They say, Conversations that last long are made up of memories and instances deep and true. Yes, we are talking about the platform Twitter where long threads and powerful hashtags have become a popular trend leading to quite a few 9pm prime time debates on most television channels.

exchange4media caught up with Maya Hari, VP & Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Twitter who spoke about Twitter India’s growth aspirations and how the Indian market, which is crucial both from an audience as well a revenue perspective, witnessed a peak revenue this year. Considering Twitter to be the conversational layer of Internet, Hari talks on how India due to its vibrant user base, turns out to be a perfect platform in the market. 

Edited excerpts:

How important is Twitter India in your APAC growth plans? 

APAC has been the growth engine for Twitter globally and India is one of those top priority markets for us. Globally, India is not only one of the largest but also among the fastest growing market. So, both from an audience and a revenue perspective, there’s a lot of focus, as well as attention and investment that we are planning for this market. It’s quite an exciting time for us in India.  

How is Twitter India thinking about engaging better with the Indian user base? 

Speaking globally, Twitter is rather a platform of interest which motivates people to rally behind a cause. It allows users to discuss and learn about various upcoming trends that they would like to follow. 

Talking about India, we have a very vibrant user base that is happy to converse. This works very well for the country, because we consider ourselves the conversational layer of the Internet that we want to build on continually. India is a perfect platform for this, where people are happy to talk, happy to express opinions and there’s a huge diversity in our user base which lets them talk on various topics. With respect to this varied user base, we are seeing some interesting trends that we think will continue to evolve. We are transcending from beyond the top 4 cities being the core market to other cities in order to have a strong adoption there. Even beyond this, we have started seeing some of the smaller towns that really light up with Twitter. This is just the beginning of a longer term trend that we would continue to see.

With respect to the use of languages, just about half of our tweets coming from India are in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, among others.

Twitter India recently reported a 14% decline in its sales. What are some of the initiatives planned to put Twitter India back on the growth trajectory?

Let’s set this record right, we haven’t seen a decline in sales. In our history of revenue as Twitter India year to date, we have in fact witnessed peak revenue this year. The reference here, might be regarding the ROC filing that we do. We do not book our sales revenue out of India. It’s a marketing entity and so we are booking a lot of our cost base out of here. Hence, you will find a difference between what the ROC filing represents vs. how the health of India business looks like.

While the Internet user base in India has grown heavily, monetisation has been an issue plaguing the industry. How does Twitter India make sure to monetise user traffic effectively?    

We at Twitter always believe that monetisation follows audience, hence with a strong growing audience base monetisation becomes important. Let’s say, if a brand does a launch with Twitter in the marketing mix Vs. without it, the persistent awareness is stronger in the case where they have used Twitter at the launch phase. With our audience being incredibly influential this has essentially been our super power in the marketing mix. Therefore, our message to brands has always been, ‘To start with the audience’, who can be more influential at launch and thereby help you leverage the speed of the platform.

We are quite bullish about monetisation in India and we continue to focus on ‘launch’ as the core marketing value that we bring to the table, in addition to sponsorships around connecting at the right moment with the latest.  

How does Twitter plan to deal with misinformation such as spread of fake news, hate speech, harassment etc. to avoid exploitation of Twitter's core features, more so with elections coming up in India?

The overall topic of misinformation is something that the whole world is tackling at present. We at Twitter care deeply about this issue. Our intent is always to be able to surface all perspectives around the topic. To be able to tackle spam and address issues of fake news sooner, continues to be an endeavour. At a global level, building better and healthy conversation is one of our top priority. Hence, the ongoing effort is around a combination of product, policy and policing of reports in real time. You will find, Twitter has been able to detect such cases much earlier and hence taken action much sooner.

