19761331-brand-placement-as-media-vehicle-a-study-of-mainstream-films

8/7/2019 19761331-Brand-Placement-as-Media-Vehicle-A-Study-of-Mainstream-Films

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A Project on

Brand Placement as MediaVehicle: A Study of Mainstream Films

By

MOHUA MANDAL(Roll No. 27)

As

Part of Curriculum for Completion of PostGraduate Diploma in Advertising and Public

Relations

(2007-08)From

Indian Institute of Mass Communication,Aruna Asif Ali Marg


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New Delhi

CertificateThis is to certify that Ms. Mohua Mandal, Roll No. 27, Department of

Advertising and Public Relations Batch 2006-07, of the Indian Institute

of Mass Communication, New Delhi has successfully completed her

project Brand Placement as Media Vehicle: A Study Of

Mainstream Films under my guidance and supervision as fulfillment

of her course curriculum.

The assistance and help received during the research has been fully

acknowledged.

Date: Mr. RameshTahilianiPlace: New Delhi (Research

Guide) Indian Institute of MassCommunication

NewDelhi


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AcknowledgementA research cannot be said to be work of an individual. A research is a

combination of views and ideas, suggestions and contributions of many

people.

I take this opportunity to thank all the people whose cooperation and

encouragement made the completion of this research project a

possibility.

First of all I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my ResearchGuide Mr. Ramesh Tahiliani under whose guidance the Research was

undertaken. Without his supervision at each stage of research, the task

would not have been accomplished.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks towards our

course coordinator Dr. Jaishri Jethwaney for all her support throughout

the project study.

Last but not the least I wish to thank all the respondents who

gave me some of their valuable time to fill up the questionnaires,

without which the Research wouldnt have been a success.


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Date:.

Place: New Delhi

Mohua Mandal

Contentsii. Certificateiii. Acknowledgement

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction and Background The Concept of Product Placement Product Placement in Movies Types of Product Placement Brand Placement is Different from Celebrity Endorsement The Opportunity of Brand placement, Consumer

Information processing and Issue of Brand Congruity

3. Prominent Examples of Successful Placements in SomeMainstream Films and Some Failures.

Success Failures

4. Research Procedure Consumer Survey

Objectives of StudyMethodologyExperimentation ProcedureCase StudiesFindings/Results

Industry InsightsObjectives of StudyMethodologyExperimentation ProcedureFindings/Results

5. Future Research6. Conclusion


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7. References8. Annexure

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Churning out nearly 1,000 films a year, the Indian film industry is the largest in theworld. Now, aided by technological advancements, the industry is set to take a further leap - across production, exhibition and marketing. In such a scenario, product placementin mainstream films deserves a renewed focus because as a marketing communicationtool, it is fast emerging as the medium with maximum potential to capture and covertaudiences to potential consumers. This is especially relevant in a world where traditionalmedia vehicles are increasingly failing to reach the consumers for various reasons.

Brand/product placement is a promotional tactic used by marketers in which areal commercial product is used in fictional media, and the presence of the product is theresult of an economic exchange, it is an advertising technique in which the companiespay a fee or provide service in exchange for a prominent display of their product. Productplacement occurs in plays, films, television series, music videos, video-games and books.The objective of such brand communication is to expose the audience to a brand,whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased awareness and higher recall,so that the customer will buy the brand which has maximum recall; and to satisfy thecustomer to optimum level.

This research paper looks at the rationality of brand placement, the possiblecongruity that can be built in the story, as indicators of success of effective brandplacement in films and if so, as variables in bringing desired change in consumersattitude. The paper highlights the basic reasons for placing products and brands inMainstream Hindi films and the effectiveness of these placements as a tool for enhancingthe recall value of brands in long run brands in the films. This paper also gives insight asto how audiences react to product placement, do they think it as an effective alternativemedia, if it has any impact on them and if they find it ethical.

The research incorporated case studies of four mainstream Hindi films, selectedon basis of their box office fate and the amount of brand placement. These films are thenanaysed in terms of effectiveness of the variety of placements in bringing the desiredrecall and recognition values. The four films selected include Om Shanti Om, Goal,Chak De! India, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The report includes a detailed discussion of the industry insights gained from fruitful interactions with some eminent figures in thefield. The research concludes with suggestions regarding areas for future research.


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Product placement has come as a blessing in disguise for both, the brand and thefilmmaker. Through it, the brand managers get the clutter breaking opportunity to look beyond the 30 sec TV commercial and the filmmaker gets to earn huge revenues by just

showing the brand being used by protagonist or let it exist in the background. The deal isjust perfect for both of them. But the most important person in the deal is the consumer who is vigilant and smart enough to notice whats served to him and has reservationsagainst in your face placements. Surely he does not want more intrusion in his life.Hence, product placement has arrived and here to stay. But a word of caution is to bealways kept in mind, by both the brand and the filmmaker- if as communicationpurveyors they are looking for better and innovative means of reaching the consumer, theconsumer himself is already bombarded with marketing tactics from all over and in thethree hours of movie, he would want to forget about all these intrusions, includingadvertising. Thus overdose of brand placement will only drive away the consumers fromthe cinema halls, resulting in a flop film and a failed marketing endeavor.


