If ‘Content’ Is King, ‘Digital Video Ads’ is The Queen
Be it Facebook Pooja Didi's leap of faith during the toughest of the times in COVID pandemic, to reminiscing about our Bachpan ka Pyaar, Safaring ka Shauk and Pawri scenes. Digital video ads are most sought after and now has become A Queen Bee of an ad format - which all marketers want to be a part of their marketing strategies. This now just to makes your campaigns 'go viral' but also connect brand advocacy with analytics, for business growth.
New Trend In Digital Video
Video advertising is not alien to anyone today, as various popular video formats have taken over the Internet by storm, especially in recent times. In this competitive environment, for brands to stand out, while their audience today is completely distracted; there is no universal formula to gain the audience's attention. In our practice at DDB, we have learnt that tools like 'Emotional Storytelling' which focuses on engagement work well for the millennials; whereas 'Short Format Videos' that focuses on persuasion works well for the GenZ. This is the key to the success of most digital video ads on the internet today. We recommend marketers consider giving out strong messaging through social experiments. For instance, Paytm recent ad called "The Divide" video – brought us closer to the realities of gender inequality, financial independence & literacy in India, on International Women's Day. Few brands are winning every day with their quirky explainer videos & call to action content, served hot on a platter for their TG. For this, brands are inviting 90's Bollywood actors & cricketers to make a comeback with every emotion possible within 60 secs on the screen. Making them sing, dance, do Zumba and shout like an angry young men. Brands must be ready to take a plunge into the unknown for their TG today, and all this makes it easy for marketers through video ads formats.
New Age Apps
With the coming of new-age apps, short videos have become a hit – not just amongst The Millennials & The GenZs, but also The Boomers! In India, vernacular content has picked up where localization strategies are adapted to reach the right TG. These apps are correctly used by few brands for their market penetration, especially the Rural Digital India where dancing farmers, parlour didi, pet & plant parents, home chefs are entertaining their audiences in their own languages. The content consumption pattern in Tier II and Tier III cities must be well identified well. With this, today the entire consumer's journey on the internet starts in the consumer's own language and ends in their own language. After the recent ban of a few apps in India, the rise of new-age unicorn apps like MXTakatak, Roposo, Chingari, Josh, Sharechat, etc have changed the game for all the players. Reels & stories are a part of our everyday lives now. The digital landscape has completely changed because of these new apps and our favourite OTT platforms. Sports events, daily soaps, reality & quiz shows, etc. are now available to the consumers on their mobile screens directly. Original movies & series in various languages release were a new wave of entertainment for Indian audiences during the pandemic. Especially to connect with GenZ, who grew up with permanent access to the internet, unfolds a developed media consumption today. It annoys them when advertisers follow them through their past search history. Marketers must know that GenZ believes in authenticity, in leading a meaningful life with purpose and they expect the same from the brands. Engaging through KOLs & Influencers have proven beneficial for certain sectors with the help of technology. That is why, in a recent campaign, a Senegalese social media content creator reportedly paid more than ₹2 crore for the project by an Indian Gaming Brand. So, this market is open for all; media consumption patterns & cultural aspect plays an important role while composing your digital media approach.
Creator’s Economy
This is also the rise of the creator’s economy in India with next-generation micro & nano influencers, who have an equal footing in the market. Here the 'User Attention' currency is very powerful. While staying at home, followership & viewership has increased massively. Certain comedians, fitness & spiritual gurus, various artists & stylists have huge online communities and presence. Some of them look beyond brands and have a different league of their own. A young lady Youtuber landing in a Netflix series deal - is an example to prove that creators will bring opportunities to earn from brands. Technology plays a huge role here, in giving optimal income and opportunity to creators, to show talent and influence the masses at the same time. They are bringing a positive change to a consumer’s life. And marketers must tap into this. Naturally, the creator’s economy has pushed advertisers to design their marketing approach in a way that could bring more reach and engagement for the brands. Creator’s economy is booming, and the craft of marketing has now evolved remarkably.
We can’t predict how long will this Queen reign. But we can celebrate the success of Digital Video Ads while they are here to stay. After all, it is bringing us one more step closer to the consumers.
The author is Nikita Abhanave, Partner – Digital, DDB Mudra Group
