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'<keyword id="5945875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lakshagriha" source="Orion">Lakshagriha</keyword>', a religious site in Handia block of Uttar Pradesh's <keyword id="3481192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prayagraj" source="Orion">Prayagraj</keyword> believed to date back to the <keyword id="49038" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mahabharata" source="Orion">Mahabharata</keyword> era, is all set for a makeover before the <keyword id="14092898" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maha-kumbh-2025" source="Orion">Maha Kumbh 2025</keyword>. The Kunti Palace and Vyas Dwar at the site have already been revamped from the funds given by the state government. Officials said before <keyword id="6519570" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="maha-kumbh" source="Orion">Maha Kumbh</keyword>, tourists coming here will be able to see the statues of Lord Krishna, Arjun and Vidur along with Kunti Mahal. Tourists will also be able to see Krishna's conch Panchjanya in this Lakshagriha. Before Maha Kumbh, there is also a plan to make Mahabharata Circuit in the country for the first time and display the cultural glory of India to the world. According to Lakshagriha development committee chairman, Omkarnath Tripathi, "Along with the palace made of lac, which was made by Duryodhana in a bid to kill Pandavas, there is a plan to include Kaushambhi in the Mahabharata Circuit. The state government has conceptualised this to introduce the world to the cultural splendour of India during Maha Kumbh. For this, the tourism directorate has drawn up a blueprint." In this circuit, preparations are being made to circumambulate from Hastinapur, Kampilya, Echhatra, Barnawa, Mathura, Kaushambhi, Gonda to Lakshagriha. The proposal for this circuit has been presented to the director general (DG) of tourism, Mukesh Meshram. Recently officials of the tourism department along with the office-bearers of Lakshagrih development committee took stock of Kunti Mahal and Vyas Dwar. Tripathi said this place will prove to be a boon for tourism development in the upcoming Maha Kumbh. "There is also a proposal to build a research laboratory in Lakshagriha. The original story of Mahabharata will be propagated in this research institute," he added. Tourists can also have a glimpse of the tunnel using which the Pandavas managed to escape after the fire in Lakshagriha and crossed the Ganga.

Mahabharat's 'Lakshagriha' to get makeover before Maha Kumbh 2025

Prayagraj (UP), The railway will ensure crowd control management at stations in Prayagraj through AI (Artificial Intelligence) during the upcoming <keyword id="20077266" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="magh-mela" source="keywords">Magh Mela</keyword>. This will also will act as a rehearsal for <keyword id="20077265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maha-kumbh" source="keywords">Maha Kumbh</keyword> 2025. At a coordination meeting between railway official and the district administration, it has been decided that with the increase in crowd, the devotees would be stopped in 14 holding area including seven at <keyword id="20077267" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prayagraj-junction" source="keywords">Prayagraj Junction</keyword>, four at <keyword id="1248971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prayag-station" source="Orion">Prayag station</keyword> and three at Rambagh along with circulating areas. Additional bogies and Mela special trains will also be operated to meet out heavy rush. Shuttle buses and e-rickshaws will operate from the station to the mela area too. Preparations to deal with emergency situations were also discussed. Moreover, to keep a close watch on the movement of devotees, a control tower has been built on top of the station building, which will work for crowd management. Divisional level officers will manage the nine stations from control room, which will have arrangements for CCTV, hot line, wireless, display area board and the same will be connected to Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) of the mela area. During the mela, direction-wise entry will be done in a controlled manner through passenger shelters from the city side only. Same planning is being done at Prayagraj Junction, Prayagraj Cheoki, Naini, Rambagh, Prayag, Phaphamau and Jhunsi stations. Maha Kumbh Mela Adhikari, <keyword id="20077268" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vijay-kiran-anand" source="keywords">Vijay Kiran Anand</keyword> also directed the medical department to prepare a detailed SOP for station-wise medical arrangements and share it with the railways for quick communication. During Magh Mela, tickets will be available through the new system. This time, the work of issuing tickets under the new system will be done on Leader Road outside the passenger shelter, for which special arrangements are being made. Coloured stickers will be placed on the issued tickets as per the colour code of the holding area. Airport-like facilities be available for passengers at Prayagraj Junction, while smaller stations will also be upgraded. Retiring rooms and dormitories are now ready for the convenience of passengers at Prayagraj Sangam railway station. Likewise, entry into Prayagraj Junction (from the city side) will be closed once the passenger shelters are full. It will be controlled in a temporary hold up area like Khusrobagh.

