Think you’ve got a dormant ‘performer’ in you? Well, showcase it online and amp up your ‘celeb’ status overnight! With apps like Hypstar, Musical.ly and VineSmash ringing in over a million users, it comes as little surprise to see a bevy of popular Sandalwood actresses and city-based influencers making use of these channels to garner massive followers through short, fun and engaging videos. Result? Wider visibility and the ability to bag lucrative projects. Promotion with a purpose? We take a deeper look...
Real promotion, ahoy! Actress Meghana Gaonkar, who has over 104k followers on her Instagram account, believes engaging videos online are important tools that aid in garnering interest before a movie release. “I usually post what’s on my mind or my mood at that moment. While most of it are unplanned, if I’m trying out something for fun and it turns out to be good, I post it. Doing so before your movie’s release helps a great deal. So I guess it works out for fun and is also an easy way of promoting something,” she states. One of her dance videos on the popular Despacito track which clocked 98,239 views on Instagram turned out to be a smashing hit received tonnes of adulation but flak as well. Speaking of how she handles trolls that come with viral posts and videos, she adds, “I actually enjoy trolls as I’m a very level headed person, mentally. I go with the flow and don’t take them very seriously. I think it’s important to be strong enough to do your thing and let others just be.”
With the forum offering people the leeway to exhibit a side that’s not always associated with their personality, model and actress Ashvithi Shetty adds,”I’m a dancer, a model and an actor. Owing to my profession, most people relate to me as an actress, and mostly just that. But, not many know I’m a dancer.
Unfortunately, people also tend to generalize dancers, and it’s important for us to break that by shedding light on your individuality and the difference that you bring to the table through your dance. Social media offers you the option to showcase and promote something that’s true for real. Because you have a control over what you wish to post,” shares the Mr and Mrs Ramachari actress, who’s known for her dance videos. The city girl with a whopping 82.4k followers on Instagram and 19, 225 followers on Facebook adds its a good idea to avail recognition from the right people. “I think posting dance videos has helped me get noticed by the right kind of people- youngsters who happen to be the audience, and show organisers. Personally, I prefer Instagram as the viewership is a lot.”
While garnering adulation online is an intent, with the followers come massive responsibility opines fashion influencer Anjalli Sukumaran, who has about 35.5k Instagram followers. “A lot of apps enhance the quality of your videos and that kind of draws a lot of attention. If there’s something you’d like to draw notice to, this is it. But, going overboard and mindlessly promoting something for an odd number of likes is not something I personally suggest. I choose to pick things I love like snippets from my recent travels, and project it with a realistic touch so that people can come back for not just entertainment but bankable information. Bringing in a streak of individuality is what makes all the difference, when you post videos.”
