Time and again, we have clients asking for a '6-pack band', says Ajay Mehta of Mindshare

Ajay Mehta, Senior Vice-President, Content+, Mindshare, joined Mindshare in 2015 after spending more than 10 years at Ogilvy to head Content Strategy and Brand Partnerships for Unilever brands. In less than a year of his job at Mindshare, in 2016, the agency created India's one of the most iconic creative-led campaigns '6-Pack Band' for HUL's Brooke Bond Red Label. The campaign went on to win several global awards, including a Grand Prix in the Glass Lions category at Cannes Lions.

The campaign set a benchmark and became an aspiration for many marketers. It is to date a dream for many to produce such world-class viral campaigns that will be remembered forever. In fact, who doesn't want their content initiatives to go viral?

Mehta said, "Time and again, we have clients asking for a '6-pack band'. Those are iconic pieces. They happen once in a lifetime!"

In an interview with BuzzInContent.com, Mehta said Mindshare has successfully created a massive ecosystem of content creators across genres and mediums. "We work with all types of content creators who have opened up multiple avenues and enabled us to land several blockbuster pieces. From creating IPs, exclusive brand destinations, branded content with the pop culture at heart to snackable content, we have done it all," he said. 

He said content marketing is gaining prominence in the marketing plans of the brands and "Today the conversation has moved from creating bespoke content pieces to annual content calendars with a fair mix of Hero and Hygiene with substantial investments to back it".

Excerpts:

How has the Content+ division been performing for the last six years?

It's been five years since I joined Mindshare, and I have seen this unit and our offering consistently evolve and grow. We have created a massive ecosystem of content creators across genres and mediums. We work with all types of content creators who have opened up multiple avenues and enabled us to land several blockbuster pieces. From creating IPs, exclusive brand destinations, branded content with pop culture at heart to snackable content, we have done it all. Our content creator ecosystem cuts across publishers, music companies, movie studios, OTT platforms, influencers and traditional networks, etc.

Today the conversation has moved from creating bespoke content pieces to annual content calendars with a fair mix of Hero and Hygiene with substantial investments to back it. Clients are willing to collaborate with all kinds of partners and create content at scale with impact.

Mindshare has managed to create a niche for itself in the market wherein we are able to provide integrated content solutions across traditional and new-age partners.

What will be the focus area of Content+ in the near future?

In the short term, we will be leaning towards digital solutions with a large focus on social, influencer marketing, social commerce and B2B opportunities to help drive impact on the business of clients.

Does Content+ independently pitch for content marketing mandates, or does it mainly operate as a unit to service content needs of Mindshare's existing clients?

We don't believe in one size fits all. It depends on client to client. We do pitch independently and have different models that we operate and engage with.

When it comes to content marketing, your competition gets widened as brands are increasingly relying on independent content creators, especially those who provide them established platforms such as Pocket Aces, TVF and ScoopWhoop. Also, brands find them quite economical. How are you dealing with this competition?

It's an open field. There is a fair advantage we bring to the table, right from our domain knowledge; data-backed solutions and strategic experts who lead the conversation. We are a large group, and our relationship with key partners is our strength.

Working directly might seem economical, but understanding processes, pricing and, of course, our deep understanding of the brand and their business helps us land sharper and more in-depth solutions. We have created multiple products, standardised ways of working, created a fair marketplace which gives added advantage to our clients.

Many small and mid-size content platforms and creators are facing issues working with brands via agencies and prefer direct contact with brands. Do agencies slow the process? Are they (small content platforms and creators) not given enough importance in the overall content plan created for the brand? What could be the reason?

There are good experiences and poor experiences in business. When one works with so many partners, one realises who brings what to the table. Of course, we apply certain filters before approaching a content platform. We look at their scale; audience profiles, the capability to land ideas at scale, the idea itself needs to be sharp enough; their concept should have a strong consumer and cultural insight and the platform fits with the brand language and tonality. All these things come into play. At Mindshare, we work quite closely with all our content partners to create a much-desired impact for our clients.

Content marketing has not been able to take the main stage in the marketing strategy of brands, despite being a strong brand-building tool. Measurability of ROI is said to be the main reason behind this. How has Content + been dealing with it?

I tend to disagree. If you have to look at it from a measurability point of view, there are two things you look at. First, one always looks at the impact on the brand. The brand tracks and research will tell how the impact of the content has been in the short and long term. Second, a lot of our deals are performance-led and more like packaged deals with reach built into it.