Railways to use AI for crowd control in Prayagraj during Magh Mela

<ul><li>India’s Ardh Kumbh Mela, 2019 which kicked off on 15 January is reportedly going to get the Uttar Pradesh government a $150 billion return on investment. </li><li>Kumbh Mela at <keyword id="3481192" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="prayagraj">Prayagraj</keyword> has already engaged over 600,000 people in commercial activities ranging from hospitality to logistics. </li><li>This year’s festival has been a boon for local traders as the authorities are expecting 130 million tourists from within the country and outside India. </li></ul>India’s <keyword id="6401155" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="kumbh-mela-2019">Kumbh Mela 2019</keyword>, the world’s largest religious gathering taking place in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is expected to make the local state government as much as $150 billion in revenue, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/kumbh-to-generate-rs-1-2-lakh-crore-revenue-cii/articleshow/67609608.cms">reported</a> Press Trust of India citing the Confederation of Indian Industry, a national trade body. Millions of pilgrims both from within the country and around the world visit the festival to take a holy dip at the confluence of three Indian rivers -- the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Here’s an insight into the economics of the world’s largest religious gathering: 
	
	<div type="Slideshow" msid="67622721" hostid="261" title="The world's largest religious gathering is a $150 billion business" firstImageMsid="67622932" slideCount="5"></div>

The world's largest religious gathering is a $150 billion business

<ul><li>The latest <keyword id="52356" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword>, the world’s largest religious gathering, struck three world records. </li><li>All three records were performed before the team from Guinness World Records from February 28 to March 3. </li><li>The host state of Uttar Pradesh earlier successfully set a record for the “Longest Parade of Buses” lining up 500 buses in a row. It also set a new record for “most contribution in hand painting in 8 hours.” </li></ul>India’s iconic Kumbh Mela 2019, the world’s largest religious gathering, is about to conclude, setting up no less than three new records. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="PrayagrajKumbh" handlename="Kumbh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1017758238618673152/-Kus1y-K_normal.jpg" favoritecount="488" retweetcount="93" status="#Kumbh2019 has made a Hattrick under the Guinness World Records, a new record of &amp;quot;Most People Sweeping the Floor (M… https://t.co/9fnzsOMFhN" createdat="1551590106000" id="1102074899819040770"></div>




 The latest fair, held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh visited by an estimated 130- 140 million people, set up records for largest crowd management, largest sanitation drive and largest painting exercise of public sites. The exercises were performed before a team a Guiness for four days, from February 28 to March 3. "Around 503 shuttle buses were pressed into service on the highway in one go for the team on February 28. Several people participated in a painting exercise on March 1 and 10,000 workers engaged in cleaning at the Kumbh, all performing their duties together," India’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement. On March 1, over 10,000 people engaged in cleaning and sanitation activities at the same on different venues, setting up a record for the "most people sweeping the floor.” 
 
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 Just a day before, the state of Uttar Pradesh set a new record for “The Longest Parade of Buses”by rolling out a fleet of 500 buses lined up for nearly two miles. 
 
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 The Kumbh 2019 concluded with one more record for "most contribution to a handprint painting in hours," featuring 7,664 people participated. The last record for handprint painting was held by Seoul in which 4,675 people were there. 
 
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 The Kumbh festival, which began on January 14, will conclude on March 4 with the sixth and final "Shahi Snan" (royal bath) on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. The previous five royal baths were held successfully with more than 220 million pilgrims taking holy dips, the Minis
try said. Held every six years, the Ardh Kumbh or ‘half’ Kumbh is held in four of cities at the confluence of three rivers - Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati. It is visited by pilgrims, tourists and Sadhus, holymen. (With IANS) See more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-pics-this-indian-state-is-trying-to-set-a-world-record-by-parading-a-line-up-of-500-buses/articleshow/68199100.cms">In Pics: This Indian state is trying to set a world record by parading a line-up of 500 buses</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/kumbh-2019-14-spectacular-photos-from-indias-legendary-kumbh-mela-the-worlds-largest-religious-festival/slidelist/67535217.cms">Kumbh 2019: 14 spectacular photos from India’s legendary Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival</a>

Kumbh Mela: The world’s largest religious gathering sets 3 world records

The <keyword id="148975" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maharastra-Government">Maharastra government</keyword> is expected to get richer by around Rs 10,000 Crores in July because of this year’s Kumbh Mela Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said in a research paper. 
 "The <keyword id="6519570" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maha-Kumbh">Maha Kumbh</keyword> will also generate additional <keyword id="6355127" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="employment">employment</keyword> opportunities for over 4.5 lakhs workforce in sectors such as airlines &amp; airports, hotels, tour operators and medical &amp; eco-tourism," ASSOCHAM said in a statement. 
 
