BRANDED CONTENT- AN IMPERATIVE IN TODAY’S VUCA WORLD

By Priya Kumari

Kolkata : Sai Nagesh – In a career spanning a quarter of a century, CSO- Laqshya Media, has been a Client as well as a Media Investment Specialist, worked with most of the top Global Advertising networks began the proceedings with his distinctive magnetism and quipped that branded content is imperative in today’s VUCA world. He said, “Branded content gets more attention and creates brand recognition.”

The biggest digital media conclave #MediaNext# 2020, a university certified webinar series held by Adamas University of School of Media, Communication and Fashion from June 1 to June 10 from 10 am till 2 pm. Adamas University, Kolkata is in association with ShardaUniverity, Birla Global University, DME, AIMEC, LokSamvadSansthan, Exchange 4 Media, ABP Education and IndiaReal.in, There were 50 stalwarts looking at media beyond covid-19 covering various topics of media every day

He talked about Branded Content, its evolution and perspective, challenges of market. He has covered various important points of problems that client face basically are ad clutters, leading to ad avoidance and experimenting with different options of taking the brand message to consumers. He explained the rise of entertainment process, its landmarks whether global or Indian context, challenges faced different clients. He also talked about the changes and evolution of the advertisement scenario, advertisement clutter and ad avoidance. He elaborated the evolution of media of entertainment from early to mid 1900’s to present day-from gramophones, silent cinema to colour TVs, walkman in 1960s to 1990s to present day on demand entertainment. He described India as one of the largest and fastest growing media market in the world.   

He further discussed about sponsorships and advertorials, product placements by using examples so that the students can relate. He elucidated further about product placements by using examples of the movie “Cast Away” and “Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani”. Sai then explained how the agencies has moved on from sponsorships to product placements to using own entertainment, they moved into media integration.  He also talked about Media Integration by using examples; he talks about content marketing- how strong the Content should be to make the consumers relate to the content. He also showed some videos to make the conclave interesting and lively. He also talked about some brand websites. He sum up his talk by saying Branded Content gets more attention and creates brand recognition. The consumers like branded content because it is relevant to their needs and it does not look like it is order for them but just talking to consumers.

“The motive of the conclave is not to look into the periphery of communication but to get into every segment of it” – Sai Nagesh added. 

Nagesh iterated, “Consumers like branded content because they believe the content is more consumer-focused.” He went on to add that the market challenges and how to build brand personality. He quoted by saying, “Advertisements are fleeting but its residues are rock hard.”

He remarked that various contents are evolved and how the branded contents can be stayed there in consumer’s mind and how can they be brand resilience. 

With Media Convergence technology and brand narratives of digital media makes the advertising and branded content more inclusive. In the Covid times, there is a rise of content in digital platform. The entire message delivery system to reach out to audience has changed to digital mode. “Both the young and older generation (digital immigrants) are seemed to consume contents on digital platform because of the recent pandemic of Covid-19” Nagesh added.

Nagesh also added that ‘the message isn’t a sales pitch; it creates trust between the brand and the consumer’.