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July is abuzz with news of the upcoming union budget, which Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present on July 23, 2024. But you couldn't care less, because you’ve already decided that you’ll tune it all out, as soon as our beloved Nirmala Tai starts her budget presentations in the parliament. We get it, having spent less than three decades on this planet, we GenZers have already had a tough time understanding the complexities of the modern world affecting our daily life. When it comes to our national finances, we just can’t seem to make any sense of the words spoken, and the general vibe of complicated terms like <keyword id="19942084" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fiscal-Deficit" source="keywords">fiscal deficit</keyword> and <keyword id="20018917" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Capital-Expenditure" source="keywords">capital expenditure</keyword> is extremely off-putting! So, why bother? Don’t worry, we have got you covered. As we step into an unforgiving adult world, it's time to tune in, as the Union Budget often has direct implications on your personal finances. To help you start, here’s your very own budget glossary, which will let you decode all budget-related mumbo-jumbo, the <keyword id="20246469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GenZ" source="keywords">GenZ</keyword> way. A: Annual Financial Statement Think of this as a simple breakdown of how much money the government has received and spent over three time periods — the current year, the previous year, and the budget (upcoming) year. This is required under Article 112 of the Indian Constitution. It has three parts: <ul><li>The consolidated fund of India, consisting of revenue received by the government as direct and indirect taxes, and loans</li><li>Contingency fund of India for emergencies, or disaster management</li><li>Public Account of India — our money that the government receives under various schemes like PPF, small savings and more </li></ul>B: <keyword id="20313429" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Budget-Estimates" source="keywords">Budget Estimates</keyword> Say you set aside Rs 25,000 this month from your salary, to buy an uber-cool smartwatch. But you find a sweet steal deal on Amazon and manage to grab it for just Rs 20,000. The Rs 25,000 you set aside from your monthly budget was an estimate. In the same way, the government sets aside a specific sum for every project or scheme based on its estimates, but in the end, the actual expenses may vary. C: Capital Expenditure See the government allocating funds left, right and centre for building highways, improving rail connectivity, or developing other infrastructures? That's capital expenditure, or capex. The idea of undertaking capex is to build something for the long term, something which keeps contributing to the economy’s growth, long after its creation. D: Divestments Divesting means to sell off and let go of one’s stakeholding or ownership in a company or enterprise. The government generally divests its shares in various public undertakings to raise funds. Remember the much-touted IPO of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) LIC’s IPO in May 2022? That was the government divesting 3.5% of its share in the insurance behemoth. E: Economic Survey This is a snapshot (and a pretty long one) of all the major economic developments that have taken place in the country during a particular financial year. It is usually released a day before the full budget, highlighting the performance of various government schemes, trends seen in various sectors of the economy, the policy initiatives taken by the government, and where the economy is going in the near future. F: Fiscal Deficit As daunting as it sounds, what if I tell you that most of us are perennially in a state of fiscal deficit? Surprised? It's simply when your spending exceeds your earnings. So, it gives you an estimate of how much you need to borrow, to tide over. Turns out, the government isn't faring great either, given that its fiscal deficit, or the difference between its revenue and expenditure currently stands at a staggering Rs 16,85,494 crores, or about 5.1% of India’s <keyword id="19904293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GDP" source="keywords">GDP</keyword>. G: GDP Gross Domestic Product is the collective monetary value of all the goods produced and services rendered in the country, during a particular period. In other words, it is the combined total of the economic output that is generated by 141.72 crore Indians like us, expressed monetarily. As of 2024, India’s GDP stood at $3.9 trillion. GDP is a measure of how healthy and strong an economy is. Some of the world’s biggest economies, like China and the US, have a GDP of $18.5 trillion and $28.7 trillion, respectively. G: <keyword id="20411624" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gender-Budgeting" source="keywords">Gender budgeting</keyword> When achieving gender equality, and addressing challenges women face by way of allocating resources and formulating policies accordingly becomes key to preparing a budget, it's known as gender-based budgeting. Such a budget ensures that distribution of public resources between men and women is not heavily skewed towards the former. In 2023-24, India’s gender budget swelled 4.3% to Rs 2.23 trillion, which is about 4.9% of the overall budget. H: <keyword id="21458145" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Household-Income" source="keywords">Household Income</keyword> The total money earned by everyone in your home makes for your household income. So, if you are a family of 4, where your younger sister is studying, and you, along with your parents earn a total of say Rs 25,00,000 per annum, that is your household income. As of 2022-23, India’s average household income stood at Rs 3.6 lakh/annum. O: Outcome of Budget This is a statement of the outcomes achieved by various government departments with the budget allocated to them last year. It answers questions like was the money spent on purposes it was sanctioned for? What was the output achieved? Think of this as a report card, detailing your progress, or money spent during the year, and is indicative of what more needs to be done to achieve the desired results. R: Revised estimates Say are saving up Rs 70,000 for your buying the latest iPhone. But a few months down, you realize that the price point has changed as the release date approaches, and it is likely to cost about Rs 85,000 now. You see, your initial estimate was Rs 70,000, but then, you revised your estimated requirement to Rs 85,000. The government works no differently. 6-months after the budget presentation, the government assesses if the money granted to scheme A is sufficient, or does it need more funds. Are there any other schemes that need more fund allocation? The new, revised estimates then become the benchmark of functioning, against which actual expenditures are compared. S: Subsidy This is a sum that the government gives to an industry or business, with the objective to keep its prices for the general public low. The government pitches in to pay a part of production costs, so that the public does not end up bearing the entire burden of the cost. Remember the recently discontinued FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) subsidy on electric vehicles (EV) schemes, which boosted EV adoption amongst Indians. Imagine your elder brother or sister funds 40% of your much awaited Goa trip, without wanting anything in return, for the simple purpose of you having fun! That's them subsidizing your travel! V: Vote on Account Remember Nirmala Tai presented an interim budget this year in February, given that elections were due in May? In an election year, the incumbent government does not present a full fledged budget, because who knows if they’ll be voted back to power or not? So, to tide over the next few months before a new government is brought back to power, the government seeks vote on account, which is basically permission or grant needed to fund expenditures for the next few months. Z: Zero-based budgeting The term refers to a budgeting method in which all expenses must be justified for each new period, starting from a "zero base." Think of it like starting with a blank piece of paper every time you make a plan for how to spend your money. Instead of just changing what you spent last year, you think carefully about every rupee you need and why you need it. In 1986, the Indian government implemented ZBB as a system for determining the Expenditure Budget, making it compulsory for all ministries. However, implementation and application of this approach have remained inconsistent in the later years. So, it's time to listen to Tai with rapt attention, and flaunt your newfound budget dictionary to those still afraid of endless budget jargons!

Budget A-Z, for the GenZ: A fun and handy guide for major terms around upcoming Union Budget

<ul><li>The biggest myth surrounding selfie-clicking, filter-using GenZs is that they’re self-absorbed, but experts say that they’re more family-oriented than others. </li><li>Raised through a more friendly parenting style, parents are their 4 am friends and Gen Zs are also ‘reverse-influencing’ them to chase their dreams. </li><li>Gen Zs like to keep things open and fluid – from education and personal relationships to consumption and personal identity. </li></ul>GenZs or zoomers are the most mysterious of all generations — especially when compared to GenXers, baby boomers, and even their immediate predecessors – the millennials. They also appear to be full of paradoxes and, hence, are also heavily misunderstood. A lot of research is going into getting a deeper understanding of these digital natives – who were born right at the turn of the 21st century. Selfies, filters &amp; a sense of ‘self’ The biggest myth that surrounds them is that they’re self-absorbed. Most youngsters are either clicking selfies or filtering to put them up on social media, and constantly worrying about themselves. This may be true, but not entirely, according to Aditya Kaul, group account director at Kantar. “They are high on individualism, low on regrets and more self-appreciating. Like other generations, they prefer to live by their own values but prefer to live in a joint family,” he added, speaking at a webinar organised by Market Research Society of India (MRSI). “They come with an easy sense of entitlement that causes discomfort to the older generations,” said Anjana Pillai, partner, Quantum Consumer Solutions. Love thy parents But that doesn’t mean they do not get along with their parents. On the contrary, they have been raised through a more friendly parenting style, and are able to close the generation gap with their parents – becoming one of the first generations to do so. GenZs have been able to have a ‘reverse influence’ on their parents. “We hear of cases where many people in their 50s say that they chase their dreams because their children encouraged them to,” said Ashwini Sirsikar, group service line leader, Ipsos UU and SIA. This was clearly evident in the many parent-child duos that appeared on the business reality show Shark Tank India i<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/an-aai-and-two-college-dropouts-home-snacks-biz-sends-shark-tank-judges-into-a-bidding-war/articleshow/96784920.cms">ncluding Patil Kaki</a>, GetAWhey, House of Chikankari —indicating that the way ahead is a combination of old and new. “Parents are an important means for them to negotiate with society, and parents are their 4 am friends,” adds Pillai. East not West Westernisation had made its way to India before the country attained freedom, but GenZs might be the first to resist that. They’re not blindly aping the West, say experts. “Being Indian and Indianness is a big deal for them – it’s stylish and sexy. But they do not have blind love or hate for their country,” said Mukul Gautam, vice president and chief of capacity building at Purple Audacity. This change could have happened on the back of many success stories of Indians – such as startup founders, athletes, global politicians and not to forget the many Indian-origin chief executive officers leading global tech majors. Open to… everything Zoomers also have something in common with the older generations – they’re just as religious as the older generations, and are also open to the idea of arranged marriages. Their acceptance of arranged marriages, however, is more a swing towards openness than towards traditionalism. GenZs are open to everything. They’re morally fluid and a lot more experimental, and open to trying new things. The constant change around them has made them open to change — from education and personal relationships to consumption and personal identity, there is a desire to keep things open. “GenZ has lived through the narratives of climate change, socio-cultural-political instability, many movements, polarisation etc., which has tempered their optimism and made them very pragmatic and opportunistic,” says Gautam. However, this doesn’t have a bad connotation since they’re constantly evolving, questioning and pursuing multiple identities. “It’s not a passive quest either. As if on dopamine, they constantly look and learn,” says Pillai. Yet, there are pitfalls to being young in times like these, as they’re experiencing youth in a way no other generation ever did. Too many choices available too early, exacting demands from self and a perpetual quest for validation, especially on social media, are some of the reasons for the growing mental health problems. The GenZ, who was born right when the internet took off, however, is better equipped to deal with social media and pitfalls. “It’s not mindless browsing. Social media is used judiciously to create a carefully curated identity and for furthering their personal career aspirations,” says Sirsikar. While millennials are toggling between online and offline identities, GenZs are doing a better job of closing the gap — better prepared for the future that is turning virtual in a much bigger way.