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INTRODUCTION&

BACKGROUND1. The Concept of Product Placement2. Product Placement in Movies3. Types of Product Placement4. Brand Placement is Different from Celebrity

Endorsement

5. The Opportunity of Brand placement, ConsumerInformation processing and Issue of BrandCongruity


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WHAT IS PRODUCT PLACEMENT?

A product placement is the inclusion of a product, package, signage, abrand name or the name of the firm in a movie or in a televisionprogramme for increasing memorability of the brand and instantrecognition at the point of purchase. Placements can be in form of verbal mentions in dialogue, actual use by character, visual displayssuch as corporate logo on a vehicle or billboard, brands used as setdecorations, or even snatches of actual radio or televisioncommercials.

The objective of this communication strategy is to exposeaudience to a brand, whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased brand awareness and higher recall, so that the customer willbuy the brand which has the highest recall; and to satisfy the customerto optimal level. Because of proliferation of advertisements and theconsequent difficulty in getting commercial messages to reach andinfluence potential customers, product placement appears as aninteresting alternative to traditional marketing communication tools.

Basically, there are three ways product placementcan occur:

It simply happens. It's arranged, and a certain amount of the productserves as compensation. It's arranged, and there is financial compensation .

Sometimes product placement just happens. A set dresser,producer, director, or even an actor might come across something hethinks will enhance the project. Usually this has to do with boosting thelevel of credibility or realism of the story being told. Example can beuse of Tata Indigo car in movie Aaja Nachle. The car has been used toas mode of transport for the lead actress both when she arrives fromabroad and when she goes back. Interestingly the vehicle is widelyused as commercial luxury vehicle in many Indian towns. So use of this


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car added a touch of realism in the movie. However, when contacted,the representatives of the car company denied being approachedabout the use of their product.

Arranged product placement deals fall into two categories: Trade-off of integration or placement for a supply of product Financial compensation for placement or integration

The most common type of deal is a simple exchange of the product forthe placement. Example, let's say the production team wants leadactor to display a quirky affinity for a particular type of beverage. Thiswill come across rather strongly over the course of the program --which means the chosen product could get a lot of air time. It turns outthat someone on the crew knows someone who works for thatbeverage. The production people approach the beverage companyfolks with a proposal and a deal is made; in exchange for the airtime,the cast and crew are provided with an ample supply of the beverageat work. Example: the movie Krish where the lead actor drinks a lot of Bournvita.

Sometimes, a gift of the product isn't an appropriate form of compensation, so money powers the deal. Imagine that the marketingteam at Tag Heuer has heard about this project and feels that, giventhe star power of the actor playing lead, this project would be a greatvehicle for showcasing its product. Someone from Tag Heuerapproaches the set dresser with a financially lucrative proposal.Eventually, they come to an agreement and the wristwatch casuallyappears in several scenes.

Before product placement really saw a surge in the mid 1990s, itwas pretty much a do it yourself effort. Now there are specificcorporate positions and entire agencies that can handle the job. Somelarger corporations will dedicate personnel to scout out opportunitiesfor product integration or placement within films, television shows andeven games and music. Good example would be Madisons specializeddivision for in-film branding, MATES.


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PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN MOVIES

Every frame in a movie has an opportunity for branding. Withthat intent, a number of marketers are now using movies to project thecore values of their brands. In-film advertising, in its most effective

form, is about a brand being a part of cinemas content. Many globalbrands are now turning to this medium for the sheer impact that amovie can make on its audiences.

Product placement in movies has gained momentum all over theworld. The practice of using branded products in Hollywood moviesstarted as casual process since 1940s. The earliest example would be1945 movie Mildred Pierce with film star Joan Crawford drinking JackDaniels bourbon whiskey. The current Hollywood movies feature aplethora of products ranging from telecommunications (Motorola,

Nokia), automobile (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jeep, Lada and Mercedes) toother products like FMCG goods, Tobacco etc. Good examples areJames Bond movies.

IndianmainstreamHindi films,popularlyknown as

Bollywood the world over, caught up with the trend in 1970s withRajkapoor using Rajdoot in his movie Bobby. Popularity of movies asmedium for product placement grew because of the increasing


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difficulty of using television as an effective medium to targetaudiences. The film medium provides an excellent message reach andmessage life and an effective method of popularizing andimmortalizing brands.

One of the key drivers for movies becoming a popular mediumfor product placement has been the increasing difficulty of usingtelevision as an effective medium to target audiences. The advent of cable and satellite television has meant that audiences have becomemore fragmented and tend to demonstrate a greater level of adavoidance. By contrast, the film medium provides an excellentmessage reach and message life and an effective method of popularizing and immortalizing brands. The movie-goers vicariouslyexperience the brand as they make a connection between the film, theactor, the product and its consumption, and argue that productplacement acts as a perceptual clue which directs behavior topurchase a product to satisfy a need or reinforce a social status. Movieproduct placement is viewed as a cheaper and more effectivealternative to traditional marketing communications, despite itsinflexibility, but as a result of the establishment of specialist placementagencies, and through increased brand exposure through cable,satellite, video and DVD, a typical movie with international distributioncan reach over one hundred million consumers from box office to TV.

