legislation has drawn significant inspiration from the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is built upon its framework. The authorities have analysed the real-world challenges that arose with GDPR and incorporated those insights into the crafting of this Bill. The primary objective is to ensure the responsible processing of personal data and establish robust data privacy rights for individuals. Both regulations emphasize the handling of personal data through consent, although there are specific scenarios where consent might not be obligatory. The Government has skilfully navigated the task by avoiding excessive amendments and appropriately identifying areas of overlap with other laws.

Ad-tech players could face challenges in accessing third-party data

It is believed that targeted advertising technology companies operating in this domain and relying on third-party data for tailored advertisements will encounter additional challenges. Since they don’t directly gather the data, using third-party data will demand heightened attention. Employing third-party data should make you more cautious, vigilant, and well-informed about the methods of data collection. Ensuring the integrity of the data used for crafting targeted advertisements becomes imperative to prevent any form of contamination. Well-established players involved in collecting, distributing, or selling data would undoubtedly need to swiftly adapt to the provisions of this new act. These programmatic ads. tech players could resort to either 1) Investing into their own database or 2) Recover the higher the costs from clients via higher pricing.

Broad based implementation – across small and large enterprises

Small businesses, lacking substantial resources to engage established players, are focusing on diligently ensuring proper compliance. They recognize that firsthand data collection is significantly preferable to relying on third-party data access. Bigger technology companies might be required to establish compliance requirements slightly ahead of smaller players and startups. The law takes a somewhat more lenient stance toward startups. It’s anticipated that there will be a window of around six to ten months before full implementation is expected.

Safety of consumers/children an added benefit apart from privacy

Companies operating multiple businesses might find common ground internally, where data exchange occurs among their various segments or units by following proper compliance. This aspect should be regarded as a protective measure for sharing information securely. In the case of large tech giants, they will have to adhere to the supplementary data requirements. These companies heavily rely on technology, so many of the obligations are likely already integrated into their operations. The introduction of this regulation could bring about a positive impact, leading to an enhanced safety net. Regarding children’s data, obtaining verifiable parental consent is a requisite. The act has established a mechanism for addressing grievances within its provisions. The composition of the board is explicitly outlined in the act.

The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital senior vice president- research analyst Karan Taurani.

August 30, 2023
Shaktimaan celebrates sibling love in its new Rakshabandhan campaign – #LifeofaUPSCAspirant

Mumbai: India’s first adaptive learning ecosystem, Shaktimaan has launched a new campaign, just in time for the biggest celebration of the bonds between siblings. The campaign, titled ‘Rakshabandhan in the Life of a UPSC Aspirant,’ revolves around the heartwarming story of a sister’s thoughtful gift to help her brother conquer the UPSC with the help of Shaktimaan.in. Through the campaign, the company aims to represent the bond between siblings, highlighting the importance of having the support of loved ones in the preparation of the Civil Service Examination. The campaign is LIVE on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook and has already garnered over 20.4K views on Twitter and more than 2K views on YouTube.

The campaign is strategized internally and focuses on the struggles of UPSC aspirants and how Shaktimaan can empower them to access top-tier mentorship and a disciplined ecosystem personalized as per their needs. It highlights the story of a diligent UPSC aspirant, Raghav, who is trying to cope with The Hindu newspaper editorial. On seeing his struggles on Rakhshabandhan, the elder sister, Meera, gifts him Shaktimaan, a powerful mentor for students to help him in his UPSC preparation. As the brother unveils the Rakhi gift, he explores the different features of Shaktimaan, such as the daily Hindu summary, instant doubt resolution, daily learning targets with Prelims MCQ, and MAINS hand-written answer evaluation. Their story highlights the challenges faced by Civil Service Examination candidates and how their family and friends support them in their exam preparation. The access to personalized solutions represents the support that siblings can provide for each other.

Founding team member Lakshay Nagpal remarked, “Our Raksha Bandhan campaign highlights how family supports a UPSC aspirant. The desire to showcase the passion of today’s students and our eagerness to offer them the best solutions lies at the heart of the campaign. At Shaktimaan, we use our deep insights and execute them with the help of artificial intelligence to help students stay disciplined and focused.”

The Rakshabandhan campaign serves as a powerful reminder that students’ family members will always be there to guide them through their struggles and support them to achieve their goals. With the help of Shaktimaan and the support of their loved ones, students can find the right balance and achieve their dreams.

