ITV

Tag: YouTube

  • Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video

    Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video

    MUMBAI: While social media is an important ingredient of the digital mix of most Indian brands today, many aspects like video are nowhere close to realising their fullest potential.

    Indiantelevision.com speaks to Famebox Network director Dhruvank Vaidya about this, the increasing popularity of original web content, and the latest reality show ‘Beauty and the Blogger’ that the company is working on.

    How far has video on social media evolved?

    It started with professional content (film and TV) being edited and uploaded on YouTube.  Lately, we are seeing high quality ‘made for the web’ content that is garnering a lot of viewership. More recently, Famebox is breaking new ground with its web reality shows. Thus, innovations in programming formats are drawing newer audiences and advertisers to this medium.

    What are the key elements in making videos shareable on social media?

    The most important is element of surprise.  If you see something unexpected in the video, you are more likely to share it.  Of course, what gets shared on Facebook is very different from what users on WhatsApp choose to share.

    In your opinion, how are Indian brands using video in their digital media mix?

    Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video. Most have been using their existing TVCs and uploading them.  Some create a video series (which again looks like a set of TV commercials) and upload it on their YouTube channel but that’s it.  What digital needs is engaging content and constant interactions with your target group. So, it is a lot more than just making videos and uploading them on your YouTube channel.  Having said this, some brands, especially in the fashion category, are using the medium very well.

    Which are the brand categories that are betting high on videos on social media?

    The categories which will benefit the most from digital videos are the ones whose target audience is not very easily available on TV.  Youth is a great example.  They are always on the web, checking social media, watching videos etc.  And brands need to create highly entertaining content to engage with them.  Fashion, lifestyle, consumer goods, phones/ telecom/ technology etc. are all doing a lot on this medium.

    Are broadcasters (channels) collaborating with your network?

    The biggest testimonial to the value that broadcasters see in networks like ours is the recent acquisition of Maker Studios by Disney for US$ 500 million.  Maker, as you know, is a digital video driven multi-channel network.

    ‘Virality’ is a term associated with videos on social media. What according to you makes a video go viral?

    While there are several elements which contribute to making a video popular – content type, editing, how well it is distributed, how many likes/ comments/ shares it gets etc. there is no way to tell which of these will make the video go viral.

    Which are the most popular video topics on web these days?

    While comedy has been getting a lot of press, there is a lot of user-generated content on cooking, fashion, lifestyle, education etc.  Famebox is a pioneer in web reality shows and we have seen a lot of viewership for our show, WebChef.

    Please tell us more about your latest web show ‘Beauty and the Blogger’.

    Fashion and beauty is a highly engaging category and has made a major impact on social media. ‘Beauty and the Blogger’ is built to leverage the high interactivity provided by social media and the excitement provided by a reality show.  The models bring in the glamour while the bloggers provide social media buzz.  This format truly leverages the power of the web and its ability to entertain as well as engage its audiences in real time.

    The reality show will feature eight shortlisted fashion models and the country’s top bloggers who team up for a unique multi-round contest. The show will be initiated through a three-day ground event at an exclusive resort. While the teams will compete against each other, they will also be buzzing on social media in real time.  This is a first for Indian audiences where the on-ground action of a reality show is brought live to audiences via social media.  The event will then be uploaded on the FameBox fashion channel on YouTube and will be available to viewers at large to watch. The winners will be chosen basis their performance in the on-ground event and the social media buzz and influence that they generate.

  • Ranveer Singh makes Facebook debut

    Ranveer Singh makes Facebook debut

    MUMBAI: Bollywood’s boldest youth icon Ranveer Singh today made a dramatic entry on Facebook with his official page www.facebook.com/ranveersinghofficial. The exuberant actor will now interact with his fans on the platform about the news, his views and give them clues as to how to kill his dil.

     

    Consistent for making headlines with his bizarre yet lovable antics, the dynamic  and  zestful actor has partnered with CA Media Digital’s first venture, Fluence for this initiative to further create and leverage his digital presence across different digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Youtube, E-commerce, Games/Apps, Voice Blog, Telcos & OEMs and many more.

     

    Fans will also get a glimpse of the man behind the enigmatic personality, hints to imitate his  unique style statement and get a peek of the boy who grew up to be Ranveer Singh.

     

    “I am looking forward to being more active on social media platforms. The success of my first ad campaign that was carried out exclusively online opened my eyes to the potential of social media. It’s certainly the way of the future. Also, I wasn’t keen on being this active on social media platforms initially, but I’ve had to relent now given the number of people that have been urging me to be more connected so I’ll be using these platforms to stay connected with my fans whom I adore so much,” said Ranveer Singh.