There seem to be three reasons why marketers consider productplacement in movies as interesting communication strategy. Firstwatching a movie is high attention and involving activity. Theparticular exposure context associated with movies in theatres (lightsoff, minimal noise and distraction possibilities, large screen, difficultyin moving around, no zapping) is bound to lead to a high level of consumer attention as opposed to, say, listening to television. Inaddition, movie goers expend some significant effort (choosing amovie, driving to the theatre, finding a parking space, staying in line,finding a seat) and money (transportation, parking, tickets) in order togo to a movie and therefore quite involved during the show.

Second, successful movie attract large audiences. A blockbustermovie like Om Shanti Om for instance has been seen by millions of people, and this does not include video purchases and rentals, andeventual television broadcast. Therefore from a strict cost per viewerpoint of view, a product placement in a movie is a real bargain.


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Finally product placement represents a natural, non aggressive,non persuasive way of promoting brand or a firm. Hence it may lead toless counter arguing and internal zapping from consumers.

The most famous instance of product placement till date isappearance of Reese's Pieces inHollywood movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. The film, released in1982, prominently featuredReese's Pieces candy. While thebrand was available prior to thefilm's release, appearance in the

film is credited with stimulating a65% sales increase. M&M/Marshad been approached first about ascene in which E.T. is coaxed outof hiding by a trail of candy. In amajor blunder M&M/Mars declinedthe opportunity.

Such success stories firmly establish the importance of productplacement.

The use of feature films as a strategy for introducing newproducts has grown increasingly sophisticated. Savvy marketers nowbuild elaborate marketing communication plans cross-promoting filmsand brands. For example, Audi used 2004's Babul , a film by RaviChopra, as an integrated element for introducing a new model, theAudi A6. It was judged the most successful promotion of 2004.

Subhash Ghai was one of the early filmmakers to do productplacement on a real large scale. Bollywood insiders say Ghai recoveredproduction cost from Coke and other products even before the releaseof films like Yaadein and Taal. In future 40% of a films revenue willaccrue from streams like TV, online rights, product placements anddigital downloads. Video-on-demand, IPTV and DTH are already


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fetching handsome returns. Then, of course, there is the overseasmarket, which is expanding fast. In 2007 alone, at least a dozen HindiMainstream films have crossed a US $ 1 million mark in the UK an US.

As successful marketing efforts incorporating motion picturescontinue to mount, the casual use of brands as props will diminish.While current practice does not require filmmakers to identify brandsplaced in films, viewers can reasonably assume that prominentlyfeatured brands have offered some compensation or otherconsideration in exchange for the appearance.

TYPES OF PRDUCT PLACEMENT

In films, product placement can be divided into three broad categories:

Implicit Mode: in this the star appears in a situation and is seenopenly stating that he is using the product/brand. For example,in the movie Chalte Chalte , Shahrukh Khan is seen asking hisworker to fill Castrol in his truck.

Imperative Mode: In this the star would ask his friend/co-worker/peer to use the product. For example, in the movie KoiMil Gaya , Hritik Roshan is seen recommending Bournvita toPriety Zinta and her mother in the film.

Co-present Mode: in this, the star appears in some kind of setting with the product or he or she could be seen consuming orusing the product. In the movie Diljale , love is the ulterior theme,and Sonali Bendre, the lead actress is shown expressing her lovethrough Archies cards, thus revolving around the socialexpression feel of the Card makers.


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BRAND PLACEMENT IS DIFFERENT FROMCELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT

The celebrities endorse product and brands with commercial reasons,which normally come in the breaks in television programmes or incinema halls. The phenomenon of zipping and change in televisionusage behavior due to surfing during the commercial breaks hasreduced effectiveness of television commercials. Similarly commercials

of cinema hall are found to be of low involvement as audience takesthem as blocks between the reasons of visiting the cinema hall and thetime available to them for entertainment. So the brand communicationand the entertainment product are viewed differently from theaudience of both media. Brand placement provides an opportunitywhere the involved audience gets exposure to the brands and productsduring the natural process of narration of movie or televisioncommercial.


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THE OPPORTUNITY OF BRAND PLACEMENT,CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING AND

ISSUE OF BRAND CONGRUITY

Of late there have been attempts by Indian producers and brandmanagers to come together and place the brand in a situation wherethe audience is captive and more prone to show high level of retention.Many consumers and researchers are of the view that this method isexcessive commercialization of media and intrusion in life of viewer.

The viewer does not necessarily go there to see the brands;rather he is going to the cinema hall to escape from the realities of life.Brand managers are using different type of placements to make thebrand look obvious at the point of emergence. They are alsointegrating the brand presence with the plot of the cinema, so that theaudience does not feel the brand to be out of context. The brandshould also be reflective of the class of user of character in the film. If the plot connection is missing and the brand is not reflective of thecharacters class of usage, then probably the whole brand placementexercise will be futile. The success of Indian movies is not based onsound fundamentals which is evident from the number of feature filmsflopping every year. So if the vehicle in which the brand is placed doesnot have the required viewership, then the tariff charged to bringbrand at some point of the story will also go in drain.

Films are selected as context of research for various reasons asexplained below. Compared to television, movie viewing has higherinvolvement. While watching a television programme, the viewer cando multifarious work at home setting, which may affect the attentiondegree span of the audience and hence, reduce the overalleffectiveness of the medium for enhancing brand retention. Inopposition to this argument, is the movie going behavior where theviewer makes a voluntary choice for viewing (exposure) a specific film(product) at a cost (time, financial, opportunity cost) for the purpose of


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wholesome entertainment. So he is more receptive to brandcommunication provided to him in the movie hall while watching themovie of his choice.

