The Hindu Business Line : Movie moves

The movie Rang de Basanti has tied up with Coca-Cola India to launch a limited edition of Coke bottles. Seen here are Aamir Khan and Coke's Vice-President (Marketing) Vikas Gupta.

AS far back as 1975, a film-maker who broached the subject of royalty from Pidilite for mentioning Fevicol in the film was at a loss to answer when Pidilite, the manufacturer, asked him why roles could not be reversed - the company felt the brand was much bigger. Companies are now forking out huge amounts for their brands to feature in movies or ally with them for pre- and post-release publicity, and are still grappling with how the deal can best be exploited.

Since then, many movies have resorted to using Fevicol in various situations, romantic or funny, to depict the strength of bonding or a constant, unwelcome presence. There have been proposals now and then that the company pay for the mentions it gets but it has steadfastly refused. For one, it is content with the kind of exposure it's getting now, where the references to it blend into the situation. For another, in paid endorsements, "most of the brand portrayal is static, one usually sees a logo on a kiosk or the product is placed somewhere in the scene without really blending into the situation," says B. O. Mehta, Senior Vice-President (Marketing), Pidilite. Catalyst asked a few companies, which recently went in for in-film placements or co-branding, whether that was true. While they said the way their brands were handled was not a force-fit, they agreed that there was a clear and present danger of that happening, and explained how and why.

Says a spokesperson for Coca-Cola India, whose most recent tinsel world tie-up is with the Aamir Khan starrer Rang De Basanti, "The idea is to innovate as the consumer is evolving. Sports and movies are the two unifying factors that appeal to all segments of the market and to a culturally diverse India, so it's all the more challenging to identify avenues that would add excitement."

Coke, in a first-of-its-kind attempt, has launched Coca-Cola bottles branded with the RDB title and Aamir's picture, and there is a movie trailer that is a montage of shots from the film and Coke's current Piyo Sar Uthake campaign. Interestingly, the brand itself is not used in the film as the script didn't warrant its presence, says the spokesman, pointing out that in James Bond films, while Omega watches and BMWs are seen, the camera doesn't zoom in on them.

According to Fevicol's Mehta, a brand should blend into the situation effortlessly.

He quotes an example: In the Hindi film Masti, where Vivek Oberoi's character laments to his friends about his ever-present and watchful wife saying, "Itni badi chipku hai ki Fevicolwale use sponsor kar denge" (She's so hard to get rid of Fevicol would sponsor her).

And in Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, a carpenter who had featured in a Fevicol ad was given a role in the movie, says Mehta, adding that Fevicol has emerged as a cinematographer's icon solely on the strength of its brand equity.

Ramesh Thondapi of Tata Teleservices, which tied up with the Rajnikant blockbuster Chandramukhi for its prepaid mobile service, says it was a promo with a difference. "It was unheard of," he says with pride. "No movie opens with an advertisement for the brand (Tata Indicom True Paid); this did. Even after the interval, the advertisement precedes the resumption of the movie. The camera is completely focused on the brand, there's no clutter and a captive audience."

He adds that having no other brand feature in the movie also worked well for the company. The IMRB score of spontaneous brand awareness shot up from 30 to 99 in six months, and will have a positive rub-off on the brand.

Rajeshwari D. Sheth, General Manager (Cosmetics), Henkel India, says there are two deterrents to in-film placement. One issue is whether it's a seamless fit, and the second is the logistics of film-making. "The gestation period of a film is fairly long, about 9-12 months, and as it's a creative endeavour, the thought and execution evolve and cannot be controlled; in corporate life, there are stringent rules about the brand's image and associations, and the two factors might be difficult to reconcile," she explains. And, of course, the costs are fairly prohibitive, she says.

There's no going rate, say brand managers, but one says it's not less than Rs 20 lakh at first quote (negotiable, of course). The cost depends on the number of seconds of brand exposure, which actors are present in the scene, what kind of a scene it is (dialogue/song/dance).

Henkel associated with Salaam Namaste for its Fa range of deos, but only after the movie was released, as it was looking for innovative opportunities at that time. Most brands are a force-fit and they really stand out, says Dikshit, adding that it is "difficult to get a deo into a film."

Tanishq, which supplied the jewellery to the recent period film Paheli, says the tie-up worked very well for it.

Says Vincent Braganza, Head (Merchandising & Marketing), "A soft drink is incidental to the film but our jewellery became part of the setting, took viewers back to Rajasthan," and had consumers enquiring about that range, launched as the Paheli collection. Priced between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh, it did very well, he says. "The soft drink in a film is more for brand salience than for building a story around the brand, which is what we tried to do," says Braganza. Tanishq also advertised its association with Paheli and even ran a TV promo for stronger consumer connect. "The long shelf life of movies offers a ceaseless visibility opportunity to the brand," says V. Govind Raj, General Manager (Sales & Marketing), Tanishq. The biggest advantage, of course, is mass appeal. But are there ways in which the brand can help the movie, and not just ride piggyback? Says Tata Teleservices' Thondapi, "Well, we put up 80,000 sq. ft. of hoardings (co-branded) for Chandramukhi, and the hype so built up contributed to its becoming a hit."

Says Ajinkya Firodia, General Manager (Marketing), Kinetic Engineering, "If manufacturers insist that the brand be very obvious, nobody benefits as the film and brand both become the laughing stock of the viewers."

In the Hindi film Gayab, Kinetic featured its Laser model - the movie's about a guy who's invisible, so the bike was seen (to be riding on its own) in isolation, without anything to detract from viewers' attention, which was both good exposure and good fit, says Firodia.

In Fevicol's case, all the publicity it got was not sought, so how does the company ensure that the brand is not damaged in any way? Vice-President Mehta says the company has not faced this situation so far. And the company has not used any filmi situations in its advertising, either.

The brand has also become generic to the adhesive/glue category, but this is more a source of pride than worry for the company.

"We consciously try to ensure that our symbol is associated with Fevicol; we won't allow its equity to be diluted," says Mehta.

Tata Teleservices' Thondapi, says that while top-of-the-mind recall is fine, a "solid offer has to be there" for consumers to actually buy.

And while companies claim that all their alliances got them good mileage and they are open to any form of film-associated publicity, it is the deal they ultimately strike that is the deciding factor.