     

    “After the stupendous success of the Durex Ad online and the subsequent signing of an e-commerce brand like Myntra, Ranveer now takes a plunge into the digital world by launching himself on social media. No one in Bollywood is as charged about things the way Ranveer Singh is, he doesn’t believe in doing things half way. With his debut on Facebook, I’m sure that his fans will get the full Ranveer experience. We look forward to unleashing his dynamism like never before across digital platforms,” added Fluence VP digital & business head Ashish Joshi.

     

    On joining Facebook Ranveer will interact with his fans on a live Q&A session for 30 minutes taking questions, asking some of his own and getting to know his fans better.

  • Godrej uses HIT to battle out ‘World Malaria Day’

    Godrej uses HIT to battle out ‘World Malaria Day’

    MUMBAI: According to a Business Standard report, around 56 per cent of Indians don’t use mosquito repellents. In rural markets, 72 per cent of the population does not use any such product. And tapping this market is Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL). The brand has over the years launched a variety of products for this untapped market.

    Plus, with the rising threat of dengue and malaria, Godrej is always seen taking initiatives through its brand communication. It can be noted that there are about 103,395,721 suspected malaria cases in India. On the eve of ‘World Malaria Day’ HIT has rolled an interesting advertising campaign. Executed by Lowe and Linteractive, the brand has used a 360 degree approach with an inclusion of a digital film on social media along with seven TVC spots, radio and print media.

    The agency developed a digital video which shows a life cycle of a mosquito in Facebook timeline format. The character named as Miss Malaria is seen flaunting her life events. Till she gets a friend request from HIT and dies the next moment after the request is accepted. The video has already got over 161,485 hits in day’s time.

    The campaign idea was simple yet smart. The communication was released across different media platforms; one to understand what a user can do for ‘World Malaria Day’ by participating in the polling to enable the brand to do things and two to understand why the brand should educate the users about the hazards of malaria.

    Click here to watch the video

    Apart from this, to ensure there is more action oriented activity on social media, the brand conducted a poll asking what social initiatives should HIT take on this ‘World Malaria Day.’ The one which gets the highest votes will be the activity that the brand will initiate.

    Along with this, six TVCs have already been released that shoots out a strong message on the lines of how people are ignorant about malaria. The campaign tries to wake them up!

    It is interesting to see how brands are rolling out strategies that are thought provoking and hit’s the right mindset.

    Click here to watch the video
  • It is about extending the television franchise onto the digital medium: Vivek Srivastava

    It is about extending the television franchise onto the digital medium: Vivek Srivastava

    MUMBAI: In its fifth and latest season, Colors’ adrenaline pumping adventure reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi, has not only grabbed the attention of television audiences, it seems to have made much headway on the digital platform as well.

     

    Ever since the promo went on air, it has sent social media platforms into a tizzy, what with likes, tweets, re-tweets, the works.

     

    Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava says the current season has broken all past records in terms of digital media. “It has outdone itself with over 100 to 150 per cent increase on almost all counts. The effort from our side has also been that much higher. As you look at the content of the show, it is variable. You watch the show for reaction and that is what really catches on in all digital spaces. More importantly, for us, the engagement ratio and the engagement on these pages has been very high,” he informs, adding that engagement has been nearly 60-70 per cent higher than the average engagement that one can see on a fiction show on Colors.

     

    Going by statistics, KKK season five’s official Facebook page has added two lakh fans since the time of launch, taking the total tally of likes to 714,000. The page itself has grown in content, with many more contests, polls, posters, teasers and snippets than before.

     

    Twitter is possibly the best thing to have happened to the show with hashtags including #KKKonCOLORS, #KushalonKKK, #GauaharonKKK, #GurmeetonKKK and #GaushalonKKK trending across India since 19 March.

     

    According to Srivastava, as many as 69,000 unique conversations were generated on one of these hashtags on the day of the launch. In addition, participants interacted with their fans, chatted with them and shared experiences, driving a lot of conversation on the show.

     

    On YouTube, the show featured in the top 10 videos ever since its launch.

     

    The focus has been on two kinds of activity – content-led and talent-led with the former including putting up videos, discussing different phobias with people and celebs interacting with fans. The latter includes contestants interacting with fans and sharing their experiences on the show.

     

    “From our strategy stand point, our role has been to really liven the experience which television is providing in the digital space. Whether the experience comes through a game or from a repeat viewing (on YouTube or website medium), it really is about extending the vision of the franchise onto a digital medium,” explains Srivastava.

     

    “On this show, talent has been a big root. The content itself is meant to be viral so that people want to see it again and again. Strategy has been really to ensure that people can take the experience of television onto the digital space. And at the same time, ensuring the key imperative always is engagement. As long as we can engage our audiences both at a program level and both when the show is on and not on at an experience level,” adds Srivastava.