It has been observed from research that brand recall forcommercials shown during the television programmes with higher levelof TRPs are very poor due to the channel switching behavior. High levelof media clutter, similarity of programming across channels, channelswitching behavior are the factors responsible to generate sufficientlevel of research interest in researchers at the practice of brandplacement in movies.

Brand placements are used to increase the level of brandknowledge among consumers as in every advertising medium. The

uniqueness of the medium is found in the process of exposure andcongruity of brand in the story. There is no competitive exposure in thesame medium at the same time, unlike television of newspapers. Thisis significant as it may increase the level of brand knowledge. Brandknowledge is conceptualized as brand node in memory to which avariety of associations are linked. So it is important to identify theproperties of the brand node and brand association.

The factors important for product placement include the level of abstraction and qualitative nature of the brand memory effect and thecongruity among brand associations affects the favorability, strengthand uniqueness of the brand associations.

The factors being:

Brand awareness : It is the strength of brand node or trace in thememory as reflected by consumers ability to identify the brand underdifferent conditions.

Brand image : It is the set of perceptions, held in the consumersmemory, as reflected by brand associations. Are the otherinformational nodes linked to the brand node in memory and containthe meaning of the brand for the consumers?

Brand Attitudes : they are the overall evaluation of the brand by theconsumers. They often form the basis of consumers choice.


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Other variables affecting Brand placement are-

Favorability of Brand Associations : Associations differ according to howfavorably they are evaluated. The success of a marketing programlargely depends on the ability of the marketing program in creating thetrust among consumers that the attributes and associations benefitsare there in the brand talked about in communications.

The Strength of Brand Association : It depends on how the informationenters consumers memory (encoding) and how it is retained as part of brand image (storage). Strength is a function of both the amount orquality of processing information received at encoding (how much theperson thinks about the information) and the nature or quality of theinformation at the encoding end (the manner in which the personthinks about the information).

Congruence of a Brand : the congruence of the brand with the story of the film and presentation in the film is another measure. Congruence isdefined as the extent to which the brand association shares thecontent and meaning with other brand associations. This explains howeasily one existing brand association can be recalled and howadditional associations can be linked to the brand node in memory.

Brand Leverage : Compares the characteristics of the secondaryassociations with those of primary brand associations. The secondaryassociations are derived out of the usage of the brand by the characterin the film. Example in the film Taal , the hero uses the bottle of Cokeas a symbol of exchange of love and this contextual placementincreases the strength of association of the brand.

Earlier researches have shown the importance of a strong linkbetween the brand and the film. The stronger the link, the greater isthe impact between the brands image and the attitude towards thebrand sponsor.

Increase in product placements and institutionalization of the

industry indicate that advertisers are using the technique to swayconsumers brand attitudes. The type of placements should looknatural to the narration, as consumption symbols are often used toenrich the plot, theme and characters of popular culture texts.

Some consumers may feel that the use of brand names inpopular culture simply reflects the increased commercial content of a


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culture or the producers efforts to enhance the realism of their film.However, in case where the brand takes a major role in the story of thefilm as in the movie Friends , or where its presence in the movie mightlook suspect as in the movie Yaadein , the audience may realize that itwas placed there to affect their judgments and they may counter

argue them just as they do to the traditional advertising messages.

Advertising gurus claim that in-film advertising is a very shakybusiness and most marketers have a tendency and temptation to gooverboard with the result that the film would end up becoming a longadvertising commercial. Others say that since marketers always triedto stretch their advertising rupee in order to obtain the maximum bang

for their buck with the result that brand suffered. However, mostadvertising professionals vouch for the fact that films, by virtue of being quite engaging, are one of the cost-effective and effectivemediums for advertising. 'If a consumer watches a particular scene andthe advertisement is well embedded into that, it will remain,' they say.This can be referred to the fact that the girls beating the boys fightingsequence in 'Chak De' has been referred to as the McDonald's fightscene merely because it takes place in one of the outlets. Again, thereis no mention of McDonald's in the entire film as it has beenseamlessly embedded.

Mr. Niteen Bhagwat from Interface spoke about the advantagesof in-film advertising. 'I think film content of any kind can be used tobuild brands. The last one year has been rather active in terms of in-film placements and branding through films. However, the placementof brands such as Ultra Tech poses a big challenge especiallyconsidering that there is no obvious benefit in sticking to stereo-typesand force-fitting the Brand in film's theme or storyline,' he said.

Literature survey in the Indian context was more dishearteningdespite the fact that brand placement is used more and more in Indianfilms these days. There are hardly any evidences of work carried outon brand placement in Indian Movies. The Indian Hindi film industry idthe largest in the world in terms of number of movie produced. Yet thesuccess rate of the movies in Indian film industry is very less. If aproper research on brand placement can be done, it can guide theproducers, brand managers and academicians to develop and effectivebrand placement strategy in which the risk of the film making and


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failure will come down substantially in the Indian market. Theproducers can charge a price for the brand placement and cover aproduction cost; the brand managers will find a platform tocommunicate with the audience about their brands in more effectivemanner than conventional television advertising.

