Our approach moves beyond content and even looks at commerce, says Rajeshree Naik of India Food Network

Although most food brands are producing creative content, one still might find it challenging to figure out which type of food-related content will resonate in a very crowded space.

With the advent of multiple food content-related channels and platforms in the digital space, sharing their culinary masterpieces is not enough. Audiences in kitchen need the right mix of language, story, recipe and everything else that draws one to salivate enough to take action.

One such platform is India Food Network, which has a reach of more than 30 million audiences and works along with 200+ food influencers across geographies.

Rajeshree Naik, Co-founder and Director, Ping Digital Broadcast Network that owns India Food Network, told BuzzInContent.com in an interaction how the platform has the ability to understand the needs of a business and translate it into a strong 360-degree approach that moves beyond content and even looks at commerce.

Having done some award-winning content initiatives, the platform has worked on Cook-Along campaign with Big Bazaar, Kissan Tiffin Timetable, and has also produced one of the most expensive IPs in the food space- The Mini Truck (sponsored by Chings and London Dairy). 

As it garners a larger revenue share (close to 85%) from branded content, Naik said that in a year, the platform works on roughly 20 campaigns, on an average, producing 500+ branded content pieces.

While food content can be considered a niche domain, she said it has the benefits of two key factors: being at the premium end of content and a very long shelf life—the realisation of which had led to inception of IFN. 

As the platform has some plans related to food podcasts, it has already executed four significantly large campaigns during the lockdown. 

Excerpts:

What is the story behind India Food Network’s (IFN) inception?

IFN’s story started about seven years ago, at a time when YouTube, too, had just about started in India. We were looking for partners to create content at scale and move beyond UGC content that the platform already was known for. Govindraj Ethiraj, Founder, had met the founders of Tastemade (a meeting that was facilitated by YouTube), and that meeting was a starting point for our focus on food as a genre. 

It was easy to see that while food was a niche domain, it had the benefits of two key factors — being at the premium end of content and, more importantly, having a very long shelf life. I have yet to come across a recipe video that is either not relevant or is too old. Age or time is actually a good thing for food-related content.

Can you shed some light on IFN’s overall content strategy? What part of the overall content created by IFN is branded?

IFN is all-things-food. We want to tell stories and showcase a range of talent in the food space — from home-chefs to celebrity-chefs, even street-food. Be present across all platforms whether it be our own website, i.e. www.indiafoodnetwork.com, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and even TikTok.  We are building communities of food enthusiasts across multiple platforms, and each platform has a different approach of how this content gets consumed. Recipes are certainly at the core of much of our content, but if there is any interesting food story, we do look at that as well.

As a platform, we have the ability to provide brands with three of the most relevant factors — content, consumers and even commerce. We can create content for a community of 2mn+ food enthusiasts and work with 200+ food influencers across geographies. I would say, in a year, we probably work on roughly 20 campaigns, on an average, producing 500+ branded content pieces. 

What kind of daily visitors does IFN receive? What is the engagement numbers? How has the reach of the platform grown over the years? Could you share the demographics of the visitors if you have? Also, the male-to-female visitor ratio.

Across our various platforms, our reach has been about 30mn+ in the last 30 days alone, with about 35mn minutes of content watched and over 8mn video views. Our demographics show 51% women and 49% men with India being our largest geography — about 75%. Our core age group is 25-44 years: about 65% of our overall audience.  

How does IFN monetise? What part of overall revenue is added by branded content?

As publishers, we earn from the inventory, but our core, or rather the larger revenue share (close to 85%), is from branded content.  

Which have been IFN’s major branded content initiatives?

Over the years, we have had several award-winning content initiatives. Last year, our Cook-Along campaign with Big Bazaar won most of the content marketing awards. The year before, it was Kissan Tiffin Timetable that swept over 25-30 awards across categories (use of influencers, creative, effectiveness, etc.). One of our first IPs, The Mini Truck, sponsored by Chings and London Dairy, is the most expensive IP produced in the food space for digital audiences. The Britannia Dessert Carnival is also one such large initiative, where we created 150+ dessert recipes for the festive season — it is probably the largest catalogue of dessert recipes in a single place.  

Besides this, the work done for India Gate, Emami Oils, Nutella, Knorr, Dr Oetkars, Nestle and so many more have all been fairly major for us.  

During this lockdown, we have already executed four significantly large campaigns — one for Reliance Fresh, which was clearly India’s first-ever Live Lockdown Cooking show — unique, because we had customers of Reliance One cook along live on Facebook with celebrity chef Amrita Raichand.   

