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Boom Starring... De Beers, Coke, mint-O: The Pioneer
Mumbai, Sept 05: The thriller Road had its star cast of Manoj Bajpai, Vivek Oberoi and Antara Mali artistically splashed over its hoardings. Director Rajat Mukherjee though found a little something missing. The hoardings, he thought, ignored a rather important character - the Tata Safari. A star that could not be ignored.
Mumbai, Sept 05: The thriller Road had its star cast of Manoj Bajpai, Vivek Oberoi and Antara Mali artistically splashed over its hoardings. Director Rajat Mukherjee though found a little something missing. The hoardings, he thought, ignored a rather important character - the Tata Safari. A star that could not be ignored.
This here was an ideal partnership between the film and the vehicle. The car worked well for Mukherjee, he had driven it before and therefore "shared a comfortable rapport with the car." And of course the Safari gained tremendous mileage from the promos endlessly aired on prime time TV and from the film running in theatres around the country.
Brand meets Bollywood you might say. Fall in love and enter into a mutually convenient marriage. Pushing brands via the silver screen, as seen in the aforementioned example, is a trend being increasingly followed.
Not that this is anything new. Your first example dates back to 1973, Rishi Kapoor whirling around on his black-and-yellow Rajdoot bike with Bobby (Dimple) behind him, in Raj Kapoor's, Bobby. It is unknown whether Rajdoot paid showman Raj Kapoor anything to showcase their bike, but if they were to repeat their act 40 years later, the company would have to part with a certain amount of money at least.
To be saath saath with Coke in Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Saath Saath Hain, Barjatya is said to have received Rs 1.5 crore for associating his film with the brand. The company paid one crore to have Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna romantically meet over a bottle of Coke.
So why do companies make a beeline for Bollywood? Apart from the emotional appeal, filmmakers point out that recall value and the staying power of a brand showcased in a film is a lot higher. Subhash Ghai's film Taal promoted Coke while Yaadein had Kareena going green when a PYT offered Hrithik Roshan a packet of Pass Pass.
Explains Ghai, "Like all media, print or TV-selling space, films can also rope in advertising support to help meet their considerable expenses." Ghai thinks it is equally important to knit a product into a movie, so that it merges well. "It is a storytelling concept and should be incorporated creatively," he adds.
Prahlad Kakkar traces the concept back to A Man and Woman, a 1960s Hollywood film which had the Ford Mustang playing a prominent role. "Top Gun could almost be termed a recruitment film for the US Navy," he points out.
Kakkar though isn't completely happy with the way Bollywood has been borrowing this particular trend. "Our Indian filmmakers are stupid. There is never any rationale for inclusion of a brand in a movie. Most directors try to force-fit the brand into the film in order to extol money from the company concerned." Ads in films, says he, can only work if the product is an integral part of the film.
And cold cash does not always have to exchange hands. "The filmmakers could ask the companies to help with publicity. There could be schemes where a company might distribute its products free with tickets or organise some sort of contest. Unfortunately, the producers get greedy. 'Give us one crore,' they say. Then again, the company might also wish to extract its pound of flesh and end up ruining the film," the ad guru tells us.
Kakkar says he himself would not advise clients to jump off this particular cliff. Though he does approve of the Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon tie-up with Provogue. It was a winner, with Provogue showcasing its garments through teen fashion icon Kareena, and then auctioning the clothes later.
But there is no denying advertising in films is becoming big business for film producers, advertisers and ad agencies, with even overseas brands stepping into the fray. American beer company Stroh's is said to have paid Rs 15 lakh to the producers of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for a 15-second scene (the famous showdown with heroine Kajol's dad Amrish Puri), in which Shah Rukh Khan makes mention of the brand name while downing a can of the said beer.
Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, starring Hrithik and Esha Deol, had Pantaloon as a major sponsor while blockbuster Koi... Mil Gaya, staring Hrithik and Preity Zinta, carries in it scenes promoting Hero Honda.
The number of brands associated with films this year has again shown a sharp incline. Shah Rukh Khan's home production Chalte Chalte (a huge hit) has the hero driving a Hyundai Santro and using Castrol engine oil.
Kaizad Gustad's Boom though beats them all. It features 400 carats of De Beers diamonds in its opening scene, courtesy the Diamond Trading Company. While it is not known whether De Beers paid for having their diamonds showcased, there is little doubt that Padma Laxmi, Madhu Sapre and Katrina Kaif walking down the ramp loaded in De Beers is a great marketing tool. The supermodels wear bras laced with diamonds and Gustad says "it is a great promotional tool for the company."
