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| Brand Bollywood |
| Byravee Iyer / Mumbai Jul 21, 2009, 00:44 IST |
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Two blockbusters, Singh is Kinng and Ghajini, make it to the list of successful brand launches, indicating the coming of age of entertainment marketing
Singh is Kinng, produced by Vipul Shah for Rs 50 crore, was panned by reviewers. “It isn’t a great movie. There are too many sloppy action sequences, the humour too broad, the storytelling lacklustre,” wrote The New York Times. Still, it did box-office collection in excess of Rs 150 crore and in the process became one of the top four blockbusters of all times. Studio 18, which acquired the rights for the film from Shah, made all the right marketing moves.
No less than 31 per cent of the respondents said it was a very successful brand launch and another 31 per cent said it was somewhat successful. But it does not rank amongst the top “very successful” brand launches of 2008. In contrast, the Rs 65-crore Ghajini, which released on December 25 and smashed all records with collections of Rs 235 crore, has come sixth. Thirty-six per cent called it very successful and 24 per cent, somewhat successful.
In the post-modern world, successful films are those which are promoted well. According to the chief executive of a top multiplex chain, Khan had called multiplex owners to his Lonavala farmhouse and discussed with them how to market Ghajini. In fact, that’s what led to many employees of various multiplexes sporting the popular “Ghajini” haircut. These were marketing tools that were devised by not any marketing guru but Khan himself. Days before the release, Khan sent a box of postcards to beat journalists, complete with a personal message from him.
That was also the time when Yash-Raj Films was ready with its Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It was a formidable combination and Khan had to do something really out-of-the-box to get the better of the rival film.
The brands that Khan endorses were roped in to do their bit for the film. So, Samsung launched special Ghajini mobile phone models, Van Heusen launched a clothing line inspired by the movie. Tata Indicom had Khan’s voice as a pre-recorded message which asked the caller if he was Ghajini. Tata Sky ran programmes on how Khan got his eight-pack abs.
“Ghajini’s marketing was unprecedented and the results were commensurate,” says Studio 18 Senior Vice-president Priti Shahani. (Studio 18 held the domestic rights for the film.) Also, Khan does not do more than one film in a year, which raised curiosity amongst audiences.
For Singh is Kinng, the timing couldn’t have been better. It was released on August 8 (08/08/08). That was the time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was under attack from his Communist allies over the Indo-US nuclear deal. It came down to a show of strength in Parliament, which Singh won. The media quickly caught on to the title of the film, Singh is Kinng, to announce his victory.
At hindsight, it was a great name for a film, say experts. “The title was very well chosen. It stuck in your head and that was a big factor,” Jehil Thakkar, the head of media and entertainment at consultancy firm KPMG, says.
Adds Vipul Shah: “Singh is Kinng became the most searched word on Yahoo at one time.” Incidentally, the title came about when actor Akshay Kumar saw it on the back of a truck. “He immediately called me up, and both director Anees Bazmi and I loved the idea,” says he.
Even before shooting had commenced in full earnest, the producer of the film got a buzz going around the movie. It started with a full-page teaser in a newspaper on the day of the film’s muhurat. A fresh campaign was launched closer to the date of its release. A contest called ‘Main bhi King’ was unveiled where viewers were invited to write why they thought they were king. Further, television channels tweaked the title of the film to its theme. “Our communication was not aimed at any community but an attitude that anybody can be King,” says Shahani.
“The movie was excellently promoted. The free promotion with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s victory, unique marketing and the hit pair of Katrina and Akshay Kumar are behind the massive success of the film,” says trade analyst Komal Nahata.
A successful film is all about good promotion, not necessarily a great storyline or stellar performances.
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