Decoding GenZ: Highly individualistic and low on regrets - this generation has what it takes

<ul><li>As per the report, 21% <keyword id="159493" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gen-z" source="Orion">Gen Z</keyword> feel it is the most important thing in life to follow their passions instead of having a stable job, trending up exponentially from 9% in 2016.</li><li>With side-hustle gaining more importance in Gen Zers lives, 70% felt side-hustles are the real shot to fame and success and 69% felt they would want to earn from their hobbies.</li></ul>MTV Insights Studio has launched the 2021 edition of its MTV Youth Study titled Atmanirbhar by Circumstance, to steer marketing and communications for youth in the right direction. A one of its kind study, Atmanirbhar by Circumstance is India’s largest youth research and a go-to handbook for the advertising and marketing community that provides a comprehensive overview of India’s Gen Z population. The in-depth qualitative and quantitative study reflects Gen-Z’s behavior, mindsets, habits and perceptions. Amid a raging pandemic, Atmanirbhar by Circumstance examines Gen Z's evolving thought processes and choices. With over 26,000 respondents aged 15 to 25 years from 50 Indian cities across NCCS A, B, and C, Atmanirbhar by Circumstance is the result of 185 questions covering seven broad topics: Education, Money, Romance, National Interests, Content, Family, Friends, and Spirituality, and COVID-19 Outlook. On conducting a nationwide study to learn more about India’s Gen Z population and on the launch of Atmanirbhar by Circumstance, Anshul Ailawadi – Head, Youth Music and English Entertainment at Viacom18, said, “2020 has been a pivotal year in so many ways. This edition of our youth study is the first such exercise post the first wave of the pandemic. It offers a rare glimpse into how young Indians are coping with a changing world in which every aspect of their lives – from their education and relationships to their careers and interests – needs to be rebuilt. It will go a long way in helping brands, creators and publishers establish a deeper connection with their Gen Z constituency.” “Chapters like Agla Chapter: Side Hustle, Pyar Dhokha Hai, COVID - 19 is temporary, Aspirations are permanent, bust common myths about this consumer set. They also showcase the evolving opinions of this age group. Overall, the findings indicate, India’s Gen Z is increasingly becoming independent or Atmanirbhar while continuing to ride high on aspirations. We hope this research empowers new age as well as legacy brands that are looking to deepen connect and build trust with their Gen Z consumer.” added Anshul. In addition to MTV’s Anshul Ailawadi, the launch also seen participation from leading brands such as, Godrej, Dabur, Dell Technologies and Spotify kicking off a discussion on Gen-Zfying the brands. The launch also had Gen Z representation from AIESEC, a non-governmental, and not-for-profit organization entirely run by youth for youth. Discussing trends relevant for Gen Zers were Vijay Kumar D - President of AIESEC in India, Joshua John Valloor - President of AIESEC in VIT, Dishay Sharoff - President of AIESEC in Mumbai, Kairavi Falguni Thakkar - Head of Partnership Development(PD) for AIESEC in India, and Jaiveer Bains - President of AIESEC in Patiala. On conducting a nationwide study to learn more about India’s Gen Z population and on the launch of Atmanirbhar by Circumstance, Anshul Ailawadi – Head, Youth Music and English Entertainment at Viacom18, said, “2020 has been a pivotal year in so many ways. This edition of our youth study is the first such exercise post the first wave of the pandemic. It offers a rare glimpse into how young Indians are coping with a changing world in which every aspect of their lives – from their education and relationships to their careers and interests – needs to be rebuilt. It will go a long way in helping brands, creators and publishers establish a deeper connection with their Gen Z constituency.” “Chapters like Agla Chapter: Side Hustle, Pyar Dhokha Hai, COVID - 19 is temporary, Aspirations are permanent, bust common myths about this consumer set. They also showcase the evolving opinions of this age group. Overall, the findings indicate, India’s Gen Z is increasingly becoming independent or Atmanirbhar while continuing to ride high on aspirations. We hope this research empowers new age as well as legacy brands that are looking to deepen connect and build trust with their Gen Z consumer.” added Anshul. In addition to MTV’s Anshul Ailawadi, the launch also seen participation from leading brands such as, Godrej, Dabur, Dell Technologies and Spotify kicking off a discussion on Gen-Zfying the brands. The launch also had Gen Z representation from AIESEC, a non-governmental, and not-for-profit organization entirely run by youth for youth. Discussing trends relevant for Gen Zers were Vijay Kumar D - President of AIESEC in India, Joshua John Valloor - President of AIESEC in VIT, Dishay Sharoff - President of AIESEC in Mumbai, Kairavi Falguni Thakkar - Head of Partnership Development(PD) for AIESEC in India, and Jaiveer Bains - President of AIESEC in Patiala. Some of the key highlights of the report: 1.AGLA CHAPTER: SIDE-HUSTLE <ul><li>21% Gen Z feel it is the most important thing in life to follow their passions instead of having a stable job, trending up exponentially from 9% in 2016</li><li>With side-hustle gaining more importance in Gen Zers lives, 70% felt side-hustles are the real shot to fame and success and 69% felt they would want to earn from their hobbies</li></ul>2.OG BAE RETURNS <ul><li>For Gen Zers money holds prime importance in a post COVID world. For 46% of respondents, money is all that matters, up from 21% in 2019. 46% said they would rather focus on being rich and successful instead of living a meaningful life, up from 25% in 2019</li><li>A staggering 74% felt there are a lot of undiscovered careers and ways to make money</li></ul>3.PYAR DOSTI DHOKHA HAI <ul><li>Gen Zers’ belief in true love continues to decline. 1 out of every 2 respondents said they flirted with someone else apart from their boyfriend or girlfriend during the lockdown. 25% said they don’t believe in marriage up from 10% in 2019 and 8% in 2016</li><li>13% shared they are in a committed relationship down from 26% in 2019 and 35% in 2016</li><li>They are less likely to date someone they meet online and believe that people treat relationships like stories – ‘here today, gone tomorrow’.</li></ul> 4. VOLUME OVER WORDS <ul><li>The study indicates that although Gen Zers are extremely vocal on subjects of national interest, they have muted participation for on-ground events.</li></ul><ul><li> 83% agree that political topics are a part of peer conversations</li></ul>5.APPLY CONTENT TO BURNT AREAS 21% watch shows as a method of escapism into an imaginary world, up from 17% in 2019. 67% said streaming apps allowed them to watch the content of their choice without having to pretend or fear being judged For 66% streaming content of their choice made them feel more expressive and free 43% said listening to music kept them emotionally healthy and is still the #1 stressbuster 6.ALEXA, GIVE ME PEACE OF MIND Given the negativity and volatility of the world around them, Gen Z is seeking refuge in family, religion and friends. 52% attributed their happiness to their family, up from 42%in 2019 and 13%in 2016. During the lockdown, 65% of respondents said their families were the most motivating factor. Being family oriented rose to the top of their partner's priority list 70% felt more in control of their life after prayer and 62% said being spiritual gave them clarity in a confusing world 42% would avoid having friends who compete with them, up from 18% in 2019; 45% felt friends are only for fun up from 25% in 2019 7.COVID IS TEMPORARY, ASPIRATIONS ARE PERMANENT <ul><li>56% Gen Zers believe that life will be back to normal overthrowing the concept of the ‘new normal’ after COVID-19 subsides</li><li>51% will wait for the right opportunity to come their way instead of going after just anything that is offered to them</li><li>74% said DIY during the lockdown has now grown to become a habit and 82% were more proud and confident about themselves after completing DIY tasks</li></ul>

