Netflix India optimises Deepfake tech to promote Rana Naidu

Netflix's promotional campaign for its latest series Rana Naidu makes the most of technology. Using Deepfake technology and Whatsapp, it delivers the show's trailer to the audience with a personalised message from the lead actor Rana Dagubati right into their inbox. 

Through social media posts the streaming platform has shared a mobile number to contact Dagubati and has urged viewers to drop him a 'Hi' on Whatsapp. It doesn't just leave you with the number, but also provides a link, clicking which one is automatically taken to a Whatsapp conversation with 'Rana Naidu for Netflix'. 

After seeking answers for three basic questions- your name, your friend's name and your friend's favourite Netflix show- you receive a personalised video. In the video Dagubati tells the friend that the video is a gift and after watching this their fandom for their favourite show will change. This is followed by Rana Naidu's trailer. 

Conceptualised and executed by Creativeland Asia, the agency worked on the campaign for almost four months. For the technology elements of the campaign, the agency brought in multiple partners. 

There are three levels of personalisation here- the user's name, the friend's name and the friend's favourite show. Since the campaign attracted fans from across the country, it was a challenge to get the pronunciation right for everyone's names. 

Another challenge was to ensure user's privacy, revealed a source who worked closely on the campaign. To deal with this, they ensure the chat is initiated by the user.

In the past we have seen brands like Pepsi and Ageas Federal Life Insurance use this technology. Even Cadbury personalised its Diwali ad featuring Shah Rukh Khan. However, this is the first time we are seeing an Indian OTT show being promoted using this technology.

According to the source, the campaign has received a good response and within the first 24 hours since the campaign launched it created a lot of buzz on social media. 

Janhvi Kapoor had also shared an Instagram post to promote the show. 

In the show, which released on March 9, the actor plays the role of a celebrity fixer. It is Rana Dagubati's debut show on OTT and is available in Hindi and Telugu.