The Rajdoot bike was a rage in 'Bobby'

Recall the Rishi Kapoor-Dimple Kapadia teen romance Bobby way back in 1973. The Rajdoot motorbike the two lovers cavort around on in the film became a rage with a nation's bedazzled youth.

Of more recent vintage of course is Star Plus' Kaun Banega Crorepati that had iconic host Amitabh Bachchan handing over ICICI bank cheques to the winners.

And there hangs a tale. Which is that though the Indian entertainment industry appears to have only recently woken up to the concept of branded entertainment, it's been around a lot longer than many are aware.

According to industry estimates compiled by Media e2e, the direct product placement market in India (which also includes branded entertainment) in 2005 was pegged at Rs 700 million and is estimated to touch Rs 935 million this year. "The base of overall product placements in television has improved from 1.3 per cent last year to 1.6 per cent this year. Currently, two per cent of total television revenues come from direct product placements," says Media e2e chief evangelist Atul Phadnis.

Through brand content programming, advertisers have the opportunity to engage with consumers in the context of entertainment that reflects their brand values, and to turn that engagement into dialogue.

While branded entertainment content on Indian television can be dated to as far back as the launch of Bournvita Quiz Contest; the space recently got an impetus with WPP's Group M inking a JV with Raveena Raj Kohlli for the same.

Annu Kapoor as the host of 'Wheel Smart Sreemati' on DD

The JV company - Show M - has launched a show called Wheel Smart Sreemati on Doordarshan for Hindustan Lever Limited. "It's about finding one smart housewife through the game of 'chausar' as smartness is also a proposition of the brand. In fact, there is very little branding in the programme, through the show we have tried to convey what the brand is all about. There are various ways of integrating the brand or creating branded content. As long as there is creativity, we can always find more and more ways of reaching the consumer," says Group M Media India Pvt. Ltd general manager - content and entertainment Rajeev Berry.

Show M will be involved with brands not just on the visual but also on the audio medium. While TV will be a key component in the branded content space; the company will also look at other mediums like mobile, home viewing, internet and radio, which would be strategically in line with the brand communication or funded by the brand. "The idea is to take a brand out of advertising stream and put it into the communications stream," says Kohlli.

The agency is in talks most channels in the general entertainment space like Zee, Sony and also with DD. "Our responsibility is to sell our ideas not only to the network but eventually to the audience," Kohlli adds.

Broadcasters are also waking up and smelling the - shall we say - Nescafe!! Star recently launched a special division to cater to advertiser funded content and product placement.

Other than Star and Group M, Interpublic Group's Lodestar Universal is also looking at this space and has already inked a JV with marketing firm Direct Access and television production house Contiloe Films. Talks are on with Nerolac and Garnier for advertiser funded content in the television space. Also, with the recent merger of Lodestar and Universal McCann, more brands have come under the ambit of Lodestar Universal and hence opportunities are on the rise in the branded entertainment space.

Contiloe Films CEO Abhimanyu Singh says of the JV formed for branded entertainment, "Direct Access has got its core strengths in marketing and together we brain storm and create the product while they go and speak to the clients along with Lodestar Universal. They help us market that product and there is a clear synergy with Direct Access, Contiloe and Lodestar."

'Krrish's' Power

Plans are to venture into branded content which provides brand engagement that will take care of not only advertiser funded programming but will also look at things like tag-ons in trailers. For example - "Krissh brought to you by Power."

"This will include in film product placement and in-show product placement. The concept of brand engagement is huge in the west and contributes to about 50 to 60 per cent currently of all advertising revenue. In India it is still very small but the whole pie is growing. What's more, even advertising spends are growing where the traditional form is complemented with newer forms of advertising and this a reinvention of how you can advertise," adds Singh.

Direct Access, Contiloe and Lodestar are soon planning to launch a separate agency for the JV, which will have a dedicated team on advertiser funded content and brand engagement.

Since clients are keen to enter this space, many of them are setting aside spends for the same. Lodestar Universal CEO Shashi Sinha says, "While some clients are at present allocating 10-15 per cent of their ad spends in this arena; this figure is expected to touch more than 50 per cent in the next five years. Nerolac, for example, has now starting allocating 20-25 per cent of spends to the branded entertainment space."

