Context has become key in any integrated marketing strategy: Amit Shah
PremiumAmit Shah, cluster head, north, west and premium channels, ZEEL, talks about the power of content to transcend borders
The new tariff order brought out by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may have paved a tough way ahead for niche TV genres like English entertainment. But some broadcasters believe in the enduring appeal of these channels and are trying to cash in on the growing comfort of Indian audiences with foreign languages and content to stay relevant. The English cluster of channels owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) recently announced a collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre to bring Korean programming to TV audiences. In an interview with Mint, Amit Shah, cluster head, north, west and premium channels, ZEEL, talks about the power of content to transcend borders. Edited excerpts:
What is the draw of Korean content that you have introduced on the English cluster, given that many of these shows may already be available on OTT platforms?
The Korean motion picture industry has been on a mounting road to success. ‘Hallyuwood’ (an informal term used to describe the Korean-language entertainment and film industry) has earned a strong fan base globally, and people in India haven’t been behind in showering their love for K-movies, K-dramas and more. As a brand, Zee’s English cluster of channels have always kept the changing tastes and preferences of the audiences at the fore and thus, associated with Korean Culture Centre to showcase the best of Korean programming across channels.
TV has a different audience base than OTT and both these platforms are here to co-exist. For long, audiences have enjoyed family time by surfing content on TV, and channels that understand their taste and curate the programming to best suit their viewers, attract them by making for effortless viewing. At Zee English cluster, we aim to provide fresh catalogues that best match the preference of viewers.
What other offerings besides the Korean slate do you have lined up for the festive season or beyond?
Zee’s English cluster aims at bringing the finest international content to Indian audiences. We have always believed that content has the power to transcend borders and it is language-agnostic. For our future line-up, we will be on the lookout for the best content that appeals to the audience. At Zee Café, the afternoon movie band offers light-hearted, entertaining movies that our audience loves under the Café Film Club category. On &flix, properties like Flix First, Flix Superheroes, Ticket to Hollywood continue to attract the audience with an extensive line-up of movies from various genres and parts of the world. Our property World Box Office on &PrivéHD brings to the audience the best of nuanced cinema from the world and premieres of foreign language movies. Privé Premiere is another such segment to premiere critically acclaimed films from across the world.
How has consumers’ relationship with English channels evolved over the years and how platform-agnostic do your strategies have to be going forward?
India as a market is seeing a steady rise in audiences that are on the lookout for good English content. With more and more people becoming comfortable with English as a language and developing a liking towards differentiated content, the demand for the sector is only going to rise further. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that there is a huge market for not just English but international content in the country, and this is a huge opportunity for global entertainment players like us.
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Basis the insights garnered from audiences’ viewing patterns, we analyse the demand for movies and shows and accordingly innovate our content. Some properties which received a good response are I Dream of Jeannie, Masterchef Australia, The Drew Barrymore Show and Star Trek. The original show Dance With Me has also been successful in getting good traction.
What marketing and promotional strategies have you adopted, inclu-ding and beyond social media?
Our aim is to reach out to the right audience and we involve a lot of backend research to conclude what the target group is. In recent times, there has been a rapid and constant change in the traditional media landscape, and rising levels of digital sophistication in consumers has led to the emergence of multiple mediums. Moment marketing is also growing, and context has become key in any integrated marketing strategy. To market the K-dramas in the festive season, we recently collaborated with stand-up comedian and writer Supriya Joshi for K-drama social media reels. The covid-19 outbreak played the role of a catalyst in the growth of digital media alongside television. Our ad film with Deepak Tijori, Renuka Shahane and Rohit Saraf also garnered attention, exemplifying how simple themes can be moulded into clutter-breaking outcomes when one puts relevant insights to use and segments the consumer well.
Focusing on the right reach and platform, in the English cluster, we have adopted social media engagement tools alongside television as part of the channel marketing strategy. For instance, we hosted our First Day First Show at Home campaign featuring comic José Covaco, besides a unique interactive live session on the premiere day with José which garnered great engagement on Instagram. Our digital activation with Zee Café’s Dance With Me 2, is a true example of TV and social media working in tandem for consumer delight. We have been getting sharper with our media choices basis consumer insights in order to not only reach but to really engage with our audiences.
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