MAM
O&M takes Incredible India concept forward
MUMBAI: The Incredible India campaign – Find what you seek – conceptulaised by Ogilvy & Mather takes the meaning of previous campaigns a step further.
“Look at our geographic terrain, culture, history or art; we are a very diverse country. And we want to convey the same message through this campaign. Whatever one is looking for in India, he/she will find it here,” explains O&M executive creative director Ajay Gahlaut about the idea behind the new campaign.
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The Ministry of Tourism had briefed O&M to dig a little deeper into what makes India truly incredible. The team started researching by talking to travelers from around the world.
“Our previous campaigns described the word Incredible but through the new campaign, we will give more meaning to it. We always aim to evoke curiosity about the country,” says Gahlaut when asked how different the new campaign is from the previous ones. The earlier Incredible India campaigns have also showed prospective tourists different parts of the country – be it the deserts of the west, the hills and mountains of the north, the beautiful coastal beaches or jungles and the backwaters in the south.
The campaign isn‘t city specific but travel specific and showcases everything from Leh and Ladakh to Kerala. The campaign (a total of nearly thirty pieces includes press and outdoor advertising) covers a range of experiences in India through the eyes of the tourist.
For instance to describe Kolkatta, there is the image is of a rain-soaked window through which you can see the trademark yellow cabs in the distance. The captions go: ‘Watch artists paint what nature paints‘.
Similarly, the one on the Rann of Kutch says: ‘Go into a salt marsh. Get out of your comfort zone‘. An image of snow covered Chang La in Ladakh says: ‘Discover new heights, discover a new high‘. An image of the floating oil lamps on the ghats of Varanasi is accompanied by the caption ‘See candles float, see hope float‘. A picture of two rhynos from the Kaziranga National Park, Assam, comes with the advice ‘Avoid loud horns, Admire sharp horns‘. Another one, depicting the festival of Holi says: ‘Throw colours on others. Add colour to your life‘.
Other pictures include a variety of images from camel rides in Rajasthan to wildlife reserves of Madhya Pradesh, from the tea plantations of Munnar to the Taj Mahal in Agra, from the backwaters of Kerala to the beaches of Andaman, from Kathakali dancers to Tibetan monks.
India‘s diversity is well represented in the series.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