     

    TVT-wise, compared to the last season, season five has been a blockbuster. While season four opened with 4.4 TVTs, the current season opened at 7.6 TVTs. The average ratings for the first four weeks were 3.2 TVTs and this season, it is 6.9 TVTs. Taking a leaf from 24, for which Colors had introduced an interactive 3D mobile game, the channel has launched Khatron Ke Khiladi – The Game which featured among the top 10 free game app downloads on iTunes ever since the launch of KKK season five.

  • UNICEF India hunts for a digital partner

    UNICEF India hunts for a digital partner

    MUMBAI: UNICEF India is currently in the process of scouting for a digital partner. Industry sources have confirmed that the multi agency pitch is underway in Delhi.

      

    The size of the account could not be understood at the time of filing the report. It can be noted that UNICEF has been working in India since 1949 and is the largest UN organisation in the country. UNCIEF India is pro-active on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

     

    UNCIEF India’s ‘The Poo2Loo’ video on YouTube recently caught attention of people. The digital campaign included the usage of a series of videos, online games and public announcement which actually began late in 2013. The campaign revealed some startling facts for the internet buffs. The organization has also roped in Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor to spread awareness about Right to Education (RTE) through various videos on Facebook.

     

    It will be interesting to see how UNCIEF India will work towards promoting its thought provoking communication on digital.

  • FoodFood launches special cuisine for IPL enthusiasts

    FoodFood launches special cuisine for IPL enthusiasts

    MUMBAI: While IPL is taking care of the cricketing appetite of the nation, FOODFOOD, the No 1 food lifestyle channel will take care of the viewers’ appetite!

     

    Times have changed; the dietary demands of people seem to be much stricter than the fitness regime for cricketers. FOODFOOD understands the taste buds of its viewers and is ready to dish out some healthy easy-to-make, in a jiffy, mouth-watering delicacies, while you are busy watching cricket.

     

    With an interesting team of budding chefs, who have come up with some specially planned menu for those wanting to rustle up a meal in between IPL matches, FOODFOOD is all ready to tickle your taste buds. These modern youngsters, who have mastered the art of cook fast, cook healthy, boasts of menu with several of their signature quick bites and drinks, created made for IPL watchers.

     

    The channel is providing a platform to youngsters and budding chefs to showcase their cooking talent for the first time. These recipes are exclusively made for FOODFOOD YouTube channel viewers.

     

    You can be sure to have a unique and satisfying dining experience, if you log on to Link: www.youtube.com/foodfoodindia and try some of our famed dishes and drinks, created exclusively for cricket enthusiasts!

  • Social networking sites cater more to career aspirations: Genius

    Social networking sites cater more to career aspirations: Genius

    Kolkata: Social media, which connects friends, has become a professional networking place, which can be leveraged to find and be found by prospective employers.

     

    Kolkata-based Genius Consultants which conducted a survey on the hiring scenario of the current fiscal 2014-15, reveals that 55 per cent of the 575 companies surveyed among different sectors said new jobs will be created in the current fiscal.

     

    “Social networking sites are being used more for enhancing career opportunities than anything else. For candidates sourcing avenues, around 11 per cent would be done from social media and 12 per cent form advertising,” said Genius Consultants CMD RP Yadav, a Rs 450 crore company, on the sidelines of releasing ‘Hiring & Attrition Trend Survey 2014-15 in Kolkata on Thursday.

     

    Around 50 per cent of the users, at present, create an account on platforms like Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and YouTube with professional motives, he added. Social media, especially LinkedIn, plays a major role in mid-level jobs.

     

    Experts said around 75 per cent of LinkedIn users are graduates and postgraduates, with 15 per cent belonging to senior management levels. LinkedIn charges companies to search profiles and to place recruitment advertisements. Apart from being a means to headhunting, it gives recruiters visibility as users visit LinkedIn very often.

     

    By way of tracking candidates through the social media, recruiters can unify all the resumes in their database and standardise hiring processes.

     

    Online job sites, which ate into the share of newspapers in the last decade, now have to face up to social media, added Yadav.

     

    Talking about the media industry, he said that though the industry is growing, in the long term small media companies would be phased out.

     

    For the survey, the consultancy firm sent mailers to 3000 companies, out of which 824 companies participated and around 575 companies answered all the questions.

     

    Yadav further said organizations plan to give increments to their employees in 2014-15. Around 40 per cent companies said that the range of increments will be between 10 to15 per cent, while 33 per cent companies expect it to be in between 5 to 10 per cent range. 

