Koffee With Karan Season 8 Brews Marketing Extravaganza For Brands
With the ongoing festive season and Cricket World Cup 2023, Disney+ Hotstar brings back the eighth season of the popular talk show 'Koffee With Karan'. Hosted by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar, the show has garnered a massive following over the years. The platform doesn't only brew candid conversations with celebrities but also proposes an enticing marketing opportunity for brands aiming high of its popularity, holding with a mix of celebrity allure, engaging storytelling, and an expansive online reach.
With the previous season, the first episode of the season attained record-breaking viewership, surpassing all previous seasons. This accomplishment underscored the potent mix of brand associations and premium content of Koffee With Karan Season 7.
Seizing The Opportunity
With the show's unique format, brands can transcend traditional advertising boundaries by becoming an integral part of the show's narrative. Whether it's product placements, sponsored segments, or exclusive sponsorships, Koffee With Karan allows brands to organically weave into the fabric of the show. This integration results in a more personal and relatable engagement with the audience, enhancing brand retention and recall.
On the return of the talk show, Anurag Chhabra, Co-founder, Bevzilla suggests several strategies to maximise brand exposure. He stresses, "Product placements within the show can seamlessly incorporate brands into the content, generating significant visibility. Moreover, brands can leverage the show's popularity by launching exclusive tie-in merchandise, creating limited-edition products or packages associated with the show. This not only attracts fans but also enhances the brand's credibility." Chhabra further emphasises on strategies brands can employ by running targeted advertising campaigns on Disney+Hotstar during the show's airtime or sponsoring special episodes.
Vaidehi Mudakavi from BC Web Wise, highlights the timing of the show's return, aligning with the festive season and shopping fervour. She emphasised that the show's popularity spans across generations, appealing to Millennials, Gen-Z, and Gen-X, transcending gender biases. On leveraging marketing strategies with season 8 of Koffee With Karan, she states, "Whether it’s via a gift hamper, sponsorship or props in the show, it is a great opportunity for a brand to leverage and build their awareness, garner attention, ensure recall or promote their products." She further adds, "Another big advantage the brands get here is the direct/indirect endorsement they get from celebrities."
Notably, when My Glamm leveraged the show for a campaign, brand recall increased 4X and brand favourability tripled, demonstrating the show's power to connect brands with consumers through storytelling.
On the other hand, Devdatta Potnis, CEO, Animeta, suggests that brands should explore innovative integrations, including new-age avenues like Social Media Influencer Marketing. he emphasises, "These integrations provide authenticity, engagement and creativity which refreshingly pairs up with the larger than life and endearingly voyeuristic nature of the series and creates a deeper scope for humour, which further adds back to the pop culture quotient of the show.”
Leveraging Digital Media
In today's digital age, the show holds a strong online presence and social media following that brands can harness. Advertisers can create engaging social media campaigns, run contests, and leverage the show's hashtags to connect with a wider audience. Nonetheless, the buzz created for the first episode of Season 8, featuring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh was also well promoted on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and more.
Priti Rajput, VP - Head Of Marketing, WOW Skin Science, emphasises the reach and viewership potential of OTT platforms like Disney+Hotstar, offering brands an opportunity to amplify their reach and influence. She highlights, "Integrations can take place in several ways, and this flexibility suits a new-age brand like WOW Skin Science looking to disrupt the market with our innovative thinking and catchy marketing campaigns such as the Activated Naturals campaign.” “Crafting impactful advertisements ensures that our message reaches a vast and engaged audience. By embracing the digital landscape, we connect with viewers on a personal level, fostering a meaningful relationship with our brand."
She also stresses that the synergy between compelling content and strategic online presence establishes genuine connections with a broader demographic, particularly the Gen Z audience, who prefer digital platforms over traditional media routes.
Leveraging digital media, Sanmesh Sapkal, Associate Director - Key Accounts, TheSmallBigIdea, adds that new brands joining the show can align themselves with specific segments, boosting their social media metrics. Sapkal accentuates, "When the show is live, employing a relatable social media strategy by effectively using show content can significantly increase digital engagement. For instance, the #GlammUpLikeAStar campaign executed by MyGlamm last year, which showcased beauty looks inspired by celebrities, generated a 232.86 per cent increase in social media mentions when the show was broadcast.”
Art of Storytelling
With the show's distinctive format, delving deeper into celebrities' lives, brands can seamlessly integrate their products or services into the show's narrative. Whether it's product placements, sponsored segments, or exclusive sponsorships, Koffee With Karan allows brands to organically weave into the fabric of the show. This approach results in a more personal and relatable engagement with the audience, enhancing brand retention.
Chhabra pays attention to the minute detail of storytelling in the show's format commenting, "For a coffee brand, leveraging "Koffee with Karan" is a natural fit. By strategically placing their product during the show, they can seamlessly integrate coffee into the casual, conversational setting, encouraging viewers to associate it with leisurely, enjoyable moments."
To enhance the connection between coffee and the show, Chhabra recommends sponsoring special coffee-themed segments or episodes. This approach not only reinforces brand visibility but also deepens the association between the product and the show's entertaining theme. Capitalising on celebrity coffee preferences and offering limited edition coffee blends tied to the show can be a powerful driver of consumer engagement.
Sapkal highlights that sponsors of the previous season experienced a 2X higher uplift in brand awareness, brand association, and purchase intent. Sharing instances, he stated, “These brands were deeply integrated into the show, such as MyGlamm with the 'MyGlamm Slam Zone,' the question 'What defines your personal style statement' powered by Ajio Luxe, Jaguar Lights' rapid-fire lighting, and special anchor callouts by Karan Johar, including Amazon Alexa and Lenskart.” He also stresses that collaborations like these help audiences associate brands with the show, extending benefits to their social media presence.
The talk show, 'Koffee With Karan' Season 8 premieres today, on October 26th on Disney+ Hotstar. Moreover, the timing also aligns with the festive season, coinciding with Diwali, providing brands an additional opportunity in the celebratory period.
