MUMBAI: The confluence of content and technology has led to a significant change in the way brands talk to their consumers. Experiential storytelling and the smart use of digital tools has given brands an even greater field to play with content and influence a greater number of audiences. The point was made by Club Mahindra chief marketing officer Ramin Saherwala at the recently concluded ‘Content Marketing Summit (CMS) Asia’.
Citing the recent example of the ASOS incident, where the brand added the image of a consumer to its product catalogue after she shared a screengrab of someone insulting her on a dating site for the same, on Twitter, Saherwala noted that prompt action by the brand using technology and intent effectively shows how the shapes of narratives are changing.
“Generally, a brand creates communication and from there the media picks it up. At last, it reaches the consumer, who is the last leg of the cycle. But this is not the case anymore. The ASOS case was a classic example of the user generating the content and then the brand using it,” he noted.
Saherwala said that this is a great example of brand affinity as well. “For a brand to respond like this, it needs to have process and intent both. They posted the photo in their product catalogue as well and did not just share it on social media. This also got the brand a lot of positive traction.”
Brands are now moving from linear storytelling to systematic story-building. “The brands are using concurrent communication on different elements. There is not sequential storytelling happening. The brands do not have a single narrative, in fact, they create a layering of communication,” Saherwala pointed out.
He took the example of ‘Boostcamp’, an initiative by nutritional drink manufacturer Boost, through which the brand is using interactive storytelling and giving the kids a chance to learn cricket from players like Virat Kohli. The kids could share their own videos of practising the shots on the platform as well.
Saherwala explained, “In a single narrative, the brands create the core idea that leads to a brand proposition and is followed by a video execution. But brands like Boost have now been using concurrent storytelling where the brand has created the core idea and then with the help of machine learning is targetting the consumer who came up with a response story.”
The other two important changes that have come up in storytelling with the advent of technology, Saherwala noted are the increasing use of simultaneous communication across various channels instead of a sequential focus on platforms, and the increasing focus on insight-based marketing. Bands are now more eager to add a personal touch to storytelling as consumers are expecting the same from them.
