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<ul><li>We have grown up whispering every time we had to buy sanitary napkins that would then be covered in black polythene and handed over. </li><li>Years of social conditioning have built a culture of silence around menstruation. </li><li>To address the challenges of maintaining <keyword id="584178" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="menstrual-hygiene">menstrual hygiene</keyword> amid a pandemic-induced lockdown and break the taboos around it, feminine care brands have launched awareness campaigns on <keyword id="4584427" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-menstrual-hygiene-day">World Menstrual Hygiene Day</keyword>. </li></ul>Every year, on May 28, sanitary napkin brands come forward to raise awareness around menstrual hygiene, which is still a taboo in India. And periods don’t stop for pandemics. In fact, lockdowns intensify the impact of household level taboos and stigmas on women -- making it more difficult to manage menstruation without shame and discomfort in confined spaces. According to UNICEF, 70% of healthcare workers are women, and shortages of essential menstrual hygiene products like sanitary pads or tampons are already affecting certain populations. Therefore, to break the persisting stigma around menstruation, help women accept their bodies a little more and to make sure they follow safe menstrual hygiene, brands like Whisper, Stayfree, Pee Safe, Rio and UNICEF have launched powerful campaigns this year marking Menstrual Hygiene Day. Whisper’s #KeepGirlsInSchool Moving forward with their #KeepGirlsInSchool movement, Whisper India launched ‘Mobileshaala’ today, an initiative to provide free education while schools across the country remain closed. School closures due to the ongoing pandemic could lead to increased drop-out rates, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls. While closing down schools temporarily might help contain the virus, it could have a permanent effect on the future of many - especially marginalized girls, who are now even more vulnerable to dropping out of school in the absence of structured education. Uninterrupted learning is of utmost importance for these girls. With ‘Mobileshaala’, Whisper aims to #KeepGirlsInSchool. It is a phone-based learning system that gives free access to curriculum-based education modules on key subjects like English, Science and menstrual hygiene education. <div type="Youtube" id="aNBb-mvU4c4" title="Whisper MobileShaala" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aNBb-mvU4c4/mqdefault.jpg"></div> UNICEF The UNICEF has launched a week-long campaign called #RedDotChallenge to ensure all girls manage their periods safely and with dignity. Organisation’s National Youth Ambassador Hima Das and celebrities like Sejal Kumar, Meghna Kaur, Aashna Shroff, Manushi Chillar and Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao Hydari, Diana Penty, Neeru Bajwa came forward to support the movement. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Pee Safe’s #BleedYourWay Pee Safe has launched #bleedyourway, an integrated campaign, marking Menstrual Hygiene Day with known faces including Kirti Kulhari and Sayani Gupta, among others. Pee Safe aims to break the taboo around menstruation and encourage women to #bleedyourway. Pee Safe’s campaign addresses some prominent themes including sex during periods, vaginal health, use of sustainable period care products, PMS, among others. The brand will also be distributing menstrual cups to underprivileged girls through an NGO. <div type="Youtube" id="vqYO_QyrTdU" title="जिस सोच ने आज बर्बाद किया, उस सोच को आज बदलते हैं | Pallavi Mahajan | STAGE" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vqYO_QyrTdU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> RIO In our society, women have normalized the extremeness of their period due to lack of awareness about heavy flow and therefore do not realize that their condition might require them to use different products than the norm. This often results in leakage, staining, the napkin overflowing, a higher rate of infections because of leaving on a full pad for longer than it should in addition to rashes and discomfort because of having to compensate by using multiple pads at once. All of these are signs of poor menstrual hygiene practices. This year on Menstrual Hygiene Day, the brand addressed this issue through a campaign with a series of analogies to showcase how women feel when they use a regular napkin during heavy flow and calls out the oxymoronic habit that we have become accustomed with. This is questioned through instances that elaborate on the need for the usage of the right product that can handle heavy flow, which is essential for good menstrual hygiene. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div>

World Menstrual Hygiene Day: Brands come forward to raise awareness

