A Fling or a Lifetime Bond

Advertisements and Webseries: A fling or a lifetime bond

The ad industry dynamics have always kept on changing since the beginning.There was a time when people enjoyed seeing the advertisements in between of the TV shows as they were limited in number but now it's just a mute button which is pressed as soon as the ad comes up on the TV. There is no denying to the fact that the quality of the content in advertisements has changed significantly and now it's more of a story telling in a minute or less. The industry is facing certain challenges to engage its viewer in watching the ad. Therefore , brands are now shifting from traditional means of advertising to advertising through influencers or digital content.

Brand integration on youtube or on instagram is the new runway for advertisers. Where the brand is placed within the content itself. These kinds of integrations look organic and interesting to the viewer, the brands collaborate with different channels depending upon their subscribers and viewers. In 2014 a series named Permanent Roommates was released by TVF on YouTube, it was for the first time when indian audiences were waiting for something that was not so common.The Web series involved Mikesh and Tanya who were first into long distance relationship for 3 years but things change when Mikesh arrives from foreign to Mumbai to get    

This series had a

brand integration

of a startup called

CommonFloor that

dealt in properties.

The whole

storyline of the

series revolves

around the brand

without directly

advertising it. 

This kind of branded content looks less of an advertisement and also excites the viewer who doesn't skip it anymore.After this the second season of Permanent Roommates also had a brand integration of Ola , where the ola driver becomes the friend of Mikesh and helps him at certain situations. Ola’s integration was very significant within the series and this also led to brand awareness amongst many people.

After Permanent Roommates there were many in the pipeline by TVF amongst them Pitchers and Tripling were very popular. Pitchers dialog “tu beer hai” gained popularity and this scene had the kingfisher beer on tables where the two friends were talking and one of them compares the other with a beer.

Tripling on the other hand was a series that had three siblings Chandan, Chanchal and

Chitvan. Together they start a hilarious journey to find themselves and their relations. This starts with a Road trip in a car, Tiago. The iconic colored orange Tata Tiago is shown in the series that is driven to different states on different roads.

But can every branded content serve the purpose of the collaboration is the real question. Therefore the brands make sure that they collaborate with the ones who match their brand’s image and philosophy. Similar to this is an example of a web series by Dice media, Please Find Attached. Please Find Attached was a sweet spot for closeup to collaborate with in scenes where the couple is in the bathroom and focus has been made on close up. The brand has not just got a good window in the series but also the brand’s image matches with the energy of the couple who feel fresh and come closer after brushing their teeth.

Most of the brands these days are getting into sponsorships or indirect advertising within the engaging and youth involving micro series. Many times the concept of the series revolves around a certain brand itself. Right Swipe, is a filter copy series that has the brand integration of Tinder.The story revolves around two strangers who meet through dating app Tinder, they explore life together and get to see a different side of themselves. Tinder App has always been in integrations where the content is either about it or around it. This lets the viewer connect with the brand in a more subtle way before using it. Tinder has always integrated in a way that matches their brand personality. The content it integrates with is always fun to watch some of the examples are when Tinder meets parents or when you meet your school crush on Tinder.

Many a time the brands just not sponsor the content but also have a small window within the scene where the protagonist is either talking about the brand or hearing about it. A very famous series, The college Romance by timeliners is one of a very good example for such collaboration which has partnered with Gulf Oil.With the most realistic portrayal and focus on the most meaningful relationship – Friendships – the show hilariously tackles aspects of college life such as love at first sight and college pool parties to road trips with buddies, and showcases beautiful experiences of college life along with various other aspects of growing up as undergrads.In this a scene comes where Karan has given his bike for service. When Karan arrives to pick the bike the service provider tells him that he has added gulf oil to the bike to make it smooth.

The viewer today is smart enough to decide which content is branded content and which is not thus its the advertisers job to portray the brand in a way that it excites the viewer and also is not loud.Therefore the brand integrations are now subtle but clear, woven in the storyline. The scripts do not allow a product window to be there for a very long time in front of the viewer as this makes the viewer lose his interest within the video content. The brands and creators of the creative content often dive into never ending debates about how long the brand/product or service must be exposed in the video.

These kinds of advertisements and promotions are now very common. With the increased number of the web series viewers, the brands are involving themselves with certain influencers, shows or even content on OTT platforms. But the question is How long will this friendship last for?. The advertisers have changed and looked for platforms which provide them with the best way of communicating their message, therefore they keep on struggling and juggling with best creative ways of doing it. Web Series makes their tasks easier and so these advertisers find them to be relevant these days. Yes, this kind of symbiotic relationship between the advertiser and the web series makers is good in terms of money involved or the exposure but its a fact that advertisers will remain friends with web series makers till they get the benefits afterall it is about the image and reputation of the brand.

The OTT platforms after the micro series are now the new catch for brand integrations to take place Netflix shows such as sacred games where one plus has collaborated with and other shows masaba masaba , stranger things have given good results for brand collaborations. The future of advertising lies in the technology and personalised targeting therefore it is now the job of the advertiser to make sure that the brand is integrating with the right content to reach its precise audience.

About the writer

Devika is passionate about working in the public relations and branding industry.She did her Bachelors from Chandigarh University in journalism and mass communications where she got to know alot about Ad and PR and realised that she wanted to build her career in the same. SACAC for her is itself an achievement as she feels, “this institute helps you to not just grow in the field but as an individual too.”