Mirchi dropped the term ‘radio’ from their name in December 2020, accounting for being a multiplatform, multi-content, and hyperlocal music and entertainment company. Mirchi owns multiple properties under their—FM, LIVE, and Digital offerings— focused on delivering highly curated content to its audience.
Mirchi entails a vast library of content. Mirchi also houses a potential of 350 programming/creativity specialists, who are multi-media experts and have been aiding Mirchi to provide entertainment in local languages across 63 cities. Over the years Mirchi has developed an expertise in curating content across languages, for instance, Mirchi hosts Mirchi Music Awards, across eight different languages. Mirchi focuses on creating short-form vernacular content for its audiences across regions. Mirchi takes a concept and tweaks it for different markets as per the audiences’ interests. Through its, content Mirchi not only provides entertainment but also enables brands to reach their niche in these markets.
Indira Rangarajan, National Content Director-Digital, ENIL (Mirchi) in an exclusive chat with MediaNews4U spoke to us about the strategy behind dropping ‘Radio’, curating hyper-local content, the upcoming festive season programming, and much more…
Why did Mirchi drop the term ‘radio’ from their name in December 2020
Mirchi stands for everything entertainment and focuses on creating diverse avenues and marquee content to be a part of their consumer’s life, regardless of the platform of consumption. Be it radio, digital, or live events, Mirchi is available everywhere, providing unlimited entertainment to everyone across the world. Hence the term Radio Mirchi did not signify the vast content capabilities that we have across platforms; at its core, Mirchi has always been a multi-platform, multi-format brand. That’s why the message, “Sirf Radio nahi, har entertainment meinMirchihai!” is our brand’s anthem.
What has been your experience during the pandemic and what has been the performance of Mirchi during this time? What is the kind of viewership generated on specially curated local content? How was the content curated during the lockdown?
Lockdown was a challenge for us, as it was for everyone, both personally and work-wise. However, as a brand, we adapted very quickly. Radio teams adapted to do their shows from home, and video teams did shoots, edits, and released shows while using every online tool possible to help them navigate this remotely. These efforts culminated in the release of three big shows – Kalyanam Conditions Apply Season 3, Ani Kai Hava Season 3, What Women Want with Kareena Season 3, over and above a whole host of short and long content pieces during the course of the lockdown. All our properties have received immense love and support from the viewers.
Mirchi has always said that they offer customized content, focusing on hyper-local…..can you elaborate on this?
Mirchi, with its 170 digital influencers, is present on multiple platforms – 73 radio stations across the world, 18 online radio stations, 12 YouTube channels, and a presence across various social media platforms. Each of these platforms and stations caters to both local and national audiences. Each of them can also offer customized content depending on the requirement of a brand. We create content specific to a hyper-local audience using a combination of any of these platforms. For example, if a brand in Chennai wants both digital and radio content, we can use the Radio station in that market, add our local digital influencers and our Mirchi Tamil YouTube channel. Very few brands can offer these customized combinations. Thus, Mirchi is best placed when it comes to providing impactful and engaging city-centric brand solutions.
The markets have opened up now and the festival season is on us, what are your expectations? Any innovative programming for this season?
The Digital arm of Mirchi’s business focuses on new media properties like Web radios, Mirchi Originals, MirchiMurga, and Filmy Mirchi, among others, and all of them are gearing up for a great festive season. Additionally, with theatres opening up in Maharashtra, we also anticipate a lot of action with films releasing. Therefore, our platforms, especially one like Filmy Mirchi that has a presence across radio, web radio, YouTube, on-ground, and social media, is gearing up for movie-based promotions. We also have a slew of innovative celebrity shows lined up for the coming season – so keep an eye out for this space.
How do you tweak concepts to suit audience’s interests and keep in mind brands interests to reach maximum consumers?
Mirchi is truly hyper-local because we customize everything for the market. Every concept at the end of the day must appeal to the audience. If the audiences don’t see it or it’s a boring piece of content, even the brand message embedded within it won’t get seen. Every piece of content needs to pass the audience test first. Mirchi’s expertise lies in customizing any given story across markets. We do not believe in picking up the same content and dubbing it in the regional language; we make an effort to create a whole new show aligned with the market-specific consumer demands.. We get on board the local actors and imbed anecdotes that scale high on the relatability factor within each market. Thus, at Mirchi, we continue to build a multi-lingual content hub that not only interests but also reaches maximum consumers.
What would be the way forward for Mirchi in the new normal?
Wherever the new normal takes us, Mirchi will be there. Over the two decades, we have built a strong brand that straddles content across multiple formats, platforms, and languages. We are future served hot!