Speaking about elections, it’s actually quite an exciting time for Twitter. As a platform we want to represent every side, we want to be able to carry the debates, we want to be able to get people to discover what the candidates represent, discuss policies and topics they would like to stand for. On one hand, we are going deep into the state elections in different states of India, in order to be able to support them. We are going into 6 to 7 towns for e.g. Raipur to help state level parties aid benefits like education, sanitation etc. for the locals. On the other side, we are also partnering with BOOM Live to be able to spot fake news and resort to fact checking. Alongside, with the launch of #PowerOf18, we encourage today’s youth to express freely and voice their opinion regarding who they want to see as their leader. All in all, we are taking a holistic approach to the elections, to try and fix such issues.

What are some of the measures that are being employed to bring forth creative content partners onto the platform, in order to leverage content across Twitter?

The effort to be able to bring a holistic set of Video content to the platform, has been a multi-year strategy for us. Whether it is Quickbuzz here or some of the local news and entertainment partners, or Red Chillies Entertainment, for whom we recently live streamed their ‘Zero’ movie trailer launch, you will continue to see us work with a very rich partner ecosystem to bring content onto the table. In addition to this, we are also constantly evolving the formats from an advertising standpoint to be able to get brands to express creativity. For example, how does one merge video along with conversation instead of just choosing one. This is very unique to Twitter. Another example would be that of a conversational card, where you can get a consumer to view a video and then engage in a particular hashtag and a conversation to be able to spread the word on the same. These are some of the unique only-on Twitter formats, which will continue to be a major part of our strategy.

With the Video First approach expanding rapidly, how is Twitter making sure, that almost every consumer gets a Video touch point on the platform?

From a consumer standpoint, the consumption of video globally as well as in India continues to rise. We in fact, see doubling of video consumption on the platform. What we also see is that, video as a format represents over 50 per cent of our total revenue. Video has actually become the currency and we can find it all around us. In terms of engagement, it certainly has become the favourite format for consumers.

When it comes to brand advertising, how does Twitter ensure it will be competitive enough in a brand-data-centric world?

Speaking about data, Twitter has tweets that are real time, public in nature and are conversational. Put in another way, it’s the largest collection of human thoughts that a brand can actually tap into real time. This sets up a good base for incredible data net insights. Brands love to hear from us about the topics that interests a particular set of audience, for instance, what does a set of gaming audience care about or what are the core areas a tech-savvy group would discuss in all likelihood? The sentiment involved here is to predict whether the brand we are conversing with is positioned correctly or not. This becomes a very strong foundation for us, in having a data-centric conversation with the brand.

When you marry this sentiment and the launch factor, the two super powers of Twitter it tends to be the best well rounded offering that we have for the brands.

Any Twitter trend that took you by surprise this year?

Being an Indian who has lived here, the whole #MeToo movement has pleasantly surprised me to see how it came to the surface and drove incredible impact in society. We have also had few other trends where women over the last couple of years have come out and expressed a lot on several hashtags like #Ain’tNoCinderella and #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer etc. These mini moments have definitely pushed the society to believe that we as women have deep trust in the ability to express ourselves and have freedom. The #MeToo movement, has been the culmination of series of emotions for me.

It has also been lovely to see all the fun moments playing out on Twitter. For e.g. when Golden girl Hima Das broke a big record at Commonwealth, news moments like the debate around Aadhaar etc.

Our audience has the ability to shape culture and when people shape culture, they certainly have the power to change the world for the better. It is indeed a privileged position for us to be in both for the society and marketers we connect with.
 

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OPPO, The Selfie Expert, recently launched its Diwali Campaign ‘Your Best Diwali Gift’ starring the recently launched OPPO F9 Pro Starry Purple and highlighting the joy of sharing with the under privileged. The campaign aims to establish an emotional connect with its audience and encourage an alternative way of celebrating Diwali by sharing lights, colors and lots of love with a group of special children. It positions the F9 Pro Starry Purple with its charming design as the best Diwali gift this season of gifting.

Speaking on the campaign, Will Yang, Brand Director, OPPO India, said, “Festivals in India are an exciting time where families and friends reconnect and bond over gifts, lights and sweets. At OPPO, we want to make this experience joyous for all our consumers and are delighted to launch our Diwali campaign. With this campaign, we aim to do our bit and spread happiness amongst the community. We are thankful to Smile Foundation to be our partner in achieving the same. We are focused towards offering our consumers the best of technology, art and innovation this Diwali and believe the F9 Pro Starry Purple will become the best Diwali Gift this year.”