PROMINNENT EXAMPLES OFSUCCESSFUL PRODUCT

PLACEMENTS IN SOMEMAINSTREAM FILMS

(In Recent Times)&

SOME FAILURES TOO


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SUCCESSES

Bollywood has finally discovered branding. In 2007, according toindustry estimates, brand cameos earned around Rs 200 crore, and asa result, even small-and medium-budget movies as well as animatedfilms are hoping to cash in on this new and lucrative revenue stream.Indeed, media analysts and industry watchers expect that figure toclimb to Rs 800 crore by 2010.

Some of the select successful instances of brand placement in recenttimes are cited below:

Rang De Basanti: Rakyesh Omprakash Mehras Rang DeBasanti was probably the most successful Bollywood branding in 2006with its limited edition RDB Coca-Cola bottle, and cameos of Airtel, LG,Berger and Provogue in the film. Coke, in a first of its kind attempt,launched Coca-Cola bottles branded with the RDB title and Amirspicture and produced a movie trailer that was a montage of shots fromthe film and Cokes Piyo Sar Uthake campaign. Just the right kind of media partners, the films marketing ensured good and effectivepublicity and both the brands and the movie generated a lot of mileagefrom each other.


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Krrish: Rakesh Roshans Krrish, now a case study of Indian Instituteof Management, Indore, prominently featured Singapore TourismBoard, Sony, John Players, Bournvita, Tide, Hero Honda, Boro Plus,Lifebuoy, HP Power, Acron Rangeela, Hansaplast and Lays chips,followed by merchandising of Krrish masks, lunch boxes, water bottles.Its merchandising sold like hot cakes among children. Krrish made 12crores out of product placement.

Don: Farhan Akhtars Don promoted Tag Heuer watches, Motorola,Garnier, Citibank and, of course, Oakley sunglasses as well as LouisPhilippe outfits. The placement ensured that the viewer noticed donsphone, his laptop, his watch, hia sunglasses and the brand names werethe focus of the camera work. But it was still done in a subtle way anddid not come across as being imposed on viewer.

Dhoom 2: Sanjay Gandavis Dhoom 2 promoted Coke, Pennzoil,Pepe, Sony, Disney channel, Sugar Free, McDonalds, Speed, andSuzuki Zeus. The movie was quite an opportunity for Coke, for both thebrand ambassadors of Coke were starring in the movie together for thefirst time. The cool couple drinking the always coolest drink, perfect for


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Coke! The cola company had a special campaign for Dhoom 2 whereHrithik Roshan encouraged youngsters to take a swig and go dhoom.

Baabul: Ravi Chopras Baabul featuredbrands like Audi, Kotak Insurance, ErosJewellery, Nerolac and Taj Mahal Tea. The spiritof Baabul is celebrated with Kotak LifeInsurance. The high profile in-film ad in Babulfeatured the Audi A6. Chivas Regal, Eros Jewelryand Audi together contributed 40 lakhs in cashand kind for the music release and fashionshow of Baabul .

Main Hoon Naa: Farah Khans first movie Main Hoon Naa featured the followingbrands- Reebok, Caf coffee day, Frito Lays, Levis, LML. MHN was an example of optimum utilization of branding in a film. The story of the film revolvedaround youth hence it gave us the scope of using lifestyle and youthcentric brands. The brands that were involved were the ones keepingthe modern day college goers in mind, for which using brands is just away of life. The brands were woven into the screenplay in a mannerwhere it looked like a modern day college going youth was using theproduct natural yet conspicuous.

Baghban: One of the clear cases of effective placement in recenttimes was BR films family drama Baghban . The movie creativelyintegrated five brands in it. The brands included were ICICI Bank, TataTea, Archies, Ford and Tide. Baghban truly depicted the craft of product placement.


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And these are not mere stating of the brands featured !These placements result in stupendous impact in consumers as

delineated by the sales figures of the featured brands, before and afterproduct placement. After Bournvita featured in Krrish , it reported aincrease in sales by 15% and intention to use brand by 9%*.

Domios registered greater footfall in its outlets after its placement inPhir Hera Pheri. Garnier recorded a product recall of 46% after it gotfeatured in the movie Chup Chup Ke . Lays got an additional

endorsement from Priyanka Chopra after she was shown munching onthe snack in Krrish , thus re-establishing Lays as cool snack. AfterReebok featured in key scenes in Viruddh, the brand boasted of havinggot verbal endorsement of Amitabh Bacchan, and extensive reachthrough multiple showcasing of the film on multiple vehicles. Tanishqrecorded a average minimum revenue of 1.45 crore from its Pahelicollection. And as if that was not all, they recorded a increase inpurchase intent by 13% and favorability of the brand by 10%!!!

That says a lot about the success of brand placements.


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FAILURESThere is always the other side of the coin!

Academicians from Universities say that currently, embeddedadvertising still needs to grow in India. 'It is like a deranged marriage,the brand most often does not fit into the film the way in which itshould. The reason is that most filmmakers still do not think of it as arevenue stream,' they say.

