During this socially distant year, a new-age platform featuring celebrity-owned video content facilitated meaningful, virtual conversations between at-home celebrities and their similarly locked-in fans. For many fans, these personalised shout-outs and celebrity greetings proved a heart-warming source of family support during a challenging year.
When Devika, a Singapore-based jewellery designer was diagnosed with COVID-19, her family in Delhi worried that there was very little they could do to help her. To tide the distance and lift Devika’s spirits, her brother, Sahil, used the CELEBFIE app to send her motivational messages.
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“In particular, I sent her one from her favourite Dadi on the silver screen, Ali Asgar,” said Sahil. Adding, “It felt so good knowing I could make her smile while sitting so far away. When she recovered, she told me that these videos and messages are what got her through the quarantine and her illness. I look forward to using this app for sending birthday wishes or exciting announcements to my family and friends who are in different parts of the world.”
Dubai-based Neha and her fiance, who were planning a cosy October wedding, wanted an eco-friendly alternative to printed invites and bulky boxes. They explored the CELEBFIE app in search of a personalised and unforgettable wedding announcement.
Describing the experience, Neha says, “I wanted something special to mark the start of this special journey so I booked my favourite actress, Vahbiz Dorabjee on the CELEBFIE app to break the good news to all my guests, invite and share all the function details with my friends and family via a video message. Everyone was in awe when they saw a huge celebrity like Vahbiz talking about my wedding, the response was amazing. Going with the video was the best decision we could ever take!“
CELEBFIE, a freemium-model mobile app, currently holds a roster of nearly 200 celebrities from various genres such as comedy, beauty, music, Bollywood, fashion, fitness and more. The list includes popular personalities like Maniesh Paul, Sudhanshu Pandey, Rahul Dev, Daisy Shah, Dr.Jai Madaan, Ssumier Pasricha Aka Pammy Aunty, Meet Bros and Rupali Ganguly among others.
With a focus on catering to India’s widespread regional fan-base, CELEBFIE has enlisted stars from the Bengali film and TV industry and is now prioritising expansion into Bhojpuri, Gujrati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil and Marathi entertainment sectors.
CELEBFIE’s ultimate fan experiences extend beyond conventional shout-outs. In addition to requesting personalised video messages (which the app calls Celebfies) with just one click, fans can also request live video calls, social media interactions (such as receiving a celebrity like, comment or DM on Instagram), virtual coffee dates and even book them to perform at their private celebratory events, be it through livestreaming or in-person attendance.
The app is also currently working on launching interactive, celebrity-led masterclasses and discussion forums.
CELEBFIE’s active Instagram page also features glimpses of proprietary content. Fans can preview the full app experience and get an insider’s look at celebrity lives by watching live sessions and celebrity-produced candid content.
With over 500 active users each hour and over 100 shout-out bookings each week, CELEBFIE has proved that virtual celebrity interactions are the next generation of the celeb-fan engagement model.