Product placement in Bollywood movies

 

Advertising through product placement in movies ae focused on one particular product or service. Therefore, an advertising plan for a certain product could be different from that of another. Advertising can be done with signs, brochures, commercials, direct mailing or e-mail message, personal contact and others. Promotion which is the fourth P of marketing is the key to success of certain marketing strategy as it centers around communication with prospective customers. The current activities of advertising, sales and public relations are different aspects of promotions. In Bollywood we have witnessed several cases of product promotion. In the 1967 movie, An Evening in Paris, actress Sharmila Tagore drank delicately from 200ml bottle of coke and tried to make the logo visible Raj Kapoor's movie Bobby in 1973 featuring Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia featured the Rajdoot motorbike from Enfield Motors in the movie. In the movie "Awwal Number", the Dev Anand flick released in 1990 featuring Aamir Khan one could see that eerytime the hero hit a four, the ball bounced off a poster saying Garware. Many people were found carrying Benzer bags. In Prem Diwane of 1992, an entire sequence with Madhuri Dixit was shot in the Benzer stores of Bombay. In recent times, McDonald’s India was active in product placement. In ‘Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, the hero holds a ball with Mac M on it. Another direct reference is found when the heroine announces that she eats only Domino’s Pizza and Diet Coke. Another instance is found when Hritik Roshan flexes biceps and asks in irritable manner "McDonald’s ka burger laaon kya?" in the movie "Kaho Na Pyar Hai"

The first time product placement was recognized in Hindi movie is "Coke" in the movie Taal of Subhash Ghai. For promoting Stroh's Beer, actor Shahrukh Khan mentioned the name of the brand in the movie Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge for a 15 second slot. Automobiles are a popular product placement items for movies. For instance Maruti Suzuki’s Swift model was launched in the movie Bunty Aur Babli. Bagban features the brands ICICI bank, Ford Ikon and Tata Tea. Amitabh Bachchan starrer Viruddh promoted Asian Paints and Calcium Sandoz tablets. The movie Chalte-Chalte starred Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee's also featured multiple brands like Castrol engine oil, Santro an Verasche. The movie Fiza starring Hrithik Roshan shows the performers before a Close UP bill board. Such product promotion creates attention grabbing ways for a niche audience and when viewers find their favorites stars using it and that too in a blockbuster movie they automatically would be inclined to trust those products. Product placement in movies are now terms as in-film advertising as well. A movie is always a lucrative medium to advertise a brand. Bollywood and Hollywood both have a wide range of examples where products are placed in movies and advertised. Product placement along with cinema advertising can help brands promote themselves better than what they would with TV ads. However the designing of the ads in product placement in movies should be done carefully to address psychological needs of potential buyers and viewers.

 

Covert advertising in Bollywood movies

 

In the competitive world of the present, a variety of brands and their products are around us while each product tries their best to raise their head in the economy. Advertisers and marketers are using various methods and techniques to build their brand where advertising is a significant too for promotion or communication and creates effective marketing methods for the survival of the companies. In new forms of advertising, covert advertising refers to branding of different products placed in an entertainment or media. Covert advertising is that form where the advertiser communicates a silent message to the audience. Covert advertising is a technique that plays an important role in building product or brand recall and acknowledgement by consumers effectively.

Pepsi benefitted from placement in movies and also celebrity endorsement with actors like Shahrukh Khan. The biggest achievement of Pepsi in India resulted from their placement in the film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hae. The movie Dhoom and Dhoom II made space for covert advertising of motorbikes and raised their sales by almost 40%. Krrish, the movie made by Rakesh Roshan engaged the advertisement of Singapore Tourism Board besides brands like Sony, John Players, Bournvita, Tide, Hero Honda, Boro Plus, Lifebuoy, HP power and Lays Chips alongside others. Krrish highlighted 38 brands in the movie. Bam Bam Bole was a movie which centers around a small town boy and that boy's character turns around rules and gains success against the odds and this goes with the slogan ‘Impossible is nothing’ of Adidas. Zandu Balm is manufactured as a pain reliever rub and another antiseptic brand Boro-plus cream was placed in the movie Dabang. Thus covert advertising found its place in Bollywood movies. Covert advertising helps produces collect the money needed for production. The brand '3' tie dup with the famous song "Kola Vere Di".