So apart from the huge successes, there were some bad failures aswell. Few of them are:

Ta Ra Rum Pum : After you see drivers and cars layered bybrands of their sponsors, Ta Ra Rum Pum a film on racing cars wouldseem like the perfect avenue to showcase such similar branding. Afterall seeing these brands is what weve come to expect, but corporatehonchos didnt seem happy just with being there. So they mustveinsisted on special close-ups and zooms for their brands. As a result weget a good dose of Castrol, Goodyear and Chevrolet periodicallythrough this film.

Salaam E Ishq: Salaam E Ishq was another product-friendlymovie. With such an extensive star cast and lavish set designs thedirector mustve felt the need for corporations to cover up costs. Of themany placements there was one that stood there screaming forattention. John Abraham and Vidya Balan play a couple in love so onthe day of their anniversary John decides to gift his lady love with adiamond set. For those curious about the brand, it was Ira Jewelleryand the makers give more than a glimmer to those who wonder. Tomake things worse, the camera decides to zoom more on the brandthan the jewels.

Victoria 203: If youre one of the few people that watched theremake of Victoria 203 , youd probably be gripped by the urge to buydiamonds, more specifically Gitanjali Diamonds. Thats becauseGitanjali has been constantly mentioned throughout the first half anhour. The makers go to the extent of giving the viewers an unwanted


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history lesson about the Choksi family that owns the company andtheir legacy.

Virruddh...Family Comes First: In terms of productplacements, Viruddh went to the extent of shoving their brandedproducts down audiences throats. What made this blatant promotionunbearable was that Virruddh was made as a serious film about agrieving family and their dead son. Obvious instances were whereSanjay Dutt posed with a can of Elf Oil in his garage and John Abrahampraised how great the services of Western Union money transferwere.

Koi Mil Gaya: The product placements in Koi Mil Gaya werent asawkward as Yaadein but they were definitely obvious. You candefinitely tell why the mother (played by Rekha) insists that herovergrown, mentally handicapped son (played by Hrithik Roshan) drinkhis glass of Bournvita milk. Not to mention another scene where thedimwitted son magically transforms into a promoter for Bournvitawhen his drink preference is asked. Coffee, tea, Bournvita or me?Other instances include where Hrithik sips Coke with his classmatesand rides off into the sunset with Preity Zinta on his Hero Honda Bike inthe end.

Yaadein: Few films have been universally panned like the wayYaadein has. Ironically, the films message was to shun thematerialistic life all the while promoting brands. Coca Cola had a largepresence throughout the entire film. It even went to the extent of having the Coke logo branded on Jackie Shroffs key chain! The blatantpraise for Pass Pass the mouth freshener by the film leads also madeaudiences groan in their seats. The film sank at the box-office, butsince Subhash Ghai leaned heavily towards placements its likely hecovered part of his production costs.


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RESEACH PROCEDURE

1. CONSUMER SURVEY


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Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether the strategiesfollowed for brand placements within Mainstream films affect thememory for the brands and the attitude towards those brands. Theopinion of advertising and branding professionals was also taken intoaccount to arrive at a classification for the purpose of research, andthe brand placement was grouped as:

A. Implicit: where brand is shown without verbal reference tobrand name or benefits (no auditory support).

B. Used in Scene: where brand is used in a scene without verbalreference to name or benefits (no auditory support but with highplot connection due to character usage shown on screen).

C. Integrated Explicit Brand Placement: Wherebenefits/attributes of the brand/product are mentioned by a mainstar, along with hands-on use (both auditor and visual mode of presentation with plot connection).

The objective of the study includes consumers evaluation of the brandplacement, as a strategy for providing brand communication and thereactions to the level of ethicality involved in brand placement whichtalks about commercialization of entertainment products and intrusionin the life of consumers.


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Methodology

Different variables are used in research for establishing therelationship between the level of information processing throughexposure and elements of brand choice in the selected markets. Any

exposure to the brand communication affects consumer response,which can be measured by analyzing variables like brand awareness interms of recall and recognition, favorability, strength and uniquenessof the brand associations in the consumer memory.

The study evaluates the effectiveness of brand placements withinMainstream films on basis of recall, recognition and opinion aboutbrand placement. Four Mainstream films were selected as case studiesand hence part of consumer survey.

The films were selected on basis of two criteria:1. Popular appeal (whether the movie was a super hit, average run

or a poor grosser depending on box office report).2. The release timings, i.e. two were recent releases (one a

blockbuster hit, other a dud), one around six months old, and thelast having been released almost a year back.

3. The number of brands featured in these movies. All the selectedmovies had major associations and substantial number of brandsfeatured in the movie.

4. The variety of placement types (implicit, used in a scene, andintegrated explicit brand placement) (Refer- Appendix)

The films selected: Om Shanti Om (November, 2007); Goal (December,2007);

Chak de! India (August, 2007); Lage RahoMunnabhai

(September, 2006)


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The author viewed these films and listed the number of brands placedin these movies.

Considering that brand awareness is primary goal of advertisers inbrand placement, memory based awareness measures such asrecognition or recall is appropriate. Short term and long term memoryas well as consumers evaluation of product placement are tested.

Experimentation Procedure

The respondents were approached randomly and verbal consent wassought before administering the survey. Once agreed, they wereoffered a structured questionnaire (Annexure) and requested to answerit. The interviewer cue was only provided in the questions where it wasmentioned to provide hint and the study objective was not mentionedin advance. A total of 50 responses (30 male and 20 female) wereobtained. The average duration of the survey was 15 minutes.

