We expect every agency in India to be aware of Brandie in the coming year: Pranav Kosuri | Digital

Marketers imagine word-of-mouth to be the oldest and most impactful variety of promoting. Yet not many have taken it a notch increased with the rising advertising and marketing choices obtainable immediately.

 

Here is the place Brandie, a Sweden-based word-of-mouth platform, comes in. The platform permits manufacturers to drive user-generated content material (UGC) at minimal price by connecting manufacturers with actual clients – who they proudly name advocates. 

 

Campaign India caught up with Pranav Kosuri, co-founder of Brandie, who’s hell-bent on democratising the world of advertising and marketing. He advised us all about how the platform operates in the Indian market and what distinguishes it from influencer advertising and marketing. 

 

Edited excerpts: 

 

 

What led you to set up Brandie, and the way does it work?

 

The co-founder Douglas Andersson and I realised that every model has constructed its basis on word-of-mouth. However, as the model grows and progresses, entrepreneurs lose monitor of their clients. They begin spending advertising and marketing budgets on totally different media, some of which could not even be mandatory for the model. 

 

We began to have a look at how we’re so immediate at responding to damaging feedback on social media, as opposed to constructive ones. The crying child will get the milk. If somebody will get a foul supply from Swiggy, the model apologises and provides them compensation. But, if an individual appreciates the meal, the model, at most, would love the submit. This occurs with most manufacturers. Only influencers and celebrities are an exception in this case. If they reply, we hound them and ask them if they need to do extra. 

 

There are not any instruments and skillsets for manufacturers to work together with every client. What we wished to construct was software program for manufacturers to work at a very massive scale, incentivising customers to be vocal about what they really feel. On Brandie, customers can join with their favorite manufacturers and be rewarded for the content material they share.

 

Your platform permits manufacturers to drive user-generated content material at minimal price by connecting them to clients with real critiques. What is the minimal price concerned right here?

 

Brands in India come to us and inform us the quantity of customers they need to activate for a specific marketing campaign. If they need 2,000 individuals to discuss their model throughout a sure interval, we assure that quantity and cost foundation per client that will get activated. However, the value level differs regarding the restrictions put by the model on its buyer base. If they need to do it solely in Bengaluru or pan-India, there’s a unique value concerned. It’s simpler to get advocates for a famend model, as in contrast to a regional one since they’d have fewer customers to supply from. 

 

However, if a model demand particular sorts of content material, it’s laborious to execute, since not everybody needs to put out an commercial for a model on their social channels. They need to communicate in their tone and language. So, the lesser the restrictions, the extra the profit. 

 

Does Brandie have to observe ASCI pointers to let individuals know when content material is being promoted? 

 

No. Since we aren’t actively paying somebody for his or her opinion, it’s extra like a loyalty program, like American Express, the place you swipe your card and get factors. However, most manufacturers with us simply need their customers to showcase them the manner they see them. 

 

We give manufacturers the identical metrics as in influencer advertising and marketing, simply so that they have extra readability about their wants, however we’d ideally not need to be bucketed there. We don’t need to incorporate influencer advertising and marketing, however somewhat get them to us. 

 

Users sharing content material associated to a model, get rewarded for his or her posts. How do you guarantee transparency in this case? What type of rewards are given to customers? 

 

The greatest distinction between us and influencer advertising and marketing is that we aren’t giving cash to anybody for his or her opinion. All we’re saying is that should you discuss positively, you’ll be rewarded for it. That can be in phrases of loyalty-building too. 

 

We additionally work with Truecaller, and if one of our advocates talks positively about it, or participates in their campaigns, they get rewarded with Truecaller Premium. That means they’re clients of Truecaller which makes it a pure win-win. Apart from that, it’s additionally about integrity. 

 

It may not be the greatest reply for manufacturers, however individuals on our platform usually are not influencers and won’t look to actively idiot their pals, colleagues, and household. Our rewards can differ from premium manufacturers highlighting the prime content material creators on their social media, to Amazon vouchers, and in some instances, a reward that drives a trigger. 

 

Won’t some of Brandie’s advocates be aspiring influencers trying to get commercialised in the future?

 

Rather a lot of manufacturers use our software program to poach potential influencers. From our many advocates, they most likely see 50 who’re nice and may also get a full listing of all contributors, together with their contact particulars. They can freely take them and have particular person partnerships with them. We additionally function a stepping stone for individuals who need to turn into influencers. 

 

Since the content material is especially generated by word-of-mouth, what function do AI and machine studying play in this course of?

 

Brands are very involved about the content material that comes out. When individuals share by means of our platform, now we have photograph recognition and machine studying instruments that display screen every single content material, so no indecent or tawdry content material will get by means of the system. The demographic for various markets are totally different. Through our machine studying instruments, a model can see how an advocate in a specific market speaks about the identical model in a different way in one other market. This offers manufacturers a visualisation to higher perceive their totally different clients and the way they communicate. 

 

How many consumers do you could have on board, and what are their expectations?

 

We have round 200 purchasers. In India, manufacturers have began to perceive that influencer advertising and marketing is nice to result in consciousness, however the belief issue can also be wanted. They’re nonetheless spending on influencer advertising and marketing, however what they need is that this wave of customers filling the belief issue. It’s like a plug-in to any influencer marketing campaign they do. Currently, loads of manufacturers need to have UGC. When they arrive to us, they’re trying to make their communication extra natural. 

 

What in case your advocates need to discuss a model that’s not your consumer?

 

Our advocates are at all times free to discuss no matter they like. We’re not creating a brand new behaviour. People are already speaking about manufacturers they love on social media. However, we don’t have 100% inclusion in all the markets and will not be in a position to accommodate manufacturers with out getting one thing out of it. 

 

You are at present current in India, Sweden and Indonesia. How many staff do you could have, and are you planning to increase? 

 

We need to maintain it lean and imply. We are a small workforce of 25 individuals in the firm, however we nonetheless do main issues. We discover just a few proficient individuals who can do loads of issues after which we develop upon that. However, we’re rising into 60 markets in the coming 12 months. 

 

What are your expectations from the Indian market, and the place do you see Brandie 5 years down the line? 

 

We expect every agency in India to be aware of Brandie in the coming 12 months. This is a instrument that they will implement in any marketing campaign that they do. 

 

For influencer advertising and marketing, they will plug it alongside and it gained’t require utilizing a couple of or two influencers, since the whole lot is served by expertise. I hope they see us as an integral half of every advertising and marketing marketing campaign that’s being launched. 

 

We’re not saying that influencer advertising and marketing is unhealthy, however we wish to see manufacturers on Facebook promoting, influencer advertising and marketing and likewise leveraging customers – which is the place Brandie comes in.

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