Under the campaign executed both offline and online, OPPO partnered with the Smile Foundation, a non-governmental organization that works for the welfare of children, their families, and the community and donated INR 10 lakh for a noble cause - providing support for underprivileged children’s health - with a special focus on the girl child. A beautiful product experience zone in the shape of a giant gift box was set up at Pacific Mall, Subhash Nagar, New Delhi, enabling consumers to experience the OPPO F9 Pro and light a lamp. Visitors who lit the lamp at the zone contributed towards the noble cause and did their bit in bringing a smile on an innocent child’s face.  

In the second leg of the campaign, OPPO launched a digital campaign highlighting core competency of F9 Pro Starry Purple - “5-minute charge, 2-hour talk”. Directed by Mohit Suri, a seasoned Bollywood Director, and starring Kiara Advani, popular Bollywood actress, the video campaign celebrates the bond between a mother and an adopted daughter. It showcases how love connects people and is not defined by blood relations and positions the F9 Pro Starry Purple as the best gift to capture precious memories.

The digital campaign designed by Havas India showcases a young girl, played by Kiara, busy helping her mother prepare for Diwali festivities while the family discusses the tough decision of revealing the truth of her adoption. The TVC takes an emotional turn when the young girl goes back to the orphanage which her family would visit with gifts every Diwali, and where they found her. The emotional tone continues as the girl surprises her family by knowing all along, thanking them for being there for her by gifting them a brand a new OPPO F9 Pro.

Credit Role:

• Agency: Havas India
• Creative Director - Shyam Samant
• Production house - Cutawayy Films 
• Director (film) - Mohit Suri
• Producer - Gaurav Dharr and Monica Gambhir

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AMV BBDO’s Head of Art Creative Partner, Rosie Arnold, will be stepping down after a 35-year career in advertising.

The creative legend spent three decades in advertising at Bartle Bogle Hegarty London where she rose to the position of Creative Director before taking up the Head of Art role at AMV BBDO in 2016.

AMV BBDO’s Executive Creative Directors, Adrian Rossi and Alex Grieve praised the impact she had on the company stating, “We will be hiring a hundred to replace the irreplaceable Rosie Arnold. They are big (high heeled) shoes to fill, too big for one person.”

Arnold said in a statement, “After 35 years in this amazing business I am leaving AMV to pursue my personal passions. I remain committed to helping more diversity into creative departments and will be working with several organisations developing masterclasses and mentoring.”

She added, “I love this business and consider myself immensely fortunate to have worked in it with the very best people in the very best agencies.”

Arnold will continue championing diversity through SheSays, D&AD and Creative Equals organisations.

This is the second senior departure at AMV, after Dame Cilla Snowball, Group Chairman and Group Chief Executive, announced her plans to leave at the end of 2018.

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Championing the cause of #HealthySkinIsWow, FMCG major Emami Limited launches the all-new “BoroPlus Doodh Kesar Body Lotion” to beat winter dryness. Enriched with the richness of Milk (Doodh) and Pure Kashmiri Saffron (Kesar), BoroPlus Doodh Kesar body lotion is 100% ayurvedic and antiseptic. It gives 24-hour intense moisturisation to make skin healthy, soft and radiant naturally. It is suitable for all skin types and is recommended by dermatologists.

BoroPlus brand ambassador Kangana Ranaut features in the brand new TV commercial created on a differentiated animation platform. Targeted at young consumers, Kangana shakes a leg with an animated “singing and dancing cow” to a peppy jingle – completely breaking away from the typical body lotion approaches to advertising. Iconic Singer Usha Uthup lends her rich voice for the ‘cow’ character, while oted ad filmmaker and actor “Bugs” Bhargava Krishna has directed the TVC.

Campaign video:

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Aegon Life, the digital life insurance company, launches their #NoTension campaign. The intent of the campaign is to establish the need for millennials to become self-dependent when purchasing insurance, without postponing the act for yet another day. To embody the above Aegon Life has roped in Vicky Kaushal, who represents the youth of the country today.

