KEEPING UP WITH THE CULTURE

Back in 2016, when Facebook introduced Hindi transliteration, Indians were surprised and delighted! Facebook must have been equally thrilled because its user base was about to increase massively.

There are over 70,000 newspapers that are being printed in India, and around 90% are either in Hindi or other regional languages. But what about regional digital marketing, you ask? Well, the numbers speak for themselves.

As per studies, the availability of regional and local content can boost the growth of the internet in India by 24%.

Dubbing ads in regional languages has now become passé. Advertisers are increasingly focusing on creating content local to a region that picks up on cultural nuances and references. After all, if the audience can’t connect with the content, doesn’t it ultimately defeat the purpose of it being there?

Here's a fresh, brainy and quirky take on what's new in regional digital marketing!

FRESH GAI
EXPLORES WHAT’S LATEST IN REGIONAL MARKETING

Rekindling the emotions

Parle Marie struck a chord with the people of Bengal when they made ‘adda’ a part of their ad campaign. ‘Adda’ is the traditional, informal chat room where conversations flow in a relaxed environment, characteristically unique to Kolkata, Bengal.

With the campaign, ‘ A sip of adda, a bite of Parle Marie ’, the brand created a series of three ad films. All three scored high on the connection meter and brought back memories for the Bengali audience.

The OTT take-over

No one can deny how the Bahubali franchise became a turning point for the South Indian film industry. Rajnikant, Kamal Hasan and many more South Indian stars are well-known in Bollywood but what Bahubali did was open floodgates for regional OTT content.

The success of RRR and KGF are testimony to this! So much so that ZEE5 expects the Telugu market to drive 20-25% of its subscriptions.

But how are marketers capturing the audience’s interest? Let’s find out with Brainy Gai.

BRAINY GAI
TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BUYER PERSONA

Market smarter, not harder

A recurring topic in marketer's conversations is the importance of building a buyer persona. Building a buyer persona is the process of creating fictional characters for your audience and understanding the needs of that audience.

Does understanding the buyer persona make you a smart marketer?

Yes. It will help you:

  • Gain valuable insights into your audience and their wants
  • Avoid wasting time on ineffective marketing techniques
  • Create a customised consumer-specific strategy

Parle invested resources in actually understanding Bengal as a market and exploring the emotional connection they can build with it.

Breaking ground

This was not Parle’s first regional campaign. They did something similar for Parle - Maharashtra in 2021. They tapped into the Marathi nerve with a blend of hashtags and regional idioms. Such efforts also bridge the gap between generations and bring them closer.

Looking beyond Hindi

According to the experts, the share of regional language consumption on OTT platforms is expected to cross 50% by 2025 from 30% held in 2019, whereas Hindi content is still at 45%.

Going vernacularly diverse is not limited to traditional media like TV and print. You can leverage regional marketing through various online channels like:

  • Social media ads
  • Local SEO
  • Sponsorship
  • Programmatic advertising

So what have been the brands up to when it comes to regional marketing? Let us explore some offbeat ad campaigns with Quirky Gai!

QUIRKY GAI
EXPLORES OFFBEAT AD CAMPAIGNS

Going local

Dunzo

Bengaluru Starter Pack / Kannada Starter Pack / Pune Starter Pack

(Source:https://twitter.com/beastoftraal/status/1523149094134321153/photo/2)

Dunzo’s brand personality is loved by the netizens. And why not! Their quirky way of welcoming people to the city - students, employees, tourists et al - and familiarising them with the local slang and food recommendations reinforced the love people have for them.

Spotify

Spotify took the same script and created ads in regional languages to connect with the local audience.

PhonePe

PhonePe introduced their pan-India campaign focusing on North and South, both markets.

According to earlier trends, dubbing an ad in a regional language would have done the trick. But the audience could barely connect, and the effort was deemed futile. That is why advertisers are tapping into not only regional languages but local dialects as well to build the emotional quotient and help consumers make memories with them.

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Total 1 Comment

Archana Arora2022-07-26

If digital cannot personalise and localise, then what can. Regionalising has other benefits too. It will help keep our languages and culture alive. Ever thought about that!

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