<ul><li>RIO was the first brand in India to break the cycle of showing blue blood in TV commercials. </li><li>Globally, the advertising watchdogs of only 2 countries have allowed showing the red. ASCI giving a go-ahead to finally representing period blood in TVCs is hopefully the beginning of a new era and a step in the right direction. </li><li>We spoke to Kartik Johari, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene and Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, ASCI and Brand Experts to understand what kind of complaints did the two receive from consumers, how challenging was it to break an age-old taboo, what kind of research went behind the ad, what role ASCI as an industry body can play in driving change and what the feminine hygiene industry needs to talk about in their ads. </li></ul>Over the years, most women have grown up wondering why menstrual products represent period blood with a weird, clinical blue liquid and why do women always look so happy in commercials? Many Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have misrepresented periods. They show women forgetting about menstrual pains, (which leave me with no strength to even leave my bed) once they use a sanitary napkin. While for some women it is not as painful, (many can dance, sing, play sports while bleeding as shown in commercials), there are many other women who are dealing with very complicated periods and conditions like PCOD and PCOS. There is no representation or mention of period cramps in the commercials we have grown up watching at all. For someone who has no knowledge of periods, these ads can make them believe that women bleed blue and periods are effortless. Besides seeing period blood on screen, periods in general are still taboo in India, making it an uncomfortable topic for people to discuss. However, brands have the authority to either drive change in our country, start that much-needed conversation or misrepresent periods, misinform teenagers and continue validating stigmatisation of menstruation. Nobel Hygiene’s RIO was the first brand in India that woke up to the challenge of breaking this decades-old patriarchal and misleading practice of using blue liquid in its commercials. Even its product packaging has a hint of red, unlike any other hygiene companies that usually use green or blue to denote they stand for ‘purity’ or ‘cleanliness.’ However, RIO’s advertisement wasn’t very welcomed in the country at first. A few consumers reached out to Advertising Standards Council India (ASCI) to lodge a complaint on the usage of blood shown in the commercial. <div type="Youtube" id="2bgM2Aak-3A" title="Make The Right Choice With RIO Heavy Duty Pads For Heavy Flow | Balloon TVC" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2bgM2Aak-3A/mqdefault.jpg"></div> “The complaints varied in nature but split into three buckets. One was people were simply shocked to see red blood on TV. Second bucket was ‘I saw this ad with my children. How am I supposed to explain this red blood on TV coming out from a balloon to my kids? Third bucket was women themselves feeling that everyone knows what periods are, why do you want to show it on TV? This one woman said that we don’t even discuss our lingerie size in public, how can you show something so private and intimate on TV,” shared Kartik Johari, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene. ASCI asked RIO to stop the ad till the jury reached some sort of a decision. After reviewing the ad and getting a pulse of the market, ASCI decided to give the ad a go-ahead with a few minor modifications. Telling us what kind of modifications the brand was asked to make, Johari said, “We had a very understanding judge in the review process. He suggested only two changes. One, if we can tone down the blood in the end of the ad so we applied a monochrome filter towards the end so the impact of the red is minimised. Second, there was a very prominent image where we showed a blood drop which rests on the pad and is absorbed. The image was very striking. So the judge said if you make these changes, you will make the entire communication very palatable to the audience. We were more than happy to oblige because it left the overall message unharmed. It is a 100% step-forward.” RIO also made sure that the campaign was led by women to get their perspective and maintain authenticity. While getting women on-board for feminene hygiene products is quite obvious, it isn’t as obvious as you might think. Men continue to lead boardroom conversations and RIO refrained from making an advertisement from the male gaze. “We took special care to ensure our communication remained as authentic as possible. The entire creative was scripted by a woman, based on real narratives from women, directed and shot by a woman, and is being marketed by women. Additionally, 1000s of women have already applauded our product and messaging; we are proud to have brought this innovation for Indian ladies who receive no respite from Heavy Flow. We are sure that other players in the market are excited by this new paradigm, and we call upon everyone to take advantage of this exciting shift to educate and reconnect with their consumers,” said Johari. However, RIO’s ad doesn’t mention the word ‘period’ in its ad. Johri said it wasn’t a conscious decision to erase the word out. “I think what we did not want to do by saying the word period out loud is to try and build an association with the larger sanitary market that already exists. We wanted to establish ourselves very clearly as a specialist product which is a heavy flow pad for women who suffer from PCOD or menopause. It wasn’t a conscious decision to leave the word out, I didn’t even realise that this might be a contention. We tried to show whatever we had in our script with utmost honesty. A lot of the words which Radhika said were from our research study directly. The minute you say ‘heavy flow,’ women who suffer through that would