"The Maha Kumbh will generate an additional employment opportunities for over 4.5 lakh people in direct and indirect sectors such as airlines, hotels, tour companies, medical and eco-tourism. The unorganised sector, too, will witness maximum economic gains during the period," said Mr DS Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM while releasing the paper today. 
 
As per the report, the hotel industry is aiming at 100% occupancy rate for Kumbh that is currently 55-60 per cent on an average, the research added. 
 
(Image credit: Indiatimes)

Maha Kumbh to generate a whopping Rs
10,000 Crore in revenue

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/naga-sadhus-or-naked-hindu-holy-men-bathe-on-the-banks-of-news-photo/96606519">Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images</a></div>Some 100 million mostly Hindu devotees are expected to gather in Allahabad for the <keyword id="52356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword> festival, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21006259">according to the BBC</a>. 
Hindu pilgrims flock to the confluence of the river Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati to bathe and wash away their sins and achieve salvation. Ten million pilgrims are said to have bathed in the river on the first day, with the entire event said to last 55 days.
<a href="##slideshow##">Click here to jump straight to the photos &gt;</a>
One of the biggest spectacles of the festival is when naked Hindu holy men wearing marigold garlands and ash on their faces run to the river. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21006259">From the BBC: </a>
"The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries."
On observing the festival, Mark Twain is reported to have written in "Following The Equator: A Journey Around The World":
"It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites."
The Kumbh Mela itself takes place every twelve years, but the BBC says this year's festival is the Maha Kumbh Mela which occurs every 144 years and is determined based on astrological calculations.
The festival is said to cost authorities $210 million but will create $2.2 billion in revenue.

Incredible Photos Of The Hindu Festival Expected To Draw 100 Million Devotees

Navratri is celebrated for nine nights and ten days during autumn across India. The Hindu festival is celebrated for various reasons in different parts of the country. However, the one thing it has in common is celebrating Maa Durga and her power. Navratri always occurs in the months of Ashvin or Ashvina, which generally falls between September and October as per the lunar calendar. In 2020, Navratri will kick off on Saturday, October 17, and come to an end on Sunday, October 25 — typically celebrated as Dussehra or the tenth day. The first day is indicated by Amavasya, or a new moon, which marks the beginning of the Navratri puja. The last day of Navratri is also known as Vijayadasami. Navratri puja deities In most parts of the country, the nine nights of Navratri are dedicated to worshipping the nine forms of Ma Durga — Shilaputri, Brahmacharni, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhidatri. However, some divide the days between Ma Durga, Lakshmi — the goddess of wealth and prosperity — and Saraswati, revered for knowledge, music, art, wisdom, and nature. The first three days of Navratri are dedicated to worship Goddess Durga, the next three days are reserved to worship Goddess Lakshmi, and the third set of three days for Goddess Saraswati. How to celebrate Navratri Navratri puja is usually done daily during the nine days of Navratri, most often in the evenings after sunset. The first Navratri puja is usually the Ganpati puja. Following this, the presiding deities of Navratri puja are worshipped on various days, depending on different traditions. The underlying commonality between all forms of the puja is honoring Maa Durga. During the puja, devotees honor the goddess by performing rituals and worshipping an idol or picture of her. Different dishes are prepared and offered to the deity on each day. At the end of the daily puja, prasad is offered, and aarti is conducted — a form of puja where lights/Diya is offered to the deity. Some choose to perform the puja within their homes, while others participate with the community at a temple. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the imposed norms of social distancing, it's likely that most devotees will avoid leaving the house. The biggest and grandest puja of them all happens on the last day of Vijayadashami. It marks the culmination of Navratri. In pre-COVID times, Navratri's ten-day-long celebrations included dancing, music programs, dramas, fairs, and other events. Navratri fasting During Navratri, some people choose to observe a fast for all the nine days in honour of the deities. The fasting starts in the morning and lasts till the evening. After the daily puja, people break the fast by partaking in the prasad offered to the deity. Navratri Kolu In some regions, Navratri Kolu or the dolls of gods and goddesses are arranged on a multi-tier pedestal made during Navratri. The number of steps in the whole arrangement can be three, five, seven, or nine. These steps are covered with decorative clothes and dolls of goddesses, gods, humans, heroes, animals, toys, and others in a hierarchical order and decorated for the event. The Kolu is arranged on the first day of Navratri with a Kalash or Purna Kumbh. The set up remains in the puja room for nine days and dismantled after the Vijayadashami puja. The story of Navratri The legend goes that once upon a time, there was a demon called Mahishasura who had the face of a buffalo. This resulted from a powerful boon he received from Lord Brahma, according to which a male human or animal could not defeat Mahishasura. Because of that clause, Maa Durga was the only one who could defeat him and end the atrocities done by the demon to save the world. Maa Durga fought with the demon for nine days, and these nine days are known and celebrated as Navratri. On the final day of Vijayadashami, Maa Durga defeated the demon and saved the world. This is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil.

