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Tag: Disney

  • Virtual Influencers: Hit or Miss?

    Virtual Influencers: Hit or Miss?

    Kunal SinhaIf you looked at recent CMO surveys and panel discussions lately, artificial intelligence (AI) and influencer marketing are on top of the agenda. 81% of US marketers say that influencer marketers is an essential part of their social media strategy; 77% of Indian marketers are confident in their agency’s capability to effectively manage influencer campaigns[1]. At the same time, 81% marketers say that AI has had a positive impact on their work[2]; and over three quarters of Indian marketers (78%) say they are ready to embrace AI[3].

    What happens when you combine the two? We get virtual influencers. Even though human influencers still vastly outnumber virtual influencers, the latter have caught the fancy of marketers and agencies and are becoming increasingly common.

    52% of U.S. social media users already follow a virtual influencer, and that percentage is higher in India at 58%[4].

    Global brands including Prada, Cartier, Disney, Puma, Nike, and Tiffany use virtual influencers to promote their products.

    Lil Miquela is a pioneer in the virtual influencer space. Describing herself as a 19-year-old robot living in LA, she has 2.6 million followers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/?hl=en

    and 3.5 million followers on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lilmiquela?lang=en

    Managed by creative agency Brud, she has featured in brand partnerships with Prada, Calvin Klein and BMW, earning a spot on TIME magazine list of 25 Most Influential People on the Internet.

    Fashion brand Myntra created the virtual influencer Maya, incorporated her into the studio section of the Myntra app, where she doles out fashion advice apart from advocating mental health, inclusivity and body positivity. ‘Based out of Bangalore, and a student’, she has a follower base of 178K already, and endorses brands like L’Oreal.

    https://www.instagram.com/maya_unlimited/?hl=en

    Kyra or Kyraonig was created by Himanshu Goel, launched in Jan 2022, and enjoys a following of 243000 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kyraonig/?hl=en.

    She has has been prominent in the music and entertainment industries, endorsing various brands such as Amazon Prime Video, boat, MG, Titan EyeX and John Jacobs.

    Within two years, it is expected that  marketers will dedicate 30% of their celebrity and influencer marketing spends to virtual influencers[5].

    What should they keep in mind, as they embrace this opportunity?

     

    Virtual influencers give you control over content

    Brands that want to get across a certain message or have a specific point to make through their influencer partnership have a higher level of control over content with virtual influencers. Being able to control what an influencer posts can be appealing to some brands with a very specific message to share.

    Youth entertainment channel MTV collaborated with DDB Mudra to develop India’s first virtual rapper ‘BotHard’ to draw attention to its property, MTV Hustle 2.0. The bot was brought to life with the GPT3 platform and was specially trained to find rhyme structures of popular rappers. This collaboration inspired the creation of over 350,000 rap videos, with the show racking up 2 billion views across social platforms. This represented a nine-fold growth over the previous season. By creating a virtual influencer in-house provided the brand with greater control, agility, intellectual property ownership, and brand differentiation.

     

    Adaptability

    Virtual influencers don’t age, can speak multiple languages and can be made to travel to any place. This level of adaptability and flexibility allows brands to potentially use one virtual influencer for campaigns in different regions instead of identifying and engaging different influencers in various markets.

    British fashion house Ralph & Russo, successfully used a virtual influencer to launch its 2020–2021 couture collection. The company designed Hauli, a tall Black virtual model. Her name was derived from the Swahili words for strength and power.

     

    The campaign featured her posing at the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and other wonders of the world, location where conducting a photo shoot with a human influencer would be difficult (and expensive). The combination of an African influencer and a global context contributed massively to the campaign’s success. The promotion achieved 19.4 million views worldwide, with the brand estimating the value of the media exposure at $65.1 million.

     

    Brand safety and reputation

    While virtual influencers may seem to be a safer bet than real-life influencers, they’re not completely immune to controversy.

    Humans don’t fully understand how these systems work or make decisions, which poses a huge challenge for marketers and agencies. In the absence of clarity, is difficult for brands to predict how these virtual influencers might be accepted. Granted AI’s cool factor, marketers should be careful about diving in headfirst to avoid unfavourable PR.

    Earlier this year, automaker Mahindra launched an AI-generated influencer named Ava, which was designed to showcase the team’s journey in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and towards a more sustainable future for the planet. Mahindra’s team used GenAI tools like Midjourney and Leonardo AI to create its new ambassador, saying ‘Having Ava, an influencer that is strongly associated with us and documents our journey, but with a broader appeal to help promote our core values as an organisation, is a project we’re hugely excited about.’

