No, this is not a post on another film review; it’s a brand review of the Salman Khan starrer Dabangg! Marketing of movies has always intrigued me. It’s a product with a shelf life of just days, where word of mouth and PR can seriously alter the stakes of the product and where the opening collections are a critical success factor. Quite a challenge to create equity and awareness for an unknown brand in perhaps just a few weeks prior to the release. And compounded by the fact that there is no possibility of altering the strategy. If the first three days of the collections aren’t good, that’s the end of the story!
Of course, the inherent advantage with a brand like movies is that more often than not they come with celebrity ambassadors featured in the movie which immensely helps in creating awareness. But integrated marketing communication using the celebrities is the key. To my mind, to make movies successful the producers must employ the best of the minds in marketing. I’m sure Dabangg did! I must admit that a day prior to its release, it has created a buzz like no other film in the past. The main protagonist named Chulbul Pandey in this movie, enacted by Salman Khan is quite a cult prior to release.
So, what did Dabangg do differently which most of the other movies have not? While I have not researched their marketing strategy in detail, I think they excelled in showcasing the protagonist of the movie rather than Salman Khan. While in most other movie promotions, the stars appear in reality shows and soaps around the release of the movie, they actually create more equity for themselves rather than the movie. In this case, Salman has created equity for the protagonist of the movie (a corrupt police inspector) by appearing in soaps and reality shows enacting his character in the movie rather than himself. That is a smart move based on sound marketing strategy. When you create equity for a product or a service using a celebrity, the brand custodian strives to use the celebrity to communicate the brand values. Dabangg has done exactly that by creating a cult around Chulbul Pandey. Since the movie appears to have a mass appeal, the vehicles chosen are also mass – mainly the general entertainment TV and radio channels.
Of course, a lot has to do with the fact that it’s a home production for Salman. So, he has done what is best for the movie rather than himself. Another notable innovation is that one of its item numbers actually has a brand name of Zandu Balm in the lyrics. This is the first time I’ve heard of a brand name appearing in the lyrics of a song without it being in your face! Could be the start of a new trend.
While I don’t know whether the movie will be a hit or not (and I wont be surprised if the content is really bad!), here are some stats. Dabangg has registered a record breaking score on awareness prior to its release, according to Ormax Media's film awareness tracking product Cinematix. Cinematix track is conducted across the key theatrical revenue markets-Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Indore and covers theatre visitors in the age group of 15-34 years in SEC AB. As per its latest report, with an unaided awareness of 50 percent, Dabangg may have a bumper opening on the box-office. Even if the movie isn’t great, it will make money. 50 percent unaided awareness is absolutely unheard of this in age of media and movie clutter. Yes, Marketing wins again!
Of course, the inherent advantage with a brand like movies is that more often than not they come with celebrity ambassadors featured in the movie which immensely helps in creating awareness. But integrated marketing communication using the celebrities is the key. To my mind, to make movies successful the producers must employ the best of the minds in marketing. I’m sure Dabangg did! I must admit that a day prior to its release, it has created a buzz like no other film in the past. The main protagonist named Chulbul Pandey in this movie, enacted by Salman Khan is quite a cult prior to release.
So, what did Dabangg do differently which most of the other movies have not? While I have not researched their marketing strategy in detail, I think they excelled in showcasing the protagonist of the movie rather than Salman Khan. While in most other movie promotions, the stars appear in reality shows and soaps around the release of the movie, they actually create more equity for themselves rather than the movie. In this case, Salman has created equity for the protagonist of the movie (a corrupt police inspector) by appearing in soaps and reality shows enacting his character in the movie rather than himself. That is a smart move based on sound marketing strategy. When you create equity for a product or a service using a celebrity, the brand custodian strives to use the celebrity to communicate the brand values. Dabangg has done exactly that by creating a cult around Chulbul Pandey. Since the movie appears to have a mass appeal, the vehicles chosen are also mass – mainly the general entertainment TV and radio channels.
Of course, a lot has to do with the fact that it’s a home production for Salman. So, he has done what is best for the movie rather than himself. Another notable innovation is that one of its item numbers actually has a brand name of Zandu Balm in the lyrics. This is the first time I’ve heard of a brand name appearing in the lyrics of a song without it being in your face! Could be the start of a new trend.
While I don’t know whether the movie will be a hit or not (and I wont be surprised if the content is really bad!), here are some stats. Dabangg has registered a record breaking score on awareness prior to its release, according to Ormax Media's film awareness tracking product Cinematix. Cinematix track is conducted across the key theatrical revenue markets-Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Indore and covers theatre visitors in the age group of 15-34 years in SEC AB. As per its latest report, with an unaided awareness of 50 percent, Dabangg may have a bumper opening on the box-office. Even if the movie isn’t great, it will make money. 50 percent unaided awareness is absolutely unheard of this in age of media and movie clutter. Yes, Marketing wins again!
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