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Mumbai, Actor <keyword id="2069863" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bhumi-pednekar" source="Orion">Bhumi Pednekar</keyword> says the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown led to cost cutting and thus affected the budget of women-centric films. The actor currently features in buddy comedy "Thank You For Coming", which has a predominantly female cast. Also starring <keyword id="7903367" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shehnaaz-gill" source="Orion">Shehnaaz Gill</keyword>, <keyword id="573702" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dolly-singh" source="Orion">Dolly Singh</keyword>, <keyword id="8251961" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kusha-kapila" source="Orion">Kusha Kapila</keyword>, and <keyword id="4477193" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shibani-bedi" source="Orion">Shibani Bedi</keyword>, the film will hit the screens Friday. According to Pednekar, "Veere Di Wedding" was the last female-led movie that did well at the box office with earnings of around Rs 130 crore. Its producers Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor have reunited for "Thank You For Coming". "'Veere Di Wedding' is the last female story that worked and the same producers are making this film. After 'Veere Di Wedding' we had more such stories. Then lockdown (due to COVID-19) happened and then obviously there was cost cutting on female-centric films. Then again, we saw Rhea Kapoor, who made this kind of film again," the Mumbai-born actor told PTI in an interview here. Citing the example of her 2019 film "Saand Ki Aankh", Pednekar said the box office collections are not in anyone's control. "It is all about whether the film is good or bad. I remember when I had done 'Saand Ki Aankh', which is a female-led film, compared to another film, which released on the same day, and it did overall business of Rs 350 crore. While my film did Rs 45 crore but our film was running in theatres for 100 days," she added. The beauty of cinema is that good work will always "be remembered and watched for generations", the actor said. "Films earn money but we hope people will come and watch our films. We don't take the pressure because certain things are not in our hands." "Thank You For Coming" is a coming-of-age comedy which follows the story of Kanika Kapoor (Pednekar), a single woman in her 30s, and her quest for true love and pleasure. It is written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh and directed by Karan Boolani. The 34-year-old actor said the film's story uses female desire to explore the theme of patriarchy in society. "Orgasm is a metaphor for a larger scheme of things that the film talks about. The film is against patriarchy, it is not about man versus woman, because patriarchy is not gender specific. "Women and men both are patriarchal. That's the thought of the film. The film is about sisterhood, womanhood... Every film has a thought or a premise, so this is the premise of the film," she said. Pednekar, known for films such as "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", and "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", said the cast stuck to the light-hearted tone of the story of "Thank You For Coming". "If we had not kept this tone of the film... We would not have been honest to what we have made. If we are making a film about female pleasure and if we are only shying to talk about it, then what's the point?" She hopes "Thank You For Coming" helps diminish the stigma around sexual liberation of women. "Till the time, 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' had not been released people would shy to talk about the topic of erectile dysfunction. It was an issue in families but one would not be able to talk about it, I believe that film eased the conservation. "I feel with this film ('Thank You For Coming'), female orgasm, female desire, and all this is one part of the film, these are small themes in the film, but there are more important things that the film comments about. It is a normal thing," she added.

