Trade Secrets

Marketing mantra:

Marketing I am told is important for one’s films and I am doing it. I think I am a little clueless about marketing, myself. I guess you get a PR, look good and say the right things. I don’t know if that is a good marketing strategy, or just being yourself. But yes, marketing is a big part of an actor’s life.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

Donald Trump and Richard Branson are great marketeers. Even my brother (Siddharth Roy Kapur) at UTV started a lot of things before anyone was doing it. In fact they got the ball rolling when it comes to marketing, which is a template for people today. Then, there’s Aamir Khan who always comes up with something novel.

 

Abhay Deol

Learning the Ropes

Abhay Deol

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is one half of a commercially successful career. The other half is talent. Everybody, but me has marketing skills, and I wish I knew how to market myself, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

 

Amitabh Bachchan

A Key Requirement

Amitabh Bachchan

Marketing mantra:

Over time, marketing has become an almost indispensable function of films, and I am in favour of the same. A few from the older generation are sometimes averse to it, as they wonder at the effectiveness of these marketing activities in making films a success. And, when a film doesn’t work despite the marketing, their doubts seem justified, but in present times when everyone is distracted by myriad activities, marketing is a necessity.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

My colleagues, particularly Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman; they have all done a very good job of marketing their films with innovative ideas.

Memorable Case Studies:

Earlier there was no formal marketing, but Amar Akbar Anthony had an impressive run at the box office because of Manmohan Desai’s genius.

 

Arjun Kapoor

Need of the Hour

Arjun Kapoor

Marketing mantra:

It’s an important tool for telling people, that a film is releasing, because with our hectic lifestyles today, a person’s attention span is limited. Frankly, it’s the need of the hour, and one can see that the number of platforms are increasing, so it’s not only newspapers, there are digital platforms, radio, video, events, and you have to cater to everybody to get your point across. But marketing is varied, at times you might feel something is harsh, or there’s too much of it, while some will find it less. It is subject to a film, the actors, and the kind of message you want to communicate and how innovative you are at conveying it.The point is simple, you can’t predict what the audience will think of the movie, but you need to get them in the theatre for them to decide what the film is like.

 

 

Bipasha Basu

The Right Medium

Bipasha Basu

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is very, very important because whether it’s any product or movies, there’s competition in everything. Today if you make a product, your story doesn’t get over by merely shooting it; you have to sell it as well. There are so many ways to market your films, but the mantra is tapping the correct medium, whether they’re social networking sites, television, or events. As for marketing myself, I think over a period of time the real personality comes out, and being in this business for 14 years, I guess everyone knows what kind of a person I am. One cannot act for more than a year because sooner or later, the real person starts showing. I don’t know how to market myself, but I portray myself as a modern woman who is passionate about health, and fitness, and one who sets her own trends, especially in the kind of roles she selects.

Vote for the marketing maverick goes to:

I like the way SRK uses his marketing skills. His marketing is not aggressive. He does it very intelligently because he’s also a businessman.

 

Deepika Padukone

Streamline It

Deepika Padukone

Marketing mantra:

Is marketing important or necessary? Yes of course it is, but I think that the audience today is intelligent enough to see a promo or a poster, and decide for themselves, whether to watch a film or not. But from an actor’s point of view, it’s definitely the most tiresome part of a film, and sometimes it almost kills the excitement of the film because you are so exhausted by the end of all that promotion. Last year, I had four films and promoted each one of them which was very exhausting. I just hope we find some way of reducing the marketing, streamlining, and making it a little more concentrated and more focused. A few years ago we did not promote a film so aggressively.

Memorable Case Studies:

I remember during Cocktail, we didn’t need to promote the film that much. Based on the trailer itself, there was a buzz and people wanted to watch the film. We only promoted the film for about ten days.

 

Hrithik Roshan

Not Essential

Hrithik Roshan

Marketing mantra:

First of all you have to provide something that is needed. If you have some service or a product that the world needs, you already have a great starting point. Beyond that, you have to make them aware that your product or service exists, and making people aware is where marketing comes in. Regarding films, sure, it’s important. I see so much more happening around a film because there is a lot of insecurity. Perhaps, the insecurity has been created by other stars who have had success and which is assumed to be linked to how much marketing (of their film) they did. But I think it’s grown into a kind of bubble. I feel there is a lot more we are pushed into doing, so there’s a lot of wastage in terms of time. There is a blitzkreig around the time of a film’s release, and I don’t know exactly how many of these activities actually translate into footfalls for films. I don’t think being good at marketing, or a good marketeer to me is essentially a good thing or, a quality that I would like to emulate. I certainly don’t aspire to be one.