India is home to the world’s youngest population which is predominantly tech savvy and self-reliant in all aspects of life. With this campaign, Aegon Life aims to reach out to its consumer base, coming across as a new-age, digital, e-commerce life insurer for the youth.

The campaign which was created by Brand Capital’s Brand Strategy team rolls out on TV, Print, Radio and Digital uses elements of humour with an iconic ‘shrug’ and a carefree protagonist, played by Vicky Kaushal. In the TVC, which begins with a peppy tone, Vicky remains tension-free in most of the situations in life, but hasn't really thought about how he would prepare against any uncertainties. He is then introduced to the world of Term plans wherein he opts for an easy, convenient and reliable online term plan from Aegon Life Insurance.

Speaking on the campaign, Vicky Kaushal said, “As an actor, I have always portrayed young, dynamic and relatable characters in my movies. Much similar to this, Aegon Life has made a mark in the insurance industry as a trusted and new age brand, with a fresh take on Insurance. The striking commercial aims to communicate the importance of buying Term life insurance at an early age, in a fun and quirky manner. This is the first time I have associated with a Life Insurance brand and I am delighted to be a part of this campaign."

On the launch of this campaign Vineet Arora, MD & CEO, Aegon Life Insurance said, “Our new campaign brings to the forefront that stress is a major concern in today’s time and while everything else remains uncertain, protecting your loved ones and their dreams should not be a reason to take tension. The campaign urges the new generation to not procrastinate and advises to act right away.”

He further adds, “We are delighted to welcome Vicky Kaushal to the Aegon Life family. He bears a close resemblance to the brand as a young, evolving, dynamic, confident and independent individual and is the best fit for the campaign.”

Adding to this, Sam Subramaniam, CEO, Brand Capital, shares, “Aegon Life has always approached marketing insurance products to the millennial audience in a unique and differentiated way. In many ways Aegon Life is the only “Millennials First” Insurance Company in India. We at Brand Capital are delighted to be a key shareholder in Aegon Life and to also provide marketing support through our Brand Strategy team”.

Campaign video:

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The Himalaya Drug Company, India’s leading Wellness company, today launched its first Brand campaign, - ‘Khush Raho, Khushaal Raho’ bringing to life its vision of “Wellness in Every Home, Happiness in Every Heart”.

Having earned the equity and trust of millions of consumers for the last eight decades, Himalaya remains committed to solving consumer problems through its herbal products backed by science and research.

Philipe Haydon, CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company, said, “Herbal brands today are gaining preference, and consumers are increasingly considering herbal solutions as their first choice. With our range of over 500 herbal products, Himalaya continues to win hearts and offer well-being to consumers across all walks of life. We’re extremely proud to unveil the first-ever brand film bringing to life the vision of brand Himalaya.”

Speaking about the campaign, Mr. Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Business Director - Consumer Products Division, The Himalaya Drug Company, said, “The genesis of the brand film is based on the key consumer insight that small problems seem big when we don’t know how to solve them. The philosophy of our brand is to solve consumer problems through our wide range of herbal products and the campaign beautifully captures this. It’s a moment of great pride for all of us as we seek to be an integral part of consumers’ journey of Wellness and Happiness”.

The campaign has been conceptualized and executed by ad agency - Chapter Five.

Prateek Srivastava, Founder, Chapter Five, said, “As a team, we are extremely excited about this campaign that essentially establishes the problem-solution equity of Himalaya. The different incidences captured in the brand film communicate the message of happiness and showcase how different products bring joy to people’s lives and hearts. The film celebrates happiness through a happy song, happy situations, happy people, and a happy message.”

Campaign video:

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November 14, the birthday of India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is celebrated as Children’s Day across the country. Brands make the most of this day by rolling out inspiring campaigns that not only engage children but also evoke a rush of nostalgia among adults. Children, afterall, are increasingly becoming the decision-makers in households. So it only makes sense for brands to cater to them just right. Brands, this year, have evolved their communication game, creating mature conversations around gender roles and sexual orientation of children. Soaring imagination with a different outlook, here are some Children’s Day campaigns that caught our attention.

