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<ul><li><keyword id="9585113" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="sowmya-iyer-founder-ceo">Sowmya Iyer, Founder &amp; CEO</keyword> of <keyword id="6605522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="DViO-Digital">DViO Digital</keyword> writes how Covid-19 has accelerated the pace of adoption and achieved in two months what we may have otherwise done in 20 years.</li><li>She further writes what can brands expect and which way to steer their business. </li></ul>As a marketer of brands and businesses across a variety of sectors, I have been keenly observing the shifts and changes as they happen through the pandemic crisis that engulfs us today. Also, being an integral part of board room discussions for clients (read: “Zoom-room”!) conversations on "what next" for businesses, some key observations and patterns that we see emerge! While the degree of changes in all the above may vary, change is certain. What we do know is that we are entering an anxious new territory. What I do know is that businesses will need to be brave and demonstrate tremendous agility to survive and thrive in the coming times. Those who keep a keen eye out for their consumers and their changing lives will know exactly what to do or how to pivot, if and when required. Let’s pause and look at the things we are doing differently and ask ourselves whether we are likely to continue doing differently: <ol><li>Are we likely to travel differently?</li><li>Are we likely to buy differently?</li><li>Are we likely to work differently?</li><li>Are you likely to consume entertainment differently?</li><li>Are we likely to eat differently?</li><li>Are we likely to socialise differently?</li><li>Are we likely to exercise differently?</li><li>Are we likely to do healthcare differently?</li><li>Are we likely to study differently?</li></ol> The most dramatic change of all has been adoption of digital technology. The earlier shift to digital was at best a reluctant experiment for most businesses. Covid-19 has accelerated the pace of adoption and achieved in two months what we may have otherwise done in 20 years. So when travel, malls, retail outlets, universities, offices, gyms, healthcare clinics and restaurants return, what changes are they are likely to see? According to a recent McKinsey report: <ul><li>Net consumer optimism has declined. Consumers are spending more on essentials and not on discretionary categories.</li><li>Consumers are shifting to online and digital solutions as well as reduced-contact channels to get goods and services.</li><li>Consumers also want to see an ongoing emphasis on cleaning and safety.</li><li>Even though many countries have lifted stay-at-home restrictions, most consumers still feel the pull toward a “homebody economy.”</li></ul>Among other trends that we may observe, the low-to middle-income groups are likely to cut down on their spending more deeply than the middle-to-high income groups, who are not likely to cut down on their spending but spend on things that really matter to them and become more mindful of their spending. So coming to my original point, brands and businesses that have their ears and eyes open to their consumers will know which way to steer their business. What to expect Travel: As travel opens up, people will choose to go to places that they can drive to and not need to use a public transport vehicle (flights, trains, buses). Thus, your typical weekend destinations will benefit and local tourism economy will flourish. Homestays, Airbnbs and resorts spread over large areas with lower density of people and more private areas will do better. Luxury travel is likely to take a new meaning. The aftermath of the shocks we encounter in life is typically pause and reflection. So also with this crisis, spiritual retreats, yoga retreats, wellness centres, meditation camps, and places that take you closer to nature are likely to take on the new definition of luxury. Buying and retail: E-commerce will become the norm, if it hasn’t already. The deep adoption that’s already happened renders it impossible to revert to earlier ways of shopping. With growth of e-commerce, the cost of going to market (GTM) for most brands in essentials, FMCG and wellness will reduce dramatically. More players will enter the market, offering stiff competition to established brands. The rate of innovation on products will be like never before Most will enjoy experimenting with new products with brand loyalty becoming a transitioning phenomenon. Customer reviews will become the new currency to build loyalty. For reasons I’ve mentioned earlier in this article, products that cue health and wellness, natural, immunity building and organic will do particularly well. The world will see more people turning to vegan and practising conscious eating. As people spend more time at home, home décor brands are likely to innovate and offer products and solutions to refresh homes on a regular basis. Healthcare and Hospitals: Telemedicine will finally become a reality. Doctors and hospitals would have adopted the digital wave like they probably never imagined. Remote robotic surgeries will become the norm, and this technology will also open up a global market for the healthcare and hospitals industry. Fitness: Home fitness will take centre stage. Fitness apps and online fitness classes will see an uptick. Products and equipments that encourage home fitness will also see higher demand on marketplaces. End-to-end online fitness solutions including delivery of health food will emerge. Entertainment: Lastly, home entertainment businesses--OTT and music streaming platforms, and online live concerts—will see growth. Advertisers and media planners will be working in an entirely new media ecosystem. OTT advertising, content partnerships, digital audio, and so forth. At last digital based economy will become a real thing that means real business. Paying for digital experiences will become a reality. Of the pandemic shouldn’t have been a part of this deal. What marketers should know These testing times call for us marketers to go beyond business as usual. These are times for us to rethink, reinvent, and experiment with models of marketing. Zero touch searches I do believe voice search will evolve faster and so will adoption of voice search devices. At DViO we have been rapidly optimising our clients’ businesses for voice search. When