Gen Z decoded: MTV's latest report reflects Gen Z’s behavior patterns,mindsets, habits and perceptions

<ul><li>Generation Z, which includes people born between 1997-2012, is not just digital savvy, they are digital natives who are immersed in social media. </li><li>They are a tweet away, catching up on the news developments and dance trends on Instagram, with an attention span of a gnat, wanting to see real content and calling out fake news.</li><li><keyword id="10474161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shreyas-hegde" source="Orion">Shreyas Hegde</keyword>, CEO and Co-Founder of <keyword id="10474160" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viral-fission" source="Orion">Viral Fission</keyword> writes about changing rules of marketing, led by <keyword id="4550079" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="genz" source="Orion">GenZ</keyword> audience.</li></ul>It has been established that GenZ is agile, dynamic and ambitious. With every generational shift, there comes a change in preferences and demand. So how do marketers adapt to this and change their approach? Reach, engage and involve While marketers have decoded the secret to speaking the GenZ lingo, they still lack understanding of the GenZ way. A brand can come with the most buzz-worthy campaign that will get you to the top of their SEO search but will not ascertain their loyalty to your brand. So how do you make these agile digital natives stay engaged? The brand messaging will bring the user to a brand but they engage only when they find relevance that piques their interest. If a user opens a sportswear brand page, they will engage if the brand is running a contest, hosting a giveaway or creating content that resonates with the individual. But for a Genz, loyalty to the brands they love doesn’t stop at just engaging with brand-generated content. It takes a step further into wanting to be actively involved, participate and say their opinions out loud! Involvement is a deeper factor of engagement, it plays an interactive role in brand engagement. For a generation that wants to be a part of decisions and make a change, this is how they are rewriting the rules of engagement. Peer to peer connect giving rise to communities GenZ believes in personalised connect, they rely on the words of their peers over the words of a celebrity endorser. The decisions of this generation are highly influenced by the reviews from their peers. This pattern has given rise to an era of community marketing. GenZ tends to associate itself with groups that cater to its niche. These communities have given rise to brand loyalists and turned them into brand advocates. The brand loyalists act as brand ambassadors and create content that caters to their respective communities. Being given a chance to co-create with the brands they love makes the GenZers feel like they are playing a vital role in contributing and not just acting as an audience. Involvement from ideation to completion According to a report by National Retail Federation (NRF), 44% of the GenZ audience showed high interest to be involved in the product right from the ideation stage. GenZ wants brands to value their opinions and in return take actions to create an impact. The more you involve them right from the onset the more impact you have on this community. They are not only inclined towards participating in presenting their opinion on the product but also want to be part of the process that goes into making the same. Thus, creating an impact right from the grassroots level. Engage in impactful conversations The digital natives are a purpose-driven generation, one that wants to engage and make an impact. This generation that is value-driven, wants to be associated where they can add credibility to themselves and the world around them. The scope of evolution in this landscape lies in giving a platform to these digital natives to speak and incorporate their nuances.

From engagement to involvement: Is Gen Z rewriting rules of brand engagement?

<ul><li>Capgemini launches a new report that decodes <keyword id="12920878" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="genz-and-millennials" source="Orion">GenZ and Millennials</keyword> shopping patterns.</li><li>As per the report, with convenience remaining a key priority for consumers, delivery and fulfilment are increasingly being transformed from a cost center to a growth driver for many organizations.</li></ul>Gen Z and <keyword id="8805554" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="millennial-shoppers" source="Orion">Millennial shoppers</keyword> are now more likely to order products directly from brands, and 72% of all shoppers expect to have significant interactions with physical stores once the pandemic subsides – up from 60% pre-COVID. This is according to a new Capgemini Research Institute report, What Matters to Today’s Consumer, which reveals the far-reaching impact of the pandemic on <keyword id="139079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-behaviour" source="Orion">consumer behaviour</keyword> and preferences. More than two-thirds (68%) of Gen Z and over half (58%) of Millennials have ordered products directly from brands in the past six months, compared to 41% on average across all age groups. Only 37% percent of Gen X and 21% of Boomer shoppers have ordered directly from a brand in the last six months. For those who have bought directly from brands, almost two thirds (60%) cite a better buying experience as a reason for purchasing directly, and 59% cite access to brand loyalty programs. In return for these benefits, consumers are willing to share their data. Currently, almost half (45%) of all shoppers say they are willing to share data on how they consume or use products and more than a third (39%) say they are willing to share personal data such as demographic information or product preferences. However, 54% of all shoppers say that offers, deals, and/or discounts would make it more likely for them to share their data directly with brands. Tim Bridges, Global Head of Consumer Goods and Retail at Capgemini said, “Younger consumers’ willingness to go straight to brands when purchasing goods presents a real opportunity for consumer product companies. This enables them to collect consumer data and helps create a more mature direct-to-consumer channel. Being data-powered enables the consumer product and retail organizations to translate supply and demand trends into intelligent decisions on where best to stock their products, customize products and services, and enhance customer experience.” Online not likely to replace in-store shopping entirely The surge in ecommerce over the last two years due to safety concerns and the desire to avoid physical stores has now plateaued. The notion that online may replace in-store entirely has been disproven, and the majority of consumers (72%) expect to have significant interactions with physical stores after the pandemic subsides – exceeding pre-COVID numbers (60%). Globally, all age groups expect their level of in-store interactions post-pandemic to be higher than their online interactions. Boomers are the most likely to interact in-store (76%), and Gen Z the least likely (66%). However, the nature of these interactions is changing as the distinction between online and in-store continues to blur. For instance, post-pandemic, 22% of shoppers expect to have a high level of interactions with click-and-collect orders. This trend is highest for Millennials (33%) and lowest for Boomers (11%). Delivery and fulfillment services gain importance in certain segments With convenience remaining a key priority for consumers, delivery and fulfilment are increasingly being transformed from a cost center to a growth driver for many organizations. In the health and beauty and grocery segments, shoppers place greater importance on delivery and fulfillment than in-store experiences. This is especially true for groceries shoppers across all age groups, where 42% percent of shoppers say that delivery and fulfillment are the most important service attributes. The research also highlights that convenience of delivery is a major factor that can push shoppers to try new and emerging models of shopping. We found that slightly less than half of consumers (47%) who have purchased products via subscription services do so for the convenience of home delivery. Post-pandemic, 22% of shoppers expect to have a high level of interactions with click-and-collect orders (i.e., ordering online and picking up in-store or curbside), indicating an enduring desire to interact with physical stores. However, shoppers are less willing to pay a premium for fast delivery. Across all shoppers, 3.3% of the total cost is the average they would be willing to pay for two-hour delivery, down from 4.6% in 2019. While younger shoppers with children remain the most willing to pay a premium, consumers increasingly expect fast delivery as a standard part of the customer experience. Health and sustainability are top of mind for consumers Health and sustainability look set to continue influencing consumer decisions going forward, and organizations should consider investment in empowering customers to make informed choices around these, cites the report. In November 2020[2], 70% of consumers said they’d be more cautious about cleanliness and personal health once the pandemic is over, and 63% said sustainability will be more important when deciding which retailers and brands to purchase from. These figures have remained stable in 2021 at 69% and 60% respectively. 44% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for grocery products that have sustainable packaging. This is more pronounced amongst Gen Z (64%) and Millennials (54%) than older generations like Boomers (30%). How brands and retailers can capitalize on the evolving <keyword id="901027" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-trends" source="Orion">consumer trends</keyword> To meet the evolving needs of today’s consumer the report identifies four key actions for brands and retailers to benefit from these underlying consumer trends: 1. Collect and analyze first-party consumer data to customize new products and services for specific customer segments 2. Develop an omnichannel strategy that incorporates the roles of in-store, ecommerce, direct to consumer and marketplaces 3. Reposition delivery and fulfilment services as a growth driver for customer experience 4. Set pricing of sustainable products more competitively in line with consumer expectations

Gen Z and Millennials increasingly willing to buy directly from brands, bypassing traditional retail channels: Report