Pandemic put a break on female-led movies, says Bhumi Pednekar

<ul><li><keyword id="13204479" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="chatpat" source="Orion">Chatpat</keyword>, a 10-year-old Influencer from the streets, has been winning hearts on the internet for his unique style.</li><li>From recreating Cadbury's Kuch Khaas Hai to partnering with Raftaar, Chatpat has been encouraging the audience to donate to SOS Children’s Villages India.</li><li>We speak to FCB Group India's <keyword id="793905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="swati-bhattacharya" source="Orion">Swati Bhattacharya</keyword> and <keyword id="540819" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kinnect" source="Orion">Kinnect</keyword>'s Kartikeya Tiwari to find out what went behind bringing this fictional character alive and discuss different phases of the campaign.</li></ul>In a sea full of digital creators, one influencer stands out. He goes by the name ‘Chatpat’ and is popular for sharing street wisdom on LinkedIn. He was quick to rise to fame, as he says, “Anna ke tapri seh Insta ki nagri, Public ka support har jagah!” Another reason why people love him is because Chatpat is a just 10-year-old boy who shares tips on living rent-free in Mumbai, how to get foreign aid, how to ask for a raise, how to ensure mental wellness for your team and we all could use a Chatpat in our life! With these enlightening videos on LinkedIn, which are targeted at working professionals and corporates, little Chatpat is trying to raise funds for the NGO SOS Children’s Villages. “The media strategy was to not spend money,” Kinnect's National Creative Director, Kartikeya Tiwari told Advertising and Media Insider when we asked him why the agencies, Kinnect and <keyword id="2971959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fcb-india" source="Orion">FCB India</keyword>, chose LinkedIn to launch Chatpat. “Our strategy in everything was to not spend money but make money happen for SOS donations,” added Tiwari. The campaign, while born in adversity, became a huge opportunity for SOS Children’s Villages. The agencies kept their ‘whims and fancies’ aside, said Tiwari, and prioritised starting a conversation and raising donations on almost zero budget. They needed a strong idea that could be impactful and have a long cycle. So, after launching Chatpat, in phase two of the campaign, Chatpat started recreating some iconic advertisements with his gully gang to get attention from corporates. He played Jim Sarbh for CRED, he danced like the Liril Girl at a Dhobi Ghat, twirled like Nirma Girl and shocked the public again with Tide’s ‘Safedi campaign.’ In return, he asked these brands to donate to SOS Children’s Villages. “Maine tumhare brand ke liye yeh banaya, ab aap mere brand ke liye kuch karo,” requested Chatpat in every recreated advertisement. Exceeding their expectations, Chatpat’s advertisements got viral in a few days and has been winning hearts on LinkedIn since December 2021. Swati Bhattacharya, Creative Chairperson, FCB India said that she firmly believed that love will find a way. “So the task was to create a campaign that gives visibility and makes corporates donate. With no budget and a task like this, we knew we need an influencer and we couldn’t afford an influencer. So, that’s how the sparkly idea of ‘let’s create an influencer’ was born,” shared Bhattacharya. While Bhattacharya has worked on many viral campaigns, she said that she has never seen numbers move the way they did with Chatpat’s videos. Played by a Mumbai-based boy Akul Badoni, Chatpat’s videos amassed more than 20k followers in less than two weeks. “The magic word for us is ‘organic.’ The magic was organic reach, organic shareability and organic love. The fact that we got the earned media is the winning validation for us,” said Tiwari. The campaign got organic attention from Kusha Kapila, Tanmay Bhat, Rhea Chakraborty, Divine, Raftaar, to mention a few. “With this, we knew we were in the right direction. Corporates are also human beings and after the first phase, he started earning a place in India’s hearts, then we were fairly confident that we will be able to open the heartstrings and the purse strings of the corporates,” said Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya and Tiwari further told us how challenging it was to work with a team of kids and discussed different phases of the campaign. <div type="Video" msid="89666905" hostid="261" title="Behind the ads: How FCB India and Kinnect launched a 10-year-old influencer to raise donations for SOS Children’s Villages India" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=89666905"></div>

How a 10-year-old LinkedIn Influencer Chatpat took the internet by storm by recreating iconic Cadbury, Tide and Liril ads