Navratri 2020: Puja dates, time and everything you need to know

<ul><li>Ad &amp; Media Insider’s latest property Storyline, brought to you in association with <keyword id="1959531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wattpad" source="Orion">Wattpad</keyword>, one of the world’s most loved <keyword id="282281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="storytelling" source="Orion">storytelling</keyword> platforms, endeavors to decode what storytelling stands for today.</li><li>Today, we bring you highlights from our fourth and fifth episodes where we discuss the changing role of <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> creatives, how brands are choosing to communicate with GenZs innovatively and what role a platform like Wattpad is playing in this innovation.</li><li>Watch <keyword id="3844857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="harshad-rajadhyaksha" source="Orion">Harshad Rajadhyaksha</keyword> and <keyword id="3844858" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kainaz-karmakar" source="Orion">Kainaz Karmakar</keyword>, Chief Creative Officers, <keyword id="531122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ogilvy-India" source="Orion">Ogilvy India</keyword> and <keyword id="3747310" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="devashish-sharma" source="Orion">Devashish Sharma</keyword>, Country Head, Wattpad India talk about the evolution of creativity and storytelling and how they are evolving as storytellers to tell successful stories in today's world.</li></ul>Episode 4: Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India Most of us have loved the work coming out of Ogilvy India in the last few years and the creative powerhouse between most of that work is Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, the Chief Creative Officers at the agency. The duo, along with Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy India’s third CCO, have been at the forefront of crafting inimitable stories that have won our hearts while creating an impact. Be it the recent recreation of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s famous Cricket stadium ad, or its work for Hindustan Unilever titled ‘The Shower’ which won a National Award, Ogilvy has time and again proven the impact good storytelling can have in brand building and in making a brand a part of a consumer’s lives. In the 4th episode of Ad &amp; Media Insider’s Storyline, brought to you in association with Wattpad, one of the world’s most loved storytelling platforms, we spoke to Karmakar and Rajadhyaksha to understand their creative process and their thoughts on the evolution of storytelling and what the future holds. The evolution of storytelling We have seen the <keyword id="6354839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing" source="Orion">marketing</keyword> landscape transform at a fairly rapid pace in the last 5 years. With more and more platforms cropping up, consumers are finding more places to express themselves, and brands are having to reach out to them at different touchpoints. What kind of impact has that had on the way Ogilvy has been telling stories? “Storytelling is as timeless as love or friendship, so I don't think it's going out of fashion anytime soon, or even later. But there has been a rapid transformation, especially in the last five years. I would not call it a change, rather, I feel there has been an expansion. Something fantastic has happened, media has become more open and liberalised and our first encounter with this happened back in 2015, when we did a campaign on zero budget to end open acid sale. We worked with like-minded people and with a real acid attack survivor. We shot the film. Had this been 20 years back, we would have had no place to show the film because media needed to be bought. It still needs to be bought but now there is also freedom to put out your own content. We put the film on YouTube and Facebook, promoted it ourselves, and the trajectory of the campaign has been astounding. It has won everything there is to be won, and we could achieve our goals with zero budgets and it was made possible largely by the changing nature of media,” said Karmakar. But does having a plethora of platforms pose the problem of plenty? Do creatives now have to think of communications suited for individual platforms? “Between Kainaz and I, we have spent around 20-25 years in advertising and we have ourselves evolved from the era of Print to Television. Then somewhere in the second decade, we started getting used to the concept of smartphones and multiple apps and hence multiple screens. But if your story is engaging with the relevant connect, the medium becomes secondary. Technology has put the spotlight on people who could all become storytellers, and brands saw people enjoying this content and slowly realized its power and thought of latching on to it. So, in terms of the number of mediums, I feel the more the merrier because today you just have a width and variety of storytelling,” explained Rajadhyaksha. From advertisers to product managers to solution finders With the evolution of media and advancement of technology, many brands are now also open to experimenting where, as a pat of a campaign, they have ended up creating a completely new product. In an attempt to encourage the habit of washing hands with soap among children in rural India, Ogilvy helped Savlon create special chalk sticks infused with soap. In another campaign to promote a similar habit, Ogilvy created a heat stamp to put on roti at the Maha Kumbh Mela for Lifebuoy. The brand’s message-on-a-roti ended up reaching over 5 million people. In both these campaigns, the idea led to the creation of a completely