 

Kareena Kapoor Khan

A Mysterious Aura

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Marketing mantra:

I think except for Saif, and myself, everybody is very good at marketing themselves. We do not put updates if we have been praised for something on Facebook, or twitter. Saif always says it is always better to have an aura of mystery around a star, and I agree with him. Another star who believes in the same thing is Aamir Khan who does not really put himself out there. That’s our marketing mantra.

 

Parineeti Chopra

Tricky Business

Parineeti Chopra

Marketing mantra:

Having majored in marketing, I know for a fact that it is very important today. And it is not only about marketing films, it is very important for everything. There’s so much
competition around, you just have to pass the message everywhere. When it comes to films, you live with them for so long, but we have to promote it in two weeks, summarise it and excite the audience enough to invest in our film, which can get tricky at times.
When it comes to individuals, I don’t think marketing oneself is required as people are intelligent enough to recognise who you are.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

I think Dharma Productions has great marketing skills as Karan Johar has a great mind for sending a message out to people, and effectively promotes his films. Yash Raj is also a great company of course. Shah Rukh has great oratorship, and says the right things while marketing his films. I think Aamir is a very intelligent person, and he markets his films effectively.

 

Nimrat Kaur

Myriad Tools

Nimrat Kaur

Marketing mantra:

I think if one wants to promote oneself as an actor, it should come out from the work that he is doing. It is important to promote oneself, be out there and to make a connection with the audience. There are some amazing marketing tools that are used nowadays to reach out to as many people as possible, but whether it is a road trip or a reality show, as long as it is work-oriented, I think it is great.

 

Priyanka Chopra

Maximum Visibility

Priyanka Chopra

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is tremendously important, and I enjoy it very much. I don’t understand business and numbers like weekend collections etc, but I love taking my film, and giving it the maximum reach I possibly can; that’s very important. I believe in my films so much that I enjoy it, and I like to talking to people about it.
I don’t think I need to market myself, the media does it for me. I have no image problems because I am very unapologetic about who I am, or what I do. I am extremely honest as a person, and extremely private as well so I don’t have to think about my image. I only like my work to speak for myself.

Vote for the marketing maverick goes to:

I think a lot of brands today are doing some very interesting marketing. Amul and Air India used to be my favourite as their ads are really relevant. I love the Amul commercials. I like unique marketing strategies, and in the film business Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are incredible marketing gurus. I think everyone need to learn from them.

 

Ranbir Kapoor

Let the Film Talk

Ranbir Kapoor

Marketing mantra:

If you believe in the product that you make, seeing that it reaches out to a large number of people is what marketing means to me. However, I do also believe that today there is an overkill as we shove ourselves down a consumer’s throat. Everyone is saying ‘watch me watch me, watch me’. Since I am in the business of movies I know that each movie comes with its own marketing strategy. When we made Barfi, we knew we were making it for a certain set of audience, hence the strategy was different from Yeh Jawani Hain Deewani or a Besharam. It is very personal to a certain level. It’s about what the producer thinks, and who they want to reach out to. Finally, I guess you have to let the movie talk. If the movie is good, the quality of the movie will market itself. I do not really strategise when I am marketing a film. I stay true to the movie, and to the character I am playing as good marketing always comes from the movie.

Vote for the marketing maverick goes to:

I think everyone does a good job, mostly. But the way Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan market themselves is phenomenal. I think it is important that the new generation looks at them and learns from them.

 

Rani Mukerji

Perception & Reality

Rani Mukerji

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is coming with different, innovative ways of how selling your products. As an actress I have never looked at myself in the way that you are trying to put it because we actors don’t have a tag, in terms of how we want to market ourselves. To bring it in perspective I would like to say that as an artiste I would like to do my job to the best of my ability, because we are not the image makers, it is always the audience. So I think what the audience says and feels, is how they associate with you. But I have done different films, and versatile roles, so I don’t think people have been able to put me in any category.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

If I have to only to talk about films then I would say Yash Raj Films but if I have to talk about a particular person then it would be Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh. I think they market their films really well.

