We have to be on OTT for content to maximise reach with TG, says Richa Singh of Diamond Producers Association

Over-the-top (OTT) media service is already a reality in India and it would be really naive for brands to not to have the medium in their content marketing plans. According to reports, India has nearly 180 million digital video consumers and already ranks among the top three countries with the highest SVOD (Subscriber Video on Demand) base. The OTT-led video market is further slated to grow by around 23% CAGR over the next five years.

While OTT platforms are growing at a phenomenal pace, consumption of entertainment content is the highest among all genres of content. According to a report published by Google earlier this year, video entertainment content accounts for the largest volume of internet usage on smartphones with over 36 minutes per day per user average video entertainment content watch time while ‘one of three’ hours of video entertainment content in India is already consumed on digital (among internet users). Google further predicted that two out of three entertainment content consumers will access OTTs by 2023.

Banking on the growth of OTT platforms and entertainment content consumption, last month, the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), as part of its prominent ‘Real is Rare’ campaign, collaborated with Wavemaker and Hotstar to launch its first web series, ‘Pyaar Actually’. The series comprises four videos with stories that are interlinked, showcasing love across generations and different relationships.

Pyaar Actually promo:

https://www.hotstar.com/in/pyaar-actually-promo/1260011124

In an interview with BuzzInContent, Richa Singh, Managing Director, Diamond Producers Association India, shared the rationale behind opting for a web series format on an OTT platform. She said, “Convenience is the key benefit offered by this format to its viewers. Besides the obvious reality that today’s youth prefers to view content on OTT platforms. What appeals to them the most is the ease to view the content of their choice at their convenience. We realised that if we wanted to maximise our reach with our TG, we had to be present on a platform they visit regularly.”

She said, “Web series also offers you creative liberty. Since ‘Pyaar Actually’ consists of four short stories that are connected to each other, a web series, unlike traditional forms of media, allows users to view them in any order.”

The brand spends 20-30% of its marketing budget on content. Through the brand’s global platform of ‘Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond’, the content approach has been to offer real and relatable stories to reach a highly engaged and relevant audience who feel passionately about diamonds.

Singh said, “It is a smaller number but the follower growth was organic and we achieved it because of our unique strategy in capturing our audience through content that is real, relatable and emotionally resonant.”

She also said that with the attention span of consumers decreasing, traditional mediums like television and print are not enough for the brands to reach out to the consumers.  The consumer wants more engagement and experience from the brands.

“The consumer does not want a brand to give her information, she wants you to have a conversation with her and show her how she can express her own individuality,” said Singh. 

DPA’s expectation from content platforms and creators who approach for collaborations is that they should understand the brand tonality and as long as the content resonates with its consumer and serves the brand objective.

Singh said, “Our expectations from content creators and platforms are to understand the underlying message that we wish to convey of positioning natural diamonds in a positive light, and suggest new and unique ideas to reach our consumers. We want to co-create content that works on their platforms and matches our strategy as well.”

‘Pyaar Actually’ highlights conventional topics such as feminism, old-age romance, adoption, consent, remarriage and step-parenting but have been addressed in a contemporary fashion. It’s the rare moments that make relationships stronger, and ‘Pyaar Actually’ recognises that to offer a new take on love down the ages. It focuses also on the similarities between precious natural diamonds and relationships such as endurance, strength and rarity.

Under the global umbrella of ‘Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond’, the brand has been creating content in multiple formats. Besides the TVC films that celebrate the often unacknowledged moments between a couple and define their relationship journey, the brand has created films of different durations showcasing how diamonds play a role in both everyday life and special occasions.

To drive aspiration for diamonds, and showcase how they play a role not just in weddings and traditional occasions but also in contemporary fashion, DPA created a lot of content during its collaboration with Lakme Fashion Week most recently, to display how natural diamonds can elevate and complement any prêt wear look.

Lakme Fashion Week videos:

The Diamond Producers Association believes it is essential to educate consumers about natural diamonds, their incredible formation journey, rich history and legacy. Last year, it collaborated with an infotainment TV series on Golconda diamonds supported by factoids on the origin and journey of natural diamonds.

The brand’s B2B and B2C content strategies differ because its audience for B2B is purely the diamond trade and retailers, whereas B2C speaks directly to the consumer. Singh said, “For B2B content, our objective is to offer them with material to educate consumers about natural diamonds. DPA wants to be the unbiased authority on all information pertaining to diamonds and so the content created for trade is largely educational and statistical in nature. Whereas for B2C, we combine the emotional resonance of diamonds with education, incorporating the pivotal role diamond has in the lives of our consumers.”