Using Mobile Video to Seize Competitive Advantage in India

As any successful marketer knows, it’s important to get into the hearts and minds of your target audience to deliver meaningful messages via an effective channel in a way that resonates. With that in mind, I’d like to take a quick look at India’s recent history to show some important shifts that have happened socially and consider the implications for marketing best practices.

Major Lifestyle Shift in India

It wasn’t that long ago that many people lived with their extended families and perhaps only one spouse worked outside of the home. But things have changed. There is a massive trend in India as families are breaking away from their extended families and moving to cities where the higher-paying jobs are. India has around 300 million people living in metropolitan areas. And tremendous growth is projected. According to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects Report 2014, India is one of the top three countries in the world that will see the largest urban growth between 2014 and 2050 and is projected to add 404 million urban dwellers by 2050.

Today, often both spouses are working to pay for the costs associated with this new lifestyle. And to add to that pressure, many people are facing daily infrastructure challenges just to get to work, enduring hours and hours of traffic each day to commute. The pace of life has ramped up to an incredible speed and old ways are changing.

Technology and the Crazy Pace of Life

While physical infrastructural challenges persist, technology can be a welcome tool for managing this new lifestyle. You don’t have to look any further than Flipkart and now Amazon as proof of this. People simply don’t have time to shop the way they used to. According to Forrester’s Asia Pacific online retail forecast for the years 2013 to 2018, the number of online buyers in India will reach 39 million by the end of 2014 and 128 million by the end of 2018.

Of course, this extends to the world of entertainment as well. In the past, television fit neatly into the old way of life. Shows were pre-programmed on specific channels and you would plan to watch your favorite shows during the time they were scheduled. But now this model is no longer convenient. People don’t have the patience, time, or flexibility for it. With this context, it’s not difficult to understand the soaring popularity of mobile video and on-demand entertainment.

Sharing mobile videos has become the new version of gathering around the television. A Vuclip 2013 survey of 14,000 people globally showed that 53 percent of total respondents share mobile video; mobile users in India are even more so inclined at 65 percent.

What This Means for Marketers

Mobile video entertainment is still nascent and in the coming years we will see the consumer lifecycle transition from early adopters to mainstream consumers. By getting in early as a marketer, the opportunity is ripe for seizing a huge competitive advantage. But it’s critical that you seek out the right context for reaching your target audience, because not all mobile marketing platforms are created equal.

Based on what I’ve seen work for brands such as Gum Charades and Cadbury, here is a list of the top five characteristics for finding a mobile video advertising platform that will reach engaged, premium consumers:

• A wide selection of content available across languages and genres, including movies, television shows, music, and kids’ programs
• Seamless video viewing experience that overcomes the inherent infrastructure challenges of constrained and variable networks
• Personalized content discovery experience that is delivered with regards to consumer viewing patterns and preferences
• Large and highly engaged consumer base across various different demographics and mobile devices
• Innovative and immersive advertising solution that provides effective and measurable brand recall, purchase intent, and brand immersion

It is these five factors that will not only ensure your brand is showcased in the quality mobile environment it deserves, but will also deliver a highly engaged audience that is actively socially sharing mobile videos with friends and family. It is such an exciting time to jump onto the mobile video train – don’t be left behind!