the industry is already projecting 50 % of searches using voice, it’s may be prudent to get your businesses optimised for voice. Content for context: Thanks to the coronavirus crisis, there has been a dramatic change this year in the lives of everybody on earth. Never before has humanity unanimously experienced feelings of fear, stress, concern for loved ones and anxiety about the future. So clearly, the old ways of communicating with consumers will be out of context, and will likely sound alien to most people. Any communication from brands needs to be viewed through the lens of the current lives of consumers. The questions that brand managers need to ask themselves are: “Am I helping? Is my communication working towards improving the lives of people--even if only a tad? Is what I am sharing adding value directly or indirectly and addressing the concerns of my consumer?” In order to align with these questions for our customers, at DViO, we are working to personalise every piece of communication to an unprecedented point of detailing the digital landscape. Authenticity: For brands, this is also the right time to pause and reflect on their raison d’être. Purpose is like the North Pole that helps navigate through the roughest of seas. Whatever shifts you plan to make to your communication and marketing strategy, go back and make sure it aligns with the core purpose of why you exist in the first place. Consumers will catch inauthentic communication faster than you can imagine. Anything you to do to simply "look good" simply won't fly. Changes in the media landscape: Online video, social media, and news content will continue to enjoy high consumption. But in addition, the media landscape will witness a new ecosystem of channels, which includes OTT, digital audio, content partnerships etc. Media plans will need to be kept flexible to adapt to changes on the go. Lastly, brands that win in the long run will connect authentically, demonstrate care for communities, and spread the much-needed positivity in the world today.

A look at consumer behaviour and marketing trends in Covid-19

<ul><li>Many research studies conducted across the world show that women are more stressed and discouraged since the pandemic began as they take on an increasing amount of responsibility at home and in their careers.</li><li>The ad, media and marketing industry has a lot more women today than a decade ago. However, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours and ever-increasing workload.</li><li>So this Women’s Day, we decided to speak to women in leadership positions about how we can make women feel welcome at workplaces. They told us how employers can support women and create a more high-trust, inclusive environment for the future.</li><li>The women leaders we spoke to believe organizations need to prioritize training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles, and this should be a part of the company’s culture.</li></ul>In the work-from-home era, the responsibility of unpaid domestic work and raising kids has fallen on Indian women more than men. This has affected their ambitions and careers, widening the gender gap at the workplace. A McKinsey report found that women around the world have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has heightened the large and small inequalities—both at work and at home—that women face daily. One in four women are considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers versus one in five men. Women only form less than a third of the workforce in marketing, sales and less than a fifth in data analysis, and artificial intelligence, revealed a World Economic Forum’s 2020 study. Another survey by Deloitte found that 51% of women are less optimistic about their career prospects than they were before the pandemic. A lot of women who have chosen to stick to their jobs have missed out on a fair promotion or raise. A LinkedIn report shows that 85% of women in India have missed out on a raise, promotion because of their gender. Women’s careers are observed to have been more adversely affected despite increasing flexibility at work, as 68% of women and 74% of working mothers in India say it is difficult to balance career and familial responsibilities today. More than 7 in 10 women and working mothers in India also say that household responsibilities often come in their way of their career progression. As you move up in the hierarchy of the corporate world, there’s also a lack of women leaders in the upper rungs. As per Egon Zehnder Global Diversity Report 2020, women in India occupy 5% of executive chairs and 10% of non-executive chairs. The report indicates that only 11% of committee chairs are held by women, while the number stands at 27.3% globally. Having said that, the world of advertising, marketing and media has seen a lot of <keyword id="3275573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="women-in-leadership-roles" source="Orion">women in leadership roles</keyword>. While we are still far from an equal man-woman ratio in the industry, it is heartening to see more and more women take the top spots. On the other hand, advertising and media are industries that hold a lot of power in shifting perceptions and mending beliefs. The advertising industry was infamous for perpetuating gender stereotypes -- from a sacrificing mother to a man being the bread-earner, the portrayal of women has remained very shallow for years. How brands depict women and their role in society has evolved today, she is independent, she has a voice and is slowly learning to care less about society’s judgement, but we haven’t taken a big leap yet. She is still a woman who is ‘aesthetically pleasing,’ fair-skinned, doesn’t come from a minority community and is a little far from real. There’s almost no progress towards including transwomen in women’s day ads or communication throughout the year. Once we achieve an equal number of gender representation inside Indian advertising agencies, media organisations and the marketing world, there will be diverse opinions in a brainstorming session, leading to better B2C communication. So this women’s day, we decided to speak to women in leadership positions about how we can make women feel welcome at workplaces. They told us how employers can support women and create a more high-trust, inclusive environment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what they had to say about improving