The Kerala Story campaign key art

ZEE5 • Streaming • Film Premiere • 2023

The Kerala Story

Driving the OTT launch of The Kerala Story on ZEE5 through an integrated, video-first branding campaign that delivered 45.8M impressions, 160K clicks and nearly 2X platform subscriber acquisition.

Manager – Brand & Content Marketing

Watch the Trailer

45.8M

Impressions (+14% vs target)

160K

Clicks (+110% vs target)

0.18–0.30%

CTR

~2X

Subscriber Acquisition

Overview

The Kerala Story is a 2023 Hindi-language drama directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. As one of ZEE5's flagship OTT premieres, the film required a high-impact, integrated marketing campaign to maximize awareness, engagement, and subscriber acquisition across domestic and international audiences. As Manager, Brand & Content Marketing at ZEE5, I contributed to the campaign strategy, communication planning, and cross-functional execution across paid and owned channels, leveraging video-first creatives, premium publisher partnerships, platform merchandising, and digital marketing to deliver a launch that exceeded campaign benchmarks.

Challenge

Build anticipation ahead of the OTT premiere, position the film as a marquee ZEE5 release, maximise campaign performance across key international markets including the US and ROW, drive high-intent traffic, convert awareness into subscriber growth and deliver stronger engagement than previous benchmark campaigns.

My Role

  • Supported the campaign positioning and communication strategy
  • Planned content across pre-launch, launch and post-launch phases
  • Coordinated with Brand, Creative, Performance Marketing, Product and agency partners
  • Recommended creative asset requirements
  • Supported integrated digital campaigns across paid and owned media
  • Monitored campaign performance and identified optimisation opportunities

Strategy

  • Pre-launch: build anticipation, introduce the campaign narrative and establish platform visibility
  • Launch: amplify the premiere through display and video campaigns
  • Launch: leverage the Times of India Roadblock Campaign to drive high-intent users to ZEE5
  • Post-launch: sustain momentum through audience reactions and optimise using campaign analytics

Execution

  • Supported campaign planning across all launch phases
  • Coordinated campaign execution and managed creative asset planning
  • Worked with Performance Marketing teams
  • Monitored campaign performance across international markets
  • Ensured consistent campaign communication

Promotional Ecosystem

Integrated campaign executed across Paid and Owned channels

The OTT launch was driven through a coordinated marketing strategy that combined premium media buying, platform merchandising, performance marketing, creative asset development, and cross-platform communication to maximize awareness, engagement, and subscriber acquisition.

Paid Media

  • Meta Advertising
  • Video-first Performance Marketing
  • Digital Display Advertising
  • Premium Publisher Partnerships
  • Times of India Roadblock Campaign

Owned Channels

  • ZEE5 Homepage Merchandising
  • Push Notifications
  • CRM & Email
  • In-app Promotions
  • ZEE5 Social Handles: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter)

Creative Assets

  • Official Trailer | Dialogue Promos | Celebrity Byte Promos | Video Promos
  • Social Media Posts & Stories
  • Homepage & Push Notification Creatives
  • Key Visuals, Digital Banners, Motion Creatives, Digital Display Creatives
  • Times of India Roadblock Creatives & Launch Campaign Creatives

Campaign Communication Plan Frameworks

  • Content Strategy
  • Creative Asset Roadmap
  • Launch Calendar
  • Phase-wise Marketing Plan

Earned & Amplification

  • PR Coverage & Media Publications
  • Influencer Collaborations
  • Organic Social Conversations & Audience Engagement

Results

Delivered 45.8M impressions against a planned 40.2M (+14%) and 160K clicks against a planned 76K (+110%), achieved nearly 2X platform subscriber acquisition, executed a Times of India Roadblock across the US and ROW, and achieved CTRs of 0.18%–0.30% — the highest ROW CTR compared to the previous six major release campaigns.

Key Learnings

  • A video-first creative strategy improves awareness, traffic and subscriber acquisition
  • Premium publisher partnerships expand reach and drive high-quality traffic
  • Continuous optimisation improves campaign performance
  • Cross-functional collaboration is essential
  • Combining strategic planning with data-driven execution delivers stronger business outcomes