August 26, 2023
Out of times: Does Men22+ AB TG matter to TV news advertisers anymore?

Mumbai: India’s rapid growth in the last decade or so has made advertisers look at data sets beyond the conventional ones that were the market standards during the 90s.

With the gender gap diminishing and India’s millennial and Gen Z generations getting more savvy even in smaller towns, advertisers now prefer to target a broader set of audiences, especially when it comes to the English TV news genre.

Maximum growth of consumer durables, electronics and cars is now happening in the towns that have less than 10 lakh population and the age group pushing these sales is fairly young with both men and women participating in equal numbers.

As per a media planner, “The new India now exists beyond 10 L + towns. So, the advertisers now want to put in their money on TV news channels that provide a wider reach. They look at a broad based TG when they’re doing media planning. Smaller cuts like Men 22+AB or only mega cities don’t make any sense now. Even from the data stability point of view broader cuts are preferred. A broad based TG ensures stability of data and is the true test of leadership and not just convenient cuts of data.”

These indicators do not matter on digital at all.

As per the BARC data for the last 54 weeks, CNN-News18 has captured 35.3% market share.

“The reach and audiences of CNN-News18 give unparalleled results to advertisers as compared to the other channels. As elections approach, our monies would solidly be on the industry leader. The broader cut of TG provides a lot more data stability,” an advertiser said on the condition of anonymity.

On the digital front, CNN-News18 has captured a whopping 1.4 billion views on YouTube, surpassing all of its competitors. (Source: Socialblade)

August 25, 2023
Times Now tops the chart with 116 mn views on YouTube & Facebook in October

Mumbai: Times Now has emerged as India’s most-watched English news channel on digital platforms in the news genre.

According to a data released by Crowdtangle & Vidooly, Times Now clocked a staggering viewership of 116 million on YouTube and Facebook in October surpassing CNN-News18 (105 million), India Today (104 million), NDTV (82 million), and Republic TV (18 million). On the back of the fastest news, exclusive news breaks and most viewed prime-time shows – India Upfront and Newshour, the channel registered a phenomenal reach of over 1 billion on digital.

Times Now claims to be a leader in the digital space with innovative content formats that seamlessly adapt to the preferences of viewers who are tech savvy, setting industry benchmarks with its distinct brand of action-oriented journalism that is firmly based on reliable, accurate, and decisive news reporting.

According to Facebook Data, as informed by the media conglomerate, Times Now attracted over 210 million views on its digital films across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Timesnownews.com with a series of digital-first videos that include comprehensive insights on every significant news topic of the day. With 2.35 million interactions, the highest number in the cohort, and a total reach of 125 million for the month of October on the platform, Facebook saw a channel with a high level of engagement.

Times Network president & COO of digital business Rohit Chadda said, “We are overwhelmed with the viewer’s response as their preferred news destination on digital platforms. The growing reach and engagement on digital are a testament to the viewers’ trust in Times Now. Video has now become the preferred format of news consumption and will only grow further with the launch of 5G. We are committed to expanding our video coverage to cater to all cohorts of users consuming content online.”

With a focus on in-depth, well-researched content, coupled with coverage of big-ticket events, Times Now has been expanding its digital footprint globally with over 50 per cent of views on YouTube from International markets including US, Europe and APAC regions.

November 17, 2022
Mukul Madhav Foundation addresses child labour in a short film ‘Baitullah’

Mumbai: Finolex Industries’ corporate social responsibility arm, the Mukul Madhav Foundation, has released a short movie, Baitullah. addressing child labour. The award winning short film is sure to open your eyes. The picture, picturing a little boy named Baitullah working at a tea stall in the city, poses the question to the viewer.

Directed, written and produced by Jitendra Rai (M/S Matheno Films), the main protagonist is played by child artist Om Kanojiya, supported by Ishtiyak Khan and Vipin Sharma. The film has been nominated and selected at 85+ international and national film festivals and has already won 26 awards.

“What does this child need to do to become like you?” is a question that is met with awkward silence in the film but hopes to ignite a conversation amongst viewers and the more fortunate.

