Zee introduces character-led advertising format across TV and digital

Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ content and technology arm Z has launched a new advertising format called ‘Dilfluencer Moments,’ aimed at helping brands reach audiences across television and digital platforms.

The launch comes as advertisers face growing competition for attention across multiple screens, even as access to advertising inventory has become easier, the brand said. The new format is intended to address challenges around engagement and memorability in a crowded advertising market.

The format is built around character-led storytelling, using familiar television characters to integrate brand messages into scripted narratives. These moments originate on television and then extend to digital and social platforms.

The format was first used in the ‘TumHoLovely’ campaign launched on National Girl Child Day. The campaign message, ‘Jab Life ko leti ho Lightly toh lagti ho aur bhi Lovely,’ appeared across Hindi and Marathi television shows and later spread across digital platforms. 

Laxmi Shetty, Head - Advertisement Revenue, Broadcast & Digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said, “As consumers turn away from interruption-led communication, advertisers need moments that feel culturally earned and emotionally authentic. Dilfluencer Moments is a new media format for marketers, delivering reach at scale through character-first content systems that seamlessly travel across platforms while connecting with audiences at a personal level. With Dilfluencer Moments, we are enabling advertisers to transform culturally rooted storytelling into brand love, powered by platform-agnostic distribution and Z’s national scale.”

Kartik Mahadev, Chief Marketing Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, added, "The Indian ad market has expanded steadily, not just in size but in access. Today, a 100 Mn brand and a 10,000 Mn brand can both buy impressions with equal ease. With nearly half of the 1-lakh crore ad market coming from video across Linear and Digital devices, ‘Access’ alone is no longer an advantage; 'Affinity' is. Affinity comes from storytelling, familiar characters and a relatable world and from moments that stay with audiences across screens. That’s where ‘Z’s ‘Dilfluencer Moments’ can be disruptive. While media choices still happen by platform verticals, a moment has the ability to travel horizontally across platforms, organically and concurrently at scale. With our reach, our Dilfluencers and the emotional equity of our storytelling, we’re enabling brands to participate meaningfully in moments that audiences already love.” 

The format will be available as an omnichannel advertising option, spanning television, digital platforms and creator networks.