<ul><li><keyword id="7565576" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nana-murugesan" source="Orion">Nana Murugesan</keyword>, Managing Director of International Markets at <keyword id="3683497" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="snap-inc" source="Orion">Snap Inc</keyword> decodes <keyword id="3336728" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="gen-z" source="Orion">Gen-Z</keyword>. </li><li>He shares what makes GenZ different than others, how to capture their attention in less than 8 seconds, which topics are they most passionate about and how to connect with them. </li></ul>Walking a mile in Gen-Z shoes would show you that they view the world differently. They are a generation of innovators, unafraid to experiment and draw outside the lines. They are a socially inclusive bunch and are positively receptive to change - at most times driving it. A product of their times, this generation has stepped up to be the change-makers they believe the world needs. They harness their creativity, empathy and the internet at their command to stay connected, blurring the lines between the physical and the virtual world. <keyword id="159493" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gen-z" source="Orion">Gen Z</keyword>, although more tech-savvy and more pragmatic, is also facing challenges differently. The pressure to excel, combined with the heaviness of the world during the recessions and the recent pandemic in which they have come of age, has this cohort more stressed than prior generations. They respond by seeking out moments of levity and have a strong desire to bring fun back into their everyday lives. This need for laughter and light-heartedness will continue into their future as a tool to keep them recharged and reflects in how they choose to communicate with each other. They seek expression, fun and creativity while speaking to each other online. According to the insights from the <keyword id="12306663" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="snapchat-generation-report-gen-z" source="Orion">Snapchat Generation Report Gen Z</keyword> wants to stay connected through photos, emoticons, video calls and memes. They also place immense value on personalization, authenticity, speed, and love the concept of personalised - avatars that represent them in the virtual world. Unlike their predecessors, Gen-Z is fluid and open to exploring, building on their authentic selves. They measure success differently and are more inclined to celebrate creativity - whether others or their own. The world of the internet resonates with them because it fuels this creativity by offering them an almost limitless creative playground, no matter how niche the interest. The need to see the world from a different lens bringing physical spaces and digital expressions together makes them more inclined towards Augmented Reality. AR empowers people to express their authentic self, live in the moment, learn about the world and have shared experiences together. It has helped create deeply engaging and immersive experiences for the new generation to interact with the world around them as soon as they open their camera. The lens has enabled innovation bringing alive art, culture and history. For instance, The Final Christo: Original Works for The Arc de Triomphe - a recently launched global portal lens enabled Snapchatters to bring French-artist Christo and Jeanne Claude’s vision of wrapping the iconic Arc de Triomphe to life. The shared experiences form the core of Gen Z connections are naturally inclined towards bringing in moments of fun and lightheartedness in everything they do. One of the experiences they actively seek is playing games together. It's no accident that many digital experiences are either games or platforms that began as gathering places for gamers. Gaming has crossed the broader, stepping into - culture in recent years. Today, ‘gaming’ is not just for ‘gamers’ — it represents a new paradigm for interacting online. In the span of a year, digital experiences have become a force defining not only how Gen Z audiences connect, but also how they experience and shape the culture at large. They want to use maps to communicate with their friends nearby and also leverage it to see what is happening in new places thousands of miles away and learn about and celebrate other cultures, and understand various perspectives during big events. Besides games and maps, they also enjoy the more interactive and faster experiences of sharing video and music content. Apart from new dynamic experiences, the core values of the generation are reflected in their prioritizing social activism, willingness to address difficult issues and being more open to authentic self-expression. They place importance on supporting organizations and features whose values and attributes align with their own. With the world as their laboratory, new generations are free to choose and seek out their own virtual communities. These communities build, engage and provide a platform for phenomenal growth. There are endless possibilities and activities that one can explore to strike a chord with Gen-Z, including connecting with culture, reimagining e-commerce and meaningfully engaging with friends and family. To drive a connection with Gen Z it is important to be more conscious and strengthen empathy, understand their behaviours and patterns of thinking as a generation since they expect more personalization in how they want to be treated and are active seekers who are willing to create more. Growing up in a time of rapid advances and industry disruption driven by mobile technology and ubiquitous connectivity, Gen Z expects continuous innovation as the norm. This personalization and innovation can be positive forces to stay relevant across all generations and can help open pathways for traditional setups to do things differently, keeping the future in mind.

Talking the Gen-Z talk: How to market to them

<ul><li>Ad &amp; Media Insider in partnership with Wattpad, hosted a 2-part webinar where we brought industry experts to discuss what makes GenZ different than others, which mediums do they use, how to capture their attention in less than 8 seconds, which topics are they most passionate about and why communication can no longer simply be a monologue. </li><li>The panel was moderated by Dr. Marcus Ranney, Champion of Well-being and had Sameer Yadav, Associate Director - Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India, P.G. Aditya, NCD, Dentsu Webchutney and Chris Stefanyk, Head of Brand Partnerships, Wattpad as panelists. </li></ul>Generation Z, which includes anyone born after 1996 and is in the age group of 18-24, is not just digital savvy, they are digital natives who are immersed in social media. They are a tweet away, catching up on the news developments and dance trends on Instagram, with an attention span of a gnat, wanting to see real content and calling out fake news. This generation is surrounded by a barrage of information online, spoilt for choice and skip ads that do not keep them hooked beyond the first few seconds. But if you do get their attention in 8 seconds, they are also a generation that binge watches content. India also has the largest population of young people, making them an important target group for marketers. However, marketers in India -- who are largely Millennials or Xennials and invest in traditional mediums -- are still trying to understand the upcoming generation to find out new ways to market and evolve with them. So, to figure out the most effective ways to connect with GenZ and help quell this panic of navigating the clutter, Ad &amp; Media Insider in partnership with Wattpad, hosted a 2-part webinar. Industry experts decoded how to market to this new age group, which channels deserve the majority of a brand’s marketing monnies, and new ways of appealing to the younger generation. The panel was moderated by Dr. Marcus Ranney, Champion of Well-being and had Sameer Yadav, Associate Director - Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India, P.G. Aditya, NCD Dentsu Webchutney and Chris Stefanyk, Head of Brand Partnerships, Wattpad as panelists. <keyword id="10216730" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="understanding-genz">Understanding GenZ</keyword> GenZ has an attention span of a gnat, which is less than 8 seconds and Millennials have an attention span of goldfish. Tinder, whose core audience is millennials and GenZ, had changed its Twitter bio to “RTs are now hugs” after one Twitter user requested it to retweet at midnight and a few others jumped on the trend. Aditya made a point that GenZ wants to be heard but brands need to respond to their queries as they also forget very quickly. Sharing a yardstick Aditya uses to measure a campaign's success probability, he said, “If someone chooses to interact with your brand, how quickly am I responding? We should use that as a parameter to gauge GenZ's attention span, because if someone tweets about you at 11:47, they will forget it at 11:50.” GenZ adapts to new technology faster than Millennials, Xennials and Boomers but that isn’t the only way marketers should look at GenZ. Yadav highlighted why it is important to segregate them into different psychographic segments and analyse their behaviour. “GenZ is not just an age bracket. You need to consider some beliefs, attitudes and then you try to figure out what are their interest areas, which you can then narrow down to a right set of cohorts you want to target. In this case, even the spillover might be better rather than segmenting them into a different set of age groups,” said Yadav. Building on Yadav’s point, Stefanyk spoke about diversity and commonalities within GenZ. While they might have a different upbringing, they are all looking for honest communication. Stefanyk said, “We realised in our research that GenZ is by far the most diverse generation of all time. For example, 48% of the North American audience claimed to have sexuality other than straight. To connect with them, you need to be serving content that relevantly speaks to them. GenZ wants to be spoken to as an individual and not a group. They are the first ones acting as BS (bull sh*t) detectors. So, they will call you out, at a platform or brand level. In North America, there is a concept called cancel culture which is GenZ using social channels to cancel brands, people or otherwise. At the end of the day, you have to be true to what your platform stands for.” Using the right mediums At-home media consumption as well as online consumption has grown significantly in lockdown, particularly among younger viewing audiences. According to Kantar's report, online video saw the greatest increase during lockdown, with 72% traffic coming from GenZ. However, experts said medium doesn’t matter as much as storytelling does. New-age brands like Swiggy and Zomato continue to explore email marketing regularly. Mondelez’s lion’s share still goes to traditional media and Yadav said that message supersedes the medium. “In India, if you have to reach the masses and drive scale, you will have to go to traditional media. When it comes to marketing to GenZ by using traditional media, it depends on your message. Before we select a medium, we invest more in understanding the platform and research on what consumers are doing on that media, what they are sharing and liking. If you compare 2020 to 80s, of course, brands are moving tremendously towards the digital side but traditional media is here to stay. It continues to be the biggest aggregator followed by other properties,” said Yadav. Mondelez further personalises its campaign for GenZ according to their common interests and finds a perfect time slot when they are open to receiving more information. Yadav said, “We believe in personalisation. GenZ in Kerala vs Nashik is very different. So we try to personalise to an extent that we send out 100-150 creatives at different points of time so that we resonate better with that particular consumer cohort. We try to draft distinct messages for different consumer cohorts. We try to target them at a relevant time in the day, personalise it further according to which region they are in and their interests.” Brands can no longer sell to them: Moving away from monologue to dialogue The panelists discussed how GenZ is increasingly becoming more aware of how advertising works and is able to separate grey from black. They view brands as a form of self-expression and to connect with them, panelists said, it is important to include them in the content-making process. On how brands can ensure that GenZ engages with their stories, Stefanyk said that it is important to choose the right issue they would resonate with, include them in the part of the storytelling process, promise action-oriented results and deliver behavioural change. He added, “Marketers targeting GenZ, bear in mind that purpose means action, not words. Decreasing attention span is a myth if people learn how to engage in content that speaks well to them.” Aditya also highlighted why marketers targeting GenZ should follow just one mantra, that is, be real. He said, “Millennials want brands to have a sense of purpose. GenZ has taken that a step ahead. They are not just satisfied with a purpose, they want real action from brands. The understanding of what is real and fake is way more nuanced right now. We also need more representation in-house. We need a 21-year-old cracking ideas for the 21-year-old. 'Millennialsplaining' is not gonna work. You need GenZ themselves working on campaigns for GenZ. ” So, the best way for brands to connect with GenZ is to take a closer look at your brand's value system, speak to the target audience in their language, and engage in a dialogue, not a monologue. Brands need to understand what the audience wants to hear, and involve them in the process and be real. Watch the full conversation here: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="7" retweetcount="2" status="Marketing To GenZ: @docmranney, @wattpad's @cstefanyk &amp; Sameer Yadav. https://t.co/jRpg7ecL2B" createdat="1604399410000" id="1323573174320050179"></div>

