How Snapchat is tapping regional films to win India's heartland
Snapchat is leaning on India’s regional film industries, enlisting local celebrities to share movie updates and behind-the-scenes content, to engage Gen Z tier-II and tier-III cities—a win-win for both the platform and filmmakers.“We work closely with regional film industries across languages spanning Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and other ecosystems because that’s where some of the most authentic and culturally relevant storytelling is happening today,” said Saket Jha Saurabh, director and head of content and AR partnerships at Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company.“These efforts also play a key role in helping us strengthen our reach across emerging markets, including tier-II and tier-III cities, where both regional storytelling and Snapchat adoption are seeing a strong momentum," he added.While Snapchat has collaborated to promote movies such as Pushpa 2, HIT 3, Ponniyin Selvan II, Kantara Chapter 1, and Dude, top regional celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Allu Arjun, and Ghanta Naveen Babu, popularly known as Nani, also share content on the app, enticing their fans to sign up.The strategy is to offer exclusive content and early previews, including first looks at films, directly to the app’s audience.
“Our approach typically goes beyond traditional promotions and includes immersive AR Lenses, creator-led storytelling, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and interactive fan experiences,” Saurabh added.The move is part of Snapchat's push to evolve from a social app into a vibrant content hub in the country, rivalling global content platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, as well as Indian rivals such as Sharechat and Moj.Regional movie industries have been ramping up promotional and marketing efforts, with campaign
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