Mumbai: In the bustling realm of digital media, two formidable players stand out: PunToon Kids and VidUnit Media Pvt. Ltd. Each entity commands its domain within the digital landscape, captivating audiences and brands alike with their unique offerings.
PunToon Kids, founded with a vision to engage and educate young minds, has become a household name in children's content. Through its vibrant YouTube network, featuring beloved characters Gattu and Chinki, PunToon Kids seamlessly blends entertainment with learning, fostering values and cultural appreciation among children aged 3 to 8.
On the other end, VidUnit Media Pvt. Ltd. emerges as a trailblazer in the realm of influencer marketing, harnessing the power of multilingualism to connect brands with diverse audiences across India. With its headquarters in Mumbai, VidUnit has redefined brand management through a data-driven approach and a keen understanding of audience demographics.
Delving into the intricacies of VidUnit's methodology unveils a meticulous blend of technology and human expertise. From selecting influencers to crafting bespoke campaigns, VidUnit navigates the dynamic landscape of digital marketing with finesse, ensuring that each collaboration resonates authentically with its target audience.
Indiantelevision caught up with VidUnit founder Sourabh Kumar to explore its unique strategies, successful collaborations, and unwavering commitment to driving meaningful outcomes for brands and creators alike. From captivating campaigns to insightful analytics, VidUnit epitomises excellence in multilingual influencer marketing, shaping the future of digital engagement.
Edited excerpt
On VidUnit ensuring a comprehensive understanding of audience demographics and engagement metrics
We ensure a comprehensive understanding of audience demographics and engagement metrics through two steps. First, we utilise an in-house tool that we've developed. Second, our team scrutinises the shortlisted profiles, analysing factors such as comments, likes vs. views, subscriber vs. views ratio, and more. We have a dedicated team that focuses on examining creators' demographics and engagement, not solely through marketing tools, but by actually analysing each profile. This involves reading comments on their latest reels, determining when they last collaborated with a brand, evaluating the performance of specific videos, and so forth.
On the process of selecting and collaborating with the 500 celebrities and key opinion leaders (KOLs) across various industries
The first step is to select influencers and celebrities based on various metrics such as the type of content they create, their target audience, engagement ratio, likes/views ratio, and the appeal of their content, among others. Following that, we review each creator once again with team members who are experts in specific subjects like fashion, education, tech, and so on, ensuring alignment with the brand’s objectives. If necessary, we also provide one or two lines explaining why we suggest these creators and their rationale. Once the team is convinced that a particular creator or celebrity aligns with the brand, it becomes easier to convince the brand as well
On challenges, if any, does VidUnit face in catering to such a diverse audience base
VidUnit operates as an agency in 13 different languages and deals with creators from various backgrounds and cultures on a daily basis. Since we work with numerous creators across the country, we encounter some cultural and regional differences that we must eventually address.
For example, in Odia culture, one might perceive certain content as less visually appealing, yet it may resonate well within that particular region. Initially, this posed a challenge for us. However, with growing experience and an expanded team dedicated to specific regions, it has now become one of our strengths.
On VidUnit ensuring that each campaign aligns with the brand's objectives and target audience
We provide clients with a brief template that we've developed over years of experience. This template addresses all the fundamental queries and concerns necessary for us to understand the brand's requirements.
Understanding the brand's brief, objectives, and brainstorming ideas and strategies as a team is our forte. Collaboration allows us to generate ideas collectively, recognising that input from six people is always better than one, isn’t it? During our discussions, we ensure to address basic questions such as:
1 Are we clear on the brand’s brief and objectives?
2 Is there anything the brand may have missed out on during the briefing call?
3 We shortlist creators who best fit the brand, providing reasons and ideas for what the influencer can bring to the table.
4 Are we paying the creator the appropriate amount? If not, what's the best possible cost to finalise the deal?
When planning a campaign, we remain open to necessary changes during execution. After the first few videos go live, we analyse what's working and what's not. If something isn't performing well, we swiftly devise alternate solutions without disrupting the campaign's flow.
On VidUnit evaluating the success of a campaign post-execution
Based on the campaign brief from the brand, we design the campaign strategy and develop the best plan possible to achieve the desired results for the brand.
We consider two metrics to measure the success of a campaign, depending on the brand's requirements. The first metric is an engagement-based success campaign, which relies on factors such as the reach of a particular video, the number of likes and comments received, and the quality of comments on the post. The second metric is Installs/registration campaigns, which measure the number of installs generated through a specific link mentioned in the creator's description. This could also involve the use of a coupon code if the goal is to increase product sales.
We hold weekly discussions with the client to review the creators that have gone live during the week and assess their performance. If the performance is below expectations, we conduct a brief discussion to identify the reasons and seek solutions.
On VidUnit ensuring brand messaging integration within influencer content is seamless and effective
Once an influencer is shortlisted by the brand, we immediately conduct a brainstorming session to generate ideas on how the influencer can best promote the product.
Following this, we also engage in discussions with the creators to gather their input, aiming to collectively develop the most effective ideas while ensuring the quality of the content remains high.
Several factors are involved in this process, including ensuring that the ideas align well with the creator's content. We study the creator's profile to determine which videos perform best on their channel, integrating the brand or product into such videos to achieve the best possible traction.
On VidUnit ensuring efficient reach to niche audiences across the country
VidUnit, as a platform, hosts over 20,000 creators spanning various categories and regions. The platform provides us with the option to filter creators and select those that meet our requirements. Once we have an understanding of the brand’s brief and budget, we devise a plan to ensure we reach the right target audience and an optimal number of people.
For instance, if the budget is 10L, we may suggest engaging two prominent creators charging 5L each or a combination of creators whose fees collectively amount to 10L. This approach ensures the brand reaches as many people as possible. If we don't achieve the desired views from a particular creator, we may request additional deliverables. While creators are not obligated to comply, VidUnit as an agency endeavours to maximise their contribution to ensure the brand's satisfaction
On the examples of successful campaigns executed in collaboration with these trusted partners
Telugu Launch on Duolingo
We launched Telugu as a language for one of the most popular language-learning applications worldwide. We worked with more than 200 YouTube creators from Telangana and AP in just one month, and the campaign was a huge success.
Dipika ki Duniya X Duolingo
Collaborated thrice in 3 years with a creator called Dipika. During each collaboration, we added an emotional touch to the integrations and discussed how learning English can genuinely transform someone's life.
Reddit X Saiman Says
Working with Saiman was a great idea because he is an enthusiastic Reddit user himself and can talk extensively about the app. This helped us get a lot of new installs on the app since the collaboration was genuine and built trust around the brand.
Nishu Tiwari X Orient
On Republic Day 2023, Orient elegantly decorated several locations throughout India with tri-coloured lights. The idea was to visit the location, create a reel as organically as possible, and capture the lighting and décor in addition to showcasing the amazing work that Orient has done through Influencers.
3D Bear - Puntoon Kids
The brand started off with 2 videos initially as a pilot project which worked out really well. They then decided to do a long-term deal as well with a mix of pre-rolls and integrations.
On VidUnit differentiating itself from other influencer platforms, especially in terms of its multilingual capability
On VidUnit, it's not just talents and influencers who can register; there are also agencies that register themselves on the platform, providing us with an additional push to execute campaigns with quick turnaround times (TAT).
Some agencies manage 4-5 exclusive artists, and our in-house language experts play a vital role in handling briefs from specific regions. Having worked in 13 different languages for a significant period, we have established strong relationships with artists from various regions and backgrounds, reducing our dependency on the platform