<ul><li>When it comes to India, we are known for our diversity in culture, religion, but most importantly, language. This is, both good and bad for the growth of <keyword id="10896897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="creator-economy" source="Orion">creator economy</keyword>. Rohit Agarwala, Founder, Barely Opinionated and Azaan Feroz Sait, Founder, The Hub Bengaluru discuss why. </li><li>They also predict what the future going to look like as we move closer and closer to the metaverse.</li></ul>The words ‘Creator economy’ has been making the rounds over the last 2 years. Whether you realise it or not, if you are reading this article, you also play an important role in the creator economy. But what does it really mean? And how is India going to be a leader in it? Let us break it down for you. The Beginning The process of creating content has existed for centuries. Whether it's painting, writing, poetry, music, cinema, they are all different ways of creating content. But the words ‘Creator Economy’ did not formalize until 2016, when user generated content (UGC) came to the forefront on the internet. Thus immense opportunities began emerging for those creating content. The Creator Economy basically refers to all the players that operate in and around the value that is created by creators. This includes social media, blogs, and video content - by creating original content or repurposing it. It soon began to include software products and tools designed to enable these content creators. Let us specifically take a look at the rise of the creator economy in India, and how India could dominate this sector. India’s Dominance To understand this, we need to go back to September 2016, when Jio launched in India, and started providing free internet. Jio disrupted the telecom industry with its prices, even pushing Vodafone and Idea to almost bankruptcy. The entry of Jio did not only lead to an increase in the number of internet users, but it also led to an increase in the amount of internet being consumed and distributed by the existing users. To give you an estimate, Indians went from consuming an average <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/home/how-the-jio-effect-brought-millions-of-indians-online-and-is-reshaping-silicon-valley-and-the-internet/articleshow/70723349.cms#:~:text=%22Jio%20has%20changed%20the%20consumption,per%20month%20to%2011%20GB.">700 MB per month, to 11GB per month</a>, which is a rise of over 1500%! Between 2016 and 2019, there was an approximate rise by over 90% on the number of internet users. The current number stands at over <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/255146/number-of-internet-users-in-india/">840 Million users.</a> With a total population of almost <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population/">1.38 Billion Indians, </a>there’s still a lot of room for growth. This rise in internet usage is also very well documented by the take-over of Indian channels in the YouTube space. Currently, there are 3 mega channels in the top 10 most subscribed channels in the world, with T Series on the top, with over 200 Million subscribers. Now the thing is… For a content creator to do well, they need social currency - which essentially boils down to the number of people that care about them on the internet, represented by the number of followers or subscribers. India has the 2nd largest population in the world, but its internet penetration is approximately 61%. Now the US has a population of 346 Million, but with an <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/2237/internet-usage-in-the-united-states/#dossierKeyfigures">internet penetration of 90%, at 313 Million.</a> This means that there are a lot more Indians who are yet to get on the internet. Thus, as the number of internet users increase, creators will have a bigger market to gain followers / subscribers. This is where the value of the Indian population comes, and international creators also recognize the potential in store. International creators have now started targeting the Indian audience with more India specific content, or dubbing the content to Hindi. Mr Beast, the biggest YouTuber in the world, is working on doing just that! To target the international audience, he has started dubbing his existing videos into different languages like Spanish, Russian etc, and is soon planning to dub his content to Hindi, which could become his largest international audience. Brands too see that value of the Indian audience through its creators. International brands that want to come into India and capture a market, could easily do so through these Indian creators that have an influence. A great example would be Netflix which came into India in 2016. Since then it has onboarded several big content creators such as Tanmay Bhatt, Kusha Kapila and the likes, to create content for their YouTube channel, as well as promote the brand on their respective channels. But here’s the catch…. North America is majorly an English-speaking audience. They have one thing in common, which is the language. Now when it comes to India, we are known for our diversity in culture, religion, but most importantly, language. This is, both good and bad for us. Here’s why. To consume any content, it needs to be relatable and understood by the audience. But what do you do if you simply don't understand the language? Even though the number of internet users is over 800 Million in India, not all of them will understand all the content that is put on it, just because of the language barrier. This is where the good part comes in, which is that creativity is not bound by language or region. Internet penetration has given people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to showcase their talent on the internet. India has seen a massive growth in regional content across various languages like Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi etc. This has created smaller communities of people that belong to the same culture, background and, beyond everything, has given them a sense of belonging. So if you can't follow 1 creator because of the language they use, you have a number of creators you can follow who make content of the language you understand! India is also a land of over <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/india-is-home-to-more-than-19500-mother-tongues/article24305725.ece#:~:text=Press%20Trust%20of%20India%20More,of%20121%20crore%2C%20it%20said.">19,000 dialects</a>. This creates a unique opportunity for multilingual creators to repurpose content from successful creators and make it their own for their region - true driver of the creator economy in India. Beyond just creators and their audience, this also gives brands the opportunity to target regional audiences in a more concrete and concentrated sense, than they would be able to otherwise. Metaverse for different languages? Now that it has been established how content creation and audience generation will be driven mostly by language, here is an interesting question. What is the future going to look like as we move closer and closer to the metaverse? Are we going to see different Worlds in the Metaverse for different languages? Does this mean that we will have smaller yet stronger communities in the virtual world? Or will AI driven technology help us translate conversations in live time so we can all co-exist in one virtual world? Only time will tell how the Metaverse will shape itself around this.