relate to it,” said Johari. Johari told us that they found a need in the market which they wanted to address. He realised why women with PCOD and menopause needed special pads when he saw his wife struggling. On why they decided to launch their heavy flow product and ad with Apte, Johari said, “What these 20 years of advertising has done is force this very unfair expectation on women’s shoulders as if they don’t have enough responsibilities already. They expect women to be okay, do every other task while menstruating because it happens every month. ‘What is the big deal in it, this is very normal’ is what they said and this is a very wrong perspective and that’s what we were hoping to address with our ad.” Globally, the advertising watchdogs of only two countries have allowed showing the red. Many MNCs still refrain from changing the status quo and leaving their comfort zones. While ASCI doesn’t comment on particular ads, Shweta Purandare, ASCI Secretary General, gave us an insight into what role ASCI as an industry body plays in helping break taboos and how they review ads. Purandare said, “The number of complaints we receive is immaterial. It’s their validity we need to check. We are required to give the advertiser concerned a chance to share their stand, which is reviewed by an independent Consumer Complaints Council. We must keep in mind that things are evolving quickly - we can’t view advertising through the lens we used to 30 years ago." She added, “The younger generation wants the right information. So, whether it’s sanitary napkins or condoms, ASCI has been open and contemporary in its approach. Some people say lingerie ads shouldn’t be printed in newspapers, but it’s a product like any other - you need to show it to be able to sell it. The execution of the advertisement is critical - is it coming across as vulgar, for example? That’s something we take into account. Context is very important too. We also ensure that ads don’t denigrate a gender or look down upon people of colour.” This campaign from RIO marked the beginning of a new era and took a step in the right direction. It will create more conversations, to help bring about a revolution in Female Hygiene in India, where only 50% women have access to female hygiene products and almost 100% approach menarche unprepared. We also spoke to experts to find out how far the ad industry has come in accepting menstruation and breaking the stigmas around it. Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting, said, “While the brand may have felt that it is important to show reality as it is and break existing codes of communication in the category, advertising or any form of communication is more impactful when done in an appealing manner, without of course, losing focus on impact of messaging. And messaging impact is not necessarily achieved only when the actual reality is showcased. To achieve messaging impact, it is important to speak to the consumers' intelligence and the consumer is able to process metaphorical communication just as effectively, and does so in a manner that makes the communication more appealing, more memorable and more effective. Metaphorical should not be confused with shying away from the problem - it's just a more intelligent, sophisticated, evolved and therefore more intelligent way of showing the problem. Further, for any brand, TV advertising is not the only form of communication. The route that RIO has taken in the ad, could well have been taken via other elements of the Marketing Plan such as Activation, small group education which allows for discussion, interaction, Q&amp;As. That would have helped the brand to balance appeal with directness in communication.” Srishty Chawla, Founding Partner, One Source said, "I appreciate and support the change to mentality and society RIO is trying to bring about with this commercial. Breaking incorrect perceptions around menstrual blood being dirty is not just crucial, it's an imperative. This ad is a step in the right direction of destigmatising menstruation and period blood, by talking about them and showing blood for what it is - red in colour. Brands need to take a leaf out of this book, and understand that by showing the blue gel for period blood, they're furthering the stigma. I mean, human blood isn't blue. We aren't cold-blooded. It is misleading! As is showing women in white pants, gleefully running around, with a menstrual pad on. That isn't how things work in real life. Periods are not happy. In most cases, they are messy, and painful. And as far as white pants go, I am terrified of even looking at whites during my period days, lest I stain them. I also noticed that Rio omitted the usage of the word ‘period’ in their ad, while it is clear that they are talking about periods. Why not just say it? Use the word. Break the taboo! Even without using those words, just by using red to signify blood, instead of blue to signify god knows what, I believe people will get shaken out of their comfort zones. Colours play a very important role in consumer perception and it is high time women-related communication uses empowering and bold colours! While new-age brands are taking risks and embracing change, in my opinion, larger brands also need to talk openly about, and break the stigma that is, menstruation.” Here is hoping that more companies join RIO, wake up and realise that blood has always been red and normalise talking about menstruation.