equality at work: Meghana Dave - Head Marketing &amp; PR, Lamborghini India: Power v/s Purpose, women inherently are purpose-driven. The changing environment requires leadership that is driven by adaptability, agility and ambition. Today, companies need these traits to outperform competition which has to deliver in the known and unknown environment. To bring balance and speed with positivity, we need more women in the leadership role. Look at what Falguni Nayyar has done with Nykaa or Anjali Sudd has done with Vimeo. In the 21st century companies will need purpose, innovation and balance to achieve the top position, and the right time to bring women to lead the next generation of business growth. To encourage more women to join these industries by encouraging new formats of working culture or environment. Covid has challenged the traditional approach, and today work from home has become the new normal. Secondly, by promoting diversity and opening leadership positions for women and third, we can improve the pay scale and inculcate mentorship for potential women leaders. Rachna Kanwar, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Media, Radio City and Mid-Day: Women in Corporate India have taken a heavy toll during Covid 19 lockdowns. Organisations, however, rarely recognise the double effort that women have to put into their regular day, which during the pandemic, ravaged their mental and physical health. Having said that, women emerged stronger, seldom seeking ‘preferential treatment.’ Companies need to address and recognise this effort as women continue to remain underrepresented at all levels. Thankfully, in the Media industry, with the inclusion of advertising &amp; marketing, there have been plenty of examples of women super achievers acting as role models for younger women which has led to greater gender parity, but women leaders still need to play a major role in supporting and seeing to it that more leaders emerge from the shadows of doubt and stereotypes to claim their rightful places. It is heartening to see more and more women leaders at Radio City and Midday and all of us here are committed to diversity and excellence. Building a positive mindset for diversity at all levels in an organisation goes a long way in ensuring an equal workplace. Strong women leaders in the organisation act as role models for women aspiring to reach the top. They also help in providing a more empathetic environment which is required at certain delicate stages of a woman employee’s career. And lastly, they provide the much needed confidence both for the women employees and the organisation by being a case study in excellence. At Radio City, a large number of leadership positions are held by women which motivates and inspires the mid-level and entry-level women employees to dream big. Diversity has many virtues and numerous reports time and again have proved that a diverse organisation is a better organisation. Radio City was amongst ‘India’s Best Workplaces for Women in 2019.’ Additionally, in 2020, Radio City ranked 4th in ‘Best Large Workplaces in Asia’, according to the GPTW survey. Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director, Syska Group: I think what is happening is we are definitely attracting more women, but are unable to retain them. The industry also needs to take steps to stop showcasing and representing women in stereotypical ways. The truth is women need to start taking credit for their work, brag and self-promote. What men need to understand is with diversity creativity and innovation only booms. I personally feel advertising, media and marketing industries are more unstructured, and there is no one to help you climb that ladder. You will have to do it yourself. More so we need more women, to help support and mentor other women. I think to be a safe and inclusive environment, we really need to listen to our employees. I have always said that my employees are my first customers. Goals and expectations need to be set mutually, team members need to appreciate each other and there has to be a certain level of trust within the team. Megha Agarwal, CXO-Growth, Meesho: In my last 12 years of working, I have seen many smart women entering the workforce but also taking a step back and stepping out, especially at two pivotal points – marriage and motherhood. The societal maxim is such that it places higher expectations on women, compelling them to juggle many roles – wife, mother, primary caregiver among others. What is imperative is to create support structures that empower them to strike the perfect balance between personal and professional commitments. An example on this front could be Meesho’s recent boundaryless workplace model, enabling people to work from home/ anywhere so that it gives flexibility to facilitate adjustments. Additionally, we, as employers, also need to make a perception shift towards sabbaticals taken by women to rear children. These vital steps could be further bolstered by initiatives aimed to ease their comeback into the workforce again. The responsibility lies with us to act as change agents to create the change we aspire to see. Pragya Misra, Public Affairs Director at Truecaller: I have always believed that empathy, freedom to be authentic and listening are critical to building a work environment that promotes equality. This begins with introducing diversity in the leadership so that the perspectives and related challenges of different employee profiles can be properly understood and addressed. Finally, implementing flexible policies, promoting healthy and non-late work hours, having industry standard pay scale and having actionable punishments (and transparency) in place for any intolerant offenses are some of the other measures that can be put into place to ensure a safe and equal work environment. At Truecaller, being respectful, celebrating diversity and equality in the workplace is deeply set in our values as a company. We continue to make communication safer through our spam blocking, scam and fraud alerts, this principle of safety reflects in our workplace through our employee policies. The inability to feel safe in both offline and online spaces adversely impacts women’s confidence and hinders their ability to grow and thrive. This year we are urging people to #CallitOut and report harassment to the authorities when you see or experience it. We are bringing together all the key stakeholders like