It’s been a century for Indian film
industry but still there are many more miles to go.
The entire industry has evolved over a
period of time & is continuously witnessing change and interestingly it has
restructured over the past decade or so.
What was earlier a small time art activity
has now given the status of industry and now every activity is handled by
professional agencies. The industry took a paradigm shift when at the start of
early 2000 the corporates decided op take interest in movie
production & distribution and since then has seen a rise in fortune.
This restructuring has opened new
avenue for marketers in a big way since it has led to opening of new
channels altogether which were earlier impossible to tap.
With rise
of multiplexes and
digitization of single screens has led to marketers to re-establish their faith
in movie industry like never before. The access to formal financing has led to
increase in size of the budget of the movie and simultaneously the level of
distribution going up, it has become a lucrative option for marketers. Movie
making has become serious business and so are the revenues attached to it since
the average viewership has gone up so when Salman khan does a Kick or Hritik
flies as a Krishh the audience swear by it and it is the marketers who relish.
In this digital era it is not just the
film screening that brings revenue but various other avenues like satellite
rights, music rights etc. Yes, they give you the right, you give them the
money. Even with Mobile, screen cover & ring tone you have to buy these
rights.
So when you brag about the latest ring tone or wall paper basically you made these guys richer and now it has now even expanded to merchandise and souvenirs, cups etc. Movies like Bunty & Babli, Parineeta and even big commercial hits like Dhoom 2 have created a fashion buzz and many retailers having anticipated this tied up with producers and production houses in advance.
Take the case of cinema halls. Along with corporatization of production houses there was a parallel series of events which revolutionized the customer experience.
Yes, the development of multiplexes and digitization
of single screens is not just
about customer experience, it has a marketing angle too.
We can mute the TV when ads are on, we can skip the ads on Youtube or any other streaming, we can change the channel in FM during break, but unfortunately you can’t leave the movie hall.
That’s why now movie theatres are now
effective medium of
advertising. Many companies buy the advertising rights during the shows and
it is working. Companies like Hero & HUL have successfully adopted this
route.
So with industry becoming organized in
every aspect, surely it has its own characteristics with companies now doing
extensive consumer mapping with extensive marketing research.
Production houses have realized that
big budget commercial movies does not always work, so they are now diversifying
and also producing what’s called niche movies catering to various consumers
like Kahani, Wake up Sid which were low budget but had a specific appeal.
And with such movies the dress style & costume choice is carefully made to make it bond with the whole story & convinces the viewers to like such merchandise.
Even governments have understood the importance
of movies with regards to the
impact they can have on tourism and promotion of art, craft and culture.
Ministry of Tourism as well as many state governments tie up with production
houses for movies to be shot & prepared in their states.
As rightly said by Hopkins, marketing has
reached the status of science. So when corporates sensed opportunity in the
film industry they took the opportunity and it is now reaping fruits for them. In the end though “customer is the
king!!” - we the consumers now have so much to choose to from, not just movies but
clothes , mugs , music and many other things that we can brag on social media!
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