Speaking on the potential of the space in India, Starcom Mediavest Group South Asia CEO Ravi Kiran says, "Planned and executed well, branded entertainment can be very effective in getting crucial consumer attention. But there is a lot of haziness around the way the concept is understood in India, perhaps because our media industry is still evolving."

Starcom's entertainment marketing unit - Starcom Entertainment - advises marketers on using entertainment to market brands. "The services included in this unit are brand-script integration and branded entertainment. Many of our clients such as Heinz, Western Union, Elf Lubricants, Singapore Tourism and WorldSpace Satellite Radio have used this unit's services," says Kiran.

Lintas Media Services director Lynn de Souza offers her take, "Advertiser funded programmes have the ability to go beyond the 'plug' into actually weaving in the brand promise and the brand insight into the communication in a subtle yet effective way. Branded entertainment doesn't just have to be about soaps and quizzes and reality shows. Cricket has been one of the best examples of branded entertainment."

Idea CNN IBN Citizen Journalist initiative

The agency's client Idea recently partnered with CNN IBN's Citizen Journalist initiative. "It works extremely well for the overall theme of the brand, which is - the common man communicates - and this has been a pioneering and successful effort," adds de Souza.

While on Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC) the concept is now picking steam, the southern television market is actually dominated by branded entertainment.

Some of the shows that Mindshare has done for its clients in the south are: Pepsi Maha Daham, Horlicks O-Podu, Horlicks Sandad Sandadi, Hero Honda Naalaya Natchitram, Kurkure Kalale Nijam Aithe and 7 Up Tisco Basu.

Kids audition for 'Rin Mera Star Superstar'

One of the latest initiatives in advertiser funded content in the GEC space will be seen in September in the form of Rin Mera Star Super Star on Star Plus. The kids' talent hunt show is funded by HLL and is being produced by Endemol India.

The show, somewhat based on the lines of Boogie Woogie, is a nationwide talent hunt with an aim to unearth talent in children aged 5-14 in the areas of singing, acting and dancing. The winner will be awarded a scholarship of Rs 500,000 to help him/her pursue the dream of becoming an artist or to take up future education.

Endemol India managing director Rajesh Kamat says, "Rin Mera Star Super Star is a combination of entertainment and branding, a concept which will be brought alive on TV in a fun and exciting show. This is one of the first local formats that we have developed."

Star India ad sales and distribution president Paritosh Joshi informs that brands from various segments such as automobiles, fast-moving consumer goods and telecommunication had evinced interest in advertiser funded programming.

While the concept of branded entertainment sounds all good and exciting and is also an additional source of revenue for agencies and broadcasters alike, there are some things to be kept in mind in order to do it right. Lodestar Brand Experience consulting partner Dhruv Jha cautions, "We have to be careful that it should not become a documentary or intrusive material that hurts the brand equity. The intention is to make the brand friendlier more relatable and relevant to different target groups."

Kiran adds, "The cons largely come through overuse of branding, ill fitting placements, and the inherent risk in creating content."

Another concern in the area is that 'brand fit' and 'engagement' are terms that are often bandied about in the context of branded entertainment. However, the thumb rule seems to be to position brands 'emphasizing the way they are consumed in real life.' But is this really possible in an environment of fast multiplying brands and multiplying media touch points? Jha says, "If done with a strategy and high quality creative inputs, I don't see any reason why it can't be done in a highly engaging way. Even multiple media touch points are chosen with the brand profile in mind and they can be made to work in tandem to serve the brand objective. We at Lodestar Universal have done it for our clients like Nerolac and L'Oreal."

Brands do have a lot to gain from this space as they are concerned about lower attention spans and increasing clutter in the traditional media environment. "Branded entertainment can help in gaining attention of consumers, who are getting increasingly more adapt at avoiding ads. It can also help brands in drawing value through the lifetime of the program, through re-runs and syndication. What's more, brands also get 'quasi endorsement' value from the stars in the show," says Kiran.

On the other hand, he points out; the entertainment content also stands to gain from this. "In the case of placements, it provides credibility to the story because it becomes real through brand presence. Whereas in the case of advertiser funded programming, it provides funding and security of promotional support," Kiran adds.