 

Shahid Kapoor

Honest Marketing

Shahid Kapoor

Marketing mantra:

Marketing a film has come down to taking a selfie, and posting it on twitter. Today there is an opportunity to market anywhere, and everywhere. I don’t think you can sell much if you don’t market a product, or film, and I don’t think we should run away from it. But it’s important that one does not fall into general trends of marketing because every product needs to be marketed differently. I remember reading somewhere that if you are buying a soft drink for Rs 10, you are paying almost Rs 6-7 for its marketing, and when it comes to films, you spend 30-40 per cent of the budget on marketing. When it comes to films, I think you need to market them honestly – the film for what it is. An actor does not really need to market himself because there are too many people marketing an actor. Whether it’s his PR team, the endorsements that he does, or the appearances he makes. Beyond that, I think whenever you are on a public platform, you are interacting with the audience, and in a way you are marketing yourself. That is a true reflection of yourself because you can’t fake it for so long.

Memorable Case Studies:

When you do something new like we are with Haider, we need to make that known. Like the USP of Haider is Haider, not me, Shraddha, Vishal Bhardwaj, and we want people to know that.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & National Creative Director Ogilvy & Mather India. I really like his work.

 

Shraddha Kapoor

Versatility Wins

Shraddha Kapoor

Marketing mantra:

“Market yourself as a star “—This is the general feedback I get from people that I am surrounded by, as I am terrible at PR, and marketing. But after I saw myself in Haider , I was astonished, and happy, because I have never been portrayed like this before. So I hope from the films I have done, I am seen as an actress who can do different roles.

 

Sonakshi Sinha

True to Self

Sonakshi Sinha

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is something that I don’t understand very well. I leave it to the professionals who are meant to do the job, but it’s something which is very important in today’s age and time. It’s a rapidly growing field, and plays a big role in the profession that we are in.
As for myself, I think I think I am unknowingly doing a good job so far. My strategy if to be myself and not portray myself as somebody.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

As an actor and film-maker I think it’s Shah Rukh Khan. His films and the way he projects himself. Also he’s got a very fan friendly image.

 

Sonam Kapoor

Keep the Faith

Sonam Kapoor

Marketing mantra:

These days there are so many mediums, from television, music, internet and newspapers, which is good, because you need to showcase your film, and make people aware that its releasing. I am proud to market a product I really believe in, and that’s when I market it aggressively.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions does amazing and smart marketing for their films. Without sounding partial, I think my sister Rhea and her team of Devika Shroff and Rohini Iyer make for a formidable team. She marketed Aisha and Khoobsurat really well.

 

Vidya Balan

Core Competence

Vidya Balan

Marketing mantra:

I react instinctively to what a film requires from me. A film inspires the marketing strategy, and I am happy to promote the film the way it should be. I love getting into character so that the people connect to the film. If they see me in the character’s look, there is an association with the film. Honestly, I wish I could learn some more marketing skills because there is so much one can do while promoting a film. I am not very fond of reality shows on television, even they have good visibility because all the formats are very straight jacketed. I prefer real audience interaction as I am more traditional in my approach. I think understanding the core of the film, before marketing it is very essential.

Memorable Case Studies:

I like the way Dhoom 3 was marketed. It was very interesting because they did not promote it the way films are promoted – every single day. They chose not to do many television appearances, or other conventional ways, yet it turned out to be the biggest blockbuster of the year. UTV also promoted Khoobsurat in a very straightforward and simple way and it served the purpose.

Vote for marketing maverick goes to:

UTV and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures are fantastic when it comes to marketing. They look at the film’s core, and understand what strategy should be used to promote it.

-By Geety Sahgal

 