While not as glamourous as diamonds, the Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan film Kuch Na Kaho promotes Coca-Cola (yet again) and Perfetti Van Melle's confectionery brand, Mint-O, as in-film placements. For the Mint-O contest, Rohan Sippy has shot a special TV commercial featuring Abhishek Bachchan and the movie's three supporting actresses. The commercial is set in a cafe. The three girls spot Abhishek sitting in another part of the cafe, separated from them by a glass door. One of the girls (VJ Romona), walks up to the door, knocks on it to attract his attention, pops a Mint-O into her mouth, blows vapour onto the glass, then etching out a heart sign. Abhishek isn't too impressed and the other two girls walk up to the door, pop in Mint-Os, and write "Kuch Kaho". After which Abhishek adds a "Naa" between the two earlier written words.
Coca-Cola has been one of the pioneers in this showbiz-brand partnership, associating itself with Hollywood for at least 25 years. The company even has offices near major Hollywood studios for the purpose. And Coca-Cola India will reportedly be increasingly associated with "Indian passions" cricket and Hindi films.
Not to be left out are the liquor companies. This year McDowell's second-largest brand McDowell No 1 was associated with Raveena Tandon's home production Stumped, while McDowell's Bagpiper teamed up with the Vivek Oberoi starrer Dum. McDowell's strong beer Zingaro was associated with the Pooja Bhatt-produced Jism. Liquor companies are allocating big proportions of their advertising budgets towards films and UB is said to have increased the proportion of their ad budget going towards films by 25 per cent, provided there are good projects.
Film critic Indu Mirani is enthusiastic, "It is high time the trend made a showing. It brings in good revenue and both parties benefit. Most of these brands anyway pay lakhs to popular actors to model for them."
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani backs her up, saying production houses normally have low publicity budgets, "A corporate tie-up helps them get the right sort of publicity. Most of these brands have permanent hoardings, which can be utilised for film posters. Khel and Plan for example are being promoted by liquor brands." Adds he, "Even in Khushi, the marriage with Provogue was a smart idea, considering Fardeen Khan is already the brand's ambassador."
The biggest advantage to producers associating with brands is financial. With money hard to come by, they have had to depend on the underworld or borrow heavily from personal financiers. Adverts in films on the other hand are a "clean" financial source.
For example, BR Chopra's film Baghban, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, has tied up with three brands - Ford Ikon, ICICI Bank and Tata Tea - all of which will figure in his film and the producers are believed to have netted Rs three to four crore from the partnership.
The logic being that since banks and cars are shown in films anyway, why not make a little money out of it? An Amitabh banking with ICICI (he is their brand ambassador) and driving a Ford kills two birds with one stone, benefitting both the products and the film. Bollywood is known for its fickleness, but this particular marriage it appears is here to stay.
Inputs: Neharika Mathur and Pallavi Thakur Bose
Brand meets Bollywood you might say. Fall in love and enter into a mutually convenient marriage. Pushing brands via the silver screen, as seen in the aforementioned example, is a trend being increasingly followed.
Not that this is anything new. Your first example dates back to 1973, Rishi Kapoor whirling around on his black-and-yellow Rajdoot bike with Bobby (Dimple) behind him, in Raj Kapoor's, Bobby. It is unknown whether Rajdoot paid showman Raj Kapoor anything to showcase their bike, but if they were to repeat their act 40 years later, the company would have to part with a certain amount of money at least.
To be saath saath with Coke in Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Saath Saath Hain, Barjatya is said to have received Rs 1.5 crore for associating his film with the brand. The company paid one crore to have Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna romantically meet over a bottle of Coke.
So why do companies make a beeline for Bollywood? Apart from the emotional appeal, filmmakers point out that recall value and the staying power of a brand showcased in a film is a lot higher. Subhash Ghai's film Taal promoted Coke while Yaadein had Kareena going green when a PYT offered Hrithik Roshan a packet of Pass Pass.
Explains Ghai, "Like all media, print or TV-selling space, films can also rope in advertising support to help meet their considerable expenses." Ghai thinks it is equally important to knit a product into a movie, so that it merges well. "It is a storytelling concept and should be incorporated creatively," he adds.
Prahlad Kakkar traces the concept back to A Man and Woman, a 1960s Hollywood film which had the Ford Mustang playing a prominent role. "Top Gun could almost be termed a recruitment film for the US Navy," he points out.
Kakkar though isn't completely happy with the way Bollywood has been borrowing this particular trend. "Our Indian filmmakers are stupid. There is never any rationale for inclusion of a brand in a movie. Most directors try to force-fit the brand into the film in order to extol money from the company concerned." Ads in films, says he, can only work if the product is an integral part of the film.
