Of content being king

actually in this case, what triggered the post was a queen. For those of you who haven't been watching MTV, do take a look at this.

While I'm not sure about the origin of their latest positioning (its my MTV), and how their content is fitting in, I'm sure that as far as their advertisers go, they've been at it for a while - creating customised ads for clients that pass on the client's brand attributes in absolute MTV style. I remember the stuff they had made for Xbox, and recently, the Vodafone song, though i didnt find that very appealing.

In an age where every ad practically screams out for the customer's mindspace, the MTV brand of humour is definitely a differentiator. I'm sure a lot of my friends might watch MTV to see glimpses of Rani Bonkeshwari (the link earlier) :) , and that is where MTV scores a win-win. I really hope they don't overdo it, and keep giving us stuff thats good.

and i bid adieu while you enjoy

Idiotbox 2.0

Saw this , apparently the first sitcom (in India), thats been made specially for alternate viewing platforms like internet, mobile etc. Haven't seen all the episodes, but from the first two, it ain't too bad. At least its not like Ekkta KKapoor stuff, and the characters are all very urban. But i digress, this is not a review blog!! :)

I've always been interested more in content coming onto the net, as say, opposed to internet on TV. While there might not be too many differences at a later stage as far as end products go, i feel that the television can never be a personal medium, not as much as the net.

Meanwhile, doesnt a sitcom for the net offer tremendous possibilities as far as brands go? For one, you can clearly measure audiences, and their reaction to what you do with your brand online . In addition, there is all the stuff that are mantras currently - offline and online media partnerships, product placements etc. And of course, the costs of production and definitely distribution would be really less, which also means the scope for experimentation is huge -brands making more films and UGC ones at that with the product being weaved into the storyline (HLL, oops, HUL could do wonders with that, i'm sure)

How is this different from say, a YouTube? For one, it'll not be completely user generated, and the brand could build a site/microsite to ensure stickiness. And second, and most importantly, its the content, silly, its almost like the brand having its own channel. Would you watch an ad, or would you rather watch a sitcom with brands featured?

But like many other web related things in India, i guess all this will take some time, hopefully, only time.

and i bid adieu, while you start making the popcorn :)