    Eva’s Instagram account @avabeyondreality described itself as a “Sustainable Tech Queen & Racing Rebel Robot”, with the goal of fueling inclusion through AI innovation. It documented the virtual influencer’s life through 11 posts, the first of which dated back to 8 December 2023.

    The launch of Eva was met with backlash from fans and media alike on social media. Many argued that the team should have hired a human ambassador rather than a virtual influencer.  Devin Altieri, a PR consultant in motorsport, wrote on X:  “Mahindra creating an AI team ambassador that is a woman instead of simply hiring one real, actual woman to fill that role is so incredibly messed up”. Alanis King, an auto journalist added: “I’m not an AI expert, but everything I see is about enormous energy use. Isn’t it weird to call this a ‘Sustainable Tech Champ’?”

    Faced with such strongly negative response, particularly from experts, Mahindra abandoned the project and deleted Eva’s Instagram account.

     

    Fuel fans and consumers’ desire for novelty.

    With some brand ambassadors and influencers, some brands find value in stability and longevity. We know how Tiger Woods’s association with Nike lasted 27 years.

    On social media era, on the other hand, many consumers crave something new and different, and find brands that rely on familiar celebrities as stale or uninteresting.

    As they scroll social media quickly, it requires something unusual to make them pause.

    Research shows that one reason consumers follow virtual influencers is that they are unexpected and previously unknown. Although betting on a virtual influencer may require a leap of faith, marketers should realize that human influencers may be perceived as overexposed or past their prime.

    Traditional influencer marketing can be expensive, particularly when collaborating with celebrities or industry experts. On the other hand, virtual influencers are a cost-efficient and scalable option, requiring less time and resources. While the initial investment in creating a virtual influencer can be significant, the long-term benefits far surpass the costs.

     

    Kunal Sinha is a senior strategy and foresights executive based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is the author of several books including The Future of India’s Rural Markets and Raw – Pervasive Creativity in Asia. He writes for MxMIndia every other Monday. His views here are personal.

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    [1] https://www.ey.com/en_in/media-entertainment/how-influencer-marketing-is-impacting-brands-in-india

    [2] https://sproutsocial.com/insights/index/

    [3] https://www.campaignasia.com/article/47-marketers-in-india-believe-ai-will-make-them-more-productive-linkedin-report/491903

    [4] Influencer Marketing Factory Report

    [5] Gartner global forecast, 2024

  • A Tale of Two Mergers, and the Future that Beckons

    A Tale of Two Mergers, and the Future that Beckons

    Shailesh KapoorIt was in December 2021 that we first heard an official announcement of the Sony-Zee merger. It took a little more than two years for that merger to be finally called off, unless we have another surprise in the offing. Since last year, there has been buzz about the Reliance-Disney deal. Earlier this week, there has been a formal announcement, leading to the creation of an Indian media behemoth, if there ever was one.

    Whenever someone has asked me this week what I think of the merger, my first response is that I’m glad it’s finally done. For more than two years, the news on these mergers have dominated attention, and now, we can move on. To more interesting things like content, marketing, technology, monetisation, the works.

    It’s largely speculative to predict how a merger of the nature of the Reliance-Disney one will impact the future of the industry. From the consumer side, there is unlikely to be any impact in the short term. Audiences eventually respond to content, marketing, and pricing, and it’s not currently clear how any of that is likely to be impacted. The first impact is felt at the level of the teams, as restructuring exercises are a natural outcome. Implementation of product and brand strategies can take their time, sometimes years.

    The Indian television industry is in the middle of a tough period. From single-digit percentage growth scenarios, it is now looking at potential degrowth in the coming year or two, however notional, in both revenues and subscribers. Of course, all the talk of young people not watching TV at all is highly exaggerated, and comes from a place of privilege. But there is no escaping the fact that linear television is no longer the first-choice destination of a section of audiences in India.

    But it’s not as if streaming is thriving. We are well past the pandemic-induced honeymoon period, and the reality that the Indian consumer is not willing to shell out the bucks for paid subscriptions is now upon us.

    The leadership team at Reliance-Disney has its task cut out, as do other major players in the category, including Sony and Zee. The next two-three years are going to see potential trend creation, across domains, ranging from streaming to linear TV to theatrical to news to sports. New rules will be written, and technology could play a decisive role. How exactly though? No one knows for sure. Technology giants Google and Meta are going to be very much at the centre of it all, enabling and influencing content and monetization decisions more than ever before.

    Successfully or not, the mergers are done with. The real excitement starts now.

