HT MEDIA PARTNER MEET: AN EXCLUSIVE EVENING DEDICATED TO ALL THINGS CONTENT
Rajeev Beotra, Executive Director Revenue, Advertising & Distribution, HT Media Group, extended a warm welcome to all the guests, panelists and industry leaders and set the tone for the rest of the evening. He spoke about how HT Media has taken a cue from the recent changes in consumer habits and tailored its products to be in tune with the audience, while ensuring delivery of cohesive multichannel solutions to it’s partners
HT Media hosted some of the best minds of Indian Advertising under one roof at the Delhi Chapter of the HT Media Partner Meet held at the Taj Palace, Delhi. The theme for this year’s edition was “Connect with Content”, the speaker line-up and the various sessions were planned to showcase the magic created when brands, creators and publishers like HT Media come together to tell a story. The evening was super-charged with the latest buzz from the world of media & advertising as the teams got together and exchanged notes on the evolving role of content to build trust and brand advocacy.
To kick off the session, Superwomaniya RJ Stutee hosted a power packed fireside chat with Prashant Jain, Chief Marketing Officer at HP, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, and content creators and fashion influencers Komal Pandey and Siddharth Batra. The panelists had an engaging discussion on how brands can build Brand Love, Awareness and Advocacy from the perspective of creators and marketers.
Prashant started the discussion with a power-packed statement, “Influencers are the god's gift to marketers”. “Influencers use their authority on the subject matter and make customers understand that your brand is meaningful to them, while also helping the brand stand out with differentiated content.” He also shared that in his experience, the number of followers of a content creator does not have a co-relation with the buzz created by the collaboration, it’s all about creativity and authenticity of the content being shared with the consumers and the expertise that the creator brings in.
Agreeing with Prashant, Komal added, “Influencers come with a whole lot of accessibility and relatability, which is the differentiation that the content creators provide to the brands vs. celebrities as brand endorsers”.
Adding to it Siddharth said, “Engagement comes with authenticity. Komal and I love to interact with the brand that we are collaborating with. As a content creator, I ask the brand what’s the aim behind launching a particular campaign. It’s a collaboration in the true sense, where we come together and create something exciting for our followers together.” When asked about her success mantra, Komal revealed the secret of ‘3Cs’ - Content, Consistency and Creativity. She said, “If someone wants to succeed as an influencer, they should focus on content, consistency, and infusing creativity in all that they do. Followers and engagement will follow automatically. It’s a process that takes time, but one needs to be ready to work hard and be true to themselves.”