Grinding Records
The Film has left a trail of broken records in its aftermath. It has vociferously rattled the cash counters at the Box Office both in India and abroad. It has turned the tide of a subjugated Bollywood fraternity and instilled in them renewed confidence. The beleaguered Industry has been simply brought to life, such has been the impact of ‘Pathaan’.
Worldwide Impact
The Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham starrer is now amongst the top grossers worldwide and is competing with the likes of Avatar 2 and the money spinners from the Marvel stable. This enormous success had me thinking and I tried to decipher as to what could be the reason or reasons behind this monumental performance. The Film is said to be a complete entertainer, but I am not a film critic and therefore it would be futile going into the merits or demerits of the Film. However, a lot of thought has gone into the Film’s projection and marketing, which is the reason of my post today.
The Existing Marketing Template
For more than a decade now, Films in India, particularly in the Hindi Film Industry, are promoted or marketed in a templated manner. A teaser, followed by a trailer, lots of interviews to various channels, a spate of visits by the actors covering the length and breadth of the country and finally appearing in famous TV programmes, soap operas and reality shows. Every Film has been following a similar pattern of marketing. However in the case of Pathaan, the marketing script was a tad different.
The New Marketing Script
A Teaser months ago and a Trailer just before the release was all that followed the template. The actors very carefully stayed away from the limelight. The more the media wanted to question them about the film, the more quiet they were. This led to an increased curiosity. Barring one interview given by the entire team of Pathaan, nothing much was coming. Only two songs were released. The actors did not travel the country promoting the film nor did they appear on any of the soaps or reality shows. The controversies notwithstanding, the well thought of subdued or rather passive marketing raised inquisitiveness about the film to unprecedented levels.
Unlocking The Potential of Brand SRK
The fact that Shahrukh Khan was making a comeback after a long break was an important narrative which was made to spread. The unlocking of the potential associated with brand SRK was the key and how succesfully it was executed. Everyone associated with Bollywood pulled their weight in whatever capacity to make sure that the narrative spreads and that the curiosity and the expectations reach sky high levels. Even the theatre owners were seen promoting the film in their own way. This led to a major jump in advance bookings. The shows on the first day began at 6 in the morning and went until midnight. This was never heard of in the history of Indian Cinema. The 6 am shows were in a way a master stroke in giving further credence to the film.
All Stakeholders Coming Together
The Film Critics too played a pivotal role in fuelling the Film’s rise over the first weekend. There was no bad press about the film and every critic hailed it as a great entertainer and at least a one time watch. With Bollywood so desperately needing a blockbuster, all stakeholders came together and ensured the success of the Film, leaving no stone unturned.
Marketing Pathaan has been a well crafted strategy . Fit for a Case Study.
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They really nailed it 👏
Absolutely