government, law enforcement, civil society, mental health experts, lawyers and survivors to work collaboratively to improve the safety of women and continue our 5 year long effort to minimise harassment. This year, we want to create an environment that allows women to feel safe in society, their workplace and in their online communication. Kanika Mittal, Large Customer Solutions, Lead at Twitter India: I strongly believe that a leader is only as good as his/her team &amp; therefore our path starts with building a team that looks like the amazing people of all backgrounds and abilities who use our service every day. At Twitter, we're on a journey to become the world's most inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible tech company — it's key to serving the public conversation. For Inclusion &amp; Diversity strategies to have an impact, leaders along with companies need to ensure that they are tackling systemic challenges and also impacting and nurturing inclusive behavior amongst the team. This requires adapting a new way of thinking and making the right decisions such as becoming more distributed, empowering women employees to share and leverage their unique perspectives and experiences for growth and opportunities. Collectively we’ve got work to do to build a truly inclusive culture across the industry. We’ve made steady progress, and as industry our work doesn’t end <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UntilWeAllBelong?src=hashtag_click">#UntilWeAllBelong</a>. Anika Wadhera, Head of Digital Marketing, Sirona: A supportive work environment is one in which each and every employee can discuss job-related difficulties in confidence and without fear of backlash. Actively showing appreciation to the staff, and encouraging them to exhibit appreciation for each other, is an easy and gratifying way to establish a great working atmosphere. Employees, both male and female, should be taught about ethical behavior and how to create a culture that supports everyone's safety. Although enforcing policies and holding instructional sessions are beneficial, a process or system that promotes power equality in the business can be implemented, reducing the number of unpleasant experiences. My advice to all wonderful women around me will be to ’Take a stand for yourself &amp; be vocal. The world is your oyster.’ We as 21st-century women should focus on creating a network; it may be one of the most powerful factors in our career at any level, whether one is a fresher or a senior leader, just network, network &amp; network. Shradha Agarwal, COO &amp; Strategy Head, Grapes: Women at leadership roles play a very crucial role in the comprehensive growth and development of any organization. They are the true manifestation of sustainable growth. A woman inherently is nurturing and being in a leadership position helps her in cultivating an inclusive work culture with diversity at the core of the organizational structure. This diversity is the precursor of diverse ideas that stimulates creativity and champions for more quality in business operations. Women have a warm and welcoming disposition which enables the organization to develop a much stronger bond and connect with their customers. In any workforce, the major loophole at the very base level is the lack of proper guidance to define the roles and duties to be fulfilled by a person. In order to help them realize their true potential, it is important to first connect with the people. By putting themselves in other’s shoes it becomes easier to understand the situation better and provide a relatable solution. As developing a connection and affinity for people comes naturally to women, in leadership positions they are better able to relate with and understand the pain of their teammates. To get women to join the advertising and marketing industry the mantra is very simple, just make them feel they are making ads for themselves. As women are better listeners and good storytellers, one needs to harness these qualities of women to motivate them to pursue a career in this field. They are better adept at giving a diverse perspective and drawing holistic pictures to a narration. Advertising and marketing is not about selling products, it goes way beyond and is about telling the right story. It is about connecting with the brand rather than the product as the products can be replaced but the brand remains constant. And women love and enjoy such jobs, it is just that we need to tap on this quality of women. Sowmya Iyer, Founder and CEO of DVio Digital: Women have faced more significant economic hardships through the pandemic - disproportionately losing jobs and income. A recent report by LinkedIn shows how Covid-19 has impacted women’s careers. About 85% of women in India have missed out on a promotion because of their gender. Despite the increase in flexibility at work, women’s careers are observed to have been more adversely affected. So, it is safe to say that we are far away from building an inclusive environment for employees of all gender spectrum. Company policies will have to be redefined and relooked at to give women space to work, grow, and balance their careers and Homes. DViO Digital, is an equal opportunity provider. We work towards hiring and promoting our employees based on their merit and not just gender. Our current workforce has a fair divide of 55:45 women to men ratio; a similar trend can be seen in our leadership team, which has a 60:40 ratio (60% women and 40% men), which is not by design but by default. Hence it is safe to say that women are naturally inclined towards the advertising and marketing industry. Tanya Bami - Series Head, Netflix India: The representation of women in entertainment has been increasing with the times and we couldn’t be happier! At Netflix, we are focussed on entertaining the world with authentic stories that are a true reflection of our times and society. Be it Delhi Crime, Aranyak, Masaba Masaba, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, or our latest series The Fame Game, the characters can be determined, driven, fabulous or flawed.” •Since the beginning of 2020, we have collaborated with over 2400 women creators, talent, and crew on and off screen in India. •Half (15) of our original films and series in 2021 had a woman as the central character. • Netflix has 15+ female forward titles already announced for 2022. Apart from the already released Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, Looop Lapeta and The Fame Game, the upcoming titles include Mai, Monica, O My Darling, Masaba Masaba Season 2, Mismatched Season 2, She Season 2, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 2, The Fame Game, Qala, Plan A Plan B, Khufiya, among others. •In 2021 Netflix worked with nearly 50 women producers, directors or writers (25 women producers and directors + 23 women writers - 2X the women writers in 2020. •In addition, Netflix has worked with incredible women standup comics- Rytasha Rathore, Urooj Ashfaq, Prashasti Singh, Prajakta Koli, Sumukhi Suresh, Mallika Dua, Kaneez Surka and Sumaira Shaikh. •Inclusivity also extends internally to all of us at Netflix as women make up 51.7% of our global workforce, up from 48.7% in 2020. This includes 6.9% growth of women directors and above, totalling 51.1%. Aditi Shrivastava, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Pocket Aces: It all starts from the top. If there is equality in the mind, it will automatically trickle down to every level within the organization. A few key base rules I always keep in mind: ● Think in terms of equity (not stock options in this case, but what is required to get people to the same level) rather than equality (i.e. providing the exact opportunities to each person) ● Be a true meritocracy ● Even in the most equal households, women are often expected to be the primary caretaker of children or parents, so keep that in mind ● Don’t forget to groom young female talent in the company right from the go by increasing their confidence levels and encouraging them to not be ambivalent about their ambitions and dreams ● Discourage even mildly offensive loose talk / jokes at the workplace ● Have a strong POSH committee in place ● Encourage older male employees / leaders to unlearn from previous “male club” workplaces and see the value their female counterparts can add Overall, be conscious about gender diversity and equity. It won’t happen by chance.

Women in leadership across media, brands and advertising on improving gender representation and retaining women in the workforce

<ul><li>India has banned 118 Chinese apps including Tencent's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) as border tensions with China continue to flare up. </li><li>We speak to Indian gaming apps and digital experts to understand what it means for the industry. </li><li>They believe that it is time for Indian Gaming Companies to capitalise and use this opportunity to win the game. </li></ul>In the wake of mounting border tensions between China and India, the government of India ordered a ban on Battle Royale title game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) yesterday. According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, PUBG has been banned along with the other apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that they engage in activities which are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order. As of May, Tencent’s PUBG had been downloaded 34.2 million times of which India accounted for 35.8% — 12.24 million installs, according to data provided by Sensor Tower. It has seen a global revenue gain of $1.3 billion, which is nearly Rs 22,457 crore with the highest number of downloads in India. The gaming industry in India is also at its peak right now. As per ‘The Power of Mobile Gaming in India,’a report released by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Kantar IMRB in association with POKKT, the mobile gaming industry in India is projected to reach $934 million in 2022 and the number of gamers is expected to swell up to 368 million by 2022. While gamers took to social media to mourn the loss of the game, experts are rejoicing at the government’s decision. They said that there are plenty of fish in the sea to fill PUBG’s void and the move will only bring India-made games to the forefront. They also said that it may be a setback for gamers who made a living from that platform but they will eventually find another home like former TikTokers have. Here is what experts had to say about PUBG’s ban: Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation: Any decision taken by the government in order to protect the safety, security and sovereignty of the Indian cyberspace is welcome. The move would safeguard the interests of Indian mobile and internet users while presenting a great opportunity for indigenous homegrown game development studios to showcase their talent and create exciting game formats as part of the #Vocalforlocal and #Aatmanirbhar initiatives. We are confident that games like Rogue Heist, a multi-player online shooter game, designed and developed entirely in India and many others similar to this will fill the gap. Anirudh Pandita, Founder, Pocket Aces (Owner of Loco): The Indian gaming industry has been seeing rapid growth with users from across the country taking to esports and mobile gaming in a big way. We are seeing talented gamers showcase their skills through games such as PUBG, Call of Duty, Freefire and more. We’re confident that the recent ban on PUBG has been made by Government after much deliberation and with good reason. That means streamers and gamers now have to develop their skills on other games. We are confident that our gaming community will rise to the challenge and that our great nation will produce even better and bigger talent. Loco is more determined than ever to serve the Indian gaming community. We stand by our streamers and are working hand in hand with them at this moment to chart out a new course for Indian gaming. Our platform empowers users to stream games and showcase their talent to India. 