Most effective ways to market to GenZ in 2020

Music has been instrumental in coping with our new routines. The soothing voice of <keyword id="146060" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arijit">Arijit</keyword>, a peppy number by <keyword id="10474637" type="AGENCY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ap-dhillon">AP Dhillon</keyword>, or a calming podcast by Neelesh Misra has helped listeners cope with many a difficult day. Moments with audio follow the listener through the day and across devices, creating different listening experiences. Whether it's while doing daily chores such as cooking, working out, or spending time with family, the versatility of audio makes it engaging and personal. Audio advertising allows your brand to create a personal connection with consumers in moments when other mediums cannot. On an average, the Indian listener spends 2.5 hours per day on audio, and 80% of this time, they can’t be reached through visual media1. So with only a display or a video ad you are missing out on valuable time with your audience. <div type="image" title="Spotify listeners" msid="84965364" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Spotify listeners&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ads that match the moment, make an impact" comment="subhead" text="Ads that match the moment, make an impact">Ads that match the moment, make an impact</cmsannotation> With <keyword id="685487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify">Spotify</keyword>, you can be sure that your message will get noticed: we deliver your ads at the right moment when the listeners are most receptive — in a no swipe, no scroll environment. A deep understanding of our listeners and a constant connection with them throughout their day can help create and deliver messages that enhance rather than interrupt the moment. 75% of Spotify listeners say they remember ads more when the ads recognize their moment or setting2. Spotify helps brands reach consumers in the right moment, and the results are - 2.7x higher awareness and 5.3x higher intent than campaigns with basic demographic targeting2. <div type="image" title="Ad recall better when it matches the moment" msid="84965399" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Ad recall better when it matches the moment&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Striking the right chord" comment="subhead" text="Striking the right chord">Striking the right chord</cmsannotation> Multi-device listeners in India stream music for 2.5 hours per day1. These are precious screenless moments on screenless devices such as home speakers, cars, gaming consoles, and smart TVs. According to a survey by Spotify, for 56% of <keyword id="4550079" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="GenZ">GenZ</keyword> these screenless moments offer an escape from the world of visual overload4. With over 4 billion playlists on Spotify, there are endless opportunities to know what your audience is listening to and you can match your creative to that vibe. At Spotify, we’re constantly learning about how people listen in real-time through our streaming intelligence — first-party, contextual data that reveal moods, mindsets, habits, and tastes at the moment. Audio brings moment marketing to life for a mother in Mumbai when she listens to focus playlists in the afternoon while working from home, fitness playlists when she is working out, and sleep playlists when she’s putting her kids to bed. Audio allows you to go well beyond primary data related to age, gender, location, and device type and really own a moment Playlist keywords give us clues to the listeners’ context in the moment they’re listening: their setting and their current genre preference. Campaigns that include playlist targeting drive 2.1x higher intent than campaigns that don’t3. <div type="image" title="Building a connect with your brand and listeners" msid="84965487" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Building a connect with your brand and listeners&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Creating the right sensory mix" comment="subhead" text="Creating the right sensory mix">Creating the right sensory mix</cmsannotation> Multi-format campaigns (<keyword id="9500690" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="audio-video">audio &amp; video</keyword>) showed a 1.8x increase in ad recall than video ads alone5. From playful statics and creative videos during screen time to immersive audio as the consumer moves to non-screen devices, multimedia campaigns ensure that your brand complements the consumer’s device journey. On Spotify, the sound-on environment lets you tell stories with both audio and visual elements — and you can be confident they’re being seen and heard. We’ve seen that running both video and audio increases ad recall by 90% and results in a 2.2x increase in brand awareness5. This sensory combination extends your creative options, giving you the best of both. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Capturing the imagination of the listener" comment="subhead" text="Capturing the imagination of the listener">Capturing the imagination of the listener</cmsannotation> Our brains process information through audio 22x faster than through visualizations6. With audio, there’s no limit to storytelling — it can communicate emotions, capture moods in seconds, engaging listeners to fill in gaps with their imagination. Here are some ideas for an audio creative on Spotify: ● Provide an elevated sensory experience with a full sonic palette - ASMR, 3D audio, immersive effects, entertaining narration, and great music - to tell memorable stories. ● Explore sequential messaging, telling a story from one ad to the next. ● Use your audio identity, an audio signature, or jingle! The familiarity offers an impactful way to enhance the listener’s sonic environment and effectively get their attention. And all of this can be done in a personal, one-to-one manner with no clutter, audio is disruptive without disturbing. We spend a large part of our day listening. Get your brand heard in the moment that makes the most impact. Whether you're taking the first steps in exploring the power of audio on Spotify or looking to connect with an audience that is difficult to reach otherwise, now's the time to act. Ready to get your message heard? Write to us at <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="mailto:spotify-advertising-india@spotify.com">spotify-advertising-india@spotify.com</a> to get in touch with our client support team.1- IFPI Digital Music Report 2019 2 - Spotify Nielsen Brand Effect Studies, 2018 3- Spotify First Party Data, global, based on daily content hours / daily active users, free users multiplatform, May 2019 4 - Spotify Culture Next trend survey among 4,000 respondents 15-37 globally [U.S., MX, BR, FR, DE, U.K., PH, AU], February 2019) 5 - Data Source- Nielsen Brand Effect on Spotify, March 2020 6- Source - Petra Vetter, Fraser W. Smith, Lars Muckli. Decoding Sound and Imagery Content in Early Visual Cortex. Current Biology, 2014 Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Spotify SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/microsoft-could-expand-support-for-the-apps-feature-of-the-your-phone-app-to-the-galaxy-a52/articleshow/84965781.cms">Microsoft could be expanding the ‘Apps’ feature of the Your Phone app to more apps</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zomato-indigo-paints-bectors-food-ujjivan-small-finance-bank-and-other-hot-stocks-that-have-lost-steam-since-listing/articleshow/84964352.cms">Don’t subscribe for an IPO just because it saw great interest from institutional investors ⁠— Indigo Paints, Mrs Bectors Food, and Ujjivan are examples to look at</a>

