We are aware of how the usage of mobile phones has increased tremendously over the last few years. Every individual now owns a mobile phone with which he carries out numerous activities. This provides a perfect opportunity for marketers to connect to the target audience.
Many people make the assumption that teens are the only audience that mobile phones may appeal to. Actually, the audience is actually predominantly male, aged between 18 and 45 yrs (86%). He is digitally savvy and immersed in popular culture in all its forms ? TV, music, film and fashion. He is highly social, and actively engaged in group pursuits. He is not a teenager, rather an adult facing a number of crucial milestones, from changing jobs, to buying a home or car, to starting a family.
In recent times we have seen a large number of films using the mobile platform as a mode of promotion. This is a very smart move compared to traditional methods. Earlier, traditional forms of media used to promote Bollywood movies included outdoor, print and television ads which sometimes also carried a contest element in their messages.
Research firm MobileSQUARED?s latest report, Key Developments for Mobile Advertising 2011, predicts that about one third of advertising agencies expect over 30% of their clients? campaigns to contain mobile, or an element of mobile, in 2011. This shows that marketers are realising the true potential of mobile in engaging audiences round the clock, which makes it the perfect tool for movie marketing.
Bollywood on the move
Fourteen million Indians go to the movies on a daily basis (about 1.4% of the population of 1 billion) and pay the equivalent to the average Indian?s day?s wages (US $1-3) to see any of the over 800 films churned out by Bollywood each year. That?s more than double the number of feature films produced in the United States.
With such an overdose of films in India, movie producers have to look at a 360-degree marketing strategy to engage their audiences and create better brand recall.
Recently we have seen movies like Shaitan and Ragini MMS which have used below-the-line (BTL) strategies to get the audience moving. These movies carried out campaigns at malls using tactics which would lure audiences to the cinema halls to see the movies. Again, when we talk of below-the-line, we have to keep in mind that it is a marketing move, rather than a promotional strategy.
Even Delhi Belly has used the social media route through Facebook as a medium to connect with audiences. Through a contest over the movie?s Facebook page, fans were given the opportunity to meet members of the cast.
While these marketing efforts have been somewhat effective in pulling in the crowds at the box office, the mobile medium has been largely ignored until now.
Mobile: An effective branding tool
Along with these, Bollywood has also started incorporating mobile marketing in its marketing strategies through mobile games and apps. This platform not only connects the players to the central plot of the movie but also with the film?s characters.
Bollywood is making the optimum use of this opportunity. Mobile games for the actual film can be released before it runs, and this acts as a ?teaser? to create publicity and hype around the movie. This not only helps in driving ticket sales but it also gives an extended life to the movie in terms of DVD sales or selling of movie merchandise. Alternatively, a different mobile game or app can also be created for each stage cycle of the movie (before, during and after) to maximise consumer awareness.
A good example of how the mobile phone was used to extend the shelf life of a film can be seen in a movie titled Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge. Despite the movie being released in March 2010, the mobile game for the film received phenomenal response with more than 40,000 downloads in September and October 2010.
And it?s not just Bollywood that?s going mobile; Hollywood seems to be jumping on the bandwagon too. Blockbuster movie franchises such Ironman, Pirates of the Carribean and, recently, Transformers, have also used the mobile medium to create more branding awareness and extend their consumer reach.
Can Bollywood ride the mobile wave?
A developer needs to firstly understand the need of his target group and connect it with the movie. The good news about mobile is that there is always a need for content especially amongst India?s mobile users. Findings from a recent mobile lifestyle survey indicate that Indian mobile users are looking for more movie and TV related content and have a voracious appetite for mobile gaming. These two ingredients, when combined, create the perfect audience for movie marketers.
The author is CEO of BuzzCity