100% Made in India, Loco will amplify its efforts towards making India a gaming superpower. Yash Pariani, CEO, Indian Gaming League (IGL): This may seem like a loss to the Esports community, however, in the interest of national security, the country must take whatever precautions they deem necessary. There are plenty of other games to fill the void for PUBG and IGL have started capitalising on the recent surge of demand for these other games as soon as the ban was announced. Games such as Call of Duty (COD) Mobile, Free Fire and Fortnite may see a surge in users in India. While we may see some players move to other platforms such as PUBG PC, the majority who prefer the mobile version will be sticking to similar games on the same platform which would be COD Mobile. This will affect millions of gamers, it will have the same effect as it did when TikTok was banned for the influencers that had made a living from that platform, however, for the time being, we will see PUBG influencers and players switching to other games to make a living, it may be a set back for them but eventually, their audiences will also respond to the change. With this ban in effect, we may even see a version of the game that the audiences have grown to know and love, be developed here itself from India. Piyush, CEO &amp; Founder, Rooter: We welcome this move by our government to safeguard Indian users' data and protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security. This ban opens up tremendous opportunities for the Indian gaming ecosystem to align their businesses with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat strategy and also enable gaming and eSports platforms to grow faster." Stating that the company anticipated the ban and kept investing in other games, he said, "Most of the users and content creators on our platform engage in games other than PUBG. Rooter had less than 10% PUBG streamers and it was a conscious effort on our part to ensure that we focus more on other games like Free Fire and Call of Duty. Both the games have strong engagement on Rooter and most of their top streamers are part of our user base. That said, in the last two and a half months, Rooter has witnessed unprecedented growth by adding nearly 3 million users. This ban will further fuel the growth, which will help us become a dominant player in the market. Sowmya Iyer, Founder &amp; CEO, DViO Digital: Online gaming in India is at a very interesting threshold where it’s gaining a strong foothold as a subset of the Entertainment Industry. With a combination of deep mobile phone penetration, an increase in active internet users &amp; the youngest population at hand, we are seeing that the interest in gaming &amp; the number of gamers is on an exponential rise. Perhaps as a testament to this growing gaming fever in India, the digital ad spends of such games have also grown exponentially, sometimes even surpassing the actual cost of making the game. And as for marketing on these platforms, gaming has revolutionized the way we consume content &amp; has brought forth a whole new world of engaged &amp; engrossed users which is a gold mine for brands and marketers. Leading the computing &amp; online gaming movement in India, we had PUBG but with the ban, we can see the potential for the Indian Gaming Companies to fill in very well. Players like Games 24X7, Nazara Technologies are pushing the boundaries in terms of providing Indian gamers with fantastic gaming options and content. As we see a huge surge in people adopting games and engaging with games as an entertainment medium, the big shot OTT platforms like Disney, Flipkart, Amazon, etc are also taking gamification as a focus area. Statistics show India went from having just 25 gaming companies in 2010 to grow more than 250+ companies in a decade’s time which means we have the potential to create engaging content &amp; conquer the gaming industry. Now that PUBG successfully hooked a whole generation to the gaming scene in India, it’s time for the Indian Gaming Companies to capitalize &amp; use this opportunity to win the game! GD Prasad, Associate Vice President, Dentsu Webchutney: PUBG has permeated the digital media ecosystem in a way that no other game being played in India has. This is a game that has as many people watching gameplay footage on YouTube and Instagram as it does actual players. It has helped catapult a fresh set of influencers with millions of followers and subscribers and a streaming community with as many viewers. Money and politics aside, it will be interesting to see how this community adapts to the situation. I believe, we will see many changes to mobile gaming in India as a result of this move. PubJio in the making? Well, you never know! Shradha Agarwal Co-founder &amp; COO, Grapes Digital: The banning of more than 100 additional apps by the indian Government with any linkages to China, is certainly going to create unrest and affect the livelihoods of many. These apps, including PubG was not only a gaming platform but a subsistence. For PubG, India was its largest market with content creators in the universe of gaming. PUBG has helped the hardcore mobile gaming market in India to grow exponentially in all 3 metrics — users, usage and monetisation. For the first time in India, we were seeing sizable in-app purchase revenues from a single game and the ban of PUBG amongst all the other apps, will directly impact the business model for many, thereby affecting their livelihood. The ripple effect will also be felt by event organizers, marketing agencies and influencers who were using PUBG and game streaming to optimize and monetize their livelihood, surely had become a way of life and existence. With a quarter of lifetime PUBG installed in India and more than 40 million monthly active users in the month of July, according to one of the top mobile insight firms, will lead to immense uncertainty with the overnight ban of these apps. However, this move by the government was expected to come anytime soon, following the ban of TikTok. Karan Gupta, Managing Director, Zirca Digital Solutions: The Ministry's move to ban the 118 China-backed apps, while keeping in mind India's national security, will no doubt come as a shock to gamers, especially those on the PUBG platform. PUPG has been extremely successful in the country because of its mobile-first strategy, captivating the youth and attracting huge advertising revenue opportunities over the past year. The gaming market will undoubtedly see the rise of various alternative gaming apps (including some homegrown ones) which will fill the void that the ban has brought about. Though it may bring about further fragmentation in the mobile gaming industry in the short term, Indian gamers will definitely find alternate gaming apps and advertising money will follow them. MPL Spokesperson: Every such development can be an opportunity for our ecosystem. We have a very strong game developer ecosystem here in India. We have partnered with close to 30 already and the number is only growing. Rogue Heist, India's first home-made Battle Royale game, has already been called a "PUBG rival" and has been doing well on our platform for over three months now.