We worked on two campaigns for Tata Sampann - One Pot Magic and HarDinHaldi, which we are executing for the first time as a TikTok-driven campaign. We will also be going live with a video series for India Gate — Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai.

Why should brands flock to IFN for their branded content needs?

We have a complete offering — ability for brands to work with multiple influencers, a community of over 2mn+ food enthusiasts, with a very strong understanding of food and content within the food space, and more importantly, an ability to understand the needs of a business and translate it into a strong 360-degree approach that moves beyond content and even looks at commerce, which of course, is a significant factor. I would also say that we come up with some really creative solutions and not just merely restrict our scope towards producing recipe videos for you.  

What differentiates IFN’s content from its competitors in the food category?

With all modesty, I can say there is no direct competition for us in the food category, simply because, for us, everyone is an ally and not competition. Yes, there are large individual creators and all being very influential with reach and producing good content. But the differentiating aspect is that we actually work with all of them and have the ability to bring them all together for a brand — thus giving any brand a much larger multiplier effect. If you look at the landscape, you will see there is no food publisher who is digital-first.   

In how many languages is IFN’s content present? As the importance of vernacular content increases, would you be planning to expand this portfolio of yours as well?

We had started creating content in several languages years ago, and yes, it is a big part of what we want to focus on. IFN has been creating and continues to create content in over six languages, which includes Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Urdu, Sindhi, among others.  

A lot of other publishers and platforms are also exploring the option of the podcast; would you have plans in the same space? Would it be beneficial for your category? If so, how?

Absolutely! There are some amazing food podcasts globally and there is every reason to explore this even here.  We have even got some concepts developed; which we just need to execute them. In fact, some of these are also in the pipeline which we hope to see through soon.  

Do you think there is a lack of unique ideas when it comes to creating food-related content for brands? Most content is usually around the protagonist/host using the brand’s products in his/her recipes. How do you think can this problem be resolved?

One cannot shy away from the simple fact that when it comes to food content on digital, recipes are the most consumed and sought-out content.  So, it is natural for brands to want to be part of it, simply because it is effective and helps to showcase the brand in a way that helps to create value and purchase. To me, the challenge is finding new storytellers or protagonists.  Unlike many other content pieces, you need people who can cook and engage and connect with people in a very real way. We are constantly trying to find these voices — that, for us, has always been the challenge.   

With The Mini Truck, we tried to make a much more fun show, with recipes as part of it. We have several concepts and ideas and I am sure that as brands keep investing more on digital, many of these ideas will find their own place and we can bring about that much-needed creativity. One look at the food content catalogue on Netflix and you can well imagine the possibilities that exist to tell food stories differently.   

What are the challenges related to creating branded content for food brands?

Like I mentioned earlier, finding unique and interesting voices.  The commitment to keep the content as organic as possible so as to ensure the consumer stays engaged. I also think for a brand to be successful in creating good content around food, you need to look at it at scale — my personal belief is when you need to speak to multiple geographies in India, you need to understand the nuances and the creator ecosystems in each of these places to come up with a good mix. Many go with one voice/chef or creator but food is so unique in India, you need to address each region very differently.  

Since most people are now at home and trying new recipes due to the lockdown, how have you changed your strategy and reach during this pandemic?

We are producing content around recipes we know are useful for people at this time — a lot of essentials, a lot of recipes that are basic and simple, even frugal. But at the same time, there is also content that hopefully sparks joy — because we believe cooking and food is comfort. There is a reason so many people are baking and cooking — being able to put together a wholesome and tasty meal on the table, especially at a time when so little is in your control — the creation and distraction it brings is truly therapeutic for many.   

A lot of platforms have ventured into different varieties of content like home décor or travel for wider reach. Would you have plans for the same too? Any other plans for expansion?

For now, we are focused on food and wellness. Aspects of living such as travel, decor are all a very natural extension.  It’s not so much for widening the reach but more because, since you have such a wide reach, why not engage with this audience for more aspects beyond just food.  

How large would the branded content team be at IFN?

We do not have a separate team for branded content per se. Our producers and content team work on both branded and editorial content.  We are about 35 people at IFN.  

As a lot of User-Generated Content (UGC) is also incorporated on the platform, how do you maintain the content quality and hygiene for the same?

Today when most people’s phones can shoot HD quality content, what is key is the content and not the production. The ability to see what works, tweak things, make it better and go back is the big benefit of digital. As publishers ourselves, we keep learning every day. This learning is something we keep bringing to our partners be it talent or brands. Maintaining content quality and hygiene have never been our challenge given over 95% of content is produced in-house.