Covert advertising in movies and television has helped brands gain greater credibility and recognition. The technological developments in terms of PVR, VOD will continue to influence covert advertising. In remote areas where televisions is not common but movie theaters are overcrowded, such product placement through covert advertising gives good exposure to the brands. Although covert advertising in positive for the brands usually, yet there are some disadvantages. For instance, there could be lack of control over the covert advertisement. One drawback is that the marketers will usually lack control over how brands are portrayed or placed into a scene of a movie or television program, the program broadcasted might not be successful and if the brand is associated with some negative character it might be harmful for the brand. Using covert advertising is therefore lacking in control over how the brands are shown in a scene of a movie or television program. Brands often end up being misused, ignored, criticized and linked with values which are questionable or used ethically. Usually the target audience tends to be influenced by the character’s nature as portrayed in the movie. Thus covert advertisements need to address these aspects sensitively to give maximum exposure to the brands.

 

Movie Advertising in India | An Impactful Marketing Idea

 

There is no doubt saying that Indians are head over heels about cinema. This craziness gives investors and advertising companies similar crazy and innovative ideas to promote their brands. The impact is unimaginable. Movie advertising in India is not a new trend in increasing brand value. The techniques are new, but not the name.

What is Movie Advertising in India?
In simpler words, movie advertising refers to running ads and product placement before and between a movie. It has always been a powerful strategy to promote products and services. When you visit a theater to watch a film, different sorts of advertising are displayed at the entrance, ticket counter, standees, elevators, snack stalls etc. These are also parts of in-cinema advertising.

Overview of the Indian Film Industry
India is incredibly diverse, and so is the film industry. Several film industries rule our hearts from the beginning. There are Hindi film industries (Bollywood) and other regional film industries (Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi and more)that collectively contribute to the Indian movie mania fandom.

Bollywood
The Indian film industry has its main pillar, and that is Bollywood. Around 1000 films are made in Bollywood every year. These are released throughout India and overseas on big and small screen formats. Bollywood movies generate 40% of the total income of India, and the annual growth rate is increasing surprisingly high, ranging between 10%-20%.

Regional Films
The most successful regional film industries are Tamil and Telugu, followed by Malayalam, Bengali and Punjabi. Recently, the craze for south Indian movies has been increasing like a flood, and so is the revenue. South Indian pictures, in the current stage, are responsible for almost 30% of India's entertainment and media revenue.

Product Placement in Movies
Promoting a brand in a movie without disrupting the actual plot is a clever and brilliant way of product placement. It is a marketing technique used in the entertainment business where references to a specific brand or product are included in the script and integrated to enable the promotion of that particular brand or product. Companies conduct product placement techniques to attract large audiences. In return, the production companies get cash, goods, or services. Some of the brilliant and innovative examples of product placement in movies are:

1. Hrithik Roshan starring in supernatural film Koi Mil Gaya - The leading character drinks BournVita that matches the script well
2. The Dhoom series is mostly about showing off the bikes, a well-incorporated strategy to promote the brand.
3. Shah Rukh Khan in the Chennai Express displays his Nokia Phone with the model name and price - a clever product placement idea for sure.
4. The song 'Fevicol' from Dabangg 2 itself is a brand name.
5. Displaying of Domino's Pizza in Phir Hera Pheri - such an innovative idea to promote the brand that goes very well with the script
These are a few examples of clever and creative product placements in Hindi cinemas. The filmmakers, producers and advertising experts always try to give their best shot to execute an innovative idea to promote a brand.