  • The Reliance-Disney deal in 10 points

    The Reliance-Disney deal in 10 points

    1. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom 18 Media Private Limited (Viacom18) and The Walt Disney Company (Disney) announced on Wednesday the signing of binding definitive agreements to form a joint venture that will combine the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India. As part of the transaction, the media undertaking of Viacom18 will be merged into Star India Private Limited (SIPL) through a court-approved scheme of arrangement.

    2. The Board of Directors of the Company, at its meeting held on Wednesday, approved primary investment of Rs 11,500 crore (~US$ 4 billion) in Star India Private Limited (SIPL) to acquire 16.34% of the paid up equity share capital of SIPL in terms of the subscription agreement between the Company and SIPL. SIPL was incorporated on February 8, 1994. The turnover of SIPL, as per its audited standalone financial statement, for financial years 2022-23, 2021-22 and 2020-21 was Rs 17,332.78 crore, Rs 15,500.77 crore and Rs 11,761.90 crore, respectively.

    3. The transaction values the JV at ₹70,352 crore (~US$ 8.5 billion) on a post-money basis, excluding Post completion of the above steps, the JV will be controlled by Reliance Industries (RIL) and owned 16.34% by RIL, 46.82% by Viacom18 and 36.84% by Disney. Disney may also contribute certain additional media assets to the JV, subject to regulatory and third-party approvals. Currently, Paramount also has 13% stake in Viacom18, but there are rumours that it may exit the venture in some time.

    4. Uday Shankar and James Murdoch (Lupa Systems) own Bodhi Tree Systems which owns 13% of Viacom18.

    5. Nita M Ambani will be the Chairperson of the JV, with Uday Shankar as Vice Chairperson providing strategic guidance to the JV.

    6. Disney to provide content licence to the joint The JV see the coming together of the linear TV and digital streaming properties from both stables. That is: Star Plus, Colors, Star Sports and Sports18. All the regional channels.

    7. Jio Cinema and Hotstar are likely to be merged.

    8. The JV will have over 750 million viewers across India and will also cater to the Indian diaspora across the world. So basically it will be the combination of the media expertise, cutting-edge technology and diverse content libraries of Viacom18 and Star Plus the domestic and global entertainment content and sports livestreaming services. Also. Disney’s films and shows to Viacom18’s renowned productions and sports offerings. The JV will also be granted exclusive rights to distribute Disney films and productions in India, with a licence to more than 30,000 Disney content assets, providing a full suite of entertainment options for the Indian consumer.

    9. The transaction is subject to regulatory, shareholder and other customary approvals and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of Calendar Year 2024 or first quarter of Calendar Year 2025. This includes the all-important clearances from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

    10. The news operations of Reliance Industries (under Network18 Media & Investments Limited) are not part of this deal.

  • The Indian Premier League broadcast rights auction in June will impact the landscape of Indian media, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    On the field and off it: The big IPL year

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorThe biggest sporting event in India is currently underway. With each passing year, IPL seems to only grow in stature and brand value. This time, there are two new franchises, and the spectators are back in the stands too, albeit with a cap of 25 per cent. More franchises mean more matches and more talent on display, all of which eventually leads to higher monetization and valuation of brand IPL.

     

    But the eyes this year are not just on the ongoing IPL but also on what’s to follow on the IPL front over the next few weeks. IPL broadcast rights are up for renewal, and we are set to see a fierce battle in the auctions scheduled for mid-year.

     

    IPL is a crown jewel for Disney (Star), not just in India, but even worldwide. Hotstar, on the back of IPL, contributes more than 30 per cent to Disney+’s global subscriber base. Needless to say, Star India will stretch itself beyond its limits to retain both television and streaming rights.

     

    But there’s the newly-merged entity that goes by the working title Zee-Sony, which is a serious contender. Sony has been down the IPL road before, being the first ones to put their money on it, when the league was only an experiment, not a proven success story. With the combined might of two big networks, Star India’s competition is tougher than it was five years ago.

     

    Add Reliance (Viacom) to the mix, and we have a three-way tussle for IPL rights on the cards. BCCI’s decision to not go for combined bids this year makes things even more interesting, because it puts streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video into the reckoning, along with Google and Facebook.

     

    No amount of speculation can prepare us what may eventually happen when the e-auction commences on June 12 this year. But whatever the outcome is, it will shape the landscape of the Indian media industry for the next few years, even the next decade.

     

    The television industry is India has been struggling for relevance, despite being the medium with the highest reach, and by some margin too. IPL (and cricket in general) is one of the few things that keeps television relevant to the times, as far as media planning and buying goes. Digital viewership may have gone up, but television remains the dominant medium of sports consumption. The entire television industry, and the advertisers’ group (brands and media agencies), will be keenly awaiting the outcome.

