Knowing Bharat, Knowing India
This week Outside In sheds light on a topic that regularly comes up in corporate board rooms – the similarities and/or distinctions between India and Bharat. We try starting this piece with a basic definition of both below – in context of “Indic” language enablement on Mobile – as illustrated by YouGov (via Group M) and Kantar
They write: “As the entry barriers (for mobile usage has) reduced with a decline in the cost of data and technology access; the ecosystem evolved to make its way for newer internet users who would prefer to use the internet in Indic languages. Language enablement of social media, increased investments on localized content and introduction of short video platforms led to a paradigm shift – The Rise of Bharat – the Indic first internet users”
This should be a compelling read… Hang On!
The Case of Indic Language Communications
India is home to 22 official languages and several dialects and as more Indians go digital their preference to Indic languages for online engagement is inevitable. As brands accelerate their outreach to the audience that prefers Indic language, they need to understand how this consumer, referred to here as Bharat compares to the overall urban active internet user
1) Preference for Indic language grows as we move away from the Top Metros
Non-metros are quickly overtaking metros as centers of fast growth. Rising income levels, a younger population, higher crop prices, consistently favourable monsoons and increasing internet penetration are collectively fuelling this accelerated growth
2) Strong presence in towns in the middle of the Population Spectrum
India has over 450 towns with population between 1 Lakh to 40 Lakhs. These towns are in the middle of the population range and have the highest concentration of Bharat
3) Bharat is brand Aware and brand Loyal
Bharat exhibits a stronger loyalty to brands it prefers. It is also more socially conscious when buying products and services
Understanding Online Behavior Patterns
1) Top Online Activities
Bharat, just like its India counterparts, turns to the online medium for its entertainment, shopping, and food. With increasing digital penetration and accessibility of services even in remote corners, Bharat is mirroring India in its online behaviour
2) Affinity for Apps
While social media, music, entertainment, and shopping are the most used in both Bharat and India, Bharat shows more affinity for news, food and drinks, health and fitness, and travel apps than India
3) Social Media Usage
Bharat is more open to expressing online. Bharat tends to create and share more content on social media compared to India
Insights for Brands and Marketers
1) Consumer Spends in Bharat match those with India
Like India, Bharat spends heavily on gadgets and clothing & accessories. Bharat is increasingly buying gadgets online, with this percentage growing YOY
Key consumption categories online are similar to India: Food, Electronics and Gadgets, Travel Bookings, Clothing & Accessories, Beauty & Personal Care
The trend for Paid Subscriptions is similar – 27% of Bharat vs. 29% of India pay for video streaming services daily
2) Digital Sources are primary channels for News & Information
Bharat uses social media as its primary news consumption platform, and prefers it more than both print and TV combined
26% of Bharat prefers to use voice search compared to 15% of India. Tier 1 and 2 cities are primarily driving the adoption of voice search
3) Video Streaming Rules the roost in Bharat and matches Usage with India
Like India, a larger percentage of Bharat streams free video online daily than watch TV daily
4) Digital Payments are widely used and show similar numbers as those of India
Whether it’s how it shops or what it invests in, Bharat is anything but traditional. It is adept at using UPI for transactions and, in fact, has a lead over India in terms of net-banking and credit cards usage. UPI is also the most preferred mode of payment for Bharat for online shopping
Takeaways for Brands and Marketers
1) Create Campaigns that connect with Bharat
Speak in their Language: Brands can connect better with their current users and new audiences when they speak the same language by using Indic-language ads and accommodating their preferences with language enabled landing pages
Respect Cultural Nuances: Choosing the right platforms, targeting parameters, user journey and end actions customized for the region can drive best results
Be Consistent: It’s important for the brand to activate at a regional/hyperlocal level
2) Choose the Right Platform
Content & Influencers: Brands must plan for a continuum of regional social content, by getting on board local influencers/online personalities, this would also give a boost to UGC based content and create more meaningful conversations around the brand
Paid Push: As video is the most consumed format for Bharat, creating custom video edits in languages and presence on regional OTT and social video feeds can help drive discovery and frequency augmentation
Commerce: Simple upgrades can be made to address active prospects such as capping language search terms in search marketing and creating Indic commerce ads with product USPs that matter more to different regions
3) Measure What Matters
Brand Awareness: Brand lift studies can help advertisers understand the impact of their campaigns, on-target reach or OTRs serve as an important base metric for the potential success. In addition to reach, click-through and view-through rates continue to be important metrics for measuring resonance with the campaign communication
Engagement: Brands are increasingly monitoring the potential virality or incremental reach through content shares, which could be the measure of earned media
Conversion: With lower funnel metrics such as click to visit or app installs, brands can measure how their campaigns are performing on business KPIs
In Conclusion
With the ‘Bharat’ segment becoming larger, more addressable, and imperative for the growth of brands; it’s essential that brands dive deeper to understand who they are, what their media preferences are and what influences them to make their choices. Contrary to the common perception, this group is spread uniformly between big cities and smaller towns and across economic strata. They have an appetite for experimenting with technology and lifestyle products and most importantly – are influenced by several touchpoints on the internet while evaluating and making choices for different categories. These findings will be of utility for brands, advertisers and for everyone who is keeping an eye on this ever evolving space of internet in India
References and Sources
1) Group M & Sharechat Report: Bharat – The Neo India