Branded content is an art. Unfortunately, not everyone is an artist. If you do not know what branded content is, watch Culture Machine’s ‘Besan Ke Laddoo,’ and Dice Media’s ‘First Diwali with your In-Laws.’ You will find one common thing in both these videos – Swarovski. Actually, there were more common things in these creations by different digital channels, that is –
- The Theme – Newly married women
- Promotion
- Disconnect
The first two points are self-explanatory. Both the videos were sponsored by Swarovski to promote the brand’s Diwali selection.
Being a marketing person myself, I personally like the idea of branded content, but I am also content consumer. And as a viewer, I did not like what I saw. It felt like neither Dice Media nor Culture Machine were not allowed to be creative. They did not have the liberty to experiment, in order to create something valuable and worthwhile for their audience. It was more like they were given the recipe and they were only allowed to use a mould of their choice. Basically, the sweet tasted the same just the look was different.
Both, Besan ke Laddoo and First Diwali with your in-laws looked like Diwali ads. But when it comes to Diwali ads, they make sure they establish that emotional connect with their viewers by striking the right chord.
Quick videos are anyway complicated as you must tell the story in a few minutes by wrapping it up in moments. And if these moments go wrong, you mess up the whole story.
I think if the channels would have added their special touch to the stories and not focused on the ‘promotion’ part, these videos could have been ‘sweet’ Diwali surprises for their audience.
Where to Watch? YouTube