Ajit Andhare

Exploring Unique avenues

 Ajit Andhare, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Marketing is the art of generating attention. Our marketing journey begins with identifying the content and the unique quality of the film. This helps us to decide on which brand we can liaise with.For Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Kom, spreading the net and finding the right brand to align with us helped us in building a strong multiplier.
It’s very gratifying to know that as a studio, we are considered to have the best marketing strategy. We do believe that marketing is our biggest strength and our success can be attributed to how we select our subjects, which helps us in generating very unique concepts.
With Gangs of Wasseypur, we created a marketing strategy around Manoj Bajpayee. Here, we really did not rely on star power, but we took into consideration the uniqueness of the subject, and the entire tag line ‘keh ke loonga‘ brought out the essence of what the film was. Also there were other elements of the campaign — the posters, gamcha, etc helped us garner a huge amount of interest in the film.
To create an awareness we have to understand the subject. For instance, in a youth based film, you will focus on the demographic and how you will connect with the youth like we did in the case of Pyaar Ka Punchnama, in which the song Har friend kamina hota hai, became an anthem. In case of star led films you will ride on star appeal and focus on the character the star is playing. If it’s a unique theme as it was in the case of Mary Kom or Madras Cafe which dealt with the assassination of a prime ministerial candidate, then you would focus your entire campaign around that unique world that the film portrays. So, it is difficult to specify any one strategy, but these are the generic areas where you can focus your campaigns on.
The theatrical trailer is very important when we market a Hollywood film. Besides, these films mostly ride on the success of their franchise, breathtaking action and technology, as we have witnessed in Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
While, one cannot fix a percentage of budget to marketing, the ultimate purpose of the entire exercise is to generate footfalls in theatres and make the maths work favourably for the studio. The purpose of marketing is to generate demand for the film in theatres. For smaller films which have smaller budget and stars, the percentage of marketing spend to the production budget will look very large. Comparatively, big budget films, with a large cost of production and a larger collection, your percentage may work out to be much smaller.
Although many are of the view that marketing spends have increased, we should also consider the rising media costs.It is vital to spend money on marketing and once you have crossed the logical hurdle and accepted that a particular amount of money needs to be spent, then we have to decide the best and optimal way in which one can deploy marketing budgets to get maximum results.

 

 

Amrita Pandey

Creating Appeal

Amrita Pandey, VP and Head of Marketing and Distribution, Studios, Disney India.

Ironically in a country like India, which is so obsessed about films, the number of screens as compared to the volume of films that release is very minimal. We have to tap the consumers from the fragmented space of multiple media outlets, music channels, the internet etc . Hence, it is very important for movies to build an appeal and awareness for itself, especially with the multiple choices that a person has to spend his free time. Visiting the theatre has become an expensive affair and to mould the mindset and coax people to go and watch a movie is becoming increasingly tough. With so many movies releasing, you cannot really survive without increasing the decibel levels of what you are doing.
Some of the most critical attendants in marketing, whether it is an English or Hindi film are unveiling the movie where the audience is, be it the digital platform or in cinema houses. It is therefore, very important to position your films, decide your target audience and select the content from the movie that you choose to reveal. For a movie like Avengers or Captain America, you have to decide on which promo or trailer you can really play in India. For instance for PK, we launched a motion poster and a series of posters after that. So instead of the medium, what is it that you are going to show, including the songs in the trailer that will help to capture the attention is important. In the promos of Haider, we have played on the high dramatic elements. According to me, the most important aspect in a good marketing plan is how much or how little you want to show and the elements that you want to focus on.
Marketing budgets would depend on the film you are working on. For Khoobsurat we did a strong digital campaign that had colourful imagery, as it was marketed as a Disney princess movie. Otherwise, the budgets could be anything between 10 to 80 per cent of the cost of production. Kai Po Che, did not have any big stars at that time, but we mounted the film in a big way. So for us it is not about the formula that if the budget is X amount, we spend X per cent. It’s really about the film and what we want to communicate.
It is not necessary that for a small film the marketing budget is high. At the end of the day, you want to make a profitable film. But yes, on a small movie you may tend to spend more. But Dev D had such explosive content that you did not have to spend much. So, you have to be smart about what you spend and the trailer and the poster that you release should appeal to the people.
In the past 11 years of the studio’s existence, we have worked on and marketed different genres of films from Rang De Basanti, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Dev D, Jodhaa Akbar, Kai Po Che etc. While it is important to spend money on marketing, it is also imperative how you spend it. One cannot endlessly spend money, say Rs. 8 to Rs.10 crore on marketing or production, if ultimately your box-office opening will garner a crore or two. Some movies work on word-of-mouth so in such cases it makes sense to spend post the release of a film. Marketing needs to be done in a smart way as today’s audience is quite discerning and after watching the first few promos, they decide whether they would want to watch the movie or not.

 

 

Homi Adajania

Astute Businessman

Homi Adajania, Director

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is very important, otherwise how do people know that the film is releasing? For instance, there have been times when we are not aware of a film’s release as it has not been marketed. We use the actor’s popularity when a film is about to release because no one really cares about the director!

 

Imtiaz Ali

Informative Medium

Imtiaz Ali, Director

Marketing mantra:

Marketing according to me is informing the consumer about the product and evoking his interest in it. I wouldn’t know who has the best marketing skills, but I am interested in exploring alternate media avenues. I am less and less interested in the regular media vehicles used to promote a film these days.