India’s power to establish itself as the hub of the creator economy

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) With the ban on TikTok creating a huge vacuum for the 15-second videos in the Indian Internet space, Facebook-owned Instagram on Wednesday announced the extension of the testing of Reels which allows users to record, edit and share short multi-clip videos, to India. With Reels, Instagram users can share short videos with their followers on Feed and, if they have a public account, make their reels available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. "With the rise in video consumption overall and videos making up over a third of posts on Instagram in India, Instagram has a big role to play in unleashing expression in the country," Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, told reporters in a video call. "With Reels, we're unveiling the future of entertainment on the platform, in a way that ignites creativity. With the multiple creative formats, whichever way you want to express yourself, it can now be on Instagram," Mohan added. Instagram is used by over a billion people globally across many surfaces -- Feed, Stories, IGTV and Live. With Reels, people can express themselves while entertaining others, whether that's by trying out a fun new dance or spreading the message on something they care about. People can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and new creative tools on Reels. "Instagram has always been a place where culture is created, because people come to share the things they care about and be entertained. "We're constantly listening to our community, and have heard that they want to make and watch short-form videos on Instagram and have the opportunity to be discovered by our broader community," said Vishal Shah, Vice President of Product, Facebook. "We're excited to expand the test of Reels to India and give the next generation of creators born and bred in India a chance to share their native and cultural context -- and be potential global stars." The feature will start rolling out to users in India from 7.30 pm from Wednesday and at the onset, will be populated with content from a diverse set of public figures and creators, such as Ammy Virk, Gippy Grewal, Komal Pandey, Arjun Kanungo, Jahnavi Dasetty aka Mahathalli, Indrani Biswas aka Wondermunna, Kusha Kapila, Radhika Bangia, RJ Abhinav and Ankush Bhaguna. India is the fourth country, after Brazil, Germany and France, where this new format is being tested. This entertainment experience builds on the work done in the past year to enable expression, such as the vast library of music available on the platform; the Spark AR effects on Instagram that enable more creation and expression on the platform; and the 'Born on Instagram' programme, which has led to discovery and growth of creators from all across India. --IANS gb/na

Instagram brings TikTok-like short videos to India with 'Reels'

Greater Noida, Feb 12 () India's flagship motor show Auto Expo came to a close on Wednesday after witnessing over 70 product launches and unveils, recording a total of 6.08 lakh visitors over eight days. This edition of the Auto Expo witnessed over 352 product displays from 108 exhibitors, including eight global premiers, over 70 launches and unveils, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement. Keeping in pace with the trend for eco-friendly vehicles, the expo also saw launch of 35 electric vehicles, while 15 concepts were showcased. New participants included Chinese players such as Great Wall Motors and Haima Automobile along with Olectra. The expo, however, missed the likes of Toyota, Honda, BMW, Audi and two-wheeler majors Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Co, which had stayed away from the show. The biennial motor show had kicked off on February 5 at India Expo Mart here under the shadow of coronavirus outbreak as officials of Chinese participants stayed away from pavilions, on a day when China's Great Wall Motor announced an investment of USD 1 billion to tap into the country's auto market. Reflecting on the experience of the latest edition of the expo, SIAM President Rajan Wadhera said, "Auto shows globally have evolved and transformed from being mere static displays to providing a unique and enriching experience for every segment of the society at large. Auto Expo- The Motor Show 2020 saw a great response with an overall footfall of 6.08 lakh, enabling them to Explore The World Of Mobility." Keeping in tune with the changing landscape of the automotive industry globally which has also been reflected in India, major manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Mahindra &amp; Mahindra, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Voklswagen and Skoda along with new entrants such as Kia and Hector showcased their range of electric vehicles, concepts and upcoming SUVs during the expo. Like the previous editions, this year witnessed many celebrities who were part of the grand Auto Expo canvas. Some of the names include Shah Rukh Khan, Huma Qureshi, Gul Panag, Narian Karthikeyan, Daler Mehndi, Angad Bedi, Nafisa Ali, Designer Gauri &amp; Nainika, Kusha Kapila, Rahul Singh, Soha Ali Khan and Kat Kristian. SIAM Director General Rajesh Menon said the expo "saw an excellent showcase of clean vehicles, safe vehicles, connected vehicles, electric and fuel cell vehicles and futuristic concepts". The auto expo is organised by SIAM with support from the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). RKL HRS