The power of audio ads — tap into the right moment and make an impact

<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>

Storyline: Decoding the art of storytelling in today's highly dynamic world

<ul><li>Ad &amp; Media Insider in partnership with <keyword id="1959531" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wattpad">Wattpad</keyword>, hosted a 2-part webinar where we brought industry experts to discuss what makes this generation different from others before them, how marketers need to approach them differently, if they want to become a part of their lives.</li><li>The panel was moderated by <keyword id="2998892" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pooja-Jauhari">Pooja Jauhari</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="2951846" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Glitch">The Glitch</keyword> and had <keyword id="138476" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohit-Joshi">Mohit Joshi</keyword>, CEO, Havas Media Group, <keyword id="10210068" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="archana-tiwari-nayudu">Archana Tiwari-Nayudu</keyword>, Director - Content &amp; Communications, upGrad, <keyword id="4970814" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikas-Bagaria">Vikas Bagaria</keyword>, Founder, Pee Safe and <keyword id="3747310" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="devashish-sharma">Devashish Sharma</keyword>, Country Manager, Wattpad India as panelists.</li></ul>GenZ, the tech-savvy, digital native generation that is often blamed for having an attention span which is even lesser than that of a goldfish, is also a difficult target group to decode, from a marketing perspective. GenZs are visibly different from previous generations of consumers. True they have shorter attention spans but if they feel a particular kind of content resonates with them, they will stick around, even if it is long-form content. They are also on the lookout for brands that go above and beyond just selling their products. They instantly connect with brands that they feel are socially and environmentally conscious. To find out more about this often difficult-to-please consumer set, Ad &amp; Media Insider in partnership with Wattpad, hosted a 2-part webinar where we brought industry experts to discuss what makes this generation different from others before them, how marketers need to approach them differently, if they want to become a part of their lives. The panel also discussed the role good storytelling plays in ensuring that GenZers like a particular brand. The panel was moderated by Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch and had Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group, Archana Tiwari-Nayudu, Director - Content &amp; Communications, upGrad, Vikas Bagaria, Founder, Pee Safe and Devashish Sharma, Country Manager, Wattpad India as panelists. Millennials vs GenZ – The key differentiators The conversation started with charting out the major differences between GenZ and the preceding generation, Millennials. The textbook definitions of these two generations are anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 39 in 2020) are millennials whereas people born between 1996 and 2012 are categorized as GenZ. Explaining what he thinks defines GenZ and differentiates them from millennials and other generations before them, Sharma said, “What differentiates GenZ from previous generations is that they are digital and mobile native, they are great at creating content and they are also people who genuinely want to connect on social causes.” Adding to Sharma’s opinion, Joshi said, “GenZ is socially conscious but also very ruthless. When it comes to choosing a brand, they go beyond the functional benefits and look for the social benefits. And you have to be really fast when talking to them because their attention span is abysmal.” “This is a generation that believes in being real and bold,” added Tiwari-Nayudu. On how stories are an important part of engaging with this audience, Sharma said, “Memes to movies, stories can link brands to culture. While in the past, brand jingles used to help consumers connect with brands and build a recall, today things are different. Today memes do the same job. What has changed is, jingles used to be a one-way communication whereas memes are much more participative and that’s what GenZ is looking for,” added Sharma. The importance of consistency in customer experience For this generation, the kind of experience they get while talking to a brand is very important. Therefore, customer and brand experience becomes an important factor when it comes to this set of audience rooting for a brand. Sharing his thought, Bagaria said, “This is a generation that is looking for a solution and not just a product. This is also a generation that is vocal. They will talk to you and they will tell you what they want and the more you talk to them and give them solutions and information, the more they will stick to you.” Relevance and meaningfulness is important for GenZ added Joshi. “If you want to build a brand for this younger generation, it has to be built in alignment with their values and beliefs,” he added. Joshi also gave the example of recent campaigns Havas Media Group had done for Durex including ‘Mutual Climax’ and ‘Durex Jeans’. “These campaigns happened because we listened to the brand’s consumers and created a narrative around that. Today it is all about creating a product which this generation wants. For them, engaging with a product doesn’t make sense unless it’s been made for them. Therefore, successful marketers have to build a product bottoms up,” elaborated Joshi. “Listening to consumers on every touchpoint is extremely important,” added Jauhari. Throwing some light on how a marketer’s approach towards crafting communication is also changing today, Tiwari-Nayudu added, “I am very happy to see that today, everybody is thinking of a pull model rather than a push model. In the pull model, storytelling is at the core of everything you do. You have to connect with the audience in a way that it is immersive and engaging because you want the audience to be a part of your storytelling." Authenticity in storytelling upGrad recently came up with a campaign that showed people in an office kissing a donkey. The campaign took the phase, kissing ass literally and created a campaign around it. And the ad went viral, owing to both the novelty of the story and the way it was told and also because a lot of people related to it. “When we were working on the idea, we had several rounds of discussion to understand how to go about it. We wanted to be real and authentic. What we came up with resonated with the audience. SOo it is very important that you use a language that your audience understands and tell it in a way that they relate to it because they want real stuff,” shared Tiwari-Nayudu. The conversation also steered towards ‘Causevertising’, which is a term used for brands who create communications around a cause. When asked if GenZ believes in cause-vertising, Joshi said, “For GenZ, cause-vertising is a bad word. They are aware of everything so you can’t really fool them. They will see right through you. At Havas, we have come up with a notion of meaningfulness and there are 3 parts to it. When consumers look at a brand, they look at its functional benefits, that is, what are the basic functions of the product. They look at the personal benefits, which means they see how it is helping them personally. Then thirdly, and this is the most important one for GenZ, they look at the collective benefits.” Giving a recent example, Joshi spoke about Baba ka Dhaba and how that initiative was all about meaningfulness. “Once the conversation started, Swiggy and Zomato got into it and added Baba ka Dhaba to their platforms. That’s something that GenZ considers meaningful. It wasn’t cause-vertising but it was meaningful advertising. They are asking what are you as a brand doing for the industry and the community? They also want to see what you’re doing and if you are able to convince them about your authenticity, they will buy your product. In fact, they are ready to pay more for products that have higher collective benefits,” explained Joshi. Bagaria also shone the light on the importance of creating products by listening to your consumers. “Ours is a brand that is by GenZ and for GenZ. We have come up with so many products just by listening to this young generation. Therefore, it is very important to take a bottoms up approach. Listen to your consumers and then create your products. If you do that much, you won’t need to advertise. Your products will sell automatically,” he said. On what a marketer should focus on in the future to be able to connect with this set of audience, Sharma said, “User-generated content is something that works well for GenZ and that is something marketers should look at. Today, its not just about targeting a direct audience but also about giving a push to these creators through whose content you can unlock newer audiences.” Watch the full conversation here: <div type="javascript" title="Facebook" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div>

Why good storytelling is the perfect tool to connect and communicate with GenZ

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Middle school teacher Philip Lindsay has been using TikTok to help people understand Gen Alpha slang.</li><li>He's educating his audience about the latest terms he hears from students, and what they mean.</li></ul>Middle school teacher Philip Lindsay says he's always been "pretty in the know" about kids' slang.The 29-year-old, who teaches 11- to 14-year-olds at Rim Country Middle School in Arizona, was a youth pastor for several years before becoming a teacher. He told Business Insider that one day, he wondered how many parents and teachers were unaware of the terminology the kids of today were using, and spent a few days writing down slang terms he heard from his students.On October 16, he shared a comprehensive list of 24 terms in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay_teaching_co/video/7290331163787316522">video</a> on his TikTok account, which has over 102,000 followers, where he typically posts comedic content about what his teaching job is like. "One of the jobs as a teacher is to stay on top of the middle school slang because if you don't know what they're saying, how will you know if they're being inappropriate or not, right?" he said in the clip.Some of the slang words Lindsay shared have been used in mainstream popular culture for a number of years now, including "cap" and "yeet," but others exploded online more recently after some creators tied them predominantly to Gen Alpha, such as "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/fanum-tax-gen-alpha-gen-z-millennials-confusing-slang-2023-10">fanum tax</a>" and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/gen-alpha-slang-gyat-meaning-explained-millennial-2023-11">"GYAT."</a>The post went viral, receiving 5.4 million views, and Lindsay went on to produce a series on middle school slang to help parents and teachers decode Gen Alpha.<h2>All generations have their slang, and it's not as different as it may seem</h2>Lindsay told BI that with his first video he was trying to "capture a feeling that teachers and parents seem to have, of, 'I don't know how to connect with my kids because I don't understand the language they're using.'""I think that's a relatable feeling," he added. It seems this resonated. Commenters under Lindsay's video asked him to share more terms along with their definitions, which he did in various follow-up posts.But Lindsay told BI he doesn't think Gen Alpha slang is all that different to previous generations' — while the words may have changed, many of the meanings are comparable to words he used when he was in school.For example, he said he used to say "YOLO," meaning "You Only Live Once," and the Gen Alpha equivalent is "do it for the plot," which is often used to encourage others to take risks. "Slay" is another older slang term, which Lindsay has heard his students using, however Gen Alpha also uses the more current phrase "ate that" as an equivalent way of saying somebody "knocked that out of the park," he explained. Lindsay told BI that when he was growing up, most of the slang terms he used were influenced by the music industry. Gen Alpha is still influenced by pop culture, but more likely to be influenced by words they've heard from influencers or in social media videos — something he's noticed too.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/fanum-tax-gen-alpha-gen-z-millennials-confusing-slang-2023-10">The term "fanum tax"</a>, for example, is linked to an online creator in popular streamer Kai Cenat's influencer clan called Fanum, who would jokingly swipe food from other members of the influencer crew referring to it as a "tax.""A student may use this in the lunch room by walking up to somebody's plate, taking a piece of food, and saying it is a fanum tax," Lindsay said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay_teaching_co/video/7290707177226898731">TikTok</a> explaining the term.According to Lindsay, slang words can spread very rapidly among middle schoolers, who he thinks see new terminology online and begin adopting it without having to speak to each other about what it means."It's crazy, because of the viral nature of YouTube and TikTok, how quickly all of them can be on the exact same page with what a word means and how to use it," he said. <h2>Lindsay said parents can connect with their children by understanding the slang they use</h2>Lindsay told BI he's received some online messages from parents thanking him for making his content and saying it's helped them to connect with their children.He thinks of slang as a way for people to express emotions, and believes learning it can help parents connect with their children's feelings."I think a lack of understanding can sometimes inhibit that connection between adult and student, whether it's teacher to student or parent to student, and so that understanding of their language brings a level of ability to connect with them," he said."If as a parent, you can understand more of their language to be able to bridge that gap of connection, then that would be what I would hope they use the video for," he said, describing what he'd like parents to take away from his video series.