 

Mahesh Bhatt

Idea Rules

Mahesh Bhatt, Producer, Director

Marketing mantra:

Marketing emerges from the idea that a person has. If the idea is not potent enough and doesn’t have the power to explore, no amount of marketing would work. But after getting an idea, you have to see that the right buzz is created. Since the space is too cluttered, one has to work ten times harder to market a product.
The best marketing campaign is the one that leaves the audience waiting for more. There should be a certain curiosity around it.
In a world where everything has gone virtual, the most important way is to create an innovative idea in the digital space. The access may have become easier with the digital space at the disposal, but to stand apart in the clutter, the idea still remains the king.

 

Mukesh Bhatt

Saying It Right

Mukesh Bhatt, Producer,

Marketing mantra:

All these marketing strategies are mere rackets for the marketing team to make money. It is the content of the film that talks and not marketing. You may spend Rs.10 crore in marketing and have zero impact. So, the content that you show in your promos gains precedence on how you show it. That the audience finds something in your promos that seduces them to come and buy a ticket, means that the creative content supercedes all the marketing strategies that you may have run. It’s a simple baat, jaise hum jaate the pehle, to a dhaba he would make you taste his food before you placed your order. Even now, when you go to a mithai shop, they will give you a sample to taste. If you like it, you buy it. Likewise, you have to give the flavour of your film to the audience in order to appeal to their senses. You have to be honest with the audience. There cannot be a
discrepancy between the content and the concept you are selling. Marketing creates an awareness about the release of the film, but nothing beyond that.

 

 

R. Balki

Work Speaks

R. Balki, Director

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is simply getting people interested in your product. It is informing people about interesting facets of a film, and maybe seduce them into watching it in the first three days. After that, the fate of the film depends on whether they like it or not.
As a director, I think one’s work should speak for you because I am not an actor. Like everyone, I would like to be known for my films.

Vote for the marketing maverick goes to:

I think a lot of people are very good at marketing. Karan (Johar) is very good at it, so is Aamir (Khan). Shah Rukh Khan is fantastic at it, so is Mr Bachchan. Marketing does not remain the domain of a few any more, as there are many who can market themselves and their films well.

 

Rakesh Roshan

Keeping It Subtle

Rakesh Roshan, Director

Marketing mantra:

There is nothing striking that I can remember of any marketing campaign, as most of the campaigns revolve around making city tours or appearing on shows. Having said that, although marketing is important, we should not go overboard with it. You can’t cover the length and breadth of the country and reach out to the entire populace. At best the actors can travel to two -three places. For instance, if you go on a promotional tour to Bangalore and give Surat a miss, does it gaurantee that the film will be a hit in Bangalore? I don’t think so. What is important is to create awareness, and this comes from what you show in your first trailer and songs. If the trailer connects with the audience, then half the battle is won.

Smart marketing:

For Krrish 3, I think we just visited Kanpur. We launched the Krrish merchandise that was in sync with the film. When we launched the first trailer of Krrish 3 on YouTube, it crossed 12 million hits in 10 days. So I think we should concentrate more on the various digital platforms with smart planning being the mantra.

 

Rohit Shetty

Cost Effective

Rohit Shetty, Director

Marketing mantra:

Having been in this industry for so many years and as a director of several films, the way one markets films is going overboard these days, and putting a pressure on film-makers. The whole industry needs to come together and see how they can cut down on marketing costs and find new means to promote films. I am completely against marketing that starts two months prior to a film’s release resulting in exorbitant expenditure. And about how I would market myself, I don’t think I need to!

 

Sameer Chopra

Breaking The Clutter

Sameer Chopra, Marketing Head, Reliance Entertainment

Marketing mantra:

Watching movies is one of the biggest entertainment avenue and becomes a family event in our country. This unparalleled hysteria drives a lot of innovation in movie marketing. It plays a pivotal role in defining the positioning of the movie and ensuring maximum visibility and reach. The marketing campaign of the movie needs to be clutter breaking and must invoke the viewers interest.
Each year there are an increasing bunch of movies that stand out in terms of marketing. As a studio we, at Reliance Entertainment ensure that there is an innovative and relevant marketing strategy for each release. This year, I think Singham Returns is the pick for the best marketing campaign.
With an influx of new concepts and fresh talent, an innovative and distinctive marketing strategy is the need of the day. Marketing budgets have grown over the years and most studios or production houses are making every effort to grab the largest share of voice. The marketing campaign gives the movie the much-needed initial push and help guage the reaction, after which the content of the movie takes over. Amongst new media, digital is most important to ensure greater reach and visibility. A 360 degree approach usually works extremely well in ensuring buzz around the movie. Most studios put their promotional machinery to use as early as the conceptualising stage itself and build on the anticipation leading to the release. Strategy is also a mix of the right creative and relevant media that is used to reach out to the target audience.