Target Segment: The cine goers- Teens within the age group of 15-19.

-10 male and 8 female-all students

Adults within the age group of 20-35.-20 male and 12 female

-12 students and 20 working professionalsThese are the major target audience for the advertisers and thebrands.

Geographical location: Delhi and NCR

Research Instrument: Questionnaire


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CASE STUDIES


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1.Om Shanti Om(2007)

No of Prints: 2000 Budget: 35 Crore

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, DeepikaPadukone, Shreyas Talpade, ArjunRampal, Kiron Kher

Box office status: BlockbusterHit.

Director: Farah Khan Producer: Gauri Khan

Brands featured in the movie: Nokia, Maybelline, Shoppers Stop,Tag Heuer,


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Om Shanti Om was the biggest hit in the year 2007. Trade analystshave even gone ahead and claimed that it is the biggest grosser in thehistory of Bollywood. With its stupendous success, it was one filmwhich enabled the brand mangers of the brands featured in the film go

laughing to the bank. The film featured some top brands of theircategory and needless to say, its super success benefited these brandsimmensely.

The most visible brand of the movie is Nokia. In the film, the leadcharacter Om (Shahrukh Khan) not only uses cellular devices by Nokia,but also mentions them in his dialogues. Further there are significantclose-ups of different Nokia devices in some very important scenes.Another interesting observation is that the Nokia devices used are allof different segments. While the character Om, whos a superstar usesa high end mobile and Bluetooth set, Dolly, a wannabe actress, uses a

middle segment cell phone and Pappu, a one time junior artist, uses alow end cell. Thus with one shot, Nokia manages to address its targetaudience who are spread across these wide segments.

Apart from having their product feature in the film, Nokia alsotied up with the film for its promotion. Nokia offered exclusive videos,behind the scenes, ringtones and wallpapers of the movie to itscustomers. They also ran a contest where if one buys certain specificmodels like 6300, 5700, 5300, 6233 M, 3000 classic etc, they get achance to enter a luck draw wherein the winner gets to meet superstar

Shahrukh Khan for an exclusive dinner. They also introduced CrazyMobisodes, which were animated versions of the characters of the filmin different formats.

Speaking at occasion, Mr. BobMcDougall Director sales, Nokia India said,Bollywood is the most popular downloadsmobile content besides sports and fashion inIndia. We are confident that OSO crazy and the

other exclusive OSO content will provide ourconsumer an enhanced media rich mobileexperience

Apart from Nokia other key brands featured were Maybelline,Shoppers Stop and Tag Heuer. Debutant Deepika Padukone is the


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brand ambassador of the cosmetic giant Maybelline and hence itprovided a perfect platform for the brand to be featured in the film.The brand also boasts of close-ups of its various products and brandname in vital scenes.

Tag Heuer, SRKs favorite watch, or

as the watch company claims is thebrand ambassador for the same. So itwas not surprising to see the brandfeaturing in the movie. However itsdone very subtly as it appears as abackground billboard in a scene whenthe reincarnated Om is in conversationwith Pappu. Whats interesting is thatthe billboard is the exact replica of theTag Heuer bill boards we see in life. (Asseen in the picture in the left)

Shoppers Stop majorly had its role in promotion where itlaunched an exclusive line of clothes and merchandise styled on themovie. It also displayed large banners and roof hangers of the film inits exclusive stores.

The brand placements in the film were divided according to the earliermentioned criteria. The classification of brand placement in Om ShantiOm is as provided in Table 1.


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Table 1: Type of Product PlacementImplicit Used in Scene Integrated Explicit

Tag HeuerCompaqSia Jewelry

Shoppers Stop

Maybelline Nokia


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2. Goal(2007)

No of Prints: 600 Budget: 16.5 crore


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Cast: John Abraham, BipashaBasu, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani

Box office status: Dud.

Director: Vivek Agnihotri Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

This much talked about movie proved to be a box office dud.Audiences seem not too impressed by either the story or the chemistrybetween the lead actors, John and Bipasha. According to critics, themovie failed to deliver on its promise of being a high voltage footballdrama and ended up being a boring discussion of racial tension inBritain.

However what was interesting in the film was its association with

sports brand Reebok. Apparently Reebok played a master stroke bybeing associated with the movie. Since the film is sports based, itprovided ample opportunity for any sporting brand for maximumvisibility. And that became true for Reebok. Since in majority of the filmthe actors are shown wearing football gear, on field or off it, Reebok,which provided the merchandise for the entire team boasts of visibilityin almost 70% of the frames. Reebok also is visible in terms of theirstores, their soccer kit being used by the team and their advertisingsduring the crucial matches featured in the film.

Apart from their humungous presence in the film, Reebok wasalso associated with the film for its promotion. Almost all ReebokStores, both exclusive and multi brand, carried Goal inspiredmerchandise. They had huge displays of the movie posters in theirstores and major malls, featuring Reebok logo prominently in them.They also used the mode of floor stickers in malls leading either toReebok stores of the multiplex where the movie was running.

Apart from Reebok the brands which got associated with the film wereWestern Union Money Transfer, Gillette, ESPN Star sports. Western


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Union has prominent presence in the movie with not only it having anexclusive shot at its outlet but also the characters mentioning it intheir dialogues as they discusses when they will be able to earnenough to be able to send money to their families in Asian countries.