Millions of children across the world, and especially in India, are exploited and denied their childhood every day. They are kept out of classrooms and forced to work as touts or earn a daily wage for their families due to poverty, lack of awareness, or just plain neglect and apathy. Most are hidden away in sweatshops making shoes, jewelry, and firecrackers. But some are in plain sight. ‘Chottu’ at your friendly neighbourhood tea stall or lunch place.

Speaking on the evolution of the film, the director Jitendra Rai said, “As a filmmaker, I look at the world around me with my eyes wide open. I couldn’t ignore the child labour I saw around me, but I was also left with a sense of helplessness. As a filmmaker, I chose to capture this helplessness, the silent appeal these children have in their eyes when they look at people better-off than them.”

Rai added, “This helplessness turned into hope, when I saw the work that is being done by organisations like the Mukul Madhav Foundation. I am also grateful for their support of this film.”

Mukul Madhav Foundation managing trustee Ritu Chhabria said, “This film asks a question that started us on our journey working with marginalised and vulnerable children: how could each child enjoy the things we take for granted in our lives? We set out to put things in place, one small block at a time.”

Established in 1999, the Mukul Madhav Foundation works with communities across India, uplifting the less fortunate with hope and dignity. Their work with children, especially those vulnerable to exploitation, assault, and trafficking, is slowly tilting the scale at the grassroots. Supporting children with initiatives in education, nutrition, and mental health. Offering a helpline, counsellors, and legal aid for children. Rescuing and rehabilitating exploited children and then reintegrating them back into the mainstream. But even more importantly, strengthening the community. Giving parents and youth access to healthcare, sanitation, skill development, and employment. Giving each of them a sense of dignity. With the belief that in order for children to be safe, their community must first feel financially and emotionally secure.

November 16, 2022
YouTube dethrones Google, tops YouGov’s Best Brand Rankings 2022 in India

Mumbai: Global tech giant YouTube has dethroned Google to top YouGov’s 2022 Best Brand Rankings in India, recording an increase of +2.5 to its year-on-year brand health score.

YouGov’s latest rankings reveal the top ten brands in terms of overall brand health, according to urban Indians. The rankings are based on the index score from YouGov BrandIndex, which is a measure of overall brand health that indicates how well a brand is delivering on its brand promise on key attributes and is calculated by taking the average of the impression, quality, value, satisfaction, recommend and reputation scores collected in BrandIndex.

Google moves down one spot to second (with a score of 54.9), and WhatsApp moves up to third (53.9) with a considerable increase in its year-on-year score.

E-commerce giant Amazon moved down one spot to fourth, but its video-on-demand platform, Amazon Prime, moved off the list this year. Flipkart enhanced its brand perception over the past year but moved down three places in the 2022 rankings, to ninth (40.8).

This year, many new brands make up the top ten list. Amul is fifth on the list with a score of 49.5. Tanishq follows in the sixth (42.2), Cadbury Dairy Milk in the seventh (41.3), and Dettol Disinfectant in the eighth (40.9). Zomato rounds up the top ten in tenth (40.0).

The rankings also show the brands that have improved the most over the past 12 months. Air India is the most improved brand of the year, with a change in score of +7.1.

Telegram is the second-best mover with a change in score of +5.2, along with other social media platforms such as Instagram (change in score +3.9) and WhatsApp (+3.5).

Smartphone brands like Realme (+4.0) and global electronics company Apple (+3.4) appear in the list of improvers.

Myntra (+3.3), Booking.com (3.0), Tata Motors (+2.8), and Flipkart (+2.7) are other brands to appear in India’s 2022 top ten improvers list.

November 16, 2022
We aim to help the creator economy touch new heights in India and around the globe, shares GSharp Media’s Meghna Mittal

Mumbai: Meghna Mittal is GSharp Media’s co-founder and chief marketing officer; the company has two brands under its umbrella: Songfest India and Hoopr. Songfest focuses on giving musicians the creative freedom to explore new sonic avenues; Hoopr is India’s first music licensing marketplace that intends to offer cutting-edge solutions to both musicians and content creators alike.

Ever since its inception, GSharp Media has been focused on building creator-centric products. Mittal has led these initiatives and focuses extensively on crafting innovative marketing strategies while also playing a key role in scaling up products. Her strengths lie in staying close to the consumer, understanding the market requirements, and creating the right product that solves the customer’s pain point. She was pivotal in steering several viral marketing campaigns for Songfest, which accumulated more than 100 million views for its YouTube channel.