Are consumers ready to see period blood in red? RIO's relaunch of ad and ASCI’s nod on it proves they are

<ul><li>Conceputalised by Schbang, <keyword id="9881975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rio-heavy-flow-pads">RIO Heavy Flow Pads</keyword>' latest advertisement is a perfect analogy of what PCOS is. </li><li>It tries to explain the hormonal ups and down that women with PCOS experience through Raagas. </li><li>It aims to break taboos around PCOS and encourage people to start talking about it. </li></ul>An estimated one in five Indian women suffer from PCOS, yet very little is spoken about this condition. The ups and downs, the hormonal changes, the struggles that these women go -- through be it unbearable pain that comes with PCOS or changing pads every half an hour or trying to switch from diet to diet in the hope of relief -- they deserve to be heard. So this <keyword id="9881976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pcos-awareness-month">PCOS Awareness Month</keyword>, RIO Heavy Flow Pads by <keyword id="3140524" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nobel-Hygiene">Nobel Hygiene</keyword> urges everyone to educate themselves and start talking about PCOS. It has launched a campaign #RIOTalksPCOS with a Raaga video that creates awareness about the hormonal ups and downs that a woman with PCOS goes through when she is on her heavy flow period. Due to the lack of education and awareness about PCOS in our country, there are fewer diagnosed with the condition. If not monitored in time, PCOS can have a serious impact on health. The film has been created to push the viewer to listen and empathize with the pain a woman goes through during her menstrual cycle when she suffers from PCOS. It draws a comparison between two completely unexpected themes and imitates the drastic highs and lows of energy that a woman goes through during her periods. The unusual treatment of the film delivers an impactful message. <div type="Youtube" id="ytG69WWPlUI" title="Raaga by RIO" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ytG69WWPlUI/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Commenting on the new campaign, <keyword id="5982986" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kartik-Johari">Kartik Johari</keyword>, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene, said “RIO’s research has revealed that women with PCOS are perennially worried and are unsure of how their periods will behave. The unpredictability results in them using a multitude of methods to prepare for it with a lot of hits and misses. However, society still expects them to go about their daily routines without drawing attention to their pain or discomfort. With this film, we wanted to throw the spotlight on the very real pain and the impact it has on their energy flow with every twist and turn. This PCOS awareness month hear them. Listen. Period.” "I wonder if 1 in 5 men were suffering from a hidden, debilitating disease that spikes monthly; would there be more awareness about it? Women suffering from PCOS are silently struggling with an issue beyond simple solutions. We do not know what causes PCOS, and even less on how to effectively treat it. All throughout September, RIO will focus on awareness and educating consumers about the various facets of this seemingly impregnable complication". He further added. “Raagas have always had a certain pain and agony communicated through them. Linking that rollercoaster of emotions to what women with PCOS go through, communicated the feeling in a unique way. The video was also shot in a way that amplifies the feeling of imbalance and discomfort through the vertigo effect of the camera treatment, coupled with a tone that brings out the varying moods of the raga. Hopefully, if we say it in a way that’s creative and unique to us, people will take notice to the cause. It’s about time!” said Disha Daswani, Creative Director, Schbang X, further explaining the concept behind the video. RIO will also further amplify the message to drive it home by creating multiple layers of nuanced conversations around the topic on various digital platforms. Via select influencer engagement they will create an open and honest dialogue about PCOS struggles along with showcasing solidarity with women who are going through it.

Rio Pads try to represent hormonal ups and downs that women with PCOS experience through Raagas

<ul><li><keyword id="12344584" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gendernext" source="Orion">GenderNext</keyword> report maps gender depictions through an inclusive process involving advertisers, agencies, commentators, gender experts, policymakers and consumers.</li><li>The study finds that advertising needs to catch up with women, proposes the SEA Framework to give clear direction to marketers to help them navigate the complexities of gender depiction.