Gillette is used by the lead characters for their shaving habitsand in one scene the lead actress is seen shaving off the heros beardusing a Gillette razor. But the most prominent placement of Gillette isthe presence of its brand name before the score cards in all thematches features in the movie. Surely Gillette scored a perfect Goal!

ESPN Star Sports have been used as official broadcasters of thematches shown in the film. Apart from that, the channel participated inthe films promotional activities by having John and Bipasha feature intheir channel promoting English Premier League.

A major brand which indirectly got promoted through the filmwithout having any tie up with the movie is English Premiership, theFootball League of England. The movie features the sporting, speciallythe soccer season in England in its totality, starting from the passionfor the game to the ambience, the effort, the significance, the madnessand the big money riding in it. Further John and Bipashas appearancein ESPN strengthened its positioning in India.

Surprisingly, Goal proving a dud in box office did not affectReebok adversely as many may think it has. Reebok provided a stylestatement to the team and the merchandise sold in Reebok stores

attracted people more because of association with a established styleicon like John Abraham and due to their individual novelty factor.Reebok stores, by record, have registered more footfall than they hadbefore and after they were offering special Goal collection.

The brand placements in the film were divided according to the earliermentioned criteria. The classification of brand placement in Goal is asprovided in Table 1.

Table 1: Type of Product Placement

Implicit Used in Scene Integrated ExplicitGillette ESPN Reebok

Western Union MoneyTransfer

3. Chak De! India(2007 )


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No of Prints: 550 Budget: 15 crore

Cast: Shahrukh Khan and others Box office status: Super Hit

Director: Shimit Amin Producer: Aditya Chopra

Brands featured in the movie: Ultra tech cement, Puma, MacDonalds, Bisleri, Aaj Tak, Times of India, Sports Brands Rakshak andVijayanti.


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Chak De! India is revered for its role in reviving Hockey in India. Anunprecedented hit, this movie is the story of one man rising againstthe system to win back both his and national pride. And he does thisthrough the medium of hockey. The fact that hockey formed the coreof the film, provided ample opportunity for advertisers to lap it up and

go for featuring their brands. The film provided various avenueswherein brands/products could gain visibility. The film featuredWomens National Hockey team. The brands could feature in as officialsponsor of the team, as merchandise sponsor, sports equipmentsponsor, hoardings and billboards during the matches, event sponsors,etc.

Ultra tech cement lapped up this unique opportunity and is themost featured brand shown in the movie. It is the main sponser of theWomens Hockey team and features prominently as sponsor logo in the

front of the teams official uniform. By getting such prominentplacement, it has ensured that it is seen in almost every frame amatch is played by the team, thus gaining maximum and crucialairtime.

Whats unique in this brand placement is that its a first time by anycement brand to be associated in in-film branding, and by doing soUltra tech cement has scored a perfect ten. Even though there is noproduct relevance or synergy, the in-film placement initiative has been


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conducted quite uniquely without a single reference to the brand in thefilm and without being too obvious or blatant or in-the-face.

Ultra Tech Cement Ltd chief marketing officer O P Puranmalka

stated, " Since our brand is virtually seen in almost every frame whenthe World Cup matches are played, it has helped us reinforce thebrand attributes such as 'global winner', 'modern & youthful', 'tech-savvy', and yet 'intrinsically Indian' amongst our core target groupsacross India."

Another brand which caught a lot of eyeball was sporting brand Puma.Puma provides merchandise to the team before their final match. Ithad a perfect placement as it was associated with the success of theteam. Puma won brownie points when its logo was prominently seen in

the team uniform throughout the final match.

Others brands featuring in themovie were Mc Donalds, Bisleri,Aaj Tak, Times of India. WhileMcdonalds featured in a scenewhere the girls bash up boys foreve teasing one of them, Bisleri


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was seen in many scenes as theteam and the players sippingwater from bisleri bottles.

What was very interesting was placement of Aaj Tak and Times of India. Both of them were shown as the media generating andspreading negative news about the lead character. Its surprising tothink why both the brands agreed to collaborate in such form when thesituation does more bad than good to their brands. Both are seen asmedia houses who germinate and support wrong perceptions aboutthe sportsmanship a player shows when he is on the loosing side.

The brand placements in the film were divided according to the earliermentioned criteria. The classification of brand placement in Chak de!India is as provided in Table 1.


Ultra Tech CementTimes of India

Mc DonaldsAaj TakPuma

Bisleri

-

4. Lage Raho Munna Bhai(2006)


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No of Prints: 550 Budget: 17.3 crore

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan,Arshad Varsi, Boman Irani.

Box office status: Super Hit

Director: Rajkumar Hirani Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra


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Brands featured in the Movie : Worldspace Satellite Radio, IOCL, GoAir, MSN, Goodday, Kurkure, Bright Outdoor and RelianceCommunication.

After the successful prequel, this film came with lot of expectations,and not to mention the amazing brand placements. And true to itsseries, Lage Raho Munna Bhai rocked the box office with itsstupendous success. Not only was it a super hit, it became aphenomenon by claiming the onus of re-launching father of nation. Soit wasnt surprising to see Gandigiri flourish all