Making a product is not enough. Without a successful marketing campaign, no product can be successful. But in Bollywood, simply running a conventional marketing campaign isn’t enough to grab eyeballs. Bollywood believes in doing things Zara Hatke. This edition, we bring you the most unconventional Bollywood promotions which will make you sit up and take notice!
If there was an award for the most innovative marketing campaign, it would certainly be awarded to Ghajini which changed the dynamics of In-Cinema advertising. In the past, In-Cinema advertising was always limited to Posters and Television Commercials. However what Ghajini did was the unthinkable. They tied up with leading multiplexes in Mumbai wherein the staff was seen sporting the famous Ghajini hairstyle. This promotion was done when the audience went to watch Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, which released in theatres on 11th November 2008 whereas Ghajini was releasing about a month and a half later on 24th December. The crowd loved this unique promotion and this became a talking point for quite some time. This combined with the hype surrounding Aamir Khan’s beefed up body seen in every trailer and film posters made it a must see film.
When it comes to Rajinikanth, Nothing seems over the top. Which is why when special planes were introduced with the superstar’s face to promote his latest movie Kabali, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world
When it comes to Rajinikanth, Nothing seems over the top. Which is why when special planes were introduced with the superstar’s face to promote his latest movie Kabali, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. This promotional activity, to create a special aircraft, has been organised by the Malaysian carrier Air Asia, which is the official partner of the film, and keeping in-line with the same, Air Asia also introduced Kabali themed planes. Fans from different cities in India were flown to see the first day, first show of Kabali in Chennai. Just like his on-screen persona, Rajnikanth’s movie promotions too believe in going all out.
Trust Aamir Khan to be completely different when it comes to Marketing. True to his character in the film 3 Idiots, he actually went missing pre-release . A prize was announced for whoever located him and he involved his friend and cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, who happily agreed to be a part of the promotional campaign. The media went into a frenzy and we saw Aamir in different looks all over the country, as a rickshaw wala, as a chai waala and so on. This led to a lot of free publicity for the movie and people lined up to see the movie when it released in theatres. Up until the release of PK, 3 idiots was the most successful Bollywood movie of all time.
Before Jab…We Met was released, the pairing of Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor was an on-screen flop and there was not much buzz about the movie. This is when film director Imtiaz Ali hit upon a brilliant idea. He started a contest which let audiences choose the name of the film amongst three options. The most voted title would be the title of the film. Audience curiosity was aroused, and they voted for the title Jab…We Met. When the movie released, people felt a sense of attachment to the film as they had helped pick up the name, and they went to theatres to see the move. It helped that the movie also received favorable reviews and has since gone on to become a cult classic.
BY NEERAJ VARTY