</li></ul>To help brands and advertising agencies shape gender narratives in a positive way, The Advertising Standards Council of India (<keyword id="169284" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ASCI" source="Orion">ASCI</keyword>) and <keyword id="884938" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Futurebrands" source="Orion">Futurebrands</keyword>, have unveiled the GenderNext study – a comprehensive actionable insight study on the representation of women in advertising. s. GenderNext covers patterns of portrayals across multiple categories, such as personal care, fashion, beauty, home and hearth, gadgets and wheels, money and education. The study also touches upon how advertising portrays women versus how they see themselves and want to be seen. According to <keyword id="12344585" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lipika-kumaran" source="Orion">Lipika Kumaran</keyword>, the lead author of GenderNext, the study reveals that while there are some positive moves, mainstream advertising still heavily borrows from an inventory of overused, and sometimes harmful stereotypical tropes. A detailed study of over six hundred advertisements revealed several problematic tropes- such as sensualising the act of eating by women, showing women as spenders in financial advertising, women running around the house while others lounge around, male gaze acceptance in beauty ads, showing women as lower down in tech-hierarchy in gadget ads, male celebrities challenging and instructing women, among others. A detailed list of such depictions across categories are captured in Annexure A. Women interviewed across different life stages and town classes pointed out that it is not them but others in their sphere who lag behind them, and they are the ones in need of empowerment. They feel that advertising can be their ally in this journey. The study found that for young unmarried women, common stereotypes used in advertising such as women joyfully undertaking the drudgery of work was not aspirational at all. Typical women’s day ads that show women emerge victorious after significant struggle were not considered particularly empowering. Women are tired of ads showing young women being bestowed with freedoms only after putting up a fight. The study proposes a category agnostic framework “The SEA (Self-esteemed - Empowered – Allied) Framework” that aims to guide stakeholders in imagining as well as evaluating portrayals of women in their advertising by building empathy and aiding evaluation. The study also proposes a 3S screener for scripts/storyboards, casting, styling to identify stereotype red flags. The screener looks at aspects of a) Subordination b) Service and c) Standardisation (. More details of the SEA framework and 3S screener can be found in Annexure B. <keyword id="212022" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Subhash-Kamath" source="Orion">Subhash Kamath</keyword>, Chairman, ASCI said: “GenderNext acts as a guide for stakeholders – brand owners, marketers, advertising professionals – to aid the creation of more progressive depictions of women in advertising. The deep insights on women, and what they feel about advertising is a fantastic input into advertising creation, and we hope that brands and advertisers will be motivated by the findings to depict women in more progressive ways. We also intend to set up a task force to evaluate advertising guidelines on harmful stereotypes.” Santosh Desai, MD, Futurebrands Consulting said “As an influential form of popular culture, advertising has historically been a significant source for the propagation of gender stereotypes. While things are changing, what this study, initiated by ASCI and carried out by Futurebrands uncovers, is that gender continues to be represented in a skewed and discriminatory manner. Some obvious ways of stereotypes are less visible, but there are many other ways, both subtle and not-so- subtle, in which gender portrayals continue to be skewed. The GenderNext study has identified some common patterns of discrimination and has also created a framework that enables marketers to identify and eliminate such undesirable representations.” <keyword id="771216" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manisha-kapoor" source="Orion">Manisha Kapoor</keyword>, Secretary-General, ASCI said, “The report is only the first of the many initiatives ASCI will put together in this space. This is a continuing conversation.” The study was sponsored by Rio Pads, who were the principal sponsor; Co-sponsors included Vivel, Eureka Forbes Ltd., Kellogg’s, Colgate-Palmolive, Diageo India, Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd. and Procter &amp; Gamble Home Products Pvt. Ltd.; while Kotak Silk and Mahindra &amp; Mahindra Ltd were on board as Associate sponsors. Kartik Johari, VP of Marketing &amp; Commerce, Nobel Hygiene Pvt Ltd (makers of Rio pads) said, “We are privileged to participate in this seminal study on our culture’s perspective on femininity and womanhood. Advertising has the responsibility to take the lead on cultural conversations and to affect change. With this study, we hope to really create a guideline for lasting change which advertisers can use to authentically represent women across communication, and hopefully with it, start a national conversation around equality and humanity.” For this study, the primary research involved ad clinics with 160 respondents and 20 focus group discussions across 10 centres, in addition to tapping into Futurebrand’s proprietary study Bharat Darshan. More than 300 people were spoken to via social media. All stakeholders such as national and regional advertisers, agency and creative heads. Agender domain experts, policy makers and advocacy groups were consulted as part of the study enquiry.

