The 3Rd Edition of Vdonxt Awards Saw a Spurt in Participation by Ad Agencies, Marketers, Online Publishers and Content Creators
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February 1-15, 2019 Volume 7, Issue 15 `100 AND THE WINNERS ARE... The 3rd edition of vdonxt awards saw a spurt in participation by ad agencies, marketers, online publishers and content creators. The Quint came up with a stirring performance. 12 Subs riber o yf not or resale Presenting Partner Silver Partners Bronze Partners Community Partner eol This fortnight... Volume 7, Issue 15 hen it comes to online video, the first thing we, as business media journalists, EDITOR Sreekant Khandekar W think of is digital advertisements in video format – and the investments PUBLISHER February 1-15, 2019 Volume 7, Issue 15 `100 brands make to create and push them towards their target audience. But what the Sreekant Khandekar person next door, or her driver for that matter, thinks of is digital videos that she EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND THE can watch – argh, okay fine… consume! – for leisure, knowledge or work. That’s Ashwini Gangal why the focus of the recently concluded third edition of vdonxt asia, our annual ASSOCIATE EDITOR WINNERS Sunit Roy convention on the business of online video, was on content. ARE... PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE The 3rd edition of vdonxt Andrias Kisku awards saw a spurt in participation by ad agencies, marketers, online By the end of the event, two themes shone through this year: Firstly, when it publishers and ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES content creators. The Quint came up comes to online video content, we’re facing the problem of plenty; there’s just so Shubham Garg with a stirring performance. Presents much to watch, yet not all of it is watchable. Secondly, there seems to be a skew 81301 66777 (M) AWARDS 2019 12 towards dark content (both literally and metaphorically) that some experts dub Apoorv Kulshrestha Subs riber o y notf or resale 9873824700 (M) Presenting Partner Silver Partners Bronze Partners Community Partner ‘cringe content’. Which makes one ponder – does edgy necessarily mean difficult Noida to watch? This question was first raised in the context of cinema, when Leonardo Nikhil Jhunjhunwala 9833371393 (M) DiCaprio won an Academy Award for his performance in The Revenant two years Mumbai back – “Why are Oscar winning performances typically hard to watch?” went the [email protected] line of inquiry. And the same can be applied to the world of digital content creation MARKETING OFFICE – can’t edgy have creativity, production or scriptwriting related connotations? B 3, Ground Floor, Sector 4, Noida -201301 Uttar Pradesh The most exciting slice of vdonxt asia was the awards. Our cover story this issue MUMBAI 302, Makani Center, 3rd Floor, takes a look at all those who emerged victorious in the sphere of online video creation, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), at a glance. Overall, 37 metals were awarded to entries across 14 categories. Among Mumbai - 400050 the Gold winners this year were The Quint (4), Motion Content Group (1), iDiva SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES (1), ADK-Fortune (1) and BBH (1); the overall Gold tally, across firms, stood at [email protected] eight this time. We also interviewed Ritu Kapur, founder and CEO of The Quint, Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and who won maximum Golds. Printed and published by Sreekant Khandekar, at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110 063. Printed at Artz and Printz 208 DSIDC Sheds, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi - 110020 Ashwini Gangal [email protected] CONTENTS 26 8 TIMES OF INDIA Riding the Election Wave Reminding Indians who live abroad to vote. 19 22 ORIENT ELECTRIC 4 Dhoni Teases Fans The former ‘Captain Cool’ continues to entertain audiences with his antics and this time it’s for Orient FIRSTPOST BRANDS UBER EATS Electric’s latest marketing A New Weekly Fix Finding their Voice Another Point of View campaign to promote the A Saturday newspaper for Brands are riding on voice Uber takes the battle away brand’s newest offering. Delhi and Mumbai. assistants to reach consumers. from the beaten path. afaqs! Reporter, February 1-15, 2 0 1 9 3 e BRANDS Finding their Voices Following Alexa and KFC to the party come other brands riding on voice assistants to reach consumers. How are they faring? By Deepashree Banerjee oday, if you’re hankering for some fried chicken, all you Thave to do to place a KFC order is, enable the skill from the Alexa app. You just have to utter “Alexa, start KFC”, “Alexa Launch KFC”, “Alexa tell KFC I am hungry” and you’re in for a “finger-lickin’” surprise. Through Alexa, users can now place a hands-free Cash-on-Delivery order with a nearby KFC restaurant. The KFC feature can be experienced across all Amazon Echo smart speakers as