Recap 2019: Zero Second ads are catching momentum says Robert Godinho

Robert Godinho, CEO, Media Monks, analyses the top content consumption trends on 2019, the way ahead for production houses and more. 

What are the content consumption trends that you observed in 2019?

‘One idea suits all’ no longer works in the digital space, and cut downs of that single idea are merely renditions that do not hold water on varied digital platforms. Brands have begun adopting digital-first approaches, where the pyramid is now inverted and each touch point (platform) gets its own big idea, thus getting a step closer to the end consumer. Staying ahead of this market demand has helped us create engagement pieces for the fashion, auto and sports entertainment domains earlier this year, which are in sync with the kind of content consumption trends we are witnessing now. 

Are production houses prepared to cater to regional audiences?

As demand for vernacular content rises, all businesses will adapt to hyper localisation, offering brands a one-stop shop for their campaign demands. This will further ensure that the core messaging of the brand is not diluted due to language barriers. Integrated productions will continue to evolve to suit such clients’ needs along with a programmatic approach to dispense this communication. 

Has story become more important than the big name hero in the production budget?

India still loves her heroes and the value of such mega stars always brings a value add to brands. The smart way is to be able to create a meaningful campaign around the hero that can be further amplified by the influencer and UGC markets. 

Has the cost of producing high quality content escalated? Why?

Cost of producing high quality content has always been high. Brands assume that digital content is cheaper by virtue of it being digital, however, digital doesn’t mean cheap, it means content specially made for the digital platform and as digital continues to grow year on year the cost of productions will move towards digital as well. The smart way, however, is to have integrated productions to get the best bang for your buck. 

How many shows are you producing for OTT vs TV? Do you see OTT becoming a big part of the business in the near future?

We currently are not doing any OTT shows as we strive to work more aggressively in the shorter format space. OTT is growing, but TV is still king and will continue to be so for a while due to the vast diversification of our population and vernacular still to gain momentum. 

How are you innovating content formats to take advantage of new age devices and cater to the evolving consumer?

We, at WhiteBalance (recently merged with Media Monks), love adapting to newer formats and mediums. Two years ago we developed for India’s first mobile news channel NDTV Hop, packaging for the entire channel. Today, the attention span on digital snackable content is at 1.4 seconds. The challenges are constantly evolving and so does the solution. Zero Second ads are catching momentum along with some really slick 5 seconders.