Auto Expo ends with over 70 launches, unveils; records 6.08 lakh visitors

<ul><li>The year 2020 was tough for all of us and 2021 hasn’t been easy either but thankfully, we had content creator <keyword id="11284354" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vishnu-kaushal" source="Orion">Vishnu Kaushal</keyword> who channeled our (and his) anger into creating highly relatable videos.</li><li>In today’s episode of <keyword id="11984359" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Influencer-Adda" source="Orion">Influencer Adda</keyword>, we will be tracing Vishnu’s journey, from him uploading his first video to launching his own merchandise.</li><li>We also discuss the future of influencer marketing, how brands can connect with GenZ audiences better, one thing he wishes could change in the industry and his real purpose behind making content.</li></ul>If you are a budding content creator, you probably love the word ‘viral.’ It is only after that first viral video that you feel like you have arrived. As hard as it is to get a video to go viral, it is even harder to maintain the momentum because one viral video does not always translate into a long, successful career as a digital creator. A lot of viral videos are one-offs. So, what happens after the initial firestorm of your video wears off and how do you continue to keep your fans engaged? <div type="Video" msid="87988188" hostid="261" title="Digital Creator Vishnu Kaushal on maintaining your reach after your videos go viral" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=87988188"></div> Digital Content Creator Vishnu Kaushal worked at a beverage start-up as its Social Media Manager before he quit his job in Chandigarh to move to Delhi and explore content creation. He has been making videos since 2015 and has experienced many ups and downs in his career trajectory, like many other content creators. But he found his peace in making videos and in spreading smiles on social media through his content. During the first lockdown last year, one of his rant videos ‘The most annoying questions people ask about quarantine’ went viral and garnered around 1.3 million views and he has had many viral moments since then. On how creators can keep their audiences engaged after they go viral, Vishnu said, “In the eternity of the internet, it has never been easy to go viral but a lot of people lose out on that attraction because they don’t have a follow-up plan. By the time I went viral, I had so many videos ready to be uploaded, 17 to be precise. Once you gain a pool of followers, let’s say around 20-25k, you notice patterns and have an understanding of what works and what fails. I had been working on my videos for so many years that when I got my chance, I kept uploading videos consistently and people started liking me. So, it is very easy to go viral but it is so hard to sustain it. It is a struggle every day and a lot of the mega content creators will tell you that because there are so many people creating great content every day. But you have to keep aside that competition and do your thing so well that when you get your opportunity, you have the resources to go all in. The Internet is a big place and there’s space for everyone, so keep doing your thing.” So, as per Vishnu, once you go viral, it is important to stay consistent, replicate what the audience loved before, and most important and challenging of it all, be authentic. Ticket to Bollywood via stop social media? Before Vishnu started making content, he auditioned for a Bollywood movie. While he didn’t crack it, Santu Misra, who took his audition, advised him to explore social media. Social media platforms have also opened up avenues for struggling actors who found it difficult to get into Bollywood otherwise with no contacts. Influencers like Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, Prajkata Koli recently got to showcase their talent on the silver screen and fulfill their dreams. Vishnu is also a part of a soon-to-be-released web series. So, can struggling actors find their way through social media? “It is definitely easier to get into Bollywood but if you start from a point that ‘I want to get