     

    On the other hand 13 per cent companies expected it to be in between 15 to 20 per cent and 10 per cent companies expected the increments to be less than 5 per cent.

  • Marketing, the Dove way!

    Marketing, the Dove way!

    MUMBAI: There has been some exemplary advertising from Dove from the house of Unilever for over a decade now. The brand has endeavored to define beauty in a meaningful manner through its communication strategies.

    The latest is a digital film which goes on to say that “Beauty is just a state of mind”. It features a two week-long social experiment by New York Times bestselling author, psychologist and body image expert, Dr Ann Kearney-Cooke, inviting women to wear a custom-made ‘beauty patch’ to help them feel more beautiful. The ladies give personal accounts of how the patch variously made them feel ‘more confident’, ‘refreshed’ and so on. At the end of the experiment, the patch is revealed to contain nothing, proving that beauty is more than just skin deep. Not surprisingly, the film which is running on YouTube garnered more than 15 million views within one week.

    Not just the digital film but most of Dove’s advertising carries significant marketing lessons for other beauty brands. Here’s looking at some of them…

    Stories win hearts

    Advertising with a strong storyline always works. Consumers connect with a product line if it is endorsed by people with a story. Dove has successfully taken care of this aspect locally and globally.

    Be constant

    For people to remember advertising, it is essential for brands to be consistent in the way they project their ideas through communication. Dove over the past few campaigns has gone digital and this has helped them get greater reach.

    Have a clear line of thought

    Projecting an idea sharply helps. One of the reasons why Dove pops up in people’s minds is that it almost always supports a strong line of thought.

    Take the video route

    In the age of social media, creating visual campaigns is a plus. More importantly, videos can be shared and help measure feedback instantly. Tracking the success of the campaign becomes that much easier, and Dove seems to have got that right!

    Use subtle marketing plug-ins

    While rolling out digital films, brands need to go subtle on plug-ins. Two things that work best on digital platforms are curiosity and a good amount of hype. Dove has got just the right amount of both.

    Click here to watch the video
  • Rajshri Entertainment launches a web channel for TV news

    Rajshri Entertainment launches a web channel for TV news

    MUMBAI: What to know what’s happening behind-the scenes in your favourite daily soaps then tune in to Telly Masala.

    The Hindi language entertainment news channel available on leading web and mobile platforms is launched by Rajshri Entertainment. Telly Masala adds a new dimension to the network on digital platform.

    With a tagline ‘TV Hua Tadkedaar’, it is all about the latest TV news, gossip, drama, behind the news, exclusive interviews, fashion trends and many more interesting insights into the lives of the most popular TV stars.

    Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya said: “There is an insatiable appetite for entertainment news and gossip on digital platforms. We have built successful channels for Bollywood and Hollywood entertainment news on the world’s leading web and mobile platforms. Hindi TV stars have a huge fan following that is distinct from and is as dedicated as any top Bollywood star. We hope our new digital channel, Telly Masala, will bring our viewers closer to their favorite TV stars and shows, making them accessible to viewers worldwide anytime, anywhere and on any device.”

    Rajshri Entertainment has more than 25 successful digital channels across various genres like full-length films, regional, Bollywood and Hollywood e-news, food, kids, devotional and many more on the world’s leading web and mobile platforms. 

  • Ban on YouTube in Pakistan may be lifted in two months

    Ban on YouTube in Pakistan may be lifted in two months

    NEW DELHI: The Pakistan National Assembly is expected to take a final decision on 8 April to ask the government to re-open YouTube in the country in matter of two months with necessary safeguards. 

     

    This follows a sizable number of members having moved resolutions for lifting the 18-month ban.

     

    However, the matter has been put off to 8 April in view of the pending case on reopening of YouTube in Lahore High Court.

     

    A resolution was moved by Pakistan People’s Party member Shazia Marri that asked the government for re-opening of YouTube immediately, particularly since the objectionable video ‘Innocence of Muslims’ had been removed.

     

    Later Awab Alvi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also advocated the opening of YouTube, according to the Pakistani web portal MoreMagazine.

     

    An amendment moved by Awais Leghari of the PML-N deleted the word “immediate” and gave the government up to two months to remove the ban “with adequate safeguards”.

     

    With the ban on Youtube, famous singer Ali Gul Pir has released a song Kholo BC to mock government for its inability to lift the ban on such a useful online platform. With main focus on YouTube Ban, Ali and his fellow artiste Adil Omer has touched upon various issues related to Pakistani society, its Youth and the dichotomy present in the behavior of its ruling elite.

     

    Interestingly, this resolution comes at a time when an international survey has revealed that just around 22 per cent of Pakistanis want a free internet.