Godrej Appliances

This Children’s Day, Godrej Appliances has released #LetsStartRight, a campaign questioning the prevalent mindsets in Indian society in terms of set gender roles and emphasizing the need to break free early. Gender stereotypes are often formed at an early age, in our everyday setups. Take the kitchen for example – the birthplace for some awesome food but awful stereotypes, one being - the kitchen is meant for girls. Conceptualized by CreativeLand Asia, the campaign is set up in the familiar construct of a home, capturing a simple moment between a grandmother and her grandchildren. It does not rely on histrionics and melodrama but nudges us subtly to rethink.

NBA and McDonald’s

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and McDonald’s today announced a partnership to introduce NBA-themed promotions and interactive NBA Experience Zones in select McDonald’s locations in 39 cities across India. From Nov. 14 till Dec. 12, McDonald’s will give away an NBA-branded basketball with every family meal purchase at any McDonald’s restaurant in the West and South region while stocks last.  McDonald’s will also introduce NBA Zones in more than 30 outlets, providing fans the chance to experience the atmosphere of being at an NBA game through a range of interactive experiences.

BookMyShow

This Children’s day BookMyShow has a special message for all parents. Conceptualized and executed by BBH India, this children’s day film beautifully addresses the stigma that many Indian parents continue to face regarding the sexual orientation of their children. In consonance with the recent Section 377 verdict, it strikes an emotional chord and urges parents to love their children for who they are, regardless of who they love.

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Stem cell bank, LifeCell has launched a new campaign on television to create awareness and promote umbilical cord stem cell banking.

The messaging of the TVC is created around the big benefit of preserving the baby’s umbilical cord stem cells at birth with a community stem cell bank. The TVC is aimed at to-be-parents and their families and themed around gifting of good health for the baby by the grandparents. While, traditionally, gold is considered as the most preferred cultural gift from the grandparents for the to-be-born baby, this TVC gives a new dimension of gifting good health for the baby through stem cell banking wherein the entire family benefits.

LifeCell has already done over three TV commercials in this category. The brand had earlier used celebrities such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to promote & endorse the concept and had gained substantial brand visibility and concept acceptance. This time, to add power to the messaging, LifeCell has used veteran actor Mr Vijayakumar, who is known for his impactful messaging.

Umbilical cord blood stem cells have been proven to treat over 100 medical conditions. These stem cells can be preserved at birth with a community stem cell bank and matching stem cells can be retrieved for any of the family members, when required for treatment. By preserving the baby’s cord blood stem cells at birth, the baby and the entire family gets the protection of stem cells.

Below is the link for the new TVC created in Tamil & Telugu:

V. Ravi Shankar, Chief Brand & Communication Officer, LifeCell, said, “Creating customer awareness and education is a continuous process in this category.  We have a new set of  audience entering the parenthood space continuously. So it is imperative that we continue to reach out to them and establish the concept to help them take an informed decision and not to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

The TVC’s theme is created around the cultural backgrounds of these markets to blend, connect and create a better engagement with the audience. It will be aired on general entertainment, news, lifestyle in regional Tamil & Telugu channels.

Mayur Abhaya, Managing Director, LifeCell said, “The launch of the new thematic TVC comes in at the time when the brand is going all out to amplify the concept of community banking. Through this campaign the brand goes a step further in establishing the benefit for the entire family by preserving the baby’s stem cells at birth.”

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This Children’s Day, Godrej Appliances brings #LetsStartRight, a campaign questioning the prevalent mindsets in Indian society in terms of set gender roles and emphasizing the need to break free early.

The objective is to highlight an everyday story, where consciously and very often unconsciously, we condition our children with the age-old gender biases. Gender stereotypes are often formed at an early age, in our everyday setups. Take the kitchen for example – the birthplace for some awesome food but, awful stereotypes one being - the kitchen is meant for girls.