     

    Till then, there’s some real cricket on the grounds to keep us busy. For another seven weeks, the cricketing action will continue to enthrall millions across the nation. It will also act as a reminder for the potential bidders everyday, on how big the opportunity in front of them is.

     

  • Partnership for two years

    Neeraj Chopra to endorse Disney Byju’s Early Learn App

    By Our Staff

     

    Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, represented by JSW Sports, has been announced as the brand ambassador for Disney Byju’s Early Learn App. It’s a two-year commitment.

     

    Said JSW Sports CEO Mustafa Ghouse: “While a lot has been written and said about Neeraj’s historic achievement in Tokyo, the story behind how he got there is one that is truly inspirational, making him a great role model for the youth. We have been working closely with Neeraj to identify meaningful brand associations, and this partnership made a lot of sense since he has always wanted to work with kids. We hope that the Disney BYJU’s early learners are inspired by Neeraj’s success and make the most of this learning platform.”

     

     

  • To help grow the music landscape further

    9X Media elevates Kanan Dave to business head of SpotlampE

    By Our Staff

    9X Media has elevated Kanan Dave to business head role of SpotlampE to drive the next phase of growth, strategy and the creative development.

    Kanan has been heading Marketing at 9X Media for the past 2 years. She is an experienced industry professional, with a career spanning over 15 years in media and entertainment sector. In her earlier roles at UTV and Disney, Kanan has managed the music and film marketing business, having worked on more than 50 movies across languages.

    Kanan Dave
    Kanan Dave

    Said Kanan Dave, Business Head  SpotlampE: “I am extremely happy to be a part of the company’s vision. SpotlampE has been a disruptor in the Indian music industry, giving independent and original music a great platform. The Independent music industry is at the beginning of a new era, driving deeper engagements in multiple genres and languages across the country and offering compelling content to artists, partners and fans. I look forward to working with the artists and creators alongside brands and media platforms to grow the music landscape further.”

     

     

  • The report predicts that the IPL buzz volume of the digital track will grow from 37 mn in 2019 to 60 mn+ in 2020, writes Indrani Sen

    IPL 13 Rules. And how!

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    Ever since IPL 13 began on September 19, 2020 with a massive 20 crore viewers on Star India Network and Disney + Hotstar, the tournament has been delivering high ratings on TV and OTT platforms.

     

    On the digital media front, IPL 13 is generating huge tractions over and above its coverage through Star India’s OTT platform Disney  + Hotstar. On October 30, 2020 Wavemaker published a press release on their mid-season report of “IPL Mesh 2020” covering matches from September 19 to October 24. Mesh is Wavemaker’s Realtime Data Intelligence tool which has integrated data from “multiple consumer touchpoints across Digital ecosystem ranging from Social Listening, Google Searches, Website visits, BARC, Video analytics in partnership with VIDOOLY, Interaction data points collected from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube” to arrive at the observations and predictions shared in the report.

     

    The press release by Wavemaker contains a few charts and whets the appetite for the total report. The report predicts that the IPL buzz volume of the digital track will grow from 37 Mn in 2019 to 60 Mn + in 2020. During the first 36 days of the tournament, CSK was the driving force behind the interactions on social media. Now that CSK has failed to secure a place in the playoff matches, it will be interesting to watch if the buzz volume of the track gets affected. Similarly, it would be interesting to see who takes the place of M S Dhoni as wicketkeeper in the Leading Player Index Leader Board.

     

    In the Leaderboard ranking of most loved ads, Dream 11, Oppo and Tata Motors took the first three positions in desending order. IPL 13 has also seen a never before engagement in gamification of Cricket Fantasy League with the top five Fantasy League in September 2020 generating 30 million google searches and 90 Million web traffic. Based on historical data, the report claims that there will be huge surge both in TVP and social buzz during the next two weeks which will counter the drop in the social media buzz over during the last few weeks as shown in the chart above.

     

    While the Wavemaker’s report reconfirms the accelerated growth of the digital media intractions in India, in traditional TV media also IPL 13 continues to deliver high ratings to the satisfaction of the advertisers who have invested their advertising rupee in cricket. A fortnight back on October 15, TAM released “IPL 13 Advertising Report 1” based on their ADEX data covering the period from September 19 to October 10 (25 natches).  The report has shown an 8% growth registered in average ad volumes from IPL 12 to IPL 13 during the same time span/ number of matches. 5 out of the top 10 categories have been from E-commerce with 35% share of IPL 13 advertising volume and Oppo India’s commercial made it to the top position quite fast during IPL 13 compared to 2nd position in IPL 12.

