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As Bollywood gets more and more commercialized by the hour, the biggest names in consumer markets are reaching out for branded

entertainment. Let us explore the corporate facet of film-associations in Abhishek-Ash starrer Guru. Tejaswini Aparanji of P9 Entertainment

gives us a low down on the alliance of Blackberry and Intex brands with Mani Ratnam's masterpiece.

Why do you think more and more brands are opting for in-film placements and outside associations?

Branded entertainment is an innovation of sorts and it breaks away from the clutter in the mass media and conventional media advertising.

Film-associations are very effective and ensure that you get a large number of eye-balls. Also in-film branding is a high-risk high-return model. If the

film-association is done correctly and the movie is successful, the returns on investment are extremely high because of the number of people

cinema reaches out to. When a consumer is watching a movie, the mindset of the consumer is extremely relaxed. The environment that a movie

lends for a consumer is totally clutter-free. So with in-film placements, it is very beneficial for any of the brands to advertise through movies. Also in

movies, a message or a product benefit can be conveyed in a very creative way and not very overtly.

In-film branding is a high-risk high-return model.

As you mentioned, in-film placements are not done overtly and outside-associations are also very subtle. What are the chances of a brand going

unnoticed?

At the end of the day, it depends on the creative execution. There have been overt placements as well as subtle placements. Even in case of

advertisements, a good creative will be impactful whereas a bad creative will go unnoticed after a point of time. Similar is the case with

film-associations. If the creative execution is good then the brand will definitely not go unnoticed.

Why do you think brands opt for big-budget films for placements, although small-budget films also receive very good response?

That is because brands want to lessen the risk. Ideally, big production houses which sign big stars give an assurance of results to the brand. You

know that a movie getting a good response with a big star cast is more likely than a small-budget film that may not be admired by all the strata of

audiences.

Big production houses which sign big stars give an assurance of

results to the brand.

Do you think cinema is more influential in promotions, than other media like print and outdoors?

Traditional media like print and outdoors will always be there but like I said, there is a lot of clutter in those media. So now brands have to start

looking at other mediums to give out their communication to mass audience. And if you analyze India as a nation, Bollywood is even bigger now

than cricket. You can't deny that most of the Indians are big movie watchers. Also a lot of money is being put in from all sources into Bollywood. So

it makes a lot of sense for brands to come on board to movies and convey their message more effectively.

Do brands set aside budgets for film associations?

Earlier it used to be one-off, but now brands are stepping up and saying that we have x amount of money annually and we want to spend it on

branded entertainment. The monies are then divided into product placements and outside association. Big brands are now putting money into film

associations. It is a part of their marketing plan

What is the biggest challenge you face in branded entertainment?

The biggest challenge for branded entertainment is that brands are very sceptical about the Indian film industry. Even though there is a lot of

corporatization happening with the film industry, a lot of brands are very sceptical about commitments not being met- producer backing out, the film

getting shelved, or the relevant scene being cut out at the last minute. Brands are also very concerned about the scene being shot on aesthetic

values.

The biggest challenge for branded entertainment is that brands are

very sceptical about the Indian film industry.

What is the current market share of branded entertainment?

In the entire state, the market of branded entertainment is Rs. 200 crores and steadily increasing.

How did you manage to associate a contemporary brand like Blackberry in Guru, which has been set against the backdrop of 1950 India?

Blackberry has an outside association with the movie. The beauty of an outside-association is that it doesn't have to delve inside but it can still ride

on the wave of the movie. Blackberry as a brand, with all that it stands for, is similar to what the protagonist in Guru portrays. The tagline of

Blackberry is "Sharp, smooth, sure” and the character played by Abhishek Bachchan is just the same. So Blackberry managed to blend itself very

well with Guru and it was pretty seamless.

So is Abhishek Bachchan indirectly endorsing Blackberry through Guru?

No he is not. You will not see him sporting the brand at any point in the movie. That is because Blackberry is entirely an outside-association.

Intex is a brand that actually launched its product with the movie

Guru.

How did the deal with Intex Invertors happen?

Intex again is an outside-association. Intex is a brand that actually launched its product with the movie Guru. Again, what Guru stands

for is exactly what Intex aims to stand for in the mind of the consumer. If you see storyboard and the script of the co-branded TVC, it conveys the

same thing. There is actually a story from beginning to the end, talking about the brand and its products in the movie.

Are there any brand placements in the movie?

Hero Cycles is the only brand that has been placed in Guru, which you will spot while watching the film.

Over the years we have seen film-associations in movies like Krissh, Baabul, and now Guru. Which has been your favourite placement?

The best example of branded entertainment that the industry has seen is Lifebuoy and Krissh, which was aired in the form of a co-branded

TVC. It is the perfect example of not placing the brand too overtly and yet creating great impact. Although the placement really depends on the brand

strategy and the purpose of using cinema as a medium, creative execution also calls for skill. If it is a contest-driven promotion then the best which

we have seen is Kinetic Blaze in Apna Sapna Money Money. Another unforgettable film-association was Mint-O in Jaan-E-Mann, the movie

really brought Mint-O on board.

The best example of branded entertainment that the industry has

seen is Lifebuoy and Krissh.

Which one do you think has been the worst brand-association so far?

I would really not want to comment on that one!