Her latest venture is Hoopr.ai, a music licensing marketplace that offers cutting-edge viral solutions to brands and video creators in collaboration with some of the most popular artists. The idea behind it is to offer a multitude of songs, background scores, and sound effects to creators regardless of the kind of content they create and showcase some innovative music from India’s best musicians and composers. Mittal and her team aim to help the creator economy reach new heights in India and around the globe with the platform.

Prior to joining GSharp Media, Mittal led the marketing initiatives for Hubilo and YesssWorks for more than seven years. A music lover herself and a people person, her interests include designing and building consumer-centric products, creating exciting content, and crafting unique music solutions for brands. She also has a huge, self-cultivated network of influencers across the country and believes that every creator deserves to have the best tools at their disposal for creating invigorating content.

On the personal front, she is extremely passionate about cooking and loves feeding her guests different delicacies. Indiantelevision.com caught up with Mittal to find out the growth strategy of the company.

Excerpts:

On Hoopr.ai

Most founders create products that solve a certain pain point they themselves have experienced and for which there is a large market but no clear solution. A few months into the pandemic, Gaurav Dagaonkar (GSharp Media founder) and I were running the content production studio Songfest and realised that costs and means of video production had come down heavily due to the lockdown. Most clients of Songfest and Songfest itself heavily use stock video & music to complete productions and save costs. It was at this stage that we realised how limited the availability of Indian stock music was.

It was this particular project for which we needed a Hindi hip-hop, street rap kind of track, and we couldn’t find even one across all platforms in the world. The international music licensing platforms didn’t carry Indian music, and we didn’t have any of our own. I mean, we’re talking about a country with a combined value of $15 billion if you put together the film, television, advertising, and music industries, and strangely, not one music licensing marketplace existed before Hoopr. We ultimately had to get the track created, which cost us a lot more time and money than the budget permitted.

So we started thinking about the millions of Indian vloggers, podcasters, live streamers, and digital content creators, including startups, who create daily video content for their Indian audiences and would be requiring relevant Indian music. On the one hand, using music without a licence results in a copyright or content ID claim, which takes away a creator’s monetisation rights for that video, while on the other, there is hardly any Indian music available to licence. That got us to start thinking seriously about building Hoopr.

But the final catalyst in this decision turned out to be a unique one. Anushka Sen is an Indian influencer with over 35 million followers on Instagram and two million on YouTube. She received a copyright claim for using a song belonging to Songfest and asked for a micro licence that could be purchased. I remember this one day when we came across a report that projected India having more than 100 million content creators by 2025, and Sen also wanted to buy a micro licence from us. We started building Hoopr from that day on.

On Hoopr.ai’ revenue model

We offer subscriptions to individual creators and businesses. Apart from that, we also offer custom plans for enterprises.

On the growth

We’re proud of the fact that we have received traction from customers all over India. It’s a testament to the power of the creator economy that we’ve seen traction from not only individual creators but also interest from brands and businesses across India.

On the challenges for monetisation of content including music

Let’s look at the content—music and video—separately. YouTube is currently the most important source of content monetization, at least for Indian creators.However, in order for this monetization to begin on YouTube, one must have more than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time. Post that too, it requires millions of views to make a reasonable amount of income. Typically, if YouTube pays 2-3 paisa per view in India, a typical YouTuber ends up earning somewhere close to 15 to 30 thousand for a million views.

But the million views are hard to get, so the challenge for the Indian content creator is to be regular, attract a large audience, and create content in a sustained manner. Also, a small fraction of video creators end up making substantial money from platforms such as YouTube. A lot of the other short-form platforms do not allow monetization similar to YouTube, although it is likely that this may change in the future. Aside from this, content creators face a number of other challenges that limit their ability to monetize. Sometimes there could be licensing issues, creators may end up using music tracks that might get muted, or there could be a copyright claim or a takedown.

For musicians, it can be relatively easier as one can create music tracks and distribute them to multiple streaming platforms, and typically there is a pay-out associated with each stream. However, the challenge in this case is to get discovered, heard, and seen when the competition is cutthroat and there are thousands of tracks uploaded every single day.

