The power of content is rightly expressed only when it is curated well, say experts

Curating content with the right consumer insights is important to be different and stay on the success path, said panellists of the session titled ‘If content is king, curation is queen’.

The panel at BuzzInContent Conversations comprised Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Head East, Zeel, Amarpreet Singh Saini, Business Head, Zee Biskope and Big Ganga Zeel, Krishnarao S Buddha, Sr Category Head Parle Products, Ajeet Shukla, ECD, Publicis India, and Moderator Akansha Srivastava, Co-founder and Editor, BuzzInContent.

“There is a massive disruption in the environment now and if a brand needs to be on the success path, the key differentiator is going to be the underline culture of innovation and consumer centricity,” Ghosh said.

Experts said the power of good content is rightly expressed only when it is curated well. The underlying principle of curation here is being consumer-centric. Understanding the consumer and curating your product accordingly is the way to success.

“At Zee, we don’t treat the markets as India or Bharat but as many many Bharat within India, reflecting regional diversity. We are obsessed in bringing alive these culturally vibrant ‘Bharat’ in our marketplace wherein we are present currently,” said Ghosh.

Talking about Zee Biskope and Bhojpuri market, Saini said compared to other regional markets, Bhojpuri is relatively nascent, and the players and the offerings are largely commoditised.

“There is a high love for Bhojpuri movies in the region but not much effort has been done so far to consolidate that in a much curated manner — by genre, mood, the lifestyle of people —and that’s the gap that we have identified. The idea was that why not present a movie channel that not just showcases movies but offers you a content that is given to you at the time and in the manner of your liking,” Saini said.

Experts said that content curation should be done in a manner which is very well-defined and well-focussed.

Speaking on the importance of curation of content, Publicis’ Shukla said, “Curation is a process which has the involvement of both science and art. The responsibility of the curator has increased as they have to keep their audience in mind and based on that, give a well-curated content.”

What makes Zee Biskope stand out in the regional content market?

Rao of Parle Products said they have partnered with media across markets that understand the pulse of that market. Almost two decades ago, markets such as Tamil Nadu and Bengal were priority because they wanted to make a good ground in those regions. “We partnered there with local media houses and that helped us to relate and empathise with local audiences.”

“There are brands that need better penetration and there are certain markets that are still media dark predominantly from a certain point of view. With more and more channels coming in and better connectivity across, there is a better possibility to reach out to the remotest places of these markets” Rao said.

Rao said if there is a brand that understands the nuances of certain markets it makes immense sense for brand Parle to partner such with channels to connect with the audience. “Content collaboration reinforces brand proposition and Parle would be more than willing to partner with Zee Biskope and integrate most of our brands to have a proposition in the market.”

Saini said for brand integration, Zee Biskope will work on creating innovation, repurposing, re-engineering so that they are able to help the brands to meet their goals.

Counting on the category first initiatives by the channel, Saini said for the first time Pawan, Khesari and Nirahua, three big stars of the Bhojpuri film industry, who have their own set of fan bases, did a campaign together. None of them had worked together for a brand campaign.

The brand created a bouquet of offerings in its campaign for the audience to experience it as a package. “The brand song was the first in the category and no other channel has done it. In fact, we have done various versions of brand songs,” Saini said.

The brand used several moments to create engagement with regional audiences. “We are about to launch litti chokha divas to celebrate the food of the region,” Saini said.

Shukla said Zee Biskope is a differentiator in the category. Apart from the movies, the platform keeps on experimenting with new youthful initiatives to make it quirky for the audience. With all these initiatives on TV, the channel changed passive viewers to active users, Shukla said.

“Be it camera day, emoji day or dance day, these days are part of the western concept and are not a novelty but in a way, it's curated and presented by Zee Biskope in front of the viewers, which has made it a part of their novelty. They created emoji Lehariya so that the regional audience can emotionally connect with it and participate in the contest,” Shukla said.

Consumer engagement is one important checkbox that brands don’t want to miss. So how hands on is Zee Biskope when it comes to consumer engagement?

Ghosh said they have consciously made consumer engagement an extended part of the channel’s identity. “You need to create the avenue as people are waiting to engage more and more.”

Speaking on the future of the Bhojpuri category, Ghosh said, “The future of the category is bright and the vision of the channel is brighter and robust. The entry of new players in the market always helps the category and market to grow. Bhojpuri category is witnessing the entry of many new players in both movies as well as the GEC space. There is a positive sign as it will expand against other languages in the region. Zee Biskope’s vision will be very consumer-focused and a differentiator. In the Bhojpuri market, there is still a huge gap in what you can curate for the viewers. We will address that by being consumer-centric and offering curated movies and try all our engagements with our viewers through a robust viewer engagement programme.”

Full session - If content is king, curation is queen