Hotstar's Billions OOH campaign is intriguing but not all are impressed

The OOH Campaign for the TV series Billions streaming on the OOT platform was created in-house by the company

e4m by Venkata Susmita Biswas
Published: Nov 9, 2017 8:53 AM  | 4 min read

The latest outdoor campaign by online streaming service Hotstar for the TV series Billions may have got the fans to chuckle, but not all are impressed.

The OOH campaign conceptualised by an in-house team at Hotstar seeks to create intrigue. One of the OOH creatives features a QR code which is an invitation to watch the show. The QR code goes with the line - Scan to get Billions. This hints at a possibility to make a quick buck upon scanning but instead leads to the show’s landing page on Hotstar. The other creative goes with a minimal approach and simply says ‘We have Billions to spare.’ Both the campaigns rely on viewers understanding the pun and the reference to the show.

While the QR code is bound to pique the curiosity of people, its effectiveness in an advertising campaign is debatable. “QR codes per se feel very dated and very cumbersome to be an effective medium,” said Rohit Raj, co-founder, The Glitch. He noted that the average time taken to reveal the mystery behind a QR code is about 2 minutes. Therefore, expecting users to find the scanner app or in most cases, download a QR scanner and scan the code is a “little unreasonable,” he said.

Commenting on the use of QR codes in an outdoor campaign, Prathap Suthan, Chief Creative Officer, Bang In The Middle said, "It would be effective in places like malls, elevators, foyers, bus stops, etc. If it’s employed where there’s non-static traffic, it doesn’t work. In the sense if you are driving it’s dangerous to even try it, or if you are travelling you may not get the time to focus the phone to scan it etc." 
Suthan added that while it is dangerous for those in vehicles to try scanning it, it could get pedestrians curious. "And some will indeed scan it. But as a technology, it’s an old trick. And unless something new happens as you scan it, it would be another QR code led campaign," he said. 

The seed and the idea behind the campaign is unknown, said Karan Rajpal, Head of Social Media, HCL Technologies, speaking about the campaign that has puzzled him. “The QR code approach just does not deliver. No one has a QR code reader on their phones; if at all someone has it, it may have been used to make Paytm payments,” he added.

“It makes sense for Hotstar to use a QR code as part of the campaign given that it is an OTT platform,” said Mandeep Malhotra, CEO, The Social Street. The agency handles the Outdoor media duties for Hotstar. He added that the campaign has generated some traction, but it is too early to make a definitive statement as the campaign is still on.

The campaign targets existing viewers of the show or those who have heard of the show and are looking for a platform to watch it on. “The line ‘We have got Billions’ does the trick for them. The ones who haven’t heard of Billions could possibly be intrigued by these hoardings and may have Googled the line to figure what it is about. So, I’m hoping they did a parallel search campaign to generate stronger impact,” said Raj.

The pun on Billions misfired for its part but not enough to hurt Hotstar. Raj revealed that someone he knows mistook the line “We have got billions” to be they have a billion content pieces on Hotstar. “That sentiment shouldn’t hurt Hotstar either.”

In the past, Hotstar won hearts of Game of Thrones fans with the Torrents Morghulis (All Torrents Must Die) Campaign. Hotstar ran a war on torrents with that campaign, which was “perfect connect for the streaming service platform and worked very well,” said Rajpal.

Unlike Torrents Morghulis which went viral, the Billions campaign is yet to realise its full potential. But it has got everyone wondering about the QR code that promises Billions. “Did the hoardings catch my attention, yes, they did. When a Big QR code stares at you, you do spend that extra time trying to figure what it is,” said Raj.

Billions is a show that examines the profits and perils of chasing the American dream. Season 1 and Season 2 are available on Hotstar Premium.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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