GECs
AOL launches interactive news experience
MUMBAI: Interactive services company America Online has announced the launch of a new AOL News experience. The enhanced online news service delivers best-of-breed content, resources and top personalities on-demand, 24*7 while actively involving members in the news process.
As part of the launch, AOL has expanded and signed agreements with some of the world’s most trusted news sources, including usatoday.com and nytimes.com which will enable AOL members to receive premium, comprehensive news coverage.
Consistently ranked by comScore Media Metrix as the number one online news destination with 24.1 million unique visitors per month, AOL News offers an “involvement journalism” experience, bringing members the complete news on their terms and engaging them in the story through a wide range of multimedia offerings.
An official release informs that using the power of the on-demand news environment, members can read newspaper and magazine stories, watch TV footage, listen to audio clips and view photos-all from one convenient source and at no additional charge. The new AOL News format also enables members to access the day’s top stories via the AOL.com site when they are away from home. With AOL News, members, not editors, pick the medium and decide how and when they consume the news.
To complement the member’s personalized news experience, AOL News offers multiple opportunities for members to join in the larger news debates and connect with other members through polls, message boards, chatrooms and AOL Journals (blogs), creating a more enhanced, shared experience. Members can also connect with eyewitnesses, newsmakers and news correspondents who offer additional analysis and unique perspectives.
To give an example, AOL members can currently enjoy exclusive video interviews by George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC News’ Sunday morning programme This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos also answers members’ questions about major news events and key political issues.
Other AOL partners include ABC News, The Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. Through relationships with People and Entertainment Weekly, AOL News also features marquee entertainment specials as well as weekly cover stories. Along with its CNN News Ticker, CNN provides AOL News with custom interactive features such as galleries and timelines, as well as video content from CNN NewsPass, including 90 Second Pop and nightly clips from Anderson Cooper 360 degrees.
To complement the premium news content, compelling interactive features such as online opinion surveys and discussion areas are embedded alongside the stories so members can react and interact with one another with just one click. A feature What America Thinks measures what Americans are thinking about and how they are responding to top news stories. AOL News also monitors the pulse of America by engaging people of different ages, genders, backgrounds and viewpoints through related message boards, polls and shout-out areas.
GECs
Z launches ‘Dilfluencer Moments’ to boost brand engagement across screens
New omnichannel format blends TV characters, storytelling and digital reach to boost engagement and affinity
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (‘Z’) has unveiled ‘Dilfluencer Moments’, a new omnichannel media format designed to help brands cut through the clutter and turn audience attention into brand love.
With media access increasingly democratized, visibility alone no longer drives results. Shrinking attention spans and rising content noise have made memorability, emotional connection and action the real currency. Dilfluencer Moments addresses this by embedding brands into character-led, culturally resonant storytelling that travels seamlessly from TV to digital, social and creator ecosystems.
The format debuted with the “TumHoLovely” campaign on National Girl Child Day. Anchored in Hindi and Marathi shows, the campaign’s narrative extended organically across digital platforms, amplified by creators and community participation. A brand film featuring Sanya Malhotra further showcased how TV-originated cultural cues can spark broad engagement and virality. Within 24 hours, the campaign racked up 35 million total impressions, 20 million digital views, 2.5 million engagements and over 1,000 comments.
Laxmi Shetty, head – advertisement revenue, broadcast & digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, said, “As consumers turn away from interruption-led communication, advertisers need moments that feel culturally earned and emotionally authentic. Dilfluencer Moments delivers reach at scale through character-first content systems that connect with audiences personally, transforming storytelling into brand love.”
Kartik Mahadev, chief marketing officer, ‘Z’ & Zee 5, added: “Access alone is no longer an advantage; affinity is. Affinity comes from storytelling, familiar characters and moments that stay with audiences across screens. Dilfluencer Moments lets brands participate meaningfully in moments audiences already love, travelling organically across linear, digital and social platforms at scale.”
By anchoring campaigns in high-trust television moments and extending them into digital and social ecosystems, Dilfluencer Moments enables brands to generate organic engagement, amplify virality and convert attention into long-term emotional equity.
With its national scale, deep emotional storytelling and character-first approach, Z is offering marketers a powerful new way to build affinity, cut through clutter and create culturally resonant brand moments that stick.