On how covid impacted this area

The covid pandemic fuelled the digital revolution and accelerated the growth of content creators, social media community engagers, and even curators. During this time, both Dagaonkar and I realised that our agency and brand clients were actively looking to licence Indian music but were not able to find relevant content. We experienced this difficulty while creating promos and marketing videos for Songfest. But the turning point came when one of India’s leading content creators, Anushka Sen, got a content ID claim on YouTube and called me to buy a licence. A subsequent deep dive into the numbers of the creator economy revealed that millions of creators in India require music for their content and are willing to buy licences to avoid copyright claims.

Having launched the platform now, the industry envisages Hoopr as a potential go-to platform to find the right music for video content.

On the products like Songfest that GSharp Media operates

GSharp Media is a music tech and content company, and the idea has been to create and operate brands and products in the music domain that are interconnected and have synergies with one another. With Songfest and Hoopr, we have these synergies. Songfest is a brand that creates customised brand solutions. We create branded content, such as music videos, television commercials, and so on. Songfest also operates a YouTube channel with over half a million subscribers. The biggest asset of the company is the network of 3000+ music creators that we have.

On the latest campaign

We have launched a new campaign called “#HarGharCreator” with an ad to celebrate and empower creators across India. Hoopr.ai is solving a billion-dollar problem faced by content creators and businesses every day: that of discovering and licensing the right music for their videos. India’s 80 million+ creator community comprises vloggers, podcasters, gamers, filmmakers, live-streamers, and influencers who create audio-visual content on a variety of topics. With over 25,000 tracks and sound effects, Hoopr.ai is not only enabling these creators to get specific music for their needs but also helping them avoid copyright strikes and legal issues.

Furthermore, what’s also changing is the mindset with regard to content creation, with more people embracing it as a career choice. And that is exactly what the ad captures. In the ad, a young college student can be seen telling his strict father that he doesn’t want to be an engineer but rather a content creator. The reaction of the father makes the ad a must-watch for all content creators and their families.

A creator is now emerging in nearly every home across India, and we want to help them find phenomenal Indian music for their videos. Apart from individual creators, the music on Hoopr is also being used by brands, enterprises, and OTT platforms, as it is cleared for use and free from any copyright strikes or takedowns.

On trends being seen when it comes to music tech

There are a lot of developments happening in music technology. Right from production to distribution and consumption, to areas like licensing, building communities, and fan funding of collectibles, music tech has seen a lot of developments and interesting start-ups over the last couple of years. When it comes to music production, we are seeing tools that allow people to collaborate. There are multiple music distribution services that have evolved over the last four to five years that allow artists to distribute music across different streaming platforms. We are also in an era where the majority of music is consumed through streaming platforms. As a result, apps such as Spotify are continuously evolving their algorithms and recommendation engines to contribute to a better user experience. We have also seen the emergence of licensing platforms that have opened up new doors of income for musicians.

Two areas that are still in their nascent stage but will only continue to grow are AI-generated music and the ability of artists to create and distribute NFTs. These could unlock new doors as far as the music industry is concerned and could bring with them new opportunities for artists, new sources of funding, etc., all on the back of technological development.

On the future of the podcast format in India

Any kind of individualised content creation is here to stay, whether the creator makes a living out of it or does it out of passion and knowledge sharing. Any kind of content creation is going to grow from here, mainly because there are so many new tools that are coming up that help creators create content. In the case of podcasts, it’s a bit easier, as one can create podcasts in the comfort of their homes. They are able to record using microphones, which have become cheaper using workstations. Distributing podcasts has become easier too. The biggest driver is the fact that people want to share their knowledge, experience, and learnings, in addition to the huge appetite of the digital audience to consume this content.

India still has the potential to grow multifold in the domain of podcasts and some related fields too. Companies like Pocket FM do well in India, along with regional companies like Kuku FM, which are also producing a large number of audio books. Very soon, it will translate into individuals creating systematic podcasts. The future of podcasts in India is promising, and one of the biggest drivers will be regional content or regional podcasts, as 70 per cent of India’s population consumes regional content

November 15, 2022
Navi onboards MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador

Mumbai: Sachin Bansal-backed Navi has appointed cricketer MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador. MS Dhoni will be the face of Navi’s branding initiatives. The association with the iconic former team India captain strengthens the brand’s trustworthiness as it works to fulfil customer goals by providing simple, affordable, and easily accessible financial services across India.

