With back-to-back film releases and stars promoting their movies passionately, producers are waking up to the potential of merchandising tools, as in the West. anuradha dutta explores the new trends in Bollywood

CRITICS might dismiss Dhoom 3 as lacking logic but the marketing strategy adopted by Yash Raj Films  to promote its Rs 1.5-billion extravaganza was a clever step to keep the cash box jingling. YRF, which is associated with 20 brands to introduce exclusive Dhoom3 merchandise and electronic gadgets in the market, is clear that it means business beyond box office sales.
The film&’s franchise has introduced many “first-evers” in film marketing in India with the launch of gaming tablets D:3 Ultra and D:3 Spectra under its brand, YRF. Licensing also includes smart phones, motorcycle accessories inspired by the film, Mi-Fi cloud routers, mobile games and high-end gadgets. With 200 products ranging in price from Rs 69 to Rs 9,000, it ensures that there is something for every segment of the audience.
Hot Wheels replica of Sahir (Aamir), the protagonist&’s bike, greeting cards , gift wraps, calendars, UNO cards and men&’s and women&’s fashion accessories and many other items produced and designed by leading companies can be found under the brand at more than 22,000 retail touch points. Limited edition Collector Dolls inspired by Aamir and Katrina&’s character (Aliya) by Mattel, is perhaps a big attraction for the star-struck.
With the launch of the dolls, Mattel took Dhoom 3 into the league of the famous replicas it created for hit movies like Twilight and Pirates of the Caribbean and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Johnny Depp, etc.
In a country obsessed with films and stars, it is no surprise that an estimated 15 million people visit theatres every day. Film marketing gurus have caught on to the potential of catching their attention. “Creating a buzz and hype around a movie release is indispensable to pulling the biggest crowd. We have come to a time when conventional marketing tools can’t work in isolation,” says Nitin N Sethi, who owns online enfotainment magazine glamsham.com.
“There&’s too much clutter, with so many big releases happening all at once and there&’s a race to hog as much public attention as possible. Here comes branding which plays an important role in creating a unique image to a film,” he says.
Attracting viewership, preferably within the first week of release of a big budget film makes sense. Says Rudrarup Datta, head of marketing and production, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, “With three to four films releasing in one weekend and more big releases due in the weeks ahead, there&’s fairly little time to attract viewership through word of mouth.” Hence, raising awareness and engaging with potential audience through various promotional activities is imperative to inspire them to come to theatres or select one film over another, he observes.
Movies like Ra One have proved what savvy marketing strategies can do. The film, which was promoted as a brand, successfully introduced exclusive movie merchandise for the first time in India. The concept was a runaway success as it captured the imagination of children who felt connected with the superhero instantly by owning a piece of the merchandise.
“Movie merchandising brings threefold benefits to producers,” says Datta. First, it helps to promote the film; second, it establishes the characters in memory, extending a film&’s life span with the possibility of a sequel; third, and the all-important factor — “It brings revenue which is over and above the box office sales”.
While Krrish 3 dolls inspired by the characters of Hritik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut, jewellery and a host of other items have hit the market, the makers of Bullet Raja have chosen to come up with a graphic novel based on the protagonist months before its release; now a comic book is likely to be on the stands soon.
Earlier in the year, the Shahrukh Khan-Rohit Shetty flick, Chennai Express, used saris, snacks and online games for promotions. The “Lungi Dance” song was created to use southern superstar Rajinikant&’s brand, which works so well in the southern states.
Companies, too, have realised that co-branding is a great way to reach the audience. They are able to sell their products using the star&’s image for a much lesser price than having to sign him/her up as brand ambassadors. It is a win-win situation for both the stakeholders of the film as well as the associated companies. While the companies use both the image of the star and the popularity of the character in the movie, producers get to reap benefits on their investment for a much longer time.
Market watchers are coming up with new and interesting ideas every day to create the right kind of noise to stimulate the audience. Viacom 18 recently decided to popularise the tokras of the machchiwalis of Mumbai by placing fish branded with the title “What the fish” to promote the Dimple Kapadia-starrer with the same name. The activity instantly created a buzz.
However, market makers also know there is nothing called marketing magic. “Clever marketing can ensure optimum realisation of a movie&’s worth even if it is average. It can work to get a good opening, but if the film is a complete let down, even the best marketing strategies cannot make it work,” says Datta.
Suman Sen of Fame Per Second, which did the marketing of two recent Bengali releases, Tasher Desh and Ashchorjyo Prodeep, agrees. “There has been a tectonic shift the way films are now being promoted owing to the change in the socio-economic conditions and rising aspiration levels, especially among the middle class and lower middle class. Packaging and branding of a movie goes a long way in capturing people&’s attention. However, the product has to be kick ass. Marketing can only ensure initial success.”
So what is it that has brought this phenomenal shift in the ways the film industry worked several years back? Is it the rising expectation levels of the generation raised in the post-globalisation period, or that Bollywood has realised that the time has come to replictate the way films are marketed in Hollywood?
“Indian cinema is changing not because of outside pressure but because of inside pressure. Society is changing. Obviously, ideas change because of globalisation, because of the huge middle class that is mostly first generation. (The change has been spurred by) Western influences and culture, industrialisation and the joint family system breaking up. People are becoming more individualistic. That is reflected in cinema,” says Javed Akhtar, poet and lyricist, who has witnessed many changes in the Hindi film industry over the last decades.
“Then, with multiplexes, the game has changed because a film has become viable now even if it is appreciated or patronised by one segment of society. So the lowest common denominator is a segment of society, not the whole society,” Akhtar adds, in an interview given to Knowledge@Wharton, the online business analysis journal of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
In the current scenario, marketing initiatives will be more upmarket and innovative to stimulate audiences that are young, aware and modern, affirm marketing experts. Though the main focus is on pre-release promotions, merchandising and sale of satellite rights help in multiplying the profits post-release. The more professional and well-planned strategies are allowing producers to earn maximum profits this way. As long as it churns out money, no one is complaining. After all, moola matters.

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