Coffee with Daenerys

On the popular American television drama series Game of Thrones (GoT), a Starbucks paper cup mysteriously appeared in a recent episode, causing commotion on social media and helping the coffeehouse chain gain a stupendous $2.3 billion in free advertising! Back home in Bollywood, Gully Boy carried 20 brand associations, several in a subtle manner. While Truecaller featured as a passing reference in the film, Kingfisher Beer and Sunsilk held contests around the movie, with winners getting movie tickets. 

The recent brand promotions in GoT and Gully Boy mark a stark difference from the blatant, in-your-face promotions by brands like Bournvita and Mountain Dew in movies like Koi Mil Gaya and Mission Istaanbul a few years ago. And who can forget Chennai Express where Shahrukh Khan's over-the-top eulogy on Nokia Lumia was remembered more than the movie itself?

But the brand experience is now more fluid, say experts. “Earlier, in-film marketing had more product placements which meant there was either a visual placement in a scene with the logo clearly visible, or any character would discuss the product. This has evolved and filmmakers are weaving brands in their storyline since inception,” says Sonam Shah, founder and CEO, Treize Communications.

Says Shrenik Gandhi, CEO and co-founder, White Rivers Media, “The film industry is ensuring that brand promotions stay relevant to the audience and to the storyline because people today are smarter than ever and are increasingly focused on the storytelling and on the content. That's why we are gradually seeing a decline in the in-your-face product promotions. We have done brand tie-ups with movies, but have ensured the brand is natively integrated and does not stick out like a sore thumb.”

Blatant brand promotions spell failure for both the movie and the brand, says Harssh Chheda, founder and CEO, Corporate Collars, a bespoke luxury apparel brand. “Today, brands wish to create a top-of-the-mind recall. They want to make a personal connect with the audience by inducing their products/offerings in a more relatable manner. Thus, holistic brand integration is the way forward as this helps in the brand connect and recall. When a product is subtly integrated within the story of the movie, the audience understands the depth of what the brand can do for them and also connect the product with the star using it,” explains Chheda.

Moreover, millennials, who form the target group for several brands, do not just watch movies but access content through multiple platforms, says Shah. “Thus brands need to be present across multiple touch-points and this also marks the increase in subtle seamless brand integrations.”

Shah says that brand associations vary and range from launching teaser posters to trailers to the first look and to promotional song events.

The costs for brands though are humungous. For an in-placement of a brand within a movie, costs range from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 2 crore. But for out-of-movie partnerships, which include contests, ad campaigns, co-marketing events, etc, the costing could go up to Rs 4-5 crore. 

Says Gandhi, “Co-branding is a win-win, specifically with films that have an interesting subject. For example, Pee-safe's collaboration with Toilet Ek Prem Katha, where the idea of hygiene was central to the plot and was in line with the brand's products. The brand ended up getting wider exposure.”

Another kind of collaboration, where branded clothes or accessories or jewellery donned by actors in a particular movie are then promoted to the public as “limited edition collections” is also gaining in credence. Tanishq had designed earrings, nose-rings, necklaces, chokers and other jewellery pieces for the lead actors and had later promoted a Padmaavat collection to consumers. “Such associations benefit the brand as people are influenced by the character and would love to have a part of the merchandise. Moreover, since the promotions are interconnected, both the film and the brand stand to gain,” says Chheda.

STAR BUCKS

• Rs 80 lakh to Rs 2 crore – An in-placement of a brand within a movie costs 
   
• Rs 4-5 cr – Costing  for out-of-movie partnerships, which include contests, ad campaigns, co-marketing events, etc