new product. Both these campaigns won awards and hearts. Is it challenging for agencies to then have clients come up to them and say they want to create a completely new product and take the business to a new trajectory? “It's not a stress at all. What I really love about the times that we work in is that our clients are super excited about doing work that is new and innovative. And that is something we should grab with both hands and make the most. I would be very worried if our clients weren't pushing us. The fact that they want different solutions, to use different media and support us, is a great sign. Recently, one of our teams has come up with a karaoke technique to help people with early Alzheimer's, in collaboration with MTV. So, the fact that clients are asking us to do such work and they are excited about it, is not a pressure but a thing of joy. The truth of the m after is we are actually becoming solution finders above and beyond just communicating a message. People are interacting, touching and feeling things beyond your client’s products, these are products made by you. They're actually getting to experience technologies that have been just ideas in your head and now we’re seeing them out there actually helping someone. It has also brought clients and agencies closer than before. It's a great time to be in the creative business,” said Karmakar. A message for marketers With the advent of Web 3.0 and us looking at a world where a metaverse might soon become a reality, things are changing at a rapid pace. What are a few things marketers should keep in mind to be able to navigate these highly dynamic times? “I feel no matter how much technology you have, or whatever new media comes in, the absence of a great idea means your money is not well spent. In fact, it's money wasted. So, first find yourself a partner who can give you a great idea, and then use your media, technology, etc, as partners to that. Do not work the other way around because everything starts with an idea and that is not going to change,” said Karmakar. Sharing his tip for marketers, hought, Rajadhyaksha added, “Completely well-meaning clients and brand custodians, at times, have brand guidelines about what the brand’s personality should be. But when it comes to exploring certain new-age things, treat your brand DNA and the personality of your brand like your family name, but treat the new media like the grandkids of the family. While they will bear your family name, allow them to be a little different, to take a few more risks. That's how I would encourage all clients to look at the newer mediums. You might be an 80-year-old legacy brand who advertises and talks in a certain way in your storytelling on TV. We aren’t saying become someone with a completely different personality on the newer mediums, but be a little adventurous and bolder and allow the younger kids in your organization and the agency to deviate a bit. Let them live their lives their way, as long as they still bear your family surname.” Watch the full episode here: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="1" status="LIVE | Join Kainaz Karmarkar (@spalifekainaz) and Harshad Rajadhyaksha (@Harsh_Words), CCOs, @Ogilvy_India as they… https://t.co/63l7yYar9K" createdat="1645702223000" id="1496809730655748100"></div> Episode 5: Devashish Sharma, Country Head, Wattpad India The art of storytelling has changed and new-age mediums like Wattpad are at the heart of this change. To understand the role Wattpad has been playing in this evolution of storytelling, we caught up with Devashish Sharma, Country Head, Wattpad India, who told us how consumers are using the platform, how that is helping brands connect with an engaged set of audience and what the future of storytelling could look like. From one-way communications to interactivity The biggest way in which storytelling has transformed in today’s digital era is by opening it up to consumers. In the TV and Radio era, a brand would come up with a one-way communication, which has undergone a complete transformation now. Explaining this evolution, Sharma said, “About 15-20 years back, a lot of brand building was one-way messaging. Brands would create something and then push it down to millions of Indians, predominantly TV or billboard. However, in the Internet era where the target audience has become younger, the focus of brands have shifted to digital platforms. And recently, it is also about interactive content. Today, brands don't just want to push their messaging, they want the audiences to create their viewpoint about the messaging and have a discussion with the brand about it. In lieu, it creates more awareness in a very interesting and exciting manner.” Communicating with GenZ With the younger generation which is difficult to please and said to have reduced attention spans, brands now have the task of finding innovative ways of engaging with them. Explaining how Wattpad has been building its communication to engage with this audience Sharma said, “If I were to look at it from a Wattpad lens, we are a very democratic platform where anybody can write on a topic they love, and at the same time, consume stories on a specific niche topic that might interest them. However, what differentiates us is the fact that the experience you get on our platform is not just of reading a book, it is also about connecting with other readers, leading to social engagement. Beyond this, the stories that become really popular and are highly engaging are taken on by production houses and top studios to turn into movies, TV shows, web series or other forms of digital entertainment. As a platform, being at the epicenter of ideas directly coming in from Gen Z storytellers allow us to really capture the