In a world of zip, zap, zoom, the marketeer is always on the lookout for new ways of catching the consumer’s eye. And for this he tries a plethora of gimmicks, as it becomes critical in this chaotic bazaar to make one’s voice heard and presence felt. Compounded with all this pandemonium, today’s consumer has a limited mind span and a constant need for stimulation. He is a cynic, a “been there, done that” kind of person, who seems to know all the tricks of the trade.
So what do you do? You paint your logos on the natural landscape of the mountains. Another popular fast food chain maintains the parks and swings in localities and paints them red and yellow. A well known radio channel hands out free coasters, in parking lots and at toll gates, with their channel’s name on them. Neon signs and hot air balloons with brand names and in the brand colour combination are strewn across the locale that one lives in. Innovation and creativity are the mantras by which the marketeer lives today and yet the consumer is really hard to please and is booting him out like the pesky neighbourhood salesman.
This had brand managers and advertisers perplexed and frustrated. How did one go about gaining access into the consumer’s psyche? And more importantly how could one camouflage the manipulations? What was the one medium that the larger mass of consumers turned to for entertainment?
Bingo! The answer was picture perfect — the make believe world that everyone turns to when escaping the harsh realities of the real world — cinema. If one could somehow blend the brand into this magnum opus, rest assured, it would be a successful mission accomplished. And sure enough the creative and experimenting marketeer has caught on to this. One of the earliest memories one has of this manoeuvre, is Rajdoot the motorcycle in Bobby. I can almost hear the “Ah ha,’’ to know that you’ve caught on!
If one examines the chronological data, there have been brand placements that are brazenly upfront like the Aston Martin that Mr Bond drives, the Omega that he tells the time from, the Sony Ericsson that he communicates with and the Heineken beer that he drinks. On home ground, there is the Samsonite suitcase that the protagonist lugs around halfway across the US of A. The Reebok that is Mr Khan’s loyal footwear in his journey to meet President Obama. The Nike shoes that George wore to come back to the jungle and save the wildlife in George of the Jungle, “Coke on the rocks” in Jaane tu ya Jaane na. Maruti swift in Bunty aur Babli; ICICI the bank in which the protagonist worked in Baghban; the Pepsi and the Slice bottles that the characters pick up in their grocery shopping in Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani, the list is interesting and endless.
And then there is the other way of communicating. Here the essential benefits and symbolism of the brand are woven into the storyline and integrated in a plausible manner. Some well integrated examples are Fedex in the Runaway Bride when Julia Roberts once again escapes, this time in a Fedex van, and the observation is no matter where she is headed she would be there by 10 am the next morning (the Fedex delivery promise). Rishi Kapoor swears by the foolproof “error ka koi scope hi nahi” when filling in a Bharat matrimony.com form for his daughter’s alliance in Namastey London. The Airtel jingle which rings in the barren solitude of a Leh landscape when Phunshuk Wangdu calls, in 3 Idiots — the message, Airtel’s amazing network, no matter where you are.
So the question is what sells — upfront stage props like “Pepsi
ka khali can” in Rocket Singh or the camouflaged Western Union Money Transfer that gets
you money in a jiffy in Namastey London?
Well the answer is as clear as the crystal water in Evian, if your objective is simple recall, then a simple Main Hoon Na kind of message which remains in the backdrop and yet smoothly slithers into the consumer’s latent memory, works. However, if the agenda is to drive home the brand advantage, the brand will have to take centrestage, long enough to subtly convey the message and yet be short enough not to make the intention obvious.
A note of caution, however, and that is, movies are all about the consumer unwinding in a fantasy world far away from reality. A few backdrops, a few subtle messages, like the tonic in the gin and the soda in the whisky might escape his attention; but if one goes full throttle and causes a brand(s) deluge, he will not forgive you the dilution of his whimsy. So tread gently, tip toe your way in and out of his cinematic reverie, your communication like a lullaby should let him dream on and on…
The writer is professor,
marketing, IMI Delhi