Actors vs brand: Stars rain on their own parade

Film marketers hunt for a new formula as actors trip over their personal lives and avowed causes in their attempt to promote their films

After nearly a decade of actors engaging in a range of activities to promote their films, from shaving people’s heads and travelling incognito (Aamir Khan) to refuelling old controversies (Kangana Ranaut) and adopting causes (several actors), the industry is taking a long hard look at how it must use actors as movie ambassadors. 

A few recent mishits have turned studios and production houses wary of the role an actor can play as part of the marketing team. What is making them nervous? Kangana Ranaut being called out on social media for using an old personal relationship to ratchet up interest in her movie Simran and Priyanka Chopra for labeling Sikkim an insurgency hit state to promote a film, Pahuna and had to tender an apology. While it is difficult to unpack the impact of public outrage over the actors’ statements on the fate of their movies, it has rattled the industry.

Actors were pressed into action over a decade ago when Bollywood, like Hollywood before that, discovered the benefits of taking the show on the road. Apart from having their actors promote the film via interviews, producers used actors to spread the message of the movie via reality shows and talk shows on television, through audience engagement measures such as dares and challenges on social media and through association with a range of causes—from the girl child to cleanliness and open defecation. 

The benefits of such direct engagement seem to be wearing thin because brand experts point out, the gimmick is getting bigger than the message.

Personal over professional

Take Simran that starred Kangana Ranaut and released on September 15. The actor presented herself as an independent, single woman who did not back away from speaking out on controversial issues. Ranaut plays a similar character on screen and was perhaps doing what her marketing team had advised her, building an audience for her on-screen persona. But she  ran afoul of women activists and fellow actors over her comments.  
 

Ambi Parmeswaran, brand consultant and founder Brand Building, says, “At the end of the day, it gave the film visibility. Both Kangana and the filmmakers knew that before Simran could get visibility, Brand Kangana should be visible, and that’s exactly what happened. So it’s a win in 

that way.”

However, the plot began to unravel when the actor-marketer clashed with her real-life personality and her allegations fell short of the facts. She was attacked on social media and the truth of her experiences, challenged.

Did that impact the film’s no-show (it has made Rs 16 crore in 10 days so far)? No one has a clear answer, but K V (Pops) Sridhar, founder HyperCollective believes that frivolous gimmicks are easy to spot and damage the credibility of the actor and the film.

Actor vs brand

Reliance on actors as marketers has grown as the business model around movies has changed. Most stars are no longer just actors in a movie. They are often co-producers or executive producers on the film and hold equity, directly or indirectly, in the project.

This drives them to raise some dust before the launch, risking the negative impact it may have on their real life image. Sridhar says, “Controversy in itself may not be a bad thing. For Udta Punjab, it was a good thing. It brought up issues like portrayal of Punjab and the drug menace apart from the whole debate around the CBFC and its role in certification of films. But personal vendettas or controversies don’t really help in the long run. People will remember the personality and the gossip, but then you’re not really promoting the film.”

The problem, say trade analysts, is that actors are not always the best marketers. There are experts such as Aamir Khan who are as detailed about their marketing script as their movie scripts. But even the best stars end up stepping into a controversy, even if it is not of their own making. However, this does not deter actors from taking on controversial positions because even negative publicity helps. 

Cause-led branding

Actors also align themselves with a cause around the launch of a movie, usually the cause furthers the subject of the film. For instance, the Akshay Kumar starrer Toilet–Ek Prem Katha,  saw the actor become the face of an anti open defecation campaign. Last year, Amitabh Bachchan wrote an open letter to his grand-daughter talking about women empowerment, just before the release of 2016’s sleeper hit Pink which dealt with women empowerment.

Causes, however, can be double-edged swords. For one, if it is not closely associated with the subject of the film, it could end up being ineffective as a marketing tool. Secondly, if the audience senses that the actor’s intentions are insincere, it could harm the film.

Both Sridhar and Ambi agree that if the cause is in line with the film’s theme, then it’s a good idea. “But if you try to retro-fit a cause with say a romantic comedy, then it won’t work. It needs to be seamless. The audience will be willing to suspend disbelief only to an extent. After a point, they’ll catch on and it’s not going to work,” Ambi adds.