'Duration of the content doesn't matter as long as it is good'

The duration of content does not matter as long as it is authentic, honest and relatable for consumers, was the unanimous view of content heads and marketers during a panel discussion at the e4m Content Jam held on Wednesday.

During the session on ‘The Future of Content Creation and Curation’, chaired by  Sunny Rangwani, Principal Partner Content, Mindshare Fulcrum, panelists deliberated on how interactive storytelling is changing the way narratives are created and experienced.

Speaking on challenges of long-form content when everyone is just struggling to find the attention of audiences, Abhishek Joshi, Head, ShemarooMe, said the primary job is to make content discoverable for consumers.

“The challenges and opportunities in content lie with the consumer. Our primary job is to make the content discoverable. The audience should know what, where and why to watch. We are just catalysts and enablers. The final decision to watch and spend time, which in other words is money, lies with people who come to your platform. Content is neither good nor bad. What matters is how you mount it, how you speak about it and whom you speak to. What's good for you might be very bad for me,” he said.

On being asked about seeing any prominent insights into regional audiences and the way they consume content, Joshi said, “When you are in regional space, there is no number two. It is a first-mover market. And in the regional ecosystem, the market approach will always be SVOD because there is no audience for AVOD. Regional audiences are much more loyal than pan-India. They know exactly what to consume.”

Talking about specific trends which could lead the way for the future of content, Vivek Mohan Sharma, Head Branded Content, Viacom 18 Network, elaborated by citing the example of MTV channel becoming a youth brand and how content needs to follow the viewer's interests.

“The journey that we've taken in the last few years is that our vehicle in the market for youth is MTV and there was a time all of us kind of grew as MTV as in the old form what MTV was. But then we realized that the content has to follow the viewer and the eyeballs started moving just from television to the shorter screen. The screen became shorter and shorter. So, we've actually as Viacom been on the journey where MTV has transformed itself from being a television brand to a youth brand,” he said.

He further said that the content consumption which happens for MTV today on YouTube is phenomenal and that every piece of content that this platform generates also has an OTT leg and has a huge, probably even higher amount of viewership on Jio Cinema.

“Nickelodeon which is our Premiership Channel also has a huge footprint on YouTube because it is also becoming the by-default screen mechanism for kids so I think that's the journey we're also taking. It's about wherever the viewers and eyeballs are, the content has to follow,” he said.

On being asked what the focus area in terms of content creation in the backdrop of OTT players and content creators largely depending on creator hubs, Gaurav Chanana, Founder and Executive Producer of production house Lucifer Circus, said if the content is entertaining, duration does not matter.

“Every player is looking for snackable content like reels. But I believe if a film/content is good, people will watch it for three hours also; if it is bad, then no one will watch it beyond five seconds. It’s all about how entertaining it is,” Chanana said.

Adding to this, Gunjan Arya, CEO, Only Much Louder, stressed on the need for a confluence of media, creative and production agencies.

“What I am most inspired by is the fact that media agencies, creative agencies and production agencies have to come together because there is a multiplicity of choices for the consumer,” she said.

According to Saugata Bagchi, Global Head - Experiential and Content Marketing, Tata Communications, the strategy is to be honest, respect and recognize the intelligence of the content’s audience.

“When you are creating content to sell, the first thing to keep in mind is that you're selling to an individual. The strategy is to keep it simple, be honest and respect and recognize the intelligence of the viewer and of course, be present at the right place at the right time either in 30-minute form or in a 30-seconder form,” he said.

Sharing a similar view, Gaurav Jain, Head of Content in a renowned brand, said, “You have to be honest to your audiences and your brand so you don't do things like buying influence or reach. Get there as organically as possible because you want to stay there for as long as possible. If you do that, then it does not matter whether the content is long or short. If you make authentic stories which make sense to an audience, you are there.”