7 Marketing Lessons from TVF Pitchers

“Content Marketing is the only marketing left.” – Seth Godin

As of today, TVF Pitchers stands strong at #24 in the IMDb Top 250 TV Series list, having crossed the likes of House of Cards and probably your favorite evergreen comedy series.

Those who are yet to watch the first season might wonder: How did a web series, without a TV release, manage to redefine Indian TV and create such a ruckus with just 5 episodes?

It’s not about the digital medium or paid marketing campaigns, but the content.

Right from the depth in the name “Pitchers” to that amazing answer on Quora telling you why you should watch TVF Pitchers, there is so much to absorb from TVF’s latest web series.

Here are 7 lessons TVF Pitchers teaches you about marketing:

1. Purpose Driven Content

It was exciting to see the TVF Pitchers Preview video being aired on YouTube before the official trailer. The preview helped us discover the purpose behind the web series. Similarly, the witty TVFPlay exposition at the end of the official trailer got us even more excited.

Portraying the purpose of your content with finesse keeps your target audience engaged and craving for more of your content.

2. Context is King

Just as we love using a “leader” to set the context of our blog post (like Seth Godin’s quote at the top), every episode of TVF Pitchers includes a quote at the beginning.

Besides setting the context, these quotes make an instant connection with the viewer (or reader).

3. Content is Divine

Every digital marketer hears these three magical words every week: Content is King. Web series like TVF Pitchers and Permanent Roommates assure us of the power of using quality content to keep people hooked on to a brand.

The writer for these series, Biswapati Sarkar, amazed us with his realistic dialogues, strong supporting characters and the layers added to every plot. Right from the dialogue “Tu Kya Hai?” (What Are You?) coming full circle in the final scene, to the amazing backward compatibility between episodes, Pitchers leads the way by thinking through every minute content detail.

The visual content is as much appealing, including the quick shot in episode 3 with the recreation of the Abbey Road poster. With the risky direction sequences by Amit Golani and stylish editing by Prashant Machhar, we realize the essence of doing justice to our content while giving it its final shape.

4. Repurposing Content

Thanks to Dhiraj, the biggest TVF fan at Niswey, we discovered the original “One Step At A Time” video which was recreated as the TVF Pitchers OST. The original music video, also by Vaibhav Bundhoo, is set in a different universe with a rock theme.

On listening to both the versions, we are reminded of the limitless opportunity of repurposing content for digital marketing. It’s all about your target persona and the type of medium in which your content is being shared.

Well, they repurposed the quote too. Classy, isn’t it?

5. New Age Video Advertising

With video marketing on the rise, TVF Pitchers pulled off product placement and branded content with style. After CommonFloor struck a deal with TVF for the Permanent Roommates series, we saw the likes of Uber, POND’S and Kingfisher “pitching” their brands in Pitchers’ Season 1. The cherry on the cake was the UberPitch campaign for entrepreneurs, who got a chance to pitch their ideas and seek mentorship from a VC for 15 mins inside an Uber cab.

All scenes involving branded content looked as normal as a brand name being subtly talked about in a blog post. The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing, right?

Present day video advertising redefines how brands want to be perceived by their audience online. This is in line with Anurabh Kumar’s belief in web videos becoming a widespread advertising tool.

Did you notice the POND’S cream in the first look?

6. The Essence of Viral Marketing

A lot has been discussed on how to make content “go viral”. For Pitchers, it was all about resonating with the audience in the simplest way possible. Moments like the inspiring “Tu Beer Hai” (You Are Beer) dialogue and the daunting “MBA, IAS or Start-up” monologue went viral as they deeply connected with every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur in India.

Not to mention the never-give-up speech at the end of the fourth episode, which inspired various fans to quit their jobs and pursue their true calling.

7. Linking Content Internally

As hinted in the TVF Hangout before Pitchers Finale, we were expecting a “shooting star” from the next season of Permanent Roommates. Though these web series are set in different universes, the creators made sure there’s a connecting link at the end and the audience is left feeling even hungrier.

One may feel that it’s easier to link content in movie making as compared to digital marketing. However, both of them point to the same paradigm: storytelling.

TVF Pitchers teaches every marketer that if you’re obsessed with writing authentic and relatable content, repurpose it well, connect all the relevant dots and strongly believe in the ideas you’re marketing, there’s no stopping you from creating the next big thing in the country.

PS: There’s a bit of marketing in everything we watch. Here are some marketing lessons from the Kung Fu Panda movies.

All images are screen grabs from TheViralFever’s YouTube channel and TVFPlay.com.