Several talent hunt shows have had a digital leg but the reach has been limited. MOBIsur?s attempt to introduce a mobile platform to invite entries is therefore a smart move.
Dreaming of being the next Shankar Mahadevan or Sunidhi Chauhan? Don’t worry. You don’t need to travel to the nearest metro, nor do you have to stand in endless queues for an audition. All you need is a mobile handset through which you can dial in and participate to become the next singing icon of the nation, courtesy MOBIsur ? India’s first truly digital talent hunt.
The reach of internet and mobile technology in India has grown tremendously in the past few years. The mobile medium in particular has grown significantly, especially with the advent of 3G and now 4G coming into the picture. India ranks second after China in terms of mobile phone penetration, with a total user base that exceeds 900 million with over 500 million active subscribers. Hence, a business model with internet and mobile elements at the core caters to a larger audience with successful participation.
Taking into account this growing popularity of the digital medium, fast moving consumer goods company ITC’s face wash brand Vivel Face Wash along with Hungama Digital Media and world renowned Indian musician Shankar Mahadevan have launched MOBIsur. This unique mobile and internet based talent hunt promises to give every Indian an opportunity to wow the world with his/ her singing talent. The word MOBIsur is derived from three words ? mobile, internet and sur (tune). It enables participation from anywhere in the country; all that a participant requires is a mobile phone or an internet connection.
?Our objective was to create a talent scouting engine leveraging the growing acceptance of digital platforms, a concept that hasn?t been explored in the past, to connect with a wide audience from the remotest areas of our country and encourage them to showcase their talent. We believe that no contestant should be denied a chance to participate if he or she cannot travel to the audition location,? says Neeraj Roy, managing director and CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.
The winners of the contest will get an opportunity to record an album with Shankar Mahadevan which will be released by T Series and Hungama. The winners will also receive a cash prize of R5 lakh.
?The objective behind this format seems a lot more of a classic brand engagement than one with a direct sales pay-off of any kind. Even for other such talent/ participant hunts, the brand objective is likely to be about affinity and engagement rather than sales, says Venkat Mallik, president, Rapp and Tribal DDB India.
It certainly is a pragmatic solution. Digital talent shows are likely to ensure more reach. This may help in bringing talent from smaller towns and villages and make the overall bench strength of talent so much stronger and wider. Also, the lower cost of sourcing talent from around the country when using digitally led media makes it a winner.
Speaking on the profitability of these shows, Roy says, ?Since this is a one of its kind concept that we are exploring for the first time, we have consciously not set a specific number or target to achieve. The important tool to measure our success is not the initial set of people we get, or the business we generate; but how we create more engagement with consumers. Therefore to achieve mass participation, we see the telecom ecosystem as the most critical element in this business model. We want every telecom company to take ownership of this as their own product which will eventually garner maximum reach and outcome.?.
Mallik feels that the revenue model for such digital talent hunts is the one led by client/ brand sponsorships seeking engagement for brand affinity. He suggests that over a period of time, there could be a move to charge participants as well, but that might be a bit into the future and a different kind of model altogether.
In the internet space, there have been initiatives of this nature done in the past. Over the years, even the mainstream entities that do talent shows have exploited the online medium by creating web interfaces for participants to submit their entries. But the reach of these online media is limited and the concept of introducing a mobile element has never been explored before.
?This has been a very successful activity from the point of view of getting product packs to be bought for participation, but more importantly, for driving up the brand’s affinity with youth,? says Mallik.
With more and more talent shows looking at television and the internet to get the crowds, it?s the mobile platform which will cut across all segments. However, at this stage the digital talent hunts do need a fair bit of mass media support to get the right kind of traction. In a few years time, perhaps these talent shows can be advertised on the digital media and run entirely digitally.