Navi has launched its first ad with Dhoni on Hotstar during Thursday’s India vs. England T20 semi-final match. The goal of this campaign is to promote Navi’s prompt and accessible financial services by dismantling the old and conventional ways of doing business in this sector. The campaign will initially run on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube before moving on to print and out-of-home (OOH) advertising in the second phase.

Dhoni said, “Today’s India is intelligent, aspirational, and always working toward its goal. It is crucial for billions of Indians to achieve and surpass their life goals, which is why Navi and I have teamed up to make this vision a reality. Navi’s mission is to make financial services easily accessible whenever they are needed. I am very excited about this new journey with Navi.”

Navi Group co-founder Sachin Bansal said, “We are thrilled to introduce MS Dhoni as our brand ambassador and the newest member of the Navi family. He personifies trust, ambition, and dedication—qualities that resonate powerfully with Navi and all we stand for, making him the ideal brand ambassador. Associating with him, in my opinion, would greatly enhance the value of our brand and further our mission to provide every Indian with simple, affordable, and reliable financial services.”

November 11, 2022
GUEST ARTICLE: New trends in the video production market 2022

Mumbai: There is no doubt that video marketing is the most engaging medium to connect with consumers and is also enthusiastically embraced by the masses.

A recent report indicates that YouTube has experienced a 20–30 per cent increase in views, and social media videos have reached an all-time high, with 56 per cent of consumers watching more videos each month on social media platforms. While video production is gaining momentum, the focus is not limited to humorous skits or influencers. Rather, there are several companies dedicated to creating videos that deliver value to their customers.

In a recent study, four out of ten internet users follow brands that interest them (and are considering purchasing from). Also, 35 per cent of YouTube views are attributed to brand-owned videos, and 70 per cent of e-commerce brands have increased their advertising budgets for videos.

Looking closely, we have found the following trends in marketing video production that are expected to continue into 2022 and beyond.

● Short-form video

The short-form video has gained traction across almost all content platforms, including Instagram Reels, Snapchat, and YouTube Shorts. There is a likelihood that this trend will continue, with videos becoming “snackable,” which means they can be consumed between other forms of content in a short attention span.

When it comes to what needs to be served to the consumers, a marketer needs to be able to achieve more within a shorter period of time. In most cases, you will have less than 30 seconds to catch your audience’s attention and explain your point. Fortunately, video allows you to achieve this. Visuals, audio, and text can be combined effectively to communicate a shorter message.

Let’s take a look at a few best practices for short-form video production:

● The first few seconds matter – Gain their attention right away to prevent them from swiping or clicking away.

● Don’t forget mobile – As over 75 per cent of video content is viewed on mobile devices, it is essential to use mobile-friendly links and vertical formats for viewing. With the latest video technology, it is even possible to create videos that adjust based on the device used by the viewer.

● Posts affect where it goes – Keeping in mind that different websites and apps have differing content styles that work best and often have different audiences when making videos is essential.

● Animated Explainer Videos

Animation explainer videos enable you to capture your audience’s attention while maintaining it throughout the video. The most appealing aspect of animated explainer videos is that they showcase your brand’s personality in an enriching and informative manner.

Many companies worldwide continue to use animated videos to promote their products and services. Animated videos are also used for various purposes, such as educating customers, training new employees, and many others.

Moreover, since more and more people are viewing videos on their mobile devices, creating videos that are optimised for smaller screens is paramount. Forecasts indicate that animated explainer videos will become more popular as a form of video marketing by 2022.

● Shoppable social media videos

A shoppable and interactive video marketing strategy will dominate the video marketing segment in 2022. A viewer can be a part of the story or message by participating in the video. You may receive a different result if you click on the other objects that are projected on the screen.

There may also be questions or choices you must make that have an impact on the video’s plot. Over the years, shoppable videos have also evolved. In 2022, shopping videos will significantly increase the interaction level among their customers. As a result, shoppers will have an easier time, and conversions will increase dramatically.

Shopping can be performed directly from the video, hence there is no need to leave the site. This trend is unmatched in popularity.

● Webinars and live streams

A live stream or live webinar has become an increasingly popular way of sharing content in the past few years. It is a great way to increase brand awareness and traffic to your website, and it allows your followers to interact directly with you.

Combining this approach with the podcast offers you the opportunity to leverage multiple channels for marketing purposes. Apart from this, businesses and content creators can use live webinars to generate leads and sell products.

