<p>YouTube is now the go-to option for everything visual, and advertisers have been quick to spot its potential.</p>.<p>It started off with ads playing before the video, and then their number increased. Now, ads play in the middle of the videos too. </p>.<p>Ads can be skipped in some cases. To address this, marketers are deploying ‘brand placement’ and ‘integration.’ So commonplace is the practice now that it is difficult to distinguish content from advertising. </p>.<p>FilterCopy, BuzzFeed India, Dice Media and ScoopWhoop are some desi channels that have perfected the art of brand placement. The personal connect they establish with the viewer with their witty videos makes them a favourite with many brands. </p>.<p>Some products find mentions in the videos, and sometimes, entire videos are created just to highlight and promote a brand.</p>.<p> “As long as the videos are catchy and engaging, I don‘t mind the blatant advertising. In fact, I admire the creativity employed in them; we see the entire video without getting annoyed, which is not the case with commercials,” says Sakshi Sharma, an intern with a marketing firm in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>Srusti Patil, KPMG employee, says it‘s a smart way of promoting a product.</p>.<p>A young professional first heard of dating app Bumble through FilterCopy videos and the content was so interesting, she immediately downloaded the app to try it out. Individual video bloggers (or vloggers) with a sizeable online following are approached by brands for promotions. The common viewer finds them more credible than celebrities, and their endorsements are viewed as more sincere.</p>.<p><strong>Can’t be standalone</strong><br />Rajesh BS, operations head - media and advertising, Ad6 Advertising, says brand integration into YouTube videos is a cost-effective way to reach the millennials but brands can’t rely only on one video-streaming platform to build a brand.</p>.<p>“Such placements allow us to fix and approach our target audience in a precise manner. We can decide the educational level, gender, and age group and decide on the content accordingly. But it can’t be a standalone form of advertising as YouTube ads mostly help in brand recall and reconnect. We also need to advertise through commercials, print ads and hoardings. It complements traditional platforms,” he told Metrolife.</p>.<p>Puneeth BA, founder of Poster Boy Art Studios, says building authentic and original content is important.</p>.<p>“That offers you the flexibility to fit in a brand’s talking point and build a connect with the audience,” he says.</p>.<p>Puneeth has created brand integration videos for television shows on his digital platform ‘Ideeria’. He says he is the first to offer the service in Kannada.</p>.<p>“It takes a lot of effort, patience and perseverance, especially when you’re an early player. However, it is a positive sign that popular TV channels have started seeing potential in original content creators who create rooted content. The Kannada market is still getting used to various kinds of content, but the audience engagement numbers are in our favour,” he adds.</p>.<p><strong>What’s placed where</strong></p>.<ul> <li>Filtercopy has tied up with Zoomcar, Flipkart, Unacademy, Pantaloons, Oppo, Pepperfry and so on.</li> <li>Buzzfeed India has tied up with Tinder</li> <li>Scoopwhoop includes promotional content for Zenfone, Acer, Brand Factory and Tinder.</li></ul>
<p>YouTube is now the go-to option for everything visual, and advertisers have been quick to spot its potential.</p>.<p>It started off with ads playing before the video, and then their number increased. Now, ads play in the middle of the videos too. </p>.<p>Ads can be skipped in some cases. To address this, marketers are deploying ‘brand placement’ and ‘integration.’ So commonplace is the practice now that it is difficult to distinguish content from advertising. </p>.<p>FilterCopy, BuzzFeed India, Dice Media and ScoopWhoop are some desi channels that have perfected the art of brand placement. The personal connect they establish with the viewer with their witty videos makes them a favourite with many brands. </p>.<p>Some products find mentions in the videos, and sometimes, entire videos are created just to highlight and promote a brand.</p>.<p> “As long as the videos are catchy and engaging, I don‘t mind the blatant advertising. In fact, I admire the creativity employed in them; we see the entire video without getting annoyed, which is not the case with commercials,” says Sakshi Sharma, an intern with a marketing firm in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>Srusti Patil, KPMG employee, says it‘s a smart way of promoting a product.</p>.<p>A young professional first heard of dating app Bumble through FilterCopy videos and the content was so interesting, she immediately downloaded the app to try it out. Individual video bloggers (or vloggers) with a sizeable online following are approached by brands for promotions. The common viewer finds them more credible than celebrities, and their endorsements are viewed as more sincere.</p>.<p><strong>Can’t be standalone</strong><br />Rajesh BS, operations head - media and advertising, Ad6 Advertising, says brand integration into YouTube videos is a cost-effective way to reach the millennials but brands can’t rely only on one video-streaming platform to build a brand.</p>.<p>“Such placements allow us to fix and approach our target audience in a precise manner. We can decide the educational level, gender, and age group and decide on the content accordingly. But it can’t be a standalone form of advertising as YouTube ads mostly help in brand recall and reconnect. We also need to advertise through commercials, print ads and hoardings. It complements traditional platforms,” he told Metrolife.</p>.<p>Puneeth BA, founder of Poster Boy Art Studios, says building authentic and original content is important.</p>.<p>“That offers you the flexibility to fit in a brand’s talking point and build a connect with the audience,” he says.</p>.<p>Puneeth has created brand integration videos for television shows on his digital platform ‘Ideeria’. He says he is the first to offer the service in Kannada.</p>.<p>“It takes a lot of effort, patience and perseverance, especially when you’re an early player. However, it is a positive sign that popular TV channels have started seeing potential in original content creators who create rooted content. The Kannada market is still getting used to various kinds of content, but the audience engagement numbers are in our favour,” he adds.</p>.<p><strong>What’s placed where</strong></p>.<ul> <li>Filtercopy has tied up with Zoomcar, Flipkart, Unacademy, Pantaloons, Oppo, Pepperfry and so on.</li> <li>Buzzfeed India has tied up with Tinder</li> <li>Scoopwhoop includes promotional content for Zenfone, Acer, Brand Factory and Tinder.</li></ul>