     

    The most interesting fact which has emerged from this Advertising Report is the participation of new categories and brands in IPL 13. According to the TAM Adex report 30+ new categories and 150+ new brands advertised during IPL 13 compared to IPL 12. It remains to be seen how the advertising frenzy builds up further during the last two weeks of IPL 13, strategically scheduled during the pre-Diwali season in this pandemic hit year.

     

  • Celebrate Diwali with blockbuster movie Mookuthi Aman starring Nayanthara and RJ Balaji

    Disney+ Hotstar VIP embraces Tamil

    By A Correspondent

     

    With its next big leap in content, Disney+ Hotstar VIP aspires to become the personal screen for Tamil content-watching audiences.

     

    Starting this Diwali, there is a major line-up planned, the first of which is blockbuster movie Mookuthi Aman starring Nayanthara and RJ Balaji. The platform is also set to launch specials shows – LIVE Telecast directed by Venkat Prabhu and starring Kajal Aggarwal; My Perfect Husband starring actors Sathyaraj and Seetha, Triples produced by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Jai Sampath and Vani Bhojan and November Story starring Kollywood’s Tamannaah Bhatia. And there’s more planned.

     

    Said Sunil Rayan, President & Head, Disney+ Hotstar: “We have always been at the forefront of reinventing and reimagining content in India. As we lay the foundation of presenting authentic stories that appeal to Tamil audiences, we are very excited to partner with some of the most prolific minds of the industry. As we announce the launch of new movies-before-theatre and Hotstar Specials shows, we are adding to our existing promise of providing great Tamil entertainment across Live Sports, before TV access to Star VIjay shows and much more – giving our audiences a wide array of content to choose from”

     

     

  • Disney Junior invited mothers to share some real life stories that have contributed in making their motherhood journey extremely special

    Disney Junior celebrates the spirit of motherhood with real mothers

    By A Correspondent

     

    On eve of Mother’s Day, Disney Junior celebrated the special relationship between mothers and their little ones across its digital platforms. Appreciating and acknowledging the joys and challenges, which come with being a mother, Disney Junior invited mothers to share some real life stories that have contributed in making their motherhood journey extremely special.

     

    Said an unnamed Disney spokesperson:“ Motherhood is an extremely special feeling – filled with warmth, joy and lots of cherished moments and we wanted to celebrate this journey with them,”

     

     

  • Starting yesterday (April 15), the latest season and all previous seasons along with the 2007 feature film are on the OTT platform

    Disney+ Hotstar Premium to air ‘The Simpsons’

    By A Correspondent

     

    After the launch of Disney+ Hotstar in India, the platform is now bringing the award-winning series ‘The Simpsons’ to India. Notes a communique: “Created by cartoonist Matt Groening, a collection of over 675 episodes spanning 31 seasons will be available on Disney+ Hotstar Premium.”

     

     

  • Three distinct offerings – Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Disney+ Hotstar Premium and an ad-supported basic tier will be available for consumers

    Hotstar will be Disney+ Hotstar set from April 3

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star India has announced the upgrade of Hotstar to Disney+ Hotstar from April 3, 2020. With a fresh new look and enhanced user interface, Disney+ Hotstar will offer content from Disney and technological expertise of Hotstar, giving users an unparalleled video streaming experience.

     

    Three distinct offerings – Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Disney+ Hotstar Premium and an ad-supported basic tier will be available for consumers.

     

    Said Uday Shankar – President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India: “With the success of Hotstar, we ushered in a new era for premium video streaming in India. Today, as we unveil Disney+ Hotstar, we take yet another momentous step in staying committed to our promise of delivering high-quality impactful stories for India that have not only entertained but also made a difference in people’s lives, a promise that is even more meaningful in challenging times such as this. We hope the power of Disney’s storytelling, delivered through Hotstar’s technology, will help our viewers find moments of comfort, happiness and inspiration during these difficult times.”

     

     

  • Given the delay in the beginning of the IPL, there is a pause on the roll-out

    Pause on Disney+ launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Disney India has put on hold the launch of Disney+, which was all set to launch later this month post the beginning of the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League.

     

    Uday Shankar

    Said Uday Shankar, President – The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India: “We recently announced that Disney+ would launch in India through the Hotstar service in conjunction with beginning of the Indian Premier League cricket season. Given the delay of the season, we have made the decision to briefly pause the roll-out of Disney+ and will announce a new revised premiere date for the service soon.”