Day 1 : Content Marketing Summit. #CMSAsia2015

“ Your passes have been arranged. You can pick those up from the venue”. That’s all the mail had said. Well I was lucky one top go at the CMS this time, it was another matter that I was nervous not knowing what to expect. A previous knowledge of things was important but it was totally new for me and I was excited. Then Rahul Prabhakar called up and said that he too was coming. We were lucky to have got the chance to cover the event. 9 o` clock time at Gurgaon meant that I had to leave home early. All I had was a military fiction novel with me to give me company in the metro. After changing metros, battling office goers and nearly crushed to death I reached IFFCO Chowk metro station from where Rahul picked me up. Westin- एक और नयी जगह देख ली. After the checkin, hilarity ensued at the reception desk as the girls could not spot my ID card. They found Rahul`s though. They checked up the list twice but my name was not there. A girl checked up the system and found it. It was another struggle to find the card in the pile of 100 of cards.

After the चाय वाय we got down to click the pics of ourselves- proof that we had actually come. Once inside the conference room, picked up the table at the front and got down to work- about which I was clueless.

For the first 3 speakers I was ducking bouncers trying to get a

grasp on things. In between I was also busy on twitter explaining all that was happening at the summit.

RP Singh- The man behind the summit. The young sardar who made all this possible. After the welcome speech and telling us how airplanes can be sold using content marketing, he declared the summit open.

Now before I go any further let me quickly tell you what content marketing is, in simple language. Anything written by anyone is treated as content (facebook posts, advts., website content etc.) and how to market them effectively so that it reaches the target audience effectively in the huge expanse of matter all over the net. That’s all. Refresher course done for you….moving forward.

Ran Buck, Taboola-

An interesting speaker with tons of info and how can taboola help people with their content. Content Marketing needs both people who can create content and people who can distribute them effectively..bulls eye to the person whom you want it to see. Started in 2007 it has now revenue in excess of $200 million. It has captured the untapped mobile market as the first timer net users are on mobile. Taboola at 86% is just behind google`s ad network at 95%. Every page should be personalized according to the requirement of the user otherwise they would go away if they find that they wont get what they are looking forward to. Correct content to the person ensures that more people come to the site by word of mouth publicity. Expedia spends a staggering $1 million per month on search alone to know what the users are looking for and give them that. Traffic in Asia Pacific is in English but Hindi is the next big thing and the Click through Rate in hindi on a hindi site is 30% more than English. Its the ideal partner for technology and empowering partners.

Amrita Thapar, Genpact-

The main concern is to decide what to outsource and to inhouse when it comes to content. The target markets are America, Europe and Australia. A long lasting impression of content is needed. Masters- specialists are hired to make sure that the content created is exclusive in all regards. Specialised tools are needed as excels and charts are of no use. 2015 is all about distribution and the source of the information is important. The criteria is prioritization and then meeting the various deadlines. The distribution is through social media and also through print media for a long shelf life.

By this time I was like a batsman ducking bouncers and pace at Australian pitches. As time passed I was getting a hang of things but I must say that the session was damn heavy. It was all about speakers coming, speaking data and stuff. I was close to yawning so both me and rahul decided to take a break. Headed outside and as I adjusted my eyes to the light outside, a person came upto me saying, “Hello Shwetabh” and I was surprised ( I had a stalker???? ), hadn’t seen him before.

Maybe that confusion showed up of my face and before I could ask him his name he said, “Nirav”. Ok so now I meet the man behind blogadda. Rahul came up just then with his coffee and so did Ankita. We got all chatty.

Tara Sharma & Svati Bhatkal (Satyamev Jayate)-

The session takes a turn now. I breath easy. Tara (yep the bollywood actress) discussed how content helps her in her serial. What started as a simple blog on her experiences on raising her children later transformed into a show. Johnson and Johnson is engaged about the show ( The Tara Sharma Show) about its content. Being a big brand it supports Tara in the quest for content which changes the lives of the people and helps them connect with the show. Its aired on TV and also on youtube. There is actually no budget for the show, its all dependent on the advertisers and the content is what is driving it all.

Swati took it forward when she discussed the concept of Satyamev Jayate. Touching and reaching the audience.Travelling the whole country for the stories. The government got engaged as well. A foundation dealing with mental issues connected with the audience after one such episode. Live interaction was made possible through social media. Satyamev Jayate has both outsourced and inhouse content.

Sujatha Kumar, Coke –

Possibly the session that I enjoyed the most. It was the most interactive. The consumer engagement is through content which is spread through time and which would move with or without the brand. It was all a series of ads which showed how content can get you on a more personal note with people.

This ad was the most moving one. FIFA trophy is touched only by the winners and the head of the state but see how coke makes a request to FIFA for an exception for some blind footballers and here is the result.

One small secret- Santa Claus was created by Coke in 1939.

Coke Studio- A show loved by music lovers. It connects with emotions, appealing to a higher purpose than just the values of the company. Making sure that musicians, performers and people all come together.

Panel discussion-

Content helps people make choices as to what they want. Content distribution is to know that the content is accessible, it is available and Content marketing is to let know that the data is available. Correct distribution helps get revenue, hits and impressions. Word of mouth publicity about the content brings people. Paid content also backfires sometimes as its totally against the general rules of content marketing. It needs to be trustworthy. It is like a story which should have the power to involve you and move you.

Vaishakhi, Capgemini –

There are 3 rules about content- Don’t analyse, be a consumer and don’t bore him with things. She then showed how the Super Techies show connected with people just by this show. They changed the content, changed the format, changed the game and each time the participation of the people was much more than the last time. She also gave an insight into the story behind the Sunny Leone flash mob held by capgemini employees and unless there is a message to deliver in the video, it wont go “ viral”. That was all a part of Capegemini`s employee engagement programme where they let the employees do what they wanted to do without compromising on the corporate values. A fun way to let the families of the employees know of the bond they share.

She said one important thing that there are no viral videos, its the content which makes them viral. With a damn heavy dose of back to back speakers it was time to head for a break and when we got back, it was a pleasant surprise.

Nikhil Swarup, Kontent Cart –

Give any batsman a powerplay and his eyes would light up. Thats the same with this. Nikhil had gauged that we were all going damn sleepy so he went on with his light, humorous interaction which was awesome. He gave a real insight into what Kontent Cart really does. It has thousands of articles across 11 content categories which caters to the wide variety of needs of the people when it comes to content. Content should cater to category (70%), should be custom made (20%) - the same thing which previous speakers also said and the content should also promote the brand (10%). I personally loved this session.

Aashish, Hero Motors-

The emphasis here was on keeping the customer in the focus. As with the previous speakers too, he also told that it was important to show relevant content because there are no shortcuts when it comes to content marketing. The focus is keeping the customer at the center. The ZMR advertisement was a part of this thought process that worked well. A wide distribution in the south and the north eastern states was an add on.

Swapnil Srivastava, Times Internet-

Content can be distributed in the following way-

Contextual - the placement of the ads, the positioning is important.

Social / Viral - Making us of Facebook, twitter to spread the reach as far as possible.

Popularity of the content makes sure the desired results are achieved.

Audience - cater custom content and the job is done.

Manu Nanda-

For the 1st time he emphasized on content for the sales force and the partners. They are the people in the distribution channel so content for them is also needed. Manual, guides etc. A well informed sales force which can satisfy a customer in his query would ensure that a satisfied customer is the best form of content marketing channel.

I felt that I was watching the India Australia Kolkata Test match of 2001. An interesting stage at the end of the day and promising an even exciting next day.