ASCI and Futurebrands launch a new report to help brands and advertising agencies shape gender narratives in a positive way

<ul><li>TV production has been curtailed and the networks can’t go out on programming pitches without their pilots for news shows. There is a limited newspaper printing and distribution, OOH has also become irrelevant in absence of traffic. </li><li>On the other hand, OTT is seeing an uptick in viewership, content consumption, and consumer engagement. So will this force advertisers to re-evaluate their ad spends and marketing strategy? </li><li>We speak to OTT players and digital experts to find out if the current lockdown could lead to a gain for the digital streaming industry. </li></ul>As Maxwell Maltz’s research suggests, 21 days are enough to mold someone’s behaviour and form a habit. And from buying groceries to ordering a paracetamol, the lockdown has forced the entire nation to avail digital services. It has opened up an opportunity for Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms to rise to the situation and curate a seamless streaming experience for their consumers as they are quarantined 24x7. To meet this increasing demand and reduce internet congestion, OTT players moved from HD (1080p &amp; 720p) bitrate to SD (480p) last week until April 14. Apart from that, they are constantly renewing their homepage, trying to curate a wide content palette for their consumers and have launched advertising campaigns to create a buzz around their bundles. According to Neilsen, OTT streaming is set to spike by 60% as consumers continue to stay put. And this shift of viewers in OTT has sprung up an amazing opportunity for advertisers to reallocate ad spends to reach their target audiences and fulfill campaign goals. SpotX, a global video ad serving platform, revealed that increased OTT viewing has resulted in a 16% increase in OTT video ad inventory. Over the last 7-10 days, MX Player has witnessed a 7X increase in time spent and engagement across genres. Its Daily Active Users (DAUs) have increased by over 40%. MX Player’s Head of Revenue, Viraj Jit Singh's quarantine time hasn’t been smooth at all; he has been swamped with work and client calls. Singh said, “Over the last week, we have been flooded with inquiries from clients and agencies on opportunities to advertise on our platform. While speaking with key decision makers across Brand and Advertising agencies, there has been a conscious effort to increase traction and evaluate OTT as a preferred platform to advertise on over the next 8 weeks. Budgets are being reallocated from Outdoors, Radio, Print and even TV as and when there is a drop in fresh content on channels soon.” This increase in time-spent on MX Player is driven by both, old and new users. This change is true for all cities, towns and non-metros. A large pool of its users are between 18-24 years, which is a bait for clients. The streaming platform has seen old clients returning and is also attracting new ones. “Brands have quickly understood this (change in viewership pattern), and we have seen multiple first-time advertisers from across client categories on our platform. Additionally, there are certain brands/categories that have increased their current budgets as well,” said Singh. For Viacom18’s <keyword id="3113913" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="VOOT">VOOT</keyword>, the story isn’t much different, too. In the last 7-9 days, it has seen over a 20% rise in the average daily sessions that each user spends. The users are also frequenting the app at least five times a day and spending 60 to 70 minutes. The streaming giant has seen this growth in Maharashtra (25%), NCR (20%), and Uttar Pradesh (30%); which mirrored the sequence of lock down regions. On the back of these strong data points, Akash Banerji, Business Head – VOOT, Advertising Video Platform (AVoD) says OTT is the platform to be for advertisers amidst the lockdown. Banerji said, “If there is a platform where advertisers can find their audiences today and reach out to them at scale and on a consistent basis, OTT video platforms are the only option available in the country. Everything else right now has pretty much no use because advertisers spending money on e-commerce platforms or display platforms have no value. People sitting at home, they have taken to OTT videos literally like a fish takes the water. It is the only place where the audiences are coming at scale and spending enough time. Having said that, we might see some upside for a short-time basis, but I truly pray that this scenario changes radically.” Referring to App Annie’s latest release, Ali Hussein, CEO, <keyword id="2480506" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Eros-Now">Eros Now</keyword> says the platform has seen upto 80% increase in daily traffic whilst other platforms have seen about 20% hike. Its daily subscriptions have also gone up by 200% in the last two weeks, as it has turned free for the next two months. While Eros Now is a subscription-driven platform, drawing from his past experience of working with YouTube and Viacom18, Hussein said, “I think this is an interesting time that certain segments of brands that are otherwise using certain physical forms of advertising, especially outdoor and print, will look at ways of identifying the admission online because a lot of the consumption of infotainment, education and entertainment has moved to online forums. So this social distancing has kind of caused a potential change in consumer behaviour, which I believe at some level will become permanent over a certain period of time. This is the natural progression in terms of where the universe is headed. So I think a lot of brands will also look at altering the larger strategies in terms of what is the consumer cohort they want a message to and what's the right kind of platform, how to even use content as a means for messaging and communication.” As an advertiser himself, who recently supervised an ad campaign during the outbreak of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> for its brand Rio, Kartik Johari, VP - Marketing &amp; Commerce at Nobel Hygiene saw the performance of their advertisement going down as the situation worsened. He said that there is a need for brands to evolve with the situation and digital will definitely take prominence. However, he said blogs are likely to perform better than OTT. To sail through these rough waters, he advises to be in touch with a brand's media partners every day. Sharing the reason why, Johari said, “Blogs are underrated. People do like to consume quality information and now that people are trapped at home, that's the need of the hour. If you can write entertaining content for them, I think there is a large consumer base which can consume all of it. Traditionally, if I were to divert money on OTT and digital, I think the company has refrained from doing that because a lot of new <keyword id="8983502" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-viewership">OTT viewership</keyword> also comes during commute, which has taken a hit; day-time OTT and in-home OTT usage has gone up so yeah, it's a mixed bag. So, you have to keep talking with all your agencies as well as your media partners every day. Keep a check on how the situation is evolving everyday.” The viewership on OTT platforms is further bound to increase as the nationwide lockdown will continue until April 15.

