Written by Anand Pandit
When I was growing up, cross promotion in cinema meant a sponsored programme on AIR where a few dialogues or riffs of songs were played with Ameen Sayani asking listeners to watch the soon to be released film. In rural areas and small towns, rickshaw pullers carried loudspeakers and film hoardings to publicise new releases. When Doordarshan‘s show Chitrahaar became popular, I particularly remember the buzz that ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat’ created by releasing ”Papa Kehte Hain.” This was reminiscent of the 50s era of the vintage countdown show Binaca Geet Mala where featured hit songs often inspired listeners to watch the film in question.
Things have of course changed since then. Over the years we have seen brand placements in cinema, tourism promotion through travel centric films, digital and social media synergies and partnerships with influencers to create pre and post release buzz. Recently a news report about missing girls foreshadowed the release of a film about a similar issue. I won’t say that the two were linked in any way but at times, life in a way furthers a conversation that benefits a film. We also saw in ‘Pathan’ and ‘Tiger-3,’ how two of our biggest superstars appeared in each other’s’ films for promotional purposes. Cross-industry collaborations are also becoming routine with Telugu superstar Jr. NTR in ‘War 2’ with Hrithik Roshan and Kannada star Yash teaming up with Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, and Tara Sutaria in ‘Toxic’ among many other examples. Even filmmakers are crossing over, with Atlee (Tamil) directing Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Jawan’.
Seaking of Hollywood, cross-promotion takes many interesting forms too. The LEGO Movie in 2014 for instance featured characters from various LEGO franchises and bolstered the sales of LEGO products. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is also excellent at cross promotion and varied superhero stories and characters interconnect in interesting ways across films. Not to mention how the MCU leverages social media and disseminates merchandise to create lasting impact on the imagination of filmgoers.
‘Jurassic Park’ which is a successful franchise has also expanded into amusement parks at Universal Studios to expand fan engagement. I also remember how in 2018, Doritos chips promoted ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ with a dinosaur egg-shaped packaging. Disney’s mega hit ‘Frozen’ is represented in Disney Parks and merchandise as well which not only increases the audience base but also creates additional revenue streams. ‘Barbie’ the film and ‘Barbie’ the brand (Mattel) also acted in a deeply symbiotic, mutually beneficial manner.
Coming back to our own industry, trailers, collaborative campaigns, and shared universe marketing are being seen widely. Look at the ‘Singham’ franchise where sequels unfold in a very distinct Cop Universe with common character arcs, cross-film cameos and trailers echoing shared story lines.
‘War 2’ received cross-promotional media exposure by partnering with the Indian Premier League (IPL) to screen teasers during the IPL Final. ‘Raktabeej 2’ in a way referenced classic promotional methods via a bus that travelled across West Bengal with branded visuals etc. As for sequels, ‘Gadar’ and ‘Ghayal’ which were massive hits in their own right also recalled their signature moments during promotions of the films that took their legacy forward while Border 2 linked its teaser with a major hit already playing in theatres successfully. ‘Jolly LLB 3’ and ‘Raid 3’ have also mined nostalgia and fan loyalty to do well.
Trailers incidentally have always been a big part of film promotions. As far back as I can remember, they have played in theatres before a film began and during intervals to play a significant role in kindling audience interest. I still remember watching the trailers of Amitabh Bachchan‘s films in single screen halls in the seventies and eighties with great interest and excitement. This is a very tried and trusted formula to gain traction.
The point though is, any promotional strategy works well when a film has something exceptional to offer. If the film is weak, even a big promotional event or strategy won’t be able to sustain it beyond initial interest. All well marketed films don’t necessarily do well and not all sequels with a loyal audience base click either. Today, be it social media, fan collectives or collaborative marketing, makers try to utilise every method to maximise impact and augment pre-release hype. But as I said before, originality and fresh storytelling remain at the heart of good cinema. Everyone is seeking sustainable success but it can be achieved only when we coalesce creative integrity with thoughtful commercial strategies.
Anand Pandit is a seasoned producer who is well-known for movies like Section 375, Bazaar, Sarkar 3, Thank God, Total Dhamaal, Big Bull, and Chehre, among others.