Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan made it to the top three positions as the actors with the best marketing skills in the Screen Annual Survey, 2014. Here’s looking at what makes them marketing mavericks.
It isn’t for no reason that Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan are called the undisputed kings of Bollywood. There?s enough evidence to back it as a statement too. The Screen Annual Survey 2014 conducted by C-Fore reveals that when it comes to marketing films, nobody can surpass the three Khans. As per the survey, Shah Rukh Khan leads the pack with 41 per cent votes, followed by Aamir Khan with 26 per cent and Salman Khan with 13 per cent votes respectively.
While earlier the audience was persuaded with strategically publicised print media interviews and front page ads in publications, it changed drastically some six years ago when Aamir Khan came out on the streets to give his fans the then famous Ghajini hair-cut. It was followed by the launch of video games around the film. No wonder then that the film didn?t just open to rave reviews but also became an ?all time blockbuster?.
Shah Rukh Khan voted India’s undisputed No. 1 ‘marketing savvy star’
It became the starting point of a new trend that included clever promotions, innovation and assertive marketing strategies around films.
Reportedly, SRK?s home production Ra.One was marketed with a huge budget. During that time, it was the maximum for a film promotion. SRK has maintained the tempo since then. Not just in terms of budget, even the entertainment quotient is high in Khan?s promotions. While promoting Chennai Express in Tamil Nadu, Khan broke into a jig wearing a sari as a lungi when a fan desired to see him in a sari.
After the ingenious marketing for Ghajini, during the release of the film, 3 Idiots, in which Aamir Khan?s character goes missing for a few years, the actor actually disguised himself and ?disappeared? as he travelled incognito to various cities in India.
Salman Khan, however, relies more on his charisma and appeal than marketing strategies. To promote London Dreams in 2009, the actor became a ticket-seller at Delhi?s Delite cinema. Later, he turned up at public events as Pandeyji for the promotion of Dabangg 2 in 2012. For Kick, his turning a singer was the biggest marketing tool.
Commenting on the different marketing strategies of all the three superstars, trade analyst Girish Johar says, ?Shah Rukh Khan goes all out when it comes to promoting his films. He wants to cash in on anything and everything including SMS marketing, and is willing to go into every corner of the world. Aamir, on the other hand, is very focused on the content of the film and builds his strategy around it. He will not do anything if the marketing concept is not related to the film. This was evident during Dhoom 3 which had a low-key marketing strategy. Salman is very selective while making appearances and it is his appeal that works for him.?
That all the three stars evoke different emotions is further endorsed by Amrita Pandey, VP and Head of Marketing and Distribution, Studios, Disney India. ?Salman just brings out his films like he is going out to a party. Even the trailer launch of Kick was so much fun. It is a different experience altogether. If Aamir is in a film, it has to be a perfect one and that stamp of quality comes in because of his complete involvement with the project. Shah Rukh Khan has a sharp business and marketing mind. Also, the huge following he has built up over the years, has really worked for him,? she says.
Going back a little in time, it would be interesting to note that before Aamir Khan kicked off the unprecedented marketing for Ghajini, it was Anil Kapoor who indulged in a bit of original marketing in 1987 during for Mr. India. Kapoor was the first actor to promote his film on a platform other than front page ads in newspapers and premieres. While the strategy was planned by his elder brother Boney Kapoor (the producer of the film), the actor took the effort to get into the character?s costume to become a part of the toss during a cricket match in Sharjah. Later, he even sat at the commentator?s room in the same costume along with Sunil Gavaskar. Kapoor also performed live to Hawa Hawai, a popular song from the film, at the youth music programme, Hope 86.
?Since Doordarshan was the only channel during that time and there was no commercialisation of time slots, we did a lot of innovative things to take our film to the maximum number of people. And these intensive marketing strategies paid off,? said Boney Kapoor.
Coming back to the three Khans, they continue to intrigue everyone with innovative marketing strategies.
For SRK?s upcoming film, Happy New Year which releases this Diwali, an extensive dance-music world tour, SLAM, has been planned. SRK along with the entire cast of the film, is travelling to six cities in the US, Canada and London, UK for stage performances. SLAM that culminates on October 5, is an initiative by SRK to reach out to his global fans and create the maximum buzz for the film. While trade analysts call SLAM a master marketing strategy, the actor at the release of the first look of the film emphasised that it is not. ?I wanted to do a world tour as I hadn?t done one for a long time, and not to market the film,? he said.
On the other hand, Aamir Khan created enough buzz when he released the first poster of his upcoming PK that saw him nude with just a transistor covering his vitals. He released two more posters after that and there are five more in the pipeline before the movie releases in December this year. The first poster grabbed millions of eyeballs and has been termed as a genius marketing strategy.
Aamir Khan knows exactly when to push (PK) and when to hold back (Dhoom 3). ?It is very important that the makers put across to the audience what the film is about. Like during the marketing of Delhi Belly we made it very clear that the theme of the film was adult,? Khan had said at an event recently.
Not only trade analysts and marketing experts, even top stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, consider the three Khans as marketing gurus. ?My colleagues, particularly Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman have done a very good job of marketing their films with innovative ideas,? is what Bachchan mentioned in an interview to the paper. Rani Mukerji thinks SRK and Aamir Khan ?market their films really well?, while Bipasha Basu likes ?SRK?s intelligent marketing?. Sonakshi Sinha admires the way SRK projects himself. Ranbir Kapoor terms the marketing strategy of the three Khans to be ?phenomenal and something that the new generation should learn from.?
Vijay Krishna Acharya whose Dhoom 3 has ranked second in our survey for the best marketed film, says. ?All three guys are so loved. When they come out with a film, that in itself becomes an event. They can go easy on marketing but the professionals that they are, they leave no stone unturned to create a buzz.?