GroupM hosts country's first branded content upfront event 'Brew'

Leading partners from the content industry and over 150 brand managers and marketing heads across categories took part in the day-long event

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | October 28, 2016

GroupM, a media investment conglomerate, unveiled 'Brew'-- its premier content upfront event exclusively for clients. This day-long event that was held last week brought together several leading partners from the content industry and over 150 brand managers and marketing heads across categories. Industry stalwarts such as screen writer Juhi Chaturvedi and sports journalist Harsha Bhogle were among those who took the stage.

The 'Brew' line-up was a mix of formats that included TV, radio, digital video and also native content. Presenters included digital content specialists YFilms, TVF, Arre, Qyuki, OML, Conde Nast, TV channels MTV and the Star Network, radio channels Radio One and RED FM, and native platforms Firstpost, Mycity4kids, and DailyHunt. The ideas and properties presented were exclusive and had never been presented in any other forum. Over 20 such presentations were made in the course of the day and clients had the option of going online and registering their bid for it immediately after a presentation. The collective worth of the properties presented at Brew 2016 exceeds Rs 65 crore (about $10 million). Each of the properties has been bid for by multiple clients.

Branded content, especially on digital, is at a tipping point in the Indian market and GroupM estimates this sector to grow manifold. Over the last many years, GroupM has invested in creating a specialist team that works closely with clients to deliver branded content that impacts business goals in a significant manner.

Tushar Vyas

Tushar Vyas, Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia, said, “There is a dire need for brands to stay relevant beyond campaigns and we see branded content bridging that chasm. It is critical for brands to invest in content across the calendar, to keep the conversation going.”

Karthik Nagarajan

Karthik Nagarajan, who heads the content practice for GroupM India, commented, “While our endeavour is to strategize and manage the branded content calendar for our clients across the year, Brew is a critical property as it evangelises an upfront culture in the country, which currently does not exist. The 20 ideas that were presented on the day were shortlisted from over 300, so they could be most relevant for the brands in the room. Brew will be curated as the first stop for premium content in the market.”

With a roster of India's foremost content creators and publishers, GroupM agency content teams have created some breakthrough properties over the last one year. These include Mindshare's campaign with Brooke Bond Red Label - 'The 6 Pack Band' with Y Films; Maxus's 'Tripling with Tiago' for Tata Motors with TVF; MEC's Mercedes Benz Project X Campaign with Qyuki; and GroupM's music property Jammin' with Qyuki and YouTube.

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