Can Indian games fill the void that PUBG will leave behind? Experts tell us their thoughts

<ul><li>Facebook shut down its TikTok-clone Lasso worldwide to be able to concentrate on its alternative ‘<keyword id="8322765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="instagram-reels">Instagram Reels</keyword>.’ </li><li>We speak to digital experts to find out if Facebook’s Instagram Reels has what it takes to fill up the void and crop up as a perfect alternative for the talent on TikTok in India? </li></ul>With the recent border row between China and India, the Government of India ordered a ban on 59 Chinese apps that included TikTok, Likee, Bigo Live. This has left Indian content creators from Tier II and Tier III in the lurch as TikTok opened up an opportunity for these budding stars to become influencers, earn money through brand endorsements and some of them even left their old jobs to pursue TikTok full-time. This ban on video apps has left a void in the life of TikTok stars, who are now looking for a new home to showcase their talent. To take on this opportunity, Facebook is quietly testing <keyword id="9520477" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="instagram-reels-in-india">Instagram Reels in India</keyword>. Similar to TikTok, it will allow its users to create and share 15-seconds videos, with camera effects, basic editing tools and music. There is also a handy timer and option to adjust the video’s speed. It can be shared on a user's story, sent to friends directly or added to a new Reels tab on their profile (displayed below). Instagram Reels is already active in Brazil, France and Germany and Facebook is looking at expanding its presence in other countries. While there are many Indian alternatives for TikTok like Mitron, Chingari, Roposo, Bolo Indya -- Instagram’s Reels can have an upper hand as it will be added as a feature -- housed inside the app, eliminating any additional hassle. While Facebook’s Lasso, a TikTok-clone launched in November 2018, failed to take off, Reels could have a higher chance of success for its prime positioning inside the Instagram app. Most <keyword id="8637178" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tiktokers">TikTokers</keyword> are already relying on Instagram to create content and stay in touch with their fans. With Reels, they can now explore and revert to their favourite format without downloading another app and starting from scratch. It could be strategic in attracting Instagram’s loyal user base of more than <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/578364/countries-with-most-instagram-users/">88 million in India,</a> which is among the second top market for the app according to Statista.com, much of whom are millenials and Generation Z which was TikTok’s primary target audience. We spoke to digital experts to further understand if Reels has what it takes to replace TikTok and how Facebook should learn from its erstwhile mistakes with Lasso and go about marketing Reels this time. Here is what they said: Sowmya Iyer, Founder &amp; CEO, DViO Digital: <div type="image" title="Sowmya Iyer" msid="76799000" hostid="261"></div> "Tik Tok has forever changed the behavior of social media users. The ban on the platform has created a void in the lives of content creators who would quickly jump onto any platform that gives them the space to express themselves. And this is not just true for Instagram Reels but also for a host of Indian applications, which offer a similar experience. If the ban on Tik Tok still persists, leveraging the large base of Instagram users in India, the adoption of Reels among users should be easier without much friction or resistance. Geopolitical tensions are creating some level of impact on large global players. Secondly, we as humanity are going through a change and there is a collective rise in consciousness. There has also been a shift with many brands moving towards Purpose rather than just Profits. And consumers are choosing brands that are understanding to their needs. Advertisers choosing not to advertise on Facebook is a result of these dynamics in play. Large businesses like Facebook need to pivot with where and how humanity is going and should align themselves with the collective larger cause as ultimately the content creators and consumers of these platforms are the general populace. So people will begin to boycott platforms that they don't philosophically identify with. But that's one part which is solvable if the right steps are taken. Therefore, these factors should be taken into account while launching the application in India. Not only Reels, but many such apps will also jump on board to fill the void and this would likely divide up the creator base left behind by Tik Tok. This is for the best because the monopoly of one particular platform is never good for brands or advertisers or even themselves from an innovation standpoint. But obviously the established user base of Instagram would work in its favor and serve as a jumpstart for its success. No matter the level of competition we would see in this space, it is required to keep the larger players on the right track." Vinayak Shrivastav, CEO - Toch: <div type="image" title="Toch founder" msid="76809486" hostid="261"></div> There couldn't have been a better time for Instagram reels to be introduced in India. With existing Instagram users available, positive growth can be a possibility by asking the users to test the feature before launching it in the market. The safest concept of promoting an influencer-oriented app is for the brand to announce live contests. Implementing the idea of an influencer badge or something similar would definitely get the creators curious for verified content to achieve more visibility. Running an