The needle has shifted from compelling storytelling to hard-working content, says Ajay Mehta of Mindshare

This year, Mindshare Content+ will be focussing more on content that has the ability to convert business, said Ajay Mehta, Senior Vice-President, Mindshare Content+ and Partnerships. 

He said, “The needle has shifted from compelling storytelling to hard-working content. Given the growth of eCommerce, content has a larger role to play from an advocacy and B2B point of view. It can drive awareness, consideration, as well as conversion in one go. The key is to cut across the marketing funnel and it creates an impact on media, brand and business metrics.” 

Mehta told BuzzInContent.com that the content team at Mindshare has grown three times in size in the last five years and the average age of 80% of people in our team is 25 years. “Earlier, a lot of focus was on film and entertainment in terms of content partnerships and activations. Today, we offer solutions across social, B2B content, social commerce, advocacy and experiential. All of this is delivered given the diverse talent pool we have which complements each other beautifully to land solutions.”

Excerpts: 

What has led to media agencies strengthening their content arms in India?

Mindshare has been building its content arm for more than a decade. Today, we are far better placed in terms of the true intersection of media and creativity. Typically, one would go to a creative outfit for solutions but today, a lot of marketers are looking at media agencies for solutions. It’s also good to see how other agencies are following suit in terms of building content teams.

I realised the lines were blurring between creative and media when I moved to this side seven years ago. At that time, brand solutions revolved more around traditional media partnerships and activations across radio, and print, among others. Today, the explosion in media platforms has enabled us to give nimbler, faster, and more agile content solutions than a lot of other setups which have a very traditional way of approaching things. 

For example, we have a robust communication planning and listening team who have a pulse in the consumers’ life and help us deliver sharper and faster solutions. 

Even on the clients’ side, their roles are evolving. Not many years ago, clients started hiring digital experts along with brand managers. Now we are seeing a lot of companies hiring content and partnership leads, social commerce experts and advocacy heads. This just means that with the changing media and content ecosystem, the need for domain experts is also evolving.  

Do you think Mindshare has an edge over other media agencies when it comes to content, given that the agency was the first one to set up a content division internally?

Yes, I would like to believe that we are ahead of the curve and well-placed to deliver robust content strategies and solutions. 

Mindshare built its content vertical more than 10 years ago. A lot of clients see value in the way we look at communication and branded content today. We have dedicated teams for most of our key clients who work closely with them to create 360-degree solutions. 

We have seen a major shift where most marketers are asking for solutions beyond the 30 seconds. As I mentioned earlier, given the massive explosion in the media and content space, today we have to evaluate and create content in all forms and sizes: 3 seconds, 30 seconds, 3 minutes, 30 mins and even a 3-hour show or movie. The best part is that the team is sitting at the centre of the action working closely with the partner ecosystem and making the above a reality for brands. 

How has the content team at Mindshare grown over the years? How do you see it growing in the times to come? 

We have grown three times in size in the last five years. We have been on-trend and introduced various verticals which are relevant from a client’s business perspective. Earlier, a lot of focus was on film and entertainment in terms of content partnerships and activations. Today, we offer solutions across social, B2B content, social commerce, advocacy and experiential. All of this is delivered given the diverse talent pool we have which complements each other beautifully to land solutions.

The content stream is fairly new in India. Isn’t it challenging to hire people with skills in branded content? Even the attrition rate is very high. How do you go about it? 

The codes of communication don’t change. When we hire, we look at people who have a certain amount of experience working on brands or have a bent towards brand building. The cherry on the cake is if they have an added experience in partnerships and collaborations. We tend to hire talent from diverse backgrounds. This also helps in bringing a more 360-degree perspective. For example, we have a stand-up comedian to an influencer, to tattoo culture expert in our teams. Each one brings a unique perspective which helps decode pop culture and consumer behaviour.

When it comes to attrition, every industry is going through a churn, and in our business nothing is constant. Mindshare’s ecosystem is structured in a way that we take multiple efforts to retain good talent.

What is the average age of people in the content team at Mindshare?

The average age of 80% of people in our team is 25 years. People in this age group bring fresh thinking and a unique perspective. They are the ones spending more time on social platforms and gaming and are well engrained in the social culture. 

What will be the content team’s focus area for this year in terms of strengthening its content offerings? 

This year, we would focus more on content which impacts beyond media metrics. The needle has shifted from compelling storytelling to hard-working content.

We would focus on content that has the ability to convert business. Today, it is far easier to prove that. Given the growth of eCommerce, content has a larger role to play from an advocacy and B2B point of view. It can drive awareness, consideration, as well as conversion in one go. The key is to cut across the marketing funnel and it creates an impact on media, brand and business metrics. 

How do you ensure that the team remains updated with all the latest tools and trends in the content marketing space? 

There is so much social chatter happening every second that the traditional means of going into research is impossible. We rely a lot on reports, analysis, and social listening to build our narratives and solutions. We have proprietary tools that help enable this and track conversations in real-time. This keeps the teams up to speed with consumer behaviour w.r.t. content consumption, social sentiment and decoding of pop culture insights and codes.  

What does your agency bring to the table that other agencies don’t have in terms of content? 

There are several agencies that are setting up content teams as they too see value in what one can bring to the table. Today clients see great value in going beyond traditional means of communication. Content play has become a very critical space and has a large role to play given the media explosion. The demand for content is high. We are fairly equipped and ahead of the curve with the kind of work and products we are creating.