The second act in the business of branded entertainment

In the recently released film 2 States , Alia Bhatt’s character works as a brand manager for Hindustan Unilever’s Sunsilk brand. Considering Priyanka Chopra is the real brand ambassador for the shampoo, the creation of an ‘indirect endorser’ is giving a new impetus to the business of branded entertainment.

In Dhoom 3 , too, Aamir Khan’s character is seen asking for a Mountain Dew drink at an amusement park, while Hritik Roshan is the original celebrity endorser of the PepsiCo brand. It is mostly FMCG, online, retail and auto companies that have tried to integrate their brands with movie scripts to gain additional endorsement from the big league film stars. Even those companies which do not happen to have a celebrity on board are happy to get the lead actors of a film to vouch for their products as it’s a ‘cost-effective’ deal compared with hiring a brand ambassador.

“Considering getting a celebrity brand ambassador can lead to spending in excess of ₹10 crore, indirect endorsement deals are relatively low and can range between ₹50 lakh and ₹4 crore,” observes Ameya Sule, Business Head, Group M, ESP (Entertainment & Sports Partnership). Group M is the largest media buying agency and its client roster includes PepsiCo and HUL brands such as Sunsilk, Close Up and Clear.

Indirect endorsements also spill into TVCs (television commercials), apart from a host of marketing associations for the film. “It’s not only the storyline which gels with the DNA of the film, but the relevant footage is also used to create co-branded TVCs which gives additional mileage for the brand,” adds Sule.

Working in tandem with films made at studious such as Rash Raj Films, Eros, UTV and Dharma Productions, Group M looks for seamless integration of their clients’ brands as most of it is done with the film at its scripting stage.

Apart from indirect endorsements, brands are even ready to launch their extensions to coincide with the launch of a film to get prominence from the top celebrities. For instance, Audi’s R8 model was launched to match the release date of Race 2 , an action movie based on speeding with big stars like Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham, who were seen racing with the new model.

“Brands do get the benefit of goodwill from the characters that get associated with them. Companies today are taking strategic decisions to integrate their products to get branded solutions, which are relatively cheaper with deals under ₹4-5 crore,” adds Sooraj Bhalla, Director, MATES, the entertainment unit of Madison Communications.

Even travel portals such as MakeMyTrip (which does not have any celebrity endorser) gained mileage from big-ticket stars like Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor, who were seen making bookings for their trip from the site in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani , a blockbuster hit film last year.

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