Why you should probably learn Gen Alpha slang, according to a millennial teacher who's fluent

India’s tech hub sees most layoffs along with sharpest dip in hiring

<cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="summary" comment="summary" text="As the onset of the new year beckons us towards new beginnings, Business Insider India invites you to experience our innovations — a showcase of new editorial initiatives, products and brand partnerships from 2022 which have helped leading global companies engage with our select audience. These activities have established the foundation for our unique editorial mission around sustainability, personal finance, and enterprise tech which delivered sharp, incisive and compelling content to our readers. This year, we look forward to collaborating with you on your brand journey and help you emulate the same success that our longstanding partners have achieved.">As the onset of the new year beckons us towards new beginnings, Business Insider India invites you to experience our innovations — a showcase of new editorial initiatives, products and brand partnerships from 2022 which have helped leading global companies engage with our select audience. These activities have established the foundation for our unique editorial mission around sustainability, personal finance, and enterprise tech which delivered sharp, incisive and compelling content to our readers. This year, we look forward to collaborating with you on your brand journey and help you emulate the same success that our longstanding partners have achieved.</cmsannotation> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="summary" comment="summary" text="Dive in to discover our success stories and drop us a line to harness the very best of Business Insider India’s creative approaches.">Dive in to discover our success stories and drop us a line to harness the very best of Business Insider India’s creative approaches.</cmsannotation> <bulletContentEmbed name="Sustainability Insider" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="Sustainability Insider_head"> <div type="image" title="Sustainability Insider" msid="97128329" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sustainability Insider&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></columnHeadThumb><keyword id="14107500" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sustainability-Insider" source="Orion">Sustainability Insider</keyword></columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="Sustainability Insider_body"><bulletContentRow name="Sustainability Insider_1673794911834810"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">2023 and beyond… Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) will take the centre stage. Our ESG focussed programming segment - Sustainability Insider sharpens the focus on people, companies and ideas which are making this world a better place. Sustainability Insider’s marquee event, the <keyword id="9906589" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-EV-Day" source="Orion">World EV Day</keyword> webinar in September showcased industry veterans and thought leaders through and engaged large audiences across the website and social channels. Read more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">here</a></bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[right]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="left_image" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="left_image_head"> <div type="image" title="EV_IG (1)" msid="96686566" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>SUPERCHARGING WORLD EV DAY</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="left_image_body"><bulletContentRow name="left_image_8476256729899678"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Business Insider India September 2022 curated a special episode on the World EV Day. The Virtual panel, shifting Gears; Evaluating the Road to Sustainability featured Dr. Raji Mathi, Director, Automative Research Association of India (ARAI); Anmol Jaggi, CEO, BluSmart Mobility; Suhas Rajkumar, Founder and CEO, Simple Energy; and Anshul Khandelwal, Chief Marketing &amp; Revenue Officer, Ola Group. The group highlighted the challenges and opportunities of fast-tracking EV adoption in India. Watch the feature <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/sustainability-forum-shifting-gears-evaluating-the-road-to-sustainable-mobility/articleshow/94248881.cms">here</a></bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[left]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="left_image" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="left_image_head"><div type="image" title="Quiz Image" msid="96687183" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>PRODUCT INNOVATION INTERACTIVE QUIZ</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="left_image_body"><bulletContentRow name="left_image_2671779128491774"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Interactivity came to the fore as Business as Business Insider India launched the interactive quiz, drawing audiences to engage with the platform and test their acumen on all things sustainability. you can also participate in the quiz and see how you stack up when it comes to sustainability. Click <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/lok-sabha-approves-energy-conservation-bill-to-accelerate-climate-action-opens-multi-billion-dollar-carbon-market/articleshow/93479684.cms">here</a> to take the quiz</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[left]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="right_image" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="right_image_head"> <div type="image" title="saasscions_roundup" msid="96702847" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>MARQUEE BRAND INNOVATION VIA INSIDER STODIOS-</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="right_image_body"><bulletContentRow name="right_image_6519875174873057"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">SAAS SCIONS FOR AWS</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Business Insider India partnered with AWS to custom create SaaS Scions, a content IP six-part series featuring visionaries in the SaaS space who have catalysed the SaaS domain globally. The series features the country's best known SaaS founders in conversation with AWS' leaders and shines a spotlight on India's growth story while capturing the thinking and vision of India's SaaS scions. Featured guests include Girish Mathrubootham, Jay Vijayan, Sandeep Gupta and Beerud Sheth.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[right]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="Money Insider | Season 2 | COMING SOON on Business Insider" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="Money Insider | Season 2 | COMING SOON on Business Insider_head"> <div type="image" title="Money Insider" msid="97127935" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;Money Insider&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></columnHeadThumb>Money Insider | Season 2 | COMING SOON on Business Insider</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="Money Insider | Season 2 | COMING SOON on Business Insider_body"><bulletContentRow name="Money Insider | Season 2 | COMING SOON on Business Insider_8003104820832338"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The best of financial insights from the country’s most creative voices! Business Insider India’s Money Insider brings together the country’s leading ‘Fin-fluencers’ who are heralding a new beginning in the world of financial literacy. Catch insights, bust myths, share a chuckle as you learn more about investing, insurance, home-buying, credit cards, planning taxes and all things personal finance.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[left]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="Decoding Season 1’s performance success" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="Decoding Season 1’s performance success_head"> <div type="image" title="Decoding Season 1’s performance success" msid="97128114" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Decoding Season 1&amp;#8217;s performance success&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></columnHeadThumb>Decoding Season 1’s performance success</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="Decoding Season 1’s performance success_body"><bulletContentRow name="Decoding Season 1’s performance success_0072309969741672"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Money Insider tapped right into the current trend of financial literacy among Millennials and GenZ. It approached influencers such as Mandeep Gill, Raj Shamani, Ashna Tolkar, Neha Nagar, Shashank Udapa and Abhiraj &amp; Niyati to curate concise, crisp and educational content to fit in perfectly with Instagram's current demand for extensive information quickly. With a mix of these strategies, Money Insider hit over 2+ million views on Instagram and will be back soon to help you take control of your personal finances and make smart money decisions.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[right]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="Partner with Us" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="Partner with Us_head"> <div type="image" title="Partner with Us" msid="97128159" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Partner with Us&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></columnHeadThumb>Partner with Us</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="Partner with Us_body"><bulletContentRow name="Partner with Us_3017289699399519"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Thank you for joining us on this overview of Business Insider India innovations. We are proud of our content teams and their diverse expertise of the Insider Studios’ creative leads in building bespoke content for our partners. And this new year, we welcome you to explore our range of offerings to help you grow your business. You can reach us at: <a href="mailto:advertise@businessinsider.in">advertise@businessinsider.in</a>. We wish you the very best as you step into 2023.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody><payload><![CDATA[right]]></payload></bulletContentEmbed>