OTT players see an uptick in viewership but are advertisers going where the eyeballs are?

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Brazilian federal police on Friday launched "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-police-launch-biggest-ever-raid-in-food-fraud-probe-2017-3" target="_blank">Operation Flesh Is Weak</a>," targeting food processors accused of bribing government officials in order to loosen regulations.With more than 1,100 officers deployed on 194 raids with as many as 38 detention orders, it was the agency's "largest search-and-raid operation ever," according to police.Already, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">33 officials</a> have been dismissed.Bribes reportedly <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/6212-brazil-s-rotten-meat-scandal-threatens-billions-in-annual-exports" target="_blank">ranged from hams</a> to political-party donations (including to the president's party.)In some instances, investigators <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/6212-brazil-s-rotten-meat-scandal-threatens-billions-in-annual-exports" target="_blank">said</a> inspectors allowed employees to use government computers to issue their own export licenses.Among the more than <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20170320-business-brazil-rotten-tainted-meat-scandal-exports-champagne-sales" target="_blank">30 companies</a> implicated are JBS, the world's largest beef exporter, and BRF, the world's largest poultry exporter. They are both accused of using chemicals or mixing in healthy meat to obscure poor quality meat.Additives like potato, water, or cardboard are believed to have been added in to chicken in some cases to boost profits. Police also said <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/brazil-government-seeks-to-contain-fallout-from-meat-scandal-1490020988" target="_blank">filler like pigs' heads</a> had been used in sausages, though the agriculture minister said doing that was legal in Brazil.Some of the meat was sold domestically for school meals or retail sale, though no one has been <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-19/brazil-tainted-meat-probe-widens-as-trade-partners-study-impact" target="_blank">reported sick</a> from it.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>"We go to the supermarket, we buy meat for our family's consumption, and what do we expect? That it is in good condition," Silvia Farias, a professor who shops in a Rio supermarket, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">told AFP</a>. "I would never imagine that the meat could be mixed with cardboard."The scope of that operation appears to be more than matched by the fallout from its execution.Brazil is the world's second-largest producer of chicken and beef, sending them to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">150 countries</a>, and meat in general is among the country's top exports. Brazil was relying largely on agriculture to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e87e556c-0da9-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">pull it out</a> of what has been its worst recession in over 100 years.The head of Brazil's ABPA beef producers associate said on Monday that the scandal had put the Brazilian meat industry in a grave situation. It had "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-agriculture-ministry-confirms-china-beef-suspension-2017-3" target="_blank">destroyed</a>" the industry's hard-earned image of quality products, he added."At face value, the developing scandal over Brazil's meat exports could plausibly derail the country's economy recovery," Capital Economics wrote <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e87e556c-0da9-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">in a note</a> cited by the Financial Times. The final consequences, however, hinge on how "events will play out."Should the scandal deepen and buyers turn away from Brazilian meat, global <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-beef-scandal-leaves-fewer-options-for-global-buyers-2017-3" target="_blank">beef prices could rise</a>. Already, some of Brazil's largest meat customers have started scrutinizing or pausing their imports.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>China has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-agriculture-ministry-confirms-china-beef-suspension-2017-3" target="_blank">temporarily banned</a> beef imports. China, along with Hong Kong, accounted for more than one-third of Brazil's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-beef-scandal-leaves-fewer-options-for-global-buyers-2017-3" target="_blank">$13.9 billion</a> in meat-packing exports in 2016.In the US, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">only started</a> accepting raw-beef imports from Brazil last year, the Department of Agriculture has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-usda-tests-brazilian-beef-for-pathogens-amid-meatpacking-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">started testing</a> all raw beef and ready-t0-eat products from Brazil for pathogens. Official Brazilian data indicated that the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-19/brazil-tainted-meat-probe-widens-as-trade-partners-study-impact" target="_blank">US bought $297.8 million</a> worth of red meat from Brazil in 2016 - a fraction of the about $200 billion of meat Americans typically eat in a year.South Korea, which got <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-skorea-bars-sales-of-brazils-brf-chicken-steps-up-inspections-2017-3" target="_blank">80% of its chicken</a> from Brazil last year, will tighten inspections