into Bollywood and that’s why I am making content,’ then it doesn’t work out. What happened with Kusha, Dolly or me, is a bonus because we love making videos. We are having fun making videos, people also like that we are having fun and they want to be a part of that fun. I feel people who are creating content right now will eventually find out that there are so many things to explore. After you have been working on content for a long time, you feel like content is a great tool to explore new things in life, acting is one of those things, cooking, dancing are a few more examples. So, I don’t know if I will end up being an actor or not, I am just exploring myself and my options,” shared Vishnu. As Vishnu explores his wide options and looks for new things to learn, he follows a simple litmus test: is this new path challenging enough and is it making me uncomfortable? Anything that he is scared of exploring or feels under confident about, he does it. Over the years, Vishnu has stopped worrying about the audience’s response to his content. Instead, he focuses on how the process of making that video and its topic made him feel. He also believes that humans constantly evolve and we shouldn’t stick to one thing forever. He says that you don’t need to have one favorite colour for life, it can change. On finding his purpose and true calling, Vishnu said, “When I started out, like a lot of content creators, I believed that my purpose is to make people happy. Now I feel, let's cross that, first I wanna be happy and that will result in people around me being happy. If that happens, it is a bonus. Exploring new things, designing, having conversations with people makes me happy. So for now, my purpose is to create content and explore as much as I can through content till I find my next purpose.” Future of content creation and influencer marketing After Vishnu hit 1000 subscribers on YouTube, he bagged his first brand deal. It was a barter deal of sorts with Ustraa. He got his first paid brand only in March 2020, after his videos started going viral more frequently. Today, content creators and influencers are molding the marketing industry and its future. GroupM and INCA’s recent study had revealed that influencer marketing has become a top priority for marketers in 2021. Every other leader indicated a budget growth of more than 25% in 2021. INCA’s report further said that the Influencer Marketing industry is poised to grow at a CAGR of 25% for the next decade, reaching a size of Rs 2200 crore in 2025. So, as a GenZ consumer and influencer himself, Vishnu shared a few pieces of advice for brands to connect with their audience better. He said, “What brands mostly miss out on is getting the perspective of the influencer they are collaborating with. All marketing campaigns are designed for the masses by people who are quite older than us GenZ. So, I often feel that there’s a missing block of relatability and connectivity. For example, if you see a 20-year-old nano influencer drinking coffee every day for a month, that will have a stronger impact than a campaign that says, ‘Khushboo zinda hai.’ For a certain kind of audience, that messaging just doesn’t sit right. No GenZ kid will care to remember a slogan or a campaign hashtag of a brand. So, to be able to connect with today’s generation, you can hire interns and empower them enough to share their opinions. If seasoned marketers could understand GenZ culture with GenZ interns, that would be great.” From his experience of content creation and branded collaborations thus far, Vishnu had one message to share with brands. He said, “Brands should try to communicate directly with influencers as well. There are too many layers from the brand to the creator and by the time the idea reaches the creator, it is completely different from its origin. So, be more involved, come on the sets and see for yourself if the creator really matches your vision. Sometimes my ideas don’t sit well with the brand, not because I am wrong or they are, but we are on different pages. So it is not always a match. It is important to really understand their audience through the influencer -- people you are trying to market to.”

