Marketing Regional Language Content – A matter of local flavours & pride

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by Jacob Solomon Jun 1, 2023 News
Marketing Regional Language Content – A matter of local flavours & pride

The rise of regional language content is nothing new. It could be tracked back to regional streams of the IPL and major shows like Prime Video's Mrs. Maisel and Squid Game, all in major Indian languages. A strong economy is a result of original regional content. For instance, a Telugu and Tamil language OTT platform has over 1.5 million paid subscribers and 40 million users, while Hoichoi, a Bengali language OTT platform, saw a 50% growth in direct subscriptions.

OTT will soon break regional barriers and the share of other languages will increase, according to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Arha Media plans to invest Rs 1000 cr over the next three years to expand their OTT platform

Soumya Mukherjee

The COO of Hoichoi told Social Samosa that they have 30 original shows lined up for next year.

"It's exciting to see that our audience has more time on their hands to indulge in binge-watch, and they're more receptive to different genres like biographies, action thrillers, and more."

The viewers are more open to watching different types of content on Chaupal as compared to previous times when theatre-going was what they looked forward to.

Many OTT platforms use social media. Regional OTT platforms use language to communicate with their audience.

Ajayvir Singh

There is a language quotient in Chaupal's marketing. The brand uses phrases like Apni Boli Viche Apna Entertainment and Chaupal Punjabia Da Apna OTT platform.

The native language is used in most of the social media handles.

Rakesh CK 

The central idea of all their communication comes from the thought of aaha in every household in Tamil and Telugu.

OTT platforms rely on social media to get consumers to try out their services. The social media is an important medium to be a part of the conversation that is important to build reach and brand affinity.

There are a lot of things in the internet.

There are a lot of Memes on the Content Roaster. The actors and characters are from their shows. Video clips from shows and movies are used by these platforms.

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It's promoting original content.

Social media can be used to create hype around the premiere of a show or movie. There are a lot of releases on OTT platforms.

Sometimes these platforms use different themes to package their announcements, and other times they use the show's own theme to convey the message.

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A post shared by Hoichoi (@hoichoi.tv)

Social media is the first thing that comes to mind.

There is a collection of mini-series, sketches and more that is available to the audience for free.

There are two separate accounts for Bangladeshi and Hindi speaking audiences.

"We want to do at least eight original shows from Bangladesh which will becurated, created and produced locally in that country and the remaining would be mostly for India and international."

ShemarooGujarati is devoted to giving access to Gujarati content. There are a lot of movies and plays on the channel. The audience will be given a taste test before the real thing.

Traditional marketing helps connect OTT platforms with their audience.

Public transport is used as a means of communication by Haryanvi OTT platform. The essence of the brand is captured by the slogans and visuals that they use.

Kunal Kumrawat

The platform uses desi pop culture to connect with the people on a personal level according to the head of marketing.

Hoichoi has quickly transitioned into performance marketing from their initial traditional marketing methods.

More than 70% of consumers prefer to watch content in other languages than the ones they speak, and 22% prefer dubbed versions.

Mainstream OTT platforms have increased their content libraries. Tamil, Telegu, English and Hindi are some of the languages that the MX Player offers.

Regional language streams of popular titles have been released by global players. South Indian languages have been at the forefront of their communication efforts.

In order to better communicate with their audience, they give shout- outs to regional content on their account.

Some old but gold Telugu movies to the catch this weekend:🥊Thammudu😎Yogi🌼Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu🪰Eega🏃Ready

❤️‍🩹3

— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) May 6, 2023

The platform has an account for South Indian content.

Minnal Murali was an original film made byNetflix India. The OTT brand collaborated with leading brands and influential people in the region as part of the launch campaign. The brand caters to the Malayali community in the U.S.

Disney+Hotstar went all out for the promotion of the movie.

There is a significant role played in the marketing mix by OOH hoardings and activations. The South Indian entertainment industry has a community of loyalists as well as fans who like to express their love for stars and shows.

While the dynamics of marketing entertainment content are the same across languages, the marketing tactics for a regional language show are often more experience driven and colorful. Regional OTT channels and mainstream channels promote regional content with relevant references, phrases, and even icons.

Regional pride is taken into account by the hooks.

An increasing number of Indian audiences consume regional content and the identity and marketing strategy for these is only going to get better.