OTT platforms partner Bollywood content creators
Known to create instant nostalgia through their snippets, especially among movie buffs and bring fresh perspective through accompanying memes, creators are finding particular draw on platforms like Instagram.
PremiumNEW DELHI : Buoyed by the increasing popularity of content creators who consistently produce edits of Bollywood songs and scenes, video streaming platforms are partnering them to promote new shows and movies, as they look beyond regular influencers.
Services like ZEE5 and Disney+ Hotstar have tied up with these creators for shows like Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo over the past few weeks. Known to create instant nostalgia through their snippets, especially among movie buffs and bring fresh perspective through accompanying memes, creators are finding particular draw on platforms like Instagram.
To be sure, content creators such as these are known to edit and post interesting clips or make Reels based on film songs and scenes, often from the 1990s and early 2000s, to cash in on their nostalgic appeal, and gain traction, especially among film buffs and fan communities.
“The rise of short form video, driven by the popularity of Reels, has given rise to many new genres and formats. One of them is where people curate content to make entertaining Reels. These mostly take the form of memes and get popular because of the trending audio including songs or dialogues," said Paras Sharma, director and head of content and community partnerships at Meta.
Another reason for the popularity of this format, because of its interplay with memes, is the way they are shared rapidly in DMs on Instagram, Sharma added. Recently, Amazon miniTV partnered with Meta, where a select group of creators will collaborate and create content around key properties from the streaming service. The partnership began with a collaboration with creators for the Suniel Shetty-starrer Hunter: Tootega Nahi Todega.
Creators who use Bollywood content to create new posts or Reels offer a fresh perspective that combines nostalgia and newness, resonating with the audience. They tap into the emotional connection viewers have with Bollywood movies and characters, fostering interactions, Sushmita Sinha, associate director, key accounts at digital and social media marketing agency TheSmallBigIdea said. “OTT platforms and film studios collaborate with them due to their targeted reach and dedicated fan base. These collaborations generate buzz, discussions, and conversations around releases, amplifying engagement," Sinha explained.
“The approach of such creators is akin to running a fan page for the movies, where the content itself takes the spotlight. In contrast, influencer content tends to prioritize the creator as the hero," she said.
Sinha cited the example of qualiteaposts, an Instagram creator who used Bollywood soundtracks to create content around Netflix original Never Have I Ever recently.
Himanshu Arora, co-founder of digital agency Social Panga said discoverability is the most important challenge for any branding and marketing activity. "In today’s digital world, the more you're seen or consumed, the more is your recall. Leveraging content creators to market Hindi films allows the audience to have recall moments and connect with the movies is slightly higher," Arora added.
These creators bring in their own uniqueness and creativity to content while keeping Bollywood as their central point of focus, Mitesh Kothari, co-founder and chief creative officer at digital agency White Rivers Media said. “It’s a niche that their audience seeks comfort in. While commercials may significantly vary depending on the engagement, reach and other parameters, it is true that this form of advertising has marked its due territory in the film marketing industry," Kothari added.
While still not commanding the kind of draw influencers do, certain pages have already established themselves as popular creators, consistently producing content for OTT players and studios, even as smaller pages start to gain traction. Divyansh Gala, group head, outreach, at digital agency SoCheers said. Thanks to snackable content brought out by such creators, people are starting to sample bits and pieces of a movie or series, and are compelled to watch the entire title if the plot or characters resonate with them. In fact, filmmaking or content creation is no longer a game of expensive studios, star cast or big-budget equipment, and content creators have set a big example of how content can be created or promoted with minimal resources, Prabjeet Singh, manager at NOFILTR.GROUP, a Mumbai-based marketing agency said.
“Content curators in the realm of Bollywood are drawn to editing and curating content because they enjoy the art of content creation and building a community of like-minded individuals who engage with them. While primarily popular on Instagram, their appeal extends to other platforms as well, barring long-format content platforms which may not align with their style," said Mrunali Dedhia, vice-president at influencer marketing agency Chtrbox.
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