The story is a crucial element when it comes to branded content: Anuraag Srivastava

Rainshine Entertainment, a creator-first digital entertainment company, has recently collaborated with Maruti Suzuki Dzire for their branded content show ‘Ek Extra Mile’. As pioneers in branded content integration, Rainshine Entertainment has come a long way in effective storytelling along with portraying brands in the correct manner, strengthening the brand image and helping in greater brand recall. “We have been a leading provider of branded content for over 7 years now, and it’s been a good journey,” says Anuraag Srivastava, CEO, Rainshine Entertainment.

In conversation with Adgully, Anuraag Srivastava speaks about the role of storytelling in branded content portrayal and how Rainshine Entertainment is expanding its global footprints. He also talks about how if a brand creates good content, audiences start identifying the tonality of the content they like from the offerings of the said brand. Excerpts:

Do you think shows with branded content equally portray the theme of the story as well as the brand? What does it take to make sure one does not overshadow the other?

The story is a crucial element when it comes to branded content. Helmed by relatability and contextual narrative, the core messaging of the brand is interwoven into the content. In doing so, it is essential to retain the uniqueness of the theme that engages the audience. Excess brand advocacy might irritate the viewer when all they want is to be entertained. Hence, we always make sure that all our branded content has entertainment and brand resonance balanced.

What is the concept behind ‘Ek Extra Mile’?

In our discussions with Maruti Suzuki for the ‘Ek Extra Mile’ story, we were trying to figure out how we can bring out their brand values as a company and as a car – in this case, Maruti Suzuki Dzire. We then came up with the idea of producing a five-part web series revolving around a person named Abhishek. He is aspirational, a go-getter, who wants to professionally reach the pinnacle of success. On the other hand, he has completely lost his mojo on the personal front with his wife and kids. He is persuaded to take a road trip, a small break of sorts, that he goes on in a Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The entire story is about how this trip changes his life, makes him better, exposes his vulnerabilities, and makes him understand what is essential for him. It’s an excellent example of a story that would be watchable and enjoyable even if it didn’t have the brand car. But with the addition of the brand which exemplifies the values reflected in this story, you allow the brand and the story to feed off each other in a virtuous cycle. This is what Maruti Suzuki Dzire represents. It’s the car for every family.

How has the journey of Rainshine Entertainment been with branded content integration so far and what’s more to come?

We have been a leading provider of branded content for over 7 years now, and it’s been a good journey. We work with over 75 brands, including sports platforms and charitable foundations. Our national-award-winning movie ‘Amoli’ or the multiple Promax winning series NBA Hoop Nation, themed around these brands values are a great example of our work. The range of content we produce includes stories, non-fiction formats and live content. We are increasing the number of IP-based branded content we release every year. We are also deeply integrated into the Influencer universe, working with over 800 influencers currently on a variety of projects. Think of a social media influencer working with a brand that keeps its tonality in the communication, but the stories are short and fun to watch.

How does Rainshine Entertainment plan to leave global footprints?

We have three areas where we are expanding our global footprint. The first is Podcasts, where we are one of the leading studios in India, and now we are expanding into the US and European markets. Furthermore, we also have a reasonably large and successful distribution unit where we purchase content from abroad and supply them to Indian platforms and vice versa. We’re very active in that space, and it seems to be doing very well for us. The third, of course, is our content business vertical that’s divided between 

• Animation: Mainly being produced for the US market with multiple projects in development, one of them being Young Captain Nemo, a recently announced Web 3.0 Multi-format Content Franchise (includes a trilogy of films, a spin-off series, and more).
• Young Captain Nemo is a collaborative effort among world-renowned creatives from literature, TV, film, and animation; the film has attracted Henry Gilroy, producer, showrunner, and screenwriter, whose credits include DC, Marvel, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Amazing Spiderman, as well as DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragonand Jeffrey Reddick, screenwriter, and executive producer, known for the Hollywood franchise, Final Destination, as screenwriters.
• Live-Action: Long-form content like web series and movies made for the Indian and global markets. 

The India-inspired global stories transcend languages, cultures, and geographies. All of them are operational now, and to that end, we have a global business unit with senior leaders at the helm.

What are some new genres by Rainshine Entertainment that the audiences can expect to experience?

We were always strong in the genres of young adult and comedy. Like any large studio, we focus more on tonality than genre-specific because each culture in India has a unique tonality, and we want to deliver the same. We have always worked on multiple genres such as young adult, comedy, romance, horror, thriller, and anything that inspires. This year, we are flipping the genres into languages beyond Hindi and English. We have increased our footprint in Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil-speaking regions through several shows in production and platforms. We are also exploring the Marathi markets aggressively, followed by Gujarati and Bengali.

What are the other brands that Rainshine Entertainment will collaborate with in future?

Rainshine Entertainment works with a diverse range of brands, which we divide into three parts. The first part consists of platforms - publishing platforms such as short video and OTT on the branded side, not on the content side. We work with their advertising teams to determine if their clients have specific content requirements, and we do this for four large platforms today. Secondly, we work with large brands such as FIFA and IPL who have OTT aspirations and see if we can engage with them and see them benefit from our content that goes beyond streaming and cricket. Thirdly, we focus on several sectors, such as education and automobiles, and create valuable content around knowledge of the sector itself and its customers.

Do you think the audiences turn into loyal customers or develop greater trust for a brand when it is portrayed in a show?

Definitely. In an era where customers can pay to enjoy content ad-free, the importance of branded content increases. Customers today have little desire to watch ads. If the brand creates content that they enjoy, they will automatically start identifying the tonality of content they like from the offerings of the said brand. As long as the message remains relevant to the brand and the customer, they will develop greater trust for the brand over time. For instance, content used to portray brand attributes can also get philosophical and relate to the audience instantly.

What are the different types of content strategy, brand strategy, and marketing strategy that Rainshine Entertainment has to offer to its brands?

We customise content strategies to suit the needs of the brands and the categories. Our job is to understand the brand's specific requirements and develop strategies for content, brand, marketing, and even distribution. A lot of brainstorming goes on how and where to place content and then execute the task, for which we often do media buying for specific brands. For instance, we customised content for Maruti Suzuki Dzire with a 5-part web series about a go-getter person who embarks on a journey in the car and experiences vulnerabilities and crucial life lessons. The integration of the product with the curated content has been subtle, and that is how we customise content specific to needs.