of chicken meat and ban sales of meat from one of the Brazilian companies implicated in the scandal.Chile has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-usda-tests-brazilian-beef-for-pathogens-amid-meatpacking-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">curtailed</a> Brazilian meat imports, and the EU has said it would monitor meat imports from Brazil and that any companies involved the scandal would be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazilian-meatpackers-slump-as-china-south-korea-suspend-imports-2017-3" target="_blank">denied access</a> to the EU market. The scandal breaks ahead of <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/brazils-rotten-meat-scandal-worries-eu-ahead-of-fresh-trade-talks/" target="_blank">scheduled trade talks</a> between the EU and the Mercosur trade bloc, of which Brazil is a major member, though the European Commission has said it would <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-brazilian-meatpackers-slump-as-china-south-korea-suspend-imports-2017-3" target="_blank">have no impact</a> on the discussions.The UK has also said it was stepping up checks <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e87e556c-0da9-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">on the hygiene</a> of meat shipments from Brazil. Irish agriculture groups have called for <a href="http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/farm-organisations-unite-in-calls-for-restrictions-on-sub-standard-brazilian-beef/" target="_blank">an immediate ban</a> on Brazilian beef exports.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Brazilian officials and the companies involved have all started doing damage control, attempting to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e87e556c-0da9-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">downplay</a> the breadth of the scandal and reassure jittery consumers at home and abroad.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-skorea-bars-sales-of-brazils-brf-chicken-steps-up-inspections-2017-3" target="_blank">BRF</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">JBS</a> both strongly denied any wrongdoing, and some companies have taken out full-page ads in Brazilian newspapers and bought ads on TV stations.President Michel Temer, who called an emergency ministerial <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brazil-president-calls-emergency-meeting-over-tainted-meat-scandal-2017-3" target="_blank">meeting</a> on Sunday, <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/brazil-tries-to-contain-damage-from-meat-scandal/a-38018293?maca=en-tco-dw" target="_blank">told ambassadors</a> later that night that the scandal was a "major concern," but that tainted meat had come from "only a very few businesses."To back up his assurances, Temer invited the ambassadors to dinner at a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-19/brazil-tainted-meat-probe-widens-as-trade-partners-study-impact" target="_blank">$39 all-you-can eat steakhouse</a>, where he sat between the Chinese and Angolan ambassadors.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The presidency has also said that only <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-19/brazil-tainted-meat-probe-widens-as-trade-partners-study-impact" target="_blank">21 of 4,000 plants</a> in the country were involved, and that just 33 of the industry's 11,000 workers were being investigated.The Brazilian agriculture ministry has also sought to sooth nerves, with minister Blairo Maggi saying that the issues uncovered were not widespread."Brazil's industry is robust and strong but it isn't infallible," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-19/brazil-tainted-meat-probe-widens-as-trade-partners-study-impact" target="_blank">he said</a>. "We're making sure that what's being produced is now getting the proper inspection."The tainted-meat scandal, however extensive it may be within the meat industry, is limited to that industry.But it comes amid the ever widening scandal over allegations that have come out of Operation Car Wash, a massive anti-corruption investigation that has become the <a href="http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/brazil-judge-systemic-corruption-generates-enormous-costs" target="_blank">biggest political graft case</a> in the country's history.Sergio Moro, the judge handing the case, <a href="http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/brazil-judge-systemic-corruption-generates-enormous-costs" target="_blank">said last summer</a> that bribery had become "a rule of the game" in Brazil, where "systemic corruption" has created "enormous" costs for the country."Though corruption fatigue may be setting in for some, this isn't 'just another corruption scandal' in Brazil. Most of the recent scandals in Brazil have involved briberies and illegal uncompetitive coordination around public contracting," regional analyst <a href="http://www.bloggingsbyboz.com/2017/03/food-corruption-in-brazil.html" target="_blank">James Bosworth wrote on Monday</a>. But, Bosworth said, "this scandal involving some of Brazil's biggest companies will cause everyone doing business with the country to question whether the products they are importing don't meet the standards required." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/drone-footage-rio-olympic-maracana-stadium-ghost-town-brazil-fifa-soccer-2017-1">Watch drone footage of Rio's Olympic stadium that's now become a ghost town</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N3eHJ1ODE60w9DCshI-b5vPTT621rWZc" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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