Bombay Velvet attracts Rs 20 cr worth brand associations

But no brand has been promoted as part of the visual narrative, which revolves around the 1960s

Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, which opened in 3,000 screens in India and 500  screens abroad on May 15, has managed to rake in Rs 20 crore worth of media spends through brand tie-ups. The film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, is set in the Mumbai of the 1960s and marks the acting debut of director, producer and talk show host, Karan Johar.

The brands are from across categories such as fashion and apparel, grooming products, music apps and mobile internet services.  

Emami Fair and Handsome has tied up to carry out media activity (advertising and promotion on traditional and non-traditional media) worth Rs 70 lakh from May 6 to May 20. On the other hand, Reliance Jio has spread its spends (around Rs 1 crore) across innovations on television, print, radio, cinema, mobile and through in-store promotions.

Nazara Gaming has tied up with the film to develop and promote games around the theme, while mobile accessories brand Daily Objects has inked a licensing and merchandising deal to create and promote mobile covers inspired by the look and the feel of the movie.

Bombay Velvet has bucked the trend in terms of in-film branding. There is not a single brand that has been promoted as part of the visual narrative. Those involved in the development of the film believed integrating any brand into the film stood the risk of diluting the impact of the narrative.

“We were conscious of the challenges of the film. Visually, being a period film, it was not possible to include most brands and the nature and context of the content was also a limiting factor,” says Shikha Kapoor, chief marketing officer, Fox Star Studios.

NISE GEL (Pain Relief Gel)
Spend: Rs 3.9 crore (TV)
Timing: 30th April – 31st May

GILLETTE
Spend: Rs 2.5 crore (until 20th May on TV) Additional spends through June
Timing:19th April – 10th June

GODADDY.COM
Spend: Rs 1.5 crore (TV and Digital)
Timing:1st – 31st May

HEROINE APPAREL (Women gowns)
Spend: 50 lakh (Cinema and print)
Timing:8th – 15th May

LUX COZI (Men’s Innerwear)
Spend 4.3 cr (TV, cinema and print)
Timing:27th April – 30th May

EMAMI FAIR AND HANDSOME
Spend: Rs 70 lakh (TV)
Timing:6th – 20th May

SAAVN (Music Streaming App)
Spend: Rs 75 lakh (TV and digital)
Timing:10th – 31st May

RELIANCE JIO CHAT
Spend: Rs 1.05 cr (TV, cinema, mobile, print, radio and in-store promotion)
Timing:9th – 25th May

ROOPMANTRA (Ayurvedic Face Cream)
Spend: Rs 1 cr (print)
Timing:4th – 18th May

AYURWIN NUTRISLIM (Ayurvedic Nutrition)
Spend: Rs 80 lakh (print)
Timing:7th – 16th May

NAZARA GAMING
Spend: around Rs 2 cr (TV and digital)
Timing:8th – 18th May

JOE BLACK (Sun Glasses)
Spend: 70 L (digital and print)
Timing:9th – 23rd May

CUPICK (Online Platform For Artists)
Online contest to design posters inspired from Bombay Velvet, prints of which will be made available for sale
Promotions on the Cupick social platforms – Facebook, Twitter
Timing:6th – 16th May

DAILY OBJECTS (Mobile Accessories)
Merchandising Deal – Mobile covers inspired from Bombay Velvet
Online newsletters and advertisements on Facebook
Timing:1st – 31st May

Also, most of the brands mentioned above, were not in existence during the time-period the film is set in.

However, the team built around the phrase “big shot” used by Ranbir Kapoor (playing the male lead as Johnny Balraj) as an expression of what it is he wants to achieve in life. The first trailer of the movie used this phrase extensively and it was carried out throughout the brand associations across media. “We were very sure that the auditory mnemonic ‘big shot’ will be the focus of all the innovations we do. The concept of a big shot thus, became a common theme in our activities with these brands on various platforms,” says Shikha Kapoor.

The film has been made on a budget of Rs 115-120 crore (including prints and advertising cost) and is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It is based on the book Mumbai Fables by Gyan Prakash, who is also a co-writer on the film.