For example, in the influencer marketing space, there is no science behind the pricing of the influencer. Today we have products that offer a definitive and guaranteed commitment of delivery. So, there is a pre-defined currency and standardised processes across all partners/brands.

It is seen that many highly content-focused brands prefer working with biggies in the content space such as Pocket Aces, TVF, ScoopWhoop. What will it take for the smaller and new platforms with some fantastic content ideas to win over the hearts of brands?

We first look at the content idea. Secondly, we see if the platform has reach. At times, the platform might have great work to show but not that kind of reach and engagement to that extent. Also, we work with all types of platforms. We don't restrict ourselves to one content platform. As long as the brand tonality fits the channel's tonality, the brand message is going to the right target audience in the right form; then half my job is done. We don't see small, medium or large; we instead look for the right partner with the right attitude and the capability to create compelling and engaging conversations.

Why is that every client goes behind making every piece of content viral?

That will never change. Time and again, you have clients asking for a '6-pack band'. Those are iconic pieces. They happen once in a lifetime! The intent is to get the best piece of work from us. When we did the 6-Pack band, it did seem a bit edgy, but we had a client who believed in it and therefore bought it. We did it for the right cause, and deep down inside we knew we were up for something big. The way it turned out, it made us believe the power of pop culture and the global impact it can have.

The perception attached to content marketing is that many new-age brands have been riding on it more aggressively than traditional brands. Do you see any change in recent times?

Digital lets a brand experiment and test across platforms with limited budgets. Today, a lot of brands are born on Instagram, and some are doing some really outstanding pieces and that too consistently.

For example, Swiggy's social media content strategy is outstanding. It takes time to get your brand look and feel, and tonality right and they cracked it. It's just a perception that only new-age brands are riding the content wave when actually traditional ones are also cracking the code.  

Do you think TV channels don't promote branded content as much as they promote their shows?

It depends on the kind of content deal the TV channel and the brand is signing up for. If the brand is pushing too much in-your-face content, then it will definitely put off the audiences. If there is a certain power in the idea, and if your content partner is convinced, it works wonders.

I'll explain with an example. We did something two years back with Star Sports for Brooke Bond Red Label in an India-Pakistan cricket match during Asia Cup. We got an opportunity to activate Brooke Bond Red Label in the match as the brand talks about 'Breaking Barriers' and owns the 'Togetherness space' for many years.

In the 1994 World Cup, there was a small tiff that happened between Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad on the field. Back then, Aamer smacked Prasad for a boundary and then pointed the bat towards the boundary line. On the next ball, Venkatesh bowled his off-stump and showed him the way to the pavilion. That to date gives any cricket fan goose bumps. We decided to bring them together, a reunion over a cup of tea. They hadn't seen each other for over 22 years. Star Sports loved the idea and put the content piece right before the match started not as branded content but the content itself. They also partnered us and promoted it well. Like I said if the content is great, everyone will put their might behind it!

What is your take on the kind of content being produced during these tough times?

Given the limitation in production and shoots, a lot of the work has shifted to social and more specifically through influencers. Approx. 60-70% of content these days is around self-shot content created by influencers.

Do you think that the influencer marketing space is yet to be utilised to its full potential? Mostly it is seen that the influencers are only being used as the amplification tool for the larger brand campaign.

Today, influencer marketing has become one more leg in the marketing mix and an alternative media which you can't ignore. What started as amplification or for seeding content has now seen a shift from just seeding/amplifying content to becoming brand advocates, more like quasi brand ambassadors.

In times like these, even celebrities are more willing to work with brands on digital platforms as they too are restricted to their homes with limited options in hand. The deals are sweeter too, and they are more flexible in their approach—a win for all in the business.

Do you think influencer marketing will lose its current sheen once shoots start and brands move back to traditional advertising to produce regular ads?

The number of influencer marketing campaigns has increased more than three times since last year. It's no more about the viral code. There are different models to engage with influencers. From tactical campaigns to thematic messaging from saliency building to driving action, they cut across all brand objectives. What started off as seeming to be a short-term phenomenon, it's definitely here to stay and evolve. You can't compare it to TV advertising as content here is created, seeded and at times amplified by the relevant influencers in their own tone and language. The current situation has proved that influencer marketing has helped brands be more agile and responsive in landing their message with the right audience.

Certain mediums have of course taken a hit to some extent, but TV viewership has grown phenomenally. But yet again, the challenge lies with original content and how the situation impacts the same. The near future certainly poses multiple challenges to produce large-scale content too, with a quick turnaround.