Scholar-Journalist of the Week: It’s advantage brands, with ephemeral content marketing

Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC) student Radhika Nagpal has always been fascinated by the fact how advertisements are persuasive enough to change the buying behaviour of a consumer. This led her to write a research paper titled ‘A study on the effectiveness of ephemeral content to create a sustainable brand in the market’ when she was pursuing her graduation from Delhi Metropolitan Education. Subsequently, she chose to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising and Marketing Communication from AIMC. In an interview, the avid reader and aspiring author highlights how ephemeral content marketing is gaining popularity. Edited excerpts:

Why did you choose to write on this topic: ‘It’s advantage brands, with ephemeral content marketing’?

The inspiration to write on this topic had generated when I was writing my research paper for the first time during my bachelor’s programme. My research paper was based on the same theme: ‘A study on the effectiveness of ephemeral content to create a sustainable brand in the market’. I basically got this idea suddenly when I was one day aimlessly scrolling Instagram and I came across this trend “Rasode Mai Kon Thaa.” I delved deep into reading about creating engaging Instagram posts and stories and how brands are developing such content for its target audience. I finally figured out the concept of emerging ephemeral content and how such content is consumed by us on a daily basis, yet we are unaware of it.

What interests you about advertising and marketing communication?

Advertisement wasn’t the field I had in my mind initially, but in my 4th semester during bachelor’s programme we were taught this subject. Since then I have gained a lot of interest. All credits to my professor – I started enjoying the lectures and assignments. Advertisements are so persuasive that one ad can impact a consumer’s buying behaviour towards a brand. And after studying works of Prasoon Joshi and Piyush Pandey my inclination toward the subject increased even more.

Why do you think brands should consider ephemeral marketing?

Ephemeral marketing is all about connecting with the audience regularly with new, relatable and reliable content. It’s merely a play to keep consumers connected with the brands to trigger FOMO (fear of missing out). Due to its novel and short-lived nature, this type of content instils fear of losing out among users, making them act quickly and tune in regularly. This makes ephemeral content an effective tool for stimulating impulse buying and populating remarking. With this tactic of marketing one can be consistent in the consumer’s mind. Also during the pandemic, ephemeral content marketing garnered popularity and emerged to be the most beneficial way for many brands to stay connected with their target audience. In fact, ephemeral marketing is proving itself to be an effective tool for brand recall in a marketers’ handbook. For example, Zomato is one of the brands that’s using ephemeral content most efficiently for brand awareness. Whether it is their Insta posts or the reminders to order, all the content is quirky but updated after every 24 hours.

For which media channels does ephemeral content marketing work the best and why?

Post-pandemic many media channels have acquired the ephemeral marketing concept. It has been quite a hit among consumers. The marketing strategy is best for consumer-centric brands as this strategy helps brands to stay in touch with the consumers constantly. For generations, brands like Amul have been popular in ephemeral marketing techniques and it’s also one of the brands that initiated Moment of Marketing which is a part of ephemeral content.

Do people remember ephemeral ads better? How does it help in building brand awareness or adding to the brand recall aspect?

As mentioned previously, the article is inspired by the research paper I wrote. While drafting the paper I considered both primary and secondary content and through my findings, I identified that consumers do remember ephemeral content more. It’s because the footfall of the majority of consumers is now on social media platforms which is ‘the hub of ephemeral content’. During the survey, 69% believed that ephemeral content helps them retain the identity of the brand in their mind. However, if analysed based on the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action Model it’s found out that with ephemeral content one could successfully reach the ‘Desire’ stage but it may lead consumers to make a purchase in the final or ‘Action’ stage. Nevertheless, ephemeral content marketing helps in boosting brand awareness.

What kind of books do you like to read? Who is your favourite author?

I am a person whose nose is always stuck in one or the other book. I mostly prefer to read fictional books. There are multiple authors I like reading but my favourites are Jane Austen and J.D. Salinger.  They inspire me to write something for myself as well.

Any topic that you are currently working on?

Currently, I am not working on any topic but I am exploring another technique called “Affiliated Marketing”. I was introduced to this term recently during one of the lectures in Apeejay.

Do you aspire to publish any book in the future? What are your career plans after completing your education at Apeejay?

Yes, I do want to publish a book in the future for sure. But I am still exploring the concept I would like to write about. My current plan is to complete my PG Diploma and work in a multinational agency as a copywriter.

What does writing mean to you?

Expressing has always been one of my weaknesses, but writing it descriptively makes it easy. Writing gives me the power to express my opinion bluntly. With words, I can exhibit my perspective constructively.

Any key learning you have picked up through writing?

Writing is a way to communicate. Putting the right words together so that the idea of the author is well-received by the readers is very important. This is what I keep learning when I read different books. Writing taught me that a word can be perceived in many ways by different people. And so, one must be utterly sure which word to be used when and where.