Derek O'Brien has been hosting 'Bournvita Quiz Contest' for years

Cadbury director sales and marketing Sanjay Purohit says, "Life before the 1990s was simpler for the brand manager. Today there is a great need for brands to be a part of entertainment. Brand communication today is changing by becoming more entertainment than the operating milieu itself. This is also happening due to the increasing footprint of media and by greater integration with popular culture."

"On television there is a greater opportunity for creating branded programming that will work. The match of brands and entertainment will be made in heaven only if it is done right by the people involved. It will work only if brands are integrated into a storyline in an actual way that they are consumed in life. It is about integration and not saliency," he adds.

However, Purohit was quick to point out the issues that one faces in this space. They are as follows:

1. Lack of scale
   
2. Issue of appropriate measurement metrics
   
3. Lack of transparency
   
4. Lack of right balance (random association because of money at the last minute)
   
5. Lack of Ethics

According to Motorola executive director marketing Llyod Mathias, apart from movies and television, branded entertainment can be taken into the areas of sports, music and live shows. "One has to leverage the property across all levels. The question to address is how to make your brands relevant?" Mathias says.

An area of concern for the parties involved in the branded entertainment space is that brands are looking at it in order to get a cheaper medium than television and print media to gain exposure. On the other hand, producers are using advertiser funded content as a medium to cover costs. Zee Telefilms CEO Pradeep Guha voices an important question, "Is this the right way to start on a medium that has great potential?"

Brands today are spending close to 70 per cent on television today and the rest on other media. "The aim is to use entertainment creatively in a way in which it magnifies the core brand message. However, it eventually boils down to cost," Guha says.

Kamat adds, "At the moment the share of branded entertainment in an annual budget is still low, but over a period of time it's likely to rise. Currently 80 per cent of the ad budget of a product is still earmarked for traditional media, while 20 per cent is for non-traditional media, which itself has seen a rise over the years."

Branded content also allows for a lot of ancillary activities to be weaved around it. HLL has undertaken a massive on-ground initiative for Rin Mera Star Super Star. "The show integrates 'mom' as a concept and integrates it in the show in a way that the brand's value comes through. In Rin's case the values coming through are: whiteness, impressive, pushy and advanced. All these aspects of the brand are integrated in the show," offers Kamat.

Singh adds, "For the shows that we have in the pipeline, consumer engagement will come through interactivity. With the advantages of having a mobile phone and the Internet, interactivity automatically comes in and adds another layer to advertiser funded content. What is important is that you want the audience to be involved."

Since branded entertainment is a new concept in India, until now there were no measurement metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the activity. "A concept like this is done to break the clutter and it has been there in the print medium for quite some time now. TV channels are hitting upon this idea to see whether a brand can be weaved into the plot. But this also gives rise to a question: Is it measurable? How much mileage does an advertiser get out of such a concept and how to measure this are some questions that will have to be answered by the industry through debate. Branded entertainment, to be fair, is still in its nascent stage in India," opines Kamat.

"The metrics to measure this so far only consist of what Tam provides (at an extra cost) of the appearances of brands within programmes and other edit environments (print). But for such efforts, the appearance is hardly a measure - it's the overall impact on the consumer that matters," is de Souza's woe.

However, in February this year, Media e2e launched an ITVX tool called the Branded Entertainment Suite for the Indian market. This is a product placement valuation metric service for media professionals in the branded entertainment industry.

The tool can trace the quality in all forms of branded entertainment, including television, radio, movies, games, print, live entertainment and sports sponsorships.

All said and done, a lot more content is likely to be seen in the branded entertainment space in India over the next few months. "I believe integration of brand messages into programming will rise in the near future, whether in terms of placements, full integration or advertiser funded programming. The main reason is that consumers are already in great control of what they watch and they are becoming experts at switching off mentally, even when they 'appear' to be in front of TV," says Kiran.

But Kiran also has a word of caution to offer -- "If branded entertainment gets out of hand, it is likely to cause much more damage to the brand-consumer relationship than 30-second television ever has. In this era of consumer choice and control, we must remember that intrusion and irritation will be rejected by consumers, sooner or later."

(Picture courtesy: tribuneindia.com, hindu.com, dobanda.com)