Your video went viral, but what next? Digital Creator Vishnu Kaushal shares his success mantras

<ul><li><keyword id="9648465" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sima-taparia">Sima Taparia</keyword> from Mumbai is back and she’s telling fortune again. This time, it is with <keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> and the audience is loving it.</li><li>Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company takes us behind the platform's latest influencer marketing campaign with Sima Taparia, shares the thought behind partnering with her and larger goals for this year.</li></ul>Last year, Netflix's Indian Matchmaking introduced India and the world to ace matchmaker Sima Taparia and she quickly became one of the most talked about character from a reality show. The first season ended in July 2020 but the audience hasn’t stopped stanning over Sima Taparia yet. Sima gained instant popularity among millennials and Gen Z and never faded away from the news cycle. Over the past year, brands like Burger King, Tinder, Asian Paints flocked to partner with the internet sensation, who recently starred in Big Boss OTT. Meanwhile, brands are still not over her. Recently, she featured in a campaign for home service and grooming platform, Urban Company. Before Netflix renewed Indian Matchmaking for season 2, Urban Company’s Align your Stars campaign with Sima Taparia generated a lot of chatter on social media. It helped the brand garner 4.5+ million views in less than a week. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us why Sima was the perfect match for this campaign, Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company said, “Sima enjoys cult-like status and is best known for matchmaking based on the stars. She was one of the most talked about people online in 2020. It was a punt – to see if the choice of influencer and content could drive engagement for the campaign.” “The videos themselves have been well received across social media with people relating, reacting and engaging with the content - and has given us learnings to bake into our next campaign,” added Menon. Its marketing objective was to create buzz ahead of the launch of Big Home Rush, an Urban Company sale property. To further spread awareness around its discounts and gain new customers, Urban Company partnered with 14 different young influencers such as Kusha Kapila, Vishnu Kaushal, Mallika Dua, to mention a few, to create content for each zodiac sign. The underlying message of each piece was to encourage consumers to join Urban Company’s Big Home Rush sale. Launched in January 2021, the Big Home Rush sale has become extremely popular with consumers. Even in the ongoing second edition, the company has already delivered close to 500,000 services, witnessing high demand from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad and more. Sharing why it chose influencer marketing to promote its sale, Menon said, “With other media formats driving awareness, the influencer leg sought to create engagement and conversation around the sale, in a way that’s native to the platform (Instagram). We’d observed that in the last 2 months, sun-sign based content was growing in volume, engagement and traction - as people tag their friends and conversation flows organically.” Before Sima Taparia, Urban Company’s partnership with yesteryear’s TV stars such as Rupali Ganguly as Monisha Sarabhai and Komalika also received a positive response from its audience. The idea behind casting such a unique set of stars, from Sima to Monisha, was to find women who can express shock and help open a door for them in the regional markets. “These content pieces were part of a larger campaign for Salon Classic - a newly launched category that offers salon quality services at unbelievable prices. Our intent in partnering with influencers and content creators was to integrate the key message - salon services at unbelievably low prices - into content &amp; culture. It made sense to partner with influencers best known for expressing shock – Hindi TV celebrities with a cult following for the roles they play. We further extended this concept to regional TV artists as well, to build relatability for regional audiences. We are looking to attract new customers and engage existing consumers through this campaign,” shared Menon. Due to the global pandemic, Urban Company has seen an uptick in the demand for home cleaning and hygiene services as people are becoming more health-conscious. The app had become quite popular for its home repair and salon services before the pandemic broke out. However, people have been wary about letting outsiders inside their homes lately. Urban Company rose to the challenge and tweaked its marketing strategy. It started communicating every day about the changes it introduced in its services and updated its audience regularly about the number of employees vaccinated. It tweaked its logo across platforms to convey the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask. Apart from that, it realised that people are looking for a lot of DIY videos to make the best of their time. Therefore, it started uploading beauty and wellness video tips to help its consumers surf through the challenges they are posed with. It is also conducting live sessions to engage with its consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us how the company has tweaked its larger marketing strategy after the pandemic to win consumer trust, Menon shared, “We focused on communicating every day about the changes we introduced in our services and SOPs. For example, we completely reimagined certain services, such as threading, to ensure low contact with consumers. For threading, our Beauty experts now wrap the thread around their neck, instead of pursing it in their mouth. We launched extensive campaigns to build communication on our safety protocols and how the Urban Company experience has been reimagined for delivering safe and hygienic services. Our ‘<keyword id="11886690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="uc-safe">UC Safe</keyword> Salon campaign’ included TVCs featuring Neena Kulkarni and Shweta Tiwari aimed at communicating the safety of Urban Company’s salon at home services. More recently, in May ‘21, we ran an extension of the UC Safe campaign, highlighting how over 75% of our service professional base is now vaccinated.” Home services sector in India is largely unorganized and Urban Company is one of the few companies that is formalising it and despite being in the business for 7 years, Menon says that they are still just getting started. Sharing his larger goals for this year, Menon said, Our focus areas will be to increase market share in existing markets and increase penetration in new cities. In the past 2 years, we have expanded to 30 cities in India. Our goal is to be present in the top 100 cities over the next couple of years.”

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