Buffering is passe

If you have been a victim of glacial internet speeds and have been failed by your service provider just when you needed to show friends that funny cat video you have been laughing about, you’re not alone. YouTube India’s latest TVC about the app’s Offline feature speaks about the solution to this persistent problem.

The app caches your favourite videos so that you can view them later, making it easier to watch videos seamlessly. Commenting on the campaign, Sandeep Menon, director, marketing, Google India, says, “Since YouTube is the go-to destination for video content online in India, we wanted to offer users a new way without worrying about poor data connections and high costs.”

Shriram Iyer, executive creative director, Lowe Lintas+Partners, the agency that worked on the ad, says, “One of our creative heads came up with the idea of visually exploring the buffering graphic. Human heads moving in circles like the buffering sign was our comic tribute to the problem.”

As for using television as a medium (a first for YouTube in India), Iyer adds, “We realise that YouTube is relevant to a larger audience, hence we decided to go with TV as a way to spread the message.” While not all videos can be cached using the Offline feature, saving even a few from the endless vortex of slow buffering would be a relief for most audiences.