Why is movie advertising in India flourishing ?
It is not a newly discovered phenomenon, but it's been in vogue for many decades. The advantages are enormous, and therefore, movie advertising in India is flourishing more. The technique is acceptable when the incorporation does not disturb the plot or script of the movie. The advantages of in-film branding in India are:

• Products and services receive higher value and recognition
• An undeniable celebrity halo effect
• The best practice to make the audience notice brands at a cheaper cost
• Non-skippable ads since it's a part of the plot
• No barrier of gender, culture and class
• More companies are switching
• Less risky and high rate of RoI (Return of Investment)

Conclusion
The effectiveness of movie advertising in India is commendable and praiseworthy. The advertising companies prepare strategies to create a place in the mind of the people which they are doing remarkably good through the technique. When people watch a cinema for 2- 3hours, they focus on that only, and hence the brand displayed in the cinemas gets continuous visibility. Another prominent cause for getting perfect visibility is when the brands are exhibited as a part of the movie, not making them ignorable.

Since movie marketing in India is booming higher and higher, as an investor, you should take this chance to make a generous amount of profit. Let's start with small budget movies, gather experience and then make a big decision for the next big-budget investment

 

Covert advertising in Bollywood movies

 

Cinema advertising is an excellent promotional tool for different product brands. Viewers can skip or fast forward the commercials on OTT platforms but it is impossible on tv screens or cinema halls. As a result, brand advertisements in cinemas can influence the audience to a large extent. In this article, we will focus on what cinema advertising is and its advantages and disadvantages.

In previous decades ads in movie theatres were unable to capture viewers' interest in the screen. This is somehow because of underrated visual quality and untargeted traffic insight. But the scenario has begun to change.

Since the beginning of feature films in the late 19th century, cinema advertising has become a powerful and versatile approach for commercial enterprises. It helps them to deliver their messages to customers.

In-film advertising has developed in lockstep with the extraordinary expansion of Indian cinema in recent years. Along with the increased number of films released each year and the updated version of displaying modes, the chances of in-cinema advertising have also dramatically flourished. As one of the largest media alternatives, cinema advertising can bring profits upto INR 850 crore.

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What is Cinema Advertising?
The concept of brand marketing at movie theaters is known as cinema advertising. It includes on-screen and off-screen promotions that customers watch at movie theaters. These advertisements are commonly shown as a quick audio-visual commercial before the movie begins. They are also placed on the banners at the refreshment stands of the cinema hall. It is a highly effective marketing channel.

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Types of Cinema Advertising
There are several types of in-film advertising processes. As a kind of outhouse advertising method, it incorporates a lot of advanced techniques and placements throughout multiplexes to target efficient audiences. It also uses different technologies, ranging from conventional displays to digitized and multimedia commercials. Here are some common types of cinema advertising discussed below:

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Video Commercials
Video commercials or theater commercials generally appear just before the movie begins. They are usually identical to television advertisements.

LED Displays
While you are at the movies, you experience more than just the big screens. Many cinemas have relatively small LED screens across the auditorium. They use these screens for marketing brands digitally.

Advertisements in the storefronts
These types of advertisements are also known as kiosk ads. We commonly find them in the entryway of the movie hall. They display either on electronic slides or conventional banners.

Standees
All of those are stand-alone big advertising posters. In most cases, they look like giant banners.
Advertisements on a PowerPoint slide
These are the motionless, static commercials that run on the display as you enter the auditorium.

 

The Upsides of Cinema Advertising
It is undeniable that cinema has active involvement and nominal ad rejection rankings. This is inevitable because there isn't much to do around a movie theater, and many people consider the advertisements to be part of the process.

Cinema platforms bring a large customer base regularly. And in-film advertising generates four times higher viewers than television. Cinema advertising can reach specific audiences with creative messages that effectively captivate audiences. Now, let's look forward to the biggest boons of advertising in cinema.

 

The Downsides of Cinema Advertising
Complete perfection is impossible. But while it is about business campaigning through advertising, it requires enough attention during production.

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Final Thoughts
In India, cinema advertisements provide a constant, optimistic, and responsive way of thinking to economically advanced audiences. They allow you to showcase your businesses in a larger-than-life setting! In-film advertising offers an excellent medium for being creative and also communicating with your intended audience, either virtually or physically.