 

Shikha Kapur

The Driving Force

Shikha Kapur, Chief marketing officer Fox Star Studios

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is a tool that maximises the visibility, desirability and appeal of a film, whether good or bad and is the driver that drives the first three days. Given the cluster of releases, the first three days are most important and typically the first weekend of the film is anywhere between 50 per cent of the overall life time of a film.
Amongst the big films, Chennai Express was a good example of marketing going beyond the Friday of its release. However, I would not equate noise levels to a good marketing campaign. What is important is the manner in which the content is sold and the medium that is used.
For Bang Bang, we launched the trailer on YouTube and it gathered tremendous momentum. A lot of effort went into determining the audience of the film, deciding on what the trailer should have and how well it can be packaged. The journey begins from how you use the content on various mediums, including marketing in rural areas. It is also extremely important to understand the distribution strategy of the film and in how many screens it will release.
For Avatar, we had the content that appealed to all sectors. That is why the film was dubbed in multiple languages and the marketing strategy was done like we do for a local film.

 

 

Ajit Thakur

Read the TG’s Mind

Ajit Thakur, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Life OK

Marketing mantra:

Marketing for me is all about understanding the consumers for whom the product is being planned. If a marketeer can read the mind of the target group, half the work is done. It becomes easier to plan the strategies. “Passion” is the word that goes behind planning some of the best products. If I have to market myself, I would always highlight my passion and madness.
But talking about marketing, Shah Rukh Khan is the undisputed king when it comes to marketing. He is a brand in himself, of course he built that brand over years. We can’t even forget Steve Jobs, who was the most brilliant of them all. Narendra Modi is another one to have emerged as the best marketeer. He drove the entire nation with his well-planned campaigns.

 

 

Gaurav Banerjee

Marketing is Creating Interest

Gaurav Banerjee, General Manager, Star Plus

Marketing mantra:

Marketing, according to me, is a way of introducing an idea to the masses and generate curiosity and interest around it. It is the way to make the target group aware of the product. If we just talk about our industry, while planning a marketing strategy, it is important to ask questions like how a story has to be presented to the audience, what are the characteristics of a character that should be revealed in the initial stages of introducing a show, etc.
However, when we talk about marketing, it’s hard not to mention Steve Jobs. He has been the best marketeer that we have seen. However, there are several other marketing strategies that we see all the time. 3 Idiots had a wonderful marketing strategy that left the audience spell-bound. Similarly wonderful was the strategy planned around Star Plus when it was launched in 2010.

 

 

Raj Nayak

Keeping It subtle

Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors

Marketing mantra:

Marketing is not just advertising. It is a combination of many things that include proper planning, distribution, etc. Today, since the definition of marketing has exceeded, the challenge is that much more. With so much fragmentation happening in mediums as well as media, one has to spend the money very carefully. My best marketing phrase is, “Jab marketing ke liye chawanni phekte ho, toh sikke ka awaaz aana chahiye.” (If you throw a 25 paisa coin for marketing, it should echo as a rupee.)
I believe the world is full of people with great marketing skills. While I wouldn’t like to name anyone, as a product, Colors is one of the best examples of a product that has been marketed well. Having said this, I also believe that if a product is good, marketing may not even be required. When we launched the first trailer of Krrish 3 on YouTube, it crossed 12 million hits in 10 days. So I think we should concentrate more on the various digital platforms with smart planning being the mantra.

 

 

Anooj Kapoor

Marketing is Satisfying Consumers

Anooj Kapoor, Senior  EVP, Business Head, Sony Pal and Sab TV

Marketing mantra:
According to me, marketing is being able to create a desire for your product in the minds of your consumers. It is fulfilling that desire in a way that the consumer is deeply satisfied.
If we talk about marketing in the current context,Narendra Modi is the best marketeer. He successfully tapped into the aspirations of the country and in very earthy, unique and innovative ways, with campaigns like Chai Pe Charcha, he not only connect with the masses but also successfully projec as a person who could fulfill their aspirations. He also continued this through his international strategy after coming into power by marketing himself once again to people outside of this country, attracting foreign investment be it in Japan, China or at the famous Madison Square in New York. In fact, if I have to market myself, I would convince my target audience to be a person who can fulfill their aspirations.

By Geety Sahgal, Farida Khanzada and Priyanka Bhadani