influencer campaign could also help garner attention to Instagram Reels. We at Toch are also looking at having a B2C presence and testing the market which will allow influencers to earn money from their content, also enabling live commerce or branded content selling through the platform instantly. With the increase in the sentimental value of Indian Apps Promotion being high, an unforeseen barrier in traction might happen. With a lot of bans being implied on brands from advertising a decent amount of branded content could be witnessed. Facebook being the social media giant that it is, the initial scale could be good enough to test the market. Nakul Dutt, Strategy Director, FoxyMoron: <div type="image" title="Nakul Foxy" msid="76798987" hostid="261"></div> Launching Reels would be a no brainer move. In fact, Instagram has already started testing the ‘Reels’ feature with select customers of the platform. Driving adoption to the scale of TiKTok, on the other hand, is a whole different battle. For TikTok users Instagram was a secondary platform to enhance one’s reach and overall engagement. In the absence of TikTok, while Reels is the obvious answer (unless a new local players quickly jumps in at this point), if launched, transitioning the existing database of TikTok users and getting them acquainted and comfortable on Reels will be a mammoth task for reasons dealt with in the next question. Transitioning the database of TikTok users and getting them acquainted with Reels will be a mammoth task for the multitude of reasons mentioned: ● An Anomaly: Last year India contributed to around 44% of the 1.6 Bn downloads of TikTok worldwide. The key reason for the success of the App in India was the ‘Bottom Up’ adoption of the platform. In the last couple of years adoption of internet has increased in tier 2 &amp; 3 cities and TikTok was able to win the heart of this new user base &amp; become the no. 1 App in almost no time. This is contrary to the ‘Diffusion of Innovation’ theory where any new platform, feature or innovation is first adopted by early adopters and over a period of time snowballs to attain the attention of the masses. TikTok however, resonated with the masses first,while Instagram went through the conventional model of adoption. This created a fundamental difference in the profile of users of the platform with each cohort looking at the other from a different perspective. ● It's all in the Senses: To understand the ‘Why’ TikTok was as appealing as it was, it’s important to understand the Perceived Reason of Existence’ that each social media platform plays in a consumers' life. While Facebook is a platform of ‘Touch’ it lets you connect &amp; feel about people in your circle, Instagram is the platform for the ‘EYE’- aesthetics &amp; beauty, the showcase of the perfection you desire in your world.TikTok on the other hand is ‘Heart’ – showcase your passion, like the heart, which wants to do certain things without the filter. This gap is what needs to be bridged! ● The TikTok In-App features made Creators self-sufficient: Considering most of India does not have access to high end equipment to produce slick high quality content. TikTok became a one stop shop to shoot, edit and publish content using one’s mobile. At a cursory glance the editing features of Reels seems limited as compared to TikTok. ● Inclusivity Will Be Required: An editing feature alone might not solve the problem at hand. Comfort and inclusivity are the key terms here. TikTok was a social media app where social barriers were broken. We hadn’t seen this happen at the scale it did, with Facebook and Instagram. Inclusivity through a vernacular approach, both at an App and at a promotional campaign level will be required. ● Share vs Showcase: Instagram’s algorithm is built around the concept of share, where the content populated is likely from the people and pages you follow. On the other hand, one’s ‘For You’ page of TikTok was curated from the trending content within the ecosystem of TikTok. We will need to see how Reels can bridge this gap. ● Balance: While acquiring new users for the platform is key, retaining the existing will also become a key metric. Instagram is a visual medium and appeals to a certain segment of creators. Instagram should take all the measures to retain this appeal. While showcasing Reels as a fun light hearted platform for their users to showcase their passions. ● Enabling &amp; empowering: It would be a good strategic move, if Reels adds features which would help the transitioning customers to create content with least friction 3. How should Facebook go about promoting Reels once it is live in our country? In addition to several of my points mentioned above these will be the 2 additional points that they could consider in their promotions Facebook will need to address the elephant in the room. 75% consumers are comfortable adopting a brand which supports and believes in social causes. With more than 50 brands boycotting Facebook, it’s only a matter of time the same lens would be applied to Instagram considering the mother brand is the same. Reels is Feature for Everyone Raw, unfiltered and authentic were TikToks main strengths. This made TiKTok an inclusive platform. Considering one’s digital identity supersedes their real one, TiK Tok made all their users feel comfortable and gave them a platform to be their authentic self. It gave them a platform to showcase their talent. They didn’t need to bother with aesthetics, filters or a nice looking backdrop. Maybe Reels could consider having a backdrop filter, so people can perform against different aesthetically pleasing backgrounds. (It would be a great way for brand’s to plug in their content / product / logo too.)

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