well as a range of Alexa- “Becoming a ready devices. seamless part of Thanks to this happy marriage of food and technology, KFC India the consumer’s life becomes the first QSR (Quick Serve Restaurant) brand in the country is another way of to associate with Alexa for online offering a better ordering. customer experience” THE GLOBAL SCENARIO RAHUL VENGALIL Here are a few global examples. Dominos’ Siri-style ‘voice ordering’ system, developed by speech to do the same. well,” he points out. that every brand could be accessible recognition firm Nuance, features Here’s a sneak peek of some of the Many brands can leverage this in a through a voice assistant. Suresh software that sits alongside the other Indian brands that are digitally big way. The key is how they are able doesn’t consider these to be existing brand’s virtual assistant ‘Dru Assist’. keeping ahead of the pack across to trace a consumer’s life and where gaps, but simply opportunities for Spirits brand, Patron Tequila, categories: they see the best fit. both brands and customers to take partnered with Amazon’s Alexa to Music - Music streaming service Unlike other mediums, voice advantage of. bring its ‘Cocktail Lab’ recipe library Gaana has integrated its catalogue gives users the freedom to multi- Before apps came along, we were to consumers via voice activation. through an Amazon Alexa Skill task. “Other than ordering stuff, be ordering pizza from landlines. “Indian British online supermarket allowing listeners to say “Alexa, play it FMCG, restaurants or e-retailers, brands have already begun thinking brand, Ocado, released its app party music on Gaana” to get the party this can change ‘home cooking’ as digital; but how they keep pace with for Amazon’s Alexa to enable started. a category. Any number of brands emerging technologies, remains to be customers to add groceries to their Kids - India’s favourite hero, or categories can own the space,” seen,” he says. shopping list by voice command. Chhota Bheem has launched an says Vengalil. So, is it the need of “For instance, can we order from Whirlpool announced a collaboration immersive game that lets kids help the hour for Indian brands to start Amazon through Alexa? If that’s with Amazon’s Alexa that will see the character explore the caves of thinking about how they can become possible, then everything from home appliances operated by speech. Dholakpur and safely bring his part of the daily digital lives beyond buckets of chicken to plastic buckets In 2016, PayPal announced an friend Kalia back to the village. To the tactile interface? can be ordered via our friendly voice update on its app on the iPhone start playing one simply needs to Vengalil rewinds to the debut assistant,” he quips. and iPad to support a new payment say, “Alexa, open Chhota Bheem of smart-speakers when sceptics Will the tech-mobile instruction- transactions service via Siri, allowing Adventures”. weren’t convinced. ‘Weren’t online based service brands take this forward users to send and request money in 30 Entertainment - PVR has music stations and YouTube playlists in India? Suresh has this to say. “The countries around the world by voice. introduced its “PVR cinemas” Skill enough?’ they asked. “But the volume reason apps revolutionised the food Burger King capitalised on enabling consumers to book tickets of growth in the category drowned industry was because, with over Google Home devices through a TV and even have a conversation with the out these voices of dissent, proving 350 million smartphone users in ad prompting the phrase ‘OK Google, lovable ‘Bauua’ from the movie Zero, that there’s always a market for the country, the concept could be what is the Big Whopper burger. available as a Skill on Alexa. something that is tech-loaded and implemented on a large scale. India’s Whisky giant Johnnie Walker Rahul Vengalil, founder at What has the potential to make our lives growth in the smart-speaker category announced a collaboration in Clicks, a digital media audit and ‘easier’,” he says. is at its infancy. When products and 2017 with Amazon Alexa to create strategy firm, is of the opinion According to independent brand services can be ordered through the new ‘Johnnie Walker Skill’. that becoming a seamless part consultant Suresh L, KFC’s innovation a voice assistant from every smart Uber also allows users to book of the consumer’s life is another comes as the next milestone in the device across the country via voice, cabs via voice command to Alexa way of offering a better customer evolution of customer service - not the role of fingers will be restricted to and Google Home. On that note, in experience “Imagine the possibility entirely unexpected, but a revolution, a good licking after a KFC meal.” n India, both Ola and Uber allow you that brands have in rural India as nonetheless. Tomorrow, it’s possible [email protected] 4 afaqs! Reporter, February 1-15, 2 0 1 9 pooe Analysing the old wafer cream ‘format’..