right stories which we amplify.” Why long-form content works While there has been a debate for a long time around decreasing attention spans, Wattpad has been able to make long-form content, and has held its audiences captive with engaging stories on its platform. So what is it that Wattpad has gotten right? “Personally, I feel that the idea that people have less attention span is a bit of a misnomer. It might be true in certain contexts, but given the right content in the right format, people definitely make time to consume it. If a certain content captures your interest group and the experience of consuming it is something that you really enjoy, people will definitely prefer long- form content because it adds meaning and gives you much more than just snacking on punchlines,” explained Sharma. There has also been an ongoing debate about whether the younger population reads at all. However, the fact that Wattpad has a community of about 94 million readers and writers on its platform proves that given the right content and right amount of social engagement, people will stay on the platform and consume content, added Sharma. “The entire social element really elevates the user experience because we are able to give our audiences the liberty of connecting with the creator of the content and also other readers who love the same content as you. This bonding evokes a strong emotional response which is something that brands really like because when they work with us, they know that the content they're getting already has a built-in audience that did not just skim through it but actually interacted with it. So, the secret sauce is to have a platform that enriches the experience of consuming content and provides more democracy in terms of capturing diverse voices.” How brands are using Wattpad Today, more and more brands are open to experimenting with mediums and formats that is giving them highly innovative ways of engaging with their target audiences. So how has a platform like Wattpad helped brands create engaging stories and build enduring relationships with their audiences? “At Wattpad, our focus is on figuring out how our community can bring value to brands in the form of stories. And that's the real value that brands get. So, when brands have a brief, they come to us, we work with them to figure out how to engage the community from day one, where we invite all our users on the platform to write their version of stories on the messaging that the brand wants to create awareness on. So, instead one story, you get maybe thousands of stories from all over the world from your target audience that really connects with your brand messaging. Once the stories come, we pick the top stories and promote them for more readership because we realize that readers around the world who may not have written content still want to connect with the brand on the messaging that other users on Wattpad have written. And since we also have a studios division, we are able to adapt these stories into video and other formats that can traverse the messaging of the brand beyond Wattpad into more video-focused channels,” he explained. Earlier this year, Wattpad worked with Maybelline on a campaign for raising awareness on the impact the pandemic had on the mental health of Gen Zs around the world under the hashtag Brave Together. Wattpad invited everybody to write a short story or a personal experience around the topic and for every story that came in, the platform partnered with an NGO to donate a certain amount to raise awareness around mental health. “A campaign like this made the community feel that the brand cares about its voice and is not pushing its messaging on them. Secondly, the involvement of the nonprofit increased the connection with the brand, making the entire initiative more genuine. And this sort of brand positioning really benefits the brand in the long-term because they are able to create fans instead of just consumers,” he shared. So are there a few factors that can help brands success on Wattpad? Sharma said, “The key to being successful as a brand on Wattpad is to support a messaging for your brand that Gen Z users really care about. And secondly, be open to their interpretation of the message that you want to create awareness on. For example, we did a campaign with Puma in India where they launched a clothing and shoe line with Mary Kom and the hashtag was Born to Provoke. I really liked the way they used Wattpad. They invited our community members in India to write a story, a personal experience, a song or poetry to celebrate women breaking barriers. We got stories from different parts of the country that spoke about women from different age groups and backgrounds breaking societal norms. This was a very successful campaign and I think I use it as a benchmark because the brand here took a backseat, letting its target audience do all the work, whether its creation or consumption of the content. And a lot of users, on finding a story or song that they resonated with, shared it on their social network. So, the voice of the whole campaign went beyond just Wattpad.” With a community of more than 94 million people on its platform from across the world, Wattpad is witnessing an increasingly growing community of highly engaged audiences, opening up opportunities for brands to drive their brand messaging to a highly targeted audience. Watch the full episode here: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="4" retweetcount="2" status="LIVE | Join Devashish Sharma (@devunofficial), Country Head, Wattpad in conversation with Ashwin Raghunath as they… https://t.co/zqsgEg6zo0" createdat="1646047811000" id="1498259230859542530"></div>

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