Conceptualized by CreativeLand Asia, the campaign is set up in the familiar construct of a home, capturing a simple moment between a grandmother and her grandchildren. It does not rely on histrionics and melodrama but nudges us subtly to rethink.

Speaking on the campaign Swati Rathi, Head-Marketing, Godrej Appliances said, "Being in the home appliances space allows us to observe behaviours at home including how we shape our children. As our society still grapples with gender stereotypes like women must do the cooking, we felt the problem is best tackled if we start young. Children’s day seemed like a good day to share this point of view. We hope this simple campaign makes people reflect on the small unconscious ways in which we display our biases, reevaluate our ‘soch’ and our actions, and take small corrective steps.“

Anu Joseph, Chief Creative Officer - CreativeLand Asia, further added “In this case, the brief made the film. The marketing team was ready with a bold and clear brief. We had to just write a little story around it. A strong insight is a great place to start. Gender inequality and biases are always passed down and a matter of nurture. The kitchen is a great place to start corrective action."

Campaign video:

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With over 2 decades of building emotional equity with India’s home-makers, Whirlpool is all set for another big leap – a technology leap. The ethos of this leap is laid on the foundation that today’s urban lifestyles need the cutting-edge technology of tomorrow to flourish and thrive. In line with the communication, two films crafted by FCB Ulka for Whirlpool air conditioners and refrigerators have been launched recently.

The brand ambassadors, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon represent a modern-day urban couple whose life and relationship are enriched by Whirlpool’s superior technology. Technology that transforms everyday chores into small acts of love and connection.

Air conditioner film:

The commercial is based on one magical moment between this modern couple, that brings out Whirlpool’s revolutionary 3D Cool Technology in a fun and impactful manner. It shows Sushant working out as his neighbors watch on in blatant admiration. A flustered Kriti cools down this unnecessary ‘heat’ with her Whirlpool AC. Its 40% faster cooling and 12m long air throw chills Sushant instantly, who is forced to wear his jacket leaving Kriti smugly satisfied.

This playful and flirtatious banter between the couple manages to bring out the role of the AC strongly, delivering cold technology credentials in a fun, warm and relatable manner.

Refrigerator film:

In this commercial, we see Kriti getting things ready for a party at home with her friends while Sushant is away on a shoot.

A mishap in the kitchen leads to Kriti video-calling Sushant for advice. And while there is physical distance between them, we see that technology has found a way to keep their connection and chemistry fresh. It also builds in a progressive narrative of changing gender roles where men are true partners even as home-makers and cooks.

Shedding more light on the brand communications, K. G. Singh, VP Marketing, Whirlpool of India said, “Earlier this summer, Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput, captured the playfulness of today's relationship between a couple with the launch of our AC campaign. We believe technology plays a very important role today to ensure that the relationship is always fresh even when extremely busy lives of today’s young generation act as a formidable challenge. Both of them understand and appreciate new-age technologies that are meaningful. And that’s what the new TVC portrays – a meaningful technology that helps to ensure long lasting freshness – enriching our customers' lives. We believe it’s a charming story that will be loved by the audience and captures brilliantly the benefits of our advance Adaptive Intelligence (AI) technology.”

Adding to this, John Thangaraj, National Planning Director, FCB Ulka said, “Whirlpool has always been a brand for the homemaker. However, we wanted to challenge the very notion of homemaking. We wanted to move away from the stereotypical portrayal of homemaking that the category has been built on, and instead move towards a younger, more contemporary, more progressive rendition of it- one built on shared responsibility and fluid gender roles”.

Speaking about the campaign, Surjo Dutt, NCD (North), FCB Ulka said, “This campaign marks a considerable leap in terms of execution as well as tonality for Whirlpool as a brand. It sets the brand in a new age home, where relationships are not about mushy love. It’s all about wicked romance, forever oscillating roles and technology that keeps pace with the life of this fiery couple which builds the narrative of the films to break the clutter that persists in the category. All in all, it signals a new era of advertising for brand Whirlpool that showcases the changing dynamics of today’s relationships.”

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