And cold cash does not always have to exchange hands. "The filmmakers could ask the companies to help with publicity. There could be schemes where a company might distribute its products free with tickets or organise some sort of contest. Unfortunately, the producers get greedy. 'Give us one crore,' they say. Then again, the company might also wish to extract its pound of flesh and end up ruining the film," the ad guru tells us.
Kakkar says he himself would not advise clients to jump off this particular cliff. Though he does approve of the Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon tie-up with Provogue. It was a winner, with Provogue showcasing its garments through teen fashion icon Kareena, and then auctioning the clothes later.
But there is no denying advertising in films is becoming big business for film producers, advertisers and ad agencies, with even overseas brands stepping into the fray. American beer company Stroh's is said to have paid Rs 15 lakh to the producers of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for a 15-second scene (the famous showdown with heroine Kajol's dad Amrish Puri), in which Shah Rukh Khan makes mention of the brand name while downing a can of the said beer.
Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, starring Hrithik and Esha Deol, had Pantaloon as a major sponsor while blockbuster Koi... Mil Gaya, staring Hrithik and Preity Zinta, carries in it scenes promoting Hero Honda.
The number of brands associated with films this year has again shown a sharp incline. Shah Rukh Khan's home production Chalte Chalte (a huge hit) has the hero driving a Hyundai Santro and using Castrol engine oil.
Kaizad Gustad's Boom though beats them all. It features 400 carats of De Beers diamonds in its opening scene, courtesy the Diamond Trading Company. While it is not known whether De Beers paid for having their diamonds showcased, there is little doubt that Padma Laxmi, Madhu Sapre and Katrina Kaif walking down the ramp loaded in De Beers is a great marketing tool. The supermodels wear bras laced with diamonds and Gustad says "it is a great promotional tool for the company."
While not as glamourous as diamonds, the Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan film Kuch Na Kaho promotes Coca-Cola (yet again) and Perfetti Van Melle's confectionery brand, Mint-O, as in-film placements. For the Mint-O contest, Rohan Sippy has shot a special TV commercial featuring Abhishek Bachchan and the movie's three supporting actresses. The commercial is set in a cafe. The three girls spot Abhishek sitting in another part of the cafe, separated from them by a glass door. One of the girls (VJ Romona), walks up to the door, knocks on it to attract his attention, pops a Mint-O into her mouth, blows vapour onto the glass, then etching out a heart sign. Abhishek isn't too impressed and the other two girls walk up to the door, pop in Mint-Os, and write "Kuch Kaho". After which Abhishek adds a "Naa" between the two earlier written words.
Coca-Cola has been one of the pioneers in this showbiz-brand partnership, associating itself with Hollywood for at least 25 years. The company even has offices near major Hollywood studios for the purpose. And Coca-Cola India will reportedly be increasingly associated with "Indian passions" cricket and Hindi films.
Not to be left out are the liquor companies. This year McDowell's second-largest brand McDowell No 1 was associated with Raveena Tandon's home production Stumped, while McDowell's Bagpiper teamed up with the Vivek Oberoi starrer Dum. McDowell's strong beer Zingaro was associated with the Pooja Bhatt-produced Jism. Liquor companies are allocating big proportions of their advertising budgets towards films and UB is said to have increased the proportion of their ad budget going towards films by 25 per cent, provided there are good projects.
Film critic Indu Mirani is enthusiastic, "It is high time the trend made a showing. It brings in good revenue and both parties benefit. Most of these brands anyway pay lakhs to popular actors to model for them."
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani backs her up, saying production houses normally have low publicity budgets, "A corporate tie-up helps them get the right sort of publicity. Most of these brands have permanent hoardings, which can be utilised for film posters. Khel and Plan for example are being promoted by liquor brands." Adds he, "Even in Khushi, the marriage with Provogue was a smart idea, considering Fardeen Khan is already the brand's ambassador."
The biggest advantage to producers associating with brands is financial. With money hard to come by, they have had to depend on the underworld or borrow heavily from personal financiers. Adverts in films on the other hand are a "clean" financial source.
For example, BR Chopra's film Baghban, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, has tied up with three brands - Ford Ikon, ICICI Bank and Tata Tea - all of which will figure in his film and the producers are believed to have netted Rs three to four crore from the partnership.
The logic being that since banks and cars are shown in films anyway, why not make a little money out of it? An Amitabh banking with ICICI (he is their brand ambassador) and driving a Ford kills two birds with one stone, benefitting both the products and the film. Bollywood is known for its fickleness, but this particular marriage it appears is here to stay.
Inputs: Neharika Mathur and Pallavi Thakur Bose