If you plan on conducting live webinars, you should invest in a good-quality microphone.

● Vertical videos

If you scroll through social media feeds, you will notice that most videos are vertical in nature. The orientation of a vertically oriented video differs from that of a horizontally oriented landscape video.

In 2017, Snapchat and Instagram began supporting these videos, and their popularity has continued to increase with TikTok. In vertical videos, the viewer may see more of the subject’s face than in horizontal videos. Moreover, they may feel closer to the matter as the camera is closer to their faces.

This eventually makes it ideal for sharing on social media platforms, where users scroll through their feeds and wish to view quick, engaging videos. However, this video style is likely to remain popular for the foreseeable future.

● User-generated content

There is no doubt that marketing strategies rely heavily on user-generated content, and video content is no exception. User-generated content is one of the top trends in video marketing for 2022, and YouTube’s ability to attract and retain users indicates its effectiveness.

According to studies, user-generated video content receives ten times as many views as branded content. The good news doesn’t stop there: once users land on a site via UGC, they spend twice as much time as they used to on the previous content. It is also well known that user-generated video can convert users into customers at a rate almost double that of static content.

Video UGC also increases the likelihood that these users visit an e-commerce site and make a purchase by 184 per cent, and makes sure that these users spend 45 per cent more on the e-commerce website. This approach is particularly effective in industries that heavily rely on user opinions, such as travel and health.

Even if your company does not operate within these industries, video content generated by users is a practical part of your video marketing strategy for 2022.
Final Thoughts

It is undeniable that the trend of using video content in marketing has continued over the past decade. To succeed in digital marketing, you must have a detailed understanding of video marketing trends. No matter if you are a professional videographer or not, you should be familiar with the use of video content in marketing and design. You will see incredible results if you incorporate it into your online marketing strategy. Take advantage of all the trends and statistics related to video marketing on our website. This would aid your marketing campaigns and social media efforts to ensure that your prospects remain engaged with your content.

The author of this article is GPPL co-founder and managing partner Anjali Chauhan.

November 8, 2022
Zoo Media joins Dawn; announces the launch of global office in New York

Mumbai: Independent agency network Zoo Media Network has announced the launch of its first global office in New York, in partnership with independent agency collective Dawn.

The Zoo Media network is a multi-specialty, integrated media network. It consists of 11 agency brands, including the flagship full-funnel creative and performance digital agency, FoxyMoron, and web3 rights and services company, Metaform, amongst other prominent agencies.

Founded by Pratik Gupta and Suveer Bajaj, the network comprises homegrown, acquired, and joint venture agencies across content, media, data, and technology. Zoo Media houses a team of over 600+ specialists servicing both domestic and international clients, including Netflix, YouTube, Tinder, Kellogg’s, P&G, and Unilever.

Dawn is the portfolio of 15+ independent, specialist marketing services agencies with a focus on centralised data science, advanced analytics, and econometric measurement. The collective includes renowned agencies like Barkley, Crossmedia, Definition 6, Co: Collective, and Rethink, amongst other illustrious agencies.

Speaking on the partnership and the foray into global expansion, Zoo Media co-founder Suveer Bajaj said, “After having consolidated a stronghold position for ourselves in India and the Middle East as a leading integrated marketing technology network, expanding our offices into North America was the natural next step. Our prowess in the North American market lies in the range of integrated services that include our best-in-class web3.0, metaverse, and blockchain offerings. In light of this vision, we are happy to have partnered with Dawn and find ourselves among the leading independent agencies in and outside the US to bring our best-in-class marketing technology services to the shores of the US.”

Zoo Media co-founder Pratik Gupta said, “We’re well on our way to globalising our ambition of taking Indian creativity and technology to the world. We’re excited to work with the agencies within Dawn and bring them the scale of offshore Indian talent.”

Dawn CEO Bob Kantor said, “Zoo Media has industry-leading technology and development expertise critical to today’s marketers and the modern marketing model. Our agency partners and clients recognise that modern marketing includes the complementary combination of brilliant strategy and creativity with marketing technology.”

Crossmedia CEO Kamran Asghar said, “We have been collaborating with the Zoo Media team to integrate proprietary technology to accelerate our global expansion. We’re excited to have Zoo Media join Dawn and continue to integrate advanced technology to deliver superior business results for our clients.”

November 5, 2022