Mumbai: The third edition of Indian Digital BrandFest 2023 kicked off and had brands, advertisers, and tech platforms discuss all these trends and more. The summit looked at the latest trends driving the change in consumer behaviour and how it has impacted the industry’s growth.

Whether it was a boom in influencer marketing or the popularity of short video platforms, brands did not hesitate to jump onto the digital bandwagon to up their marketing game. So Indiantelevision.com took this opportunity to bring a host of industry experts together under one roof to discuss all these new trends shaping the future.

The speakers of this industry session were Bobble AI revenue head (India) Satyajit Deb Roy in conversation with Bobble AI chief growth & marketing officer Sahil Deswal.

Roy asked, “If you were a marketer for a major event or an OTT platform launching a new product, short film, or movie, how would you plan your marketing strategy?

Deswal said, “As the CMO of an FMCG or OTT platform, my primary focus when launching a new product, show, or movie would be on impactful metrics such as top-of-mind awareness, reaching the right audience, and driving engagement on our platform. To achieve this, my marketing team would employ a diverse range of strategies, including influencer marketing, television ads, out-of-home advertising, social media, and targeted digital channels.

However, I recognize that today's consumers are savvy and often skeptical of sponsored content. They understand that brands pay influencers to promote their products, leading to a trust deficit. To address this, I would recommend complementing our traditional marketing efforts with a conversational media campaign (CMM). Conversational media allows our brand to become a part of daily conversations, leveraging the authenticity and persuasiveness of recommendations from friends and family.

In essence, my marketing approach would involve creating awareness and engagement through traditional channels while enhancing trust and authenticity through conversational media. This combination ensures a well-rounded and effective marketing strategy, given the evolving landscape of consumer awareness and preferences.”

Adding on to that, Roy said, “It's fascinating to realize that users generate around 12 billion intents daily. This staggering number underscores the importance of marketers taking a serious look at the conversations happening among users. Leveraging the power of conversational media in their marketing strategies has become essential.

I'd like to share an example from a recent campaign we conducted for Motorola. The objective was to enhance awareness and recall for a new product aimed at the 18-44 age group. Strategically, we integrated the catchphrase into users' conversations through stickers and GIFs. This approach resulted in over three million brand imprints within six months, demonstrating the effectiveness of conversation media marketing.”

Deswal then said, “Absolutely, the numbers are staggering, and I couldn't agree more with your perspective. Branded stickers and GIFs essentially represent user-generated intents, and users willingly choose to express themselves using these branded elements in their conversations. It's a conscious choice and a form of endorsement when they select a specific brand sticker, like Starbucks, for instance. This is where the power of the platform lies; it allows brands to seamlessly integrate into users' daily conversations.

Contrast this with traditional advertising, like an intrusive OTT ad or an interruption during browsing on platforms like Instagram. Such interruptions often break the flow and have limited recall and attention span from users. In contrast, when users choose to incorporate branded elements, it's a voluntary engagement that reflects their preferences and choices.

I'd like to highlight the significance of organic engagement through CMM (conversational media marketing). For instance, our content carries a global watermark, sparking curiosity and driving organic engagement as users seek the source of the content. CMM enables brands to have a direct presence in users' daily conversations, democratizing the process and creating a more potent form of long-term awareness and consideration.

So, my recommendation to fellow marketers is not to rely solely on traditional channels but to complement them with conversational media. In a world where brands must become a part of daily conversations, this approach is essential for sustained success.”

Adding on, Satyajit said, “Indeed, the real-time aspect of these contents is what makes them incredibly powerful. I completely agree with you on this point.

Now, let's shift our focus to the next step. Once you've successfully secured reach, built awareness, and initiated a domino effect with consumers receiving branded content from multiple sources, resulting in a significant expansion of your audience, the question remains: What else can you do to further engage these users and drive them toward deeper consideration?”

To which Deswal answered, “Now, let's assume we've successfully entered organic conversations, and we have this highly engaged user base who are well aware of our brand. As the CMO of an OTT platform, the next step is moving them into the consideration or sustenance phase.

Consider this scenario: I want to recommend a new show or content to my existing users on WhatsApp, tapping into my fan base. Can we create an innovative and creative solution that encourages them to engage with our brand and even generate user-generated content? For instance, one of our offerings is the bobble selfie to bobble head technology, which allows users to personalize content. When this happens, everyone starts sharing it within their networks, creating a ripple effect that generates consideration for our campaign.

Imagine I'm binge-watching a show on Netflix, and there's another brand I want to talk about during that time. If I can personalize a sticker with my face alongside my favorite character's and share it within my network, it piques curiosity in others. This is the feeling we want to evoke during the consideration phase.

In essence, what I'm getting at is that you can generate a high level of intent and consideration in a short time, provided you have creative solutions that truly engage users. Instead of resorting to traditional messaging channels that bombard users with texts, think about the superpower of models where you can capture everyone's attention but need to engage them effectively. That's the key to success.”

Giving an example of a friendship campaign, Roy said, “It's evident that conversational media is emerging as a potent force in marketing.”

Deswal then said, “So it's really that the sea doesn't have the problem, the ship on top of that sea really needs to be sorted.”

Moving on to his last question, Roy asked, “Now that you've effectively built brand awareness and consideration using conversational media marketing (CMM), the next crucial step is leveraging CMM to guide these users down the funnel towards the ultimate goal: the intent to purchase. This phase of the journey is of utmost importance for marketers, as it signifies the conversion of engagement into tangible action.”

Deswal replied, “I think this is by far the most important step in the funnel. So if I am running this campaign, I'm definitely looking at the return process as you go down the funnel, and assuming that you've created the right kind of engagement and awareness and consideration. At this point, it's all about delving deeper into conversations with consumers, but the depth here doesn't mean relentless promotion; it's about creating an unforgettable experience.

At this stage, it's all about delivering the right intent at the right moment and offering the right nudge to put the user in a purchasing mindset. Contextual nudges play a significant role in our platform. Let me explain with a simple example: Suppose a user is chatting about traveling from one city to another. If we detect the intent, such as "Looking to book a cab," we can seamlessly open up the Uber chatbot experience, providing a trustworthy and familiar platform to quickly book a cab. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps and offers a frictionless, personalized experience.

Another example is a group of friends discussing travel plans on WhatsApp. When our AI detects the intent to travel, we can instantly provide real-time search results, allowing one friend to book flights seamlessly. This is the essence of purchase intent.

In essence, the goal is straightforward: from creating awareness to moving users into the purchase intent phase, the way we deploy conversational media platforms and solutions can deliver returns across all three stages. It's incredible how real-time and seamless this process has become.”