Boost your brand with Business Insider India

<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 first three episodes where we discuss how marketers and advertisers are navigating new mediums and innovating to tell engaging stories in today’s highly dynamic world.</li><li>Watch <keyword id="4332869" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pg-aditiya" source="Orion">PG Aditiya</keyword>, Chief Creative Officer, dentsu Webchutney and Pooja Manek, creative director, dentsu Webchutney Bengaluru, <keyword id="2289556" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajdeepak-das" source="Orion">Rajdeepak Das</keyword>, CEO &amp; Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett and <keyword id="336063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sonal-mishra" source="Orion">Sonal Mishra</keyword>, Associate Vice President- Marketing, <keyword id="6630114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="unacademy" source="Orion">Unacademy</keyword> talk about creativity and what it takes to tell successful stories in today's world.</li></ul>Stories are almost as old as human existence and with time, storytelling has evolved, hand-in-hand with human evolution. It has been an important part of our history and will continue to be an intrinsic part of our future too. In today’s digitally-driven world, where almost everything is happening online, storytelling continues to be at the heart of it all, albeit in different forms. Brands are still trying to find new ways of telling stories that engage with the consumers, and help the brands seamlessly become a part of their lives. Ad &amp; Media Insider’s latest property Storyline, brought to you in association with Wattpad, one of the world’s most loved storytelling platforms, that endeavors to decode what storytelling stands for today, how marketers and advertisers are navigating new mediums and innovating to tell engaging stories in today’s highly dynamic world. Here are some key takeaways from our first three episodes: Episode 1: PG Aditiya, Chief Creative Officer, dentsu Webchutney and Pooja Manek, creative director, dentsu Webchutney Bengaluru Dentsu Webchutney in 2021 was the highest scoring Indian agency at the Cannes Lions this year, for the second year in a row. This year, the agency got 20 shortlists, bringing home a total of 7 Lions. So we tried to understand what storytelling means for this dynamic young agency. Mediums and Creativity Both PG Aditiya, Chief Creative Officer, dentsu Webchutney and Pooja Manek, creative director, dentsu Webchutney have been responsible for crafting some of the agency’s most-loved campaigns over the last few years. We got to talking to them about how writing for the internet has impacted long-form writing and Aditiya started off with, “If long copy was Julius Caesar, then the internet is Brutus, with the last stab.” And truly, the internet has often been accused of killing long copy. However, Aditiya feels it has given birth to a new writing aesthetic. Today it is not simply about crafting a great video, it could be about writing that perfect tweet or creating that engaging reel. “We have a joke within the team, that if a tweet is taking more than 15 minutes, its not worth it. There are so many trends everyday and at times, brands try too hard to get the most manufactured tweet with very engineered writing. And that’s when you get caught. We all make the mistake of thinking that the younger audience, especially Gen Z, are kids. But honestly, it's time to consider them as grownups and trying too hard comes across as a red flag for them,” explained Manek. What works today On what works in today’s world, Manek says, “Today, it’s no longer about something that is embraced and enjoyed. It is more about what travels. For GenZ, it is usually quid pro quo, you have to give them something for them to give you something back. It's no longer about hard selling, or over-engineering, it's about giving them something to chew on, and that’s how you get their attention.” The internet is also an ephemeral medium. So how does one create engaging stories for the medium? “We try to spend less time on the theory of it and just make sure that whenever one of us has something that's worth not letting go of, we try to make it work,” added Aditiya. User-Generated Content: The Secret Sauce The advent of social media has also given consumers a voice today and user generated content has become an important tool for many brands. Webchutney has come up with a lot of social media campaigns that have gone on to generate UGC, making brands the talk of the town and part of a lot of trends. Talking about one such campaign they did for Tinder, Manek said, “For Tinder’s Valentine’s Day campaign, we were doing something around moving on. We were thinking of a few ideas and we realized that the digital age has made it harder for us to move on because you might want to move on but then you get reminders on different platforms. We all have so many pictures stored on our phones that we don’t delete maybe because we are attached to the memory, or we look good. So we launched a photoshopping service for two days and asked people what they wanted to replace their exes with. And we kept getting requests and replaced people with pizzas or wine. So we ended up photoshopping pictures for close to 36 hours, and that’s the power of UGC. We couldn’t have done it without people actually sharing those pictures. So you give the consumer something which is worth it and you just empower them and then magic happens.” Aditiya said that this idea also busted the myth that you need some kind of incentive to make a UGC campaign work because at the end of it, consumers were not exactly winning something but were simply ‘Axing their Exes’. 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="3" retweetcount="5" status="LIVE | Join @PGAditiya, CCO, @webchutney and Pooja Manek (@boredmanek), Creative Director, @webchutney in conversat… https://t.co/yH7WRSlYK4" createdat="1644924610000" id="1493548184102080513"></div> Episode 2: Rajdeepak Das, CEO &amp; Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett Rajdeepak Das, the chief creative brain at Leo Burnett is often considered to be one of the most experimental and innovative creative storytellers in the country and a discussion around storytelling would have been incomplete without a conversation with him. In our 2nd episode, we caught up with Das who talked to us about his storytelling journey and how he has evolved as a storyteller, with the evolution of mediums and consumers. He tells us that his love for storytelling started as a child, when his mom would tell him stories from Panchatantra or Mahabharata. “My mother would enact a lot of those stories and I would be awestruck. And when a storyteller is asked ‘And then?’, that’s when you realize the power of storytelling. That’s exactly what we are doing while scrolling social media platforms, looking for our ‘And then’ on these mediums. And I feel, till the time humans are on this planet, the mediums will change but the navarasa won’t,” he said. The Creative Intuition For every creative professional, there is usually a method behind all the madness. For Das, who says he is bad at most languages he has tried to learn, it is more about understanding the human feelings than understanding a language. “For any creative person, it is all about having an intuition, to understand why people say what they say and do what they do. As a creative, you have to have an intuition about what will work for consumers. You have to dream of what people want and then create something out of it,” he explains. He also adds that the best way of bringing these dreams to fruition is by realizing that it can no longer be a one-man show. “Gone are the days when people would consider themselves God and think they know everything. That is impossible today. In today’s world, the only way of creating wonderful stories or bringing our ideas and intuitions to a proper execution is by ensuring you work with people who are smarter than you,” he added. Finding solutions to human problems Earlier this year, <keyword id="261687" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="leo-burnett-india" source="Orion">Leo Burnett India</keyword> launched ‘StreetEye’, a motorcycle mounted device to help map potholes in real time which had the potential of saving thousands of motorcyclists from accidents and mishaps for digital general insurance brand, ACKO. The agency used technology to solve a basic human problem, and according to Das, that is what <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> should be about. “If I were to reflect on what advertising is all about today, I don’t believe in storytelling. It is all about finding human problems and solving them. Once you are able to do that, you will automatically create stories. And that’s what we did with ACKO’s StreetEye. The brand said, we don’t want to be just about insuring people. We want to get two step ahead and talk about protecting people. We didn’t want to talk about the cure; rather we wanted to do something to prevent the accidents from happening. And this is just one part of it. Everyday, we are working with brands like Reliance, Ariel, Tide, CarDekho, Airtel etc where it is all about using innovation to solve everyday human problems. A consumer doesn’t want advertising, he doesn’t want to buy things. If you are able to become a part of their lives by solving their problems, people will come to you,” said Das. 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="4" status="LIVE | Join Rajdeepak Das, CEO &amp; Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett in conversation with… https://t.co/9f6u7Qr99z" createdat="1645097410000" id="1494272960705675264"></div> Episode 3: Sonal Mishra, Associate Vice President- Marketing, Unacademy Storytellers, since time immemorial, have been exploring formats of narration that span nearly every conceivable gamut. And a lot of brands, in the early days of digital marketing, would stick to short videos. At the same time, there are brands that have been part of long-form stories, where they have seamlessly become a part of the narrative. In the past few years, we have seen Unacademy do that again and again, be it with its association with The Viral Fever (TVF) for hugely popular web series like Kota Factory and Aspirants, or its recent talked-about IPL ads. The brand has, time and again, used long-form content to draw audiences into their narrative, and it has largely worked for the most part. To understand the brand’s secret sauce, we caught up with Sonal Mishra, Associate Vice President- Marketing, Unacademy, who took us behind the brand’s thought process and what has helped them stand out. Crafting clutter-breaking stories Over the years, digital has become a highly cluttered medium where everyone is trying to grab eyeballs where there is limited mindspace. So what are a few factors that Unacademy keeps in mind while crafting its stories? “As a brand, we try to be unique and do the unexpected, but at the same time be relatable and believable. The emotions one derives and the value that you add is what stays with the audience for a very long time. So it's very important to be relatable and believable. Having said that, it is also important to tread on different routes that meet the consumer at different touchpoints in their journey. So it's very important to latch on to a stronger human insight to build that consumer connect,” shared Mishra. For Unacademy, the goal is to engage with learners across the countries, be it in the metro cities or the smaller Tier II and III cities. Therefore, collaborating with platforms and creators who can help them reach out to a larger audience has been at the core of their associations with the popular TVF webseries. “Whatever we do is about becoming a part of our consumer’s life cycle, connecting with them by addressing a topic they can relate to. Our recent property Unacademy Unwind, which was all about music and unwinding hit a different chord altogether. Another campaign we did called Mistakes – the Greatest Teacher, did very well. The campaign said that Unacademy doesn’t just stand for clearing exams or being successful, it also stands for the journey you took. These are a few things that have helped us stand out,” she explained. Creating campaigns by listening to consumers Brands that are able to listen to their consumers, catch their pulse and create content pieces around those insights are usually the ones to woo them. Unacademy has been able to break the clutter through a lot of its recent campaigns. So what is their feedback mechanism that is helping them craft their communications? “Its not that we have figured it all out and know these are the secret ingredients that can make a piece of content work. It's a constant learning for us as well. But the benefits of these partnerships, initiatives, associations have been huge. They've helped us amplify the reach for the brand, build trust and penetrate deeper into the country. There were a lot of learnings from our associations like Kota Factory and Aspirants that we would like to better in the next property that we create. There have been a lot of pluses and we are learning at each step,” she added. Long-form vs short content While a lot of brands have been focusing on creating shorter, bite-sized content, Unacademy has associated with TVF and created highly talked-about webseries that have become a part of pop culture. Why did the brand choose long-form content over shorter content at a time when people are constantly talking about decreasing attention spans? “Understanding the psyche of the audience helped us. A strong story is something we mutually work on with our partners, but at the same time, from a brand standpoint, we have always ensured that the product integrations are so seamlessly weaved into the story into the content, that it doesn't actually disrupt the flow of the story and the audience can continue to enjoy and get entertained. So that is something which we are very conscious of. And that's why whoever we partner with also find the entire journey exciting,” said Mishra. 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="2" retweetcount="2" status="LIVE | Join Sonal Mishra, Associate Vice President, Marketing at @unacademy in conversation with @AshwinRaghunath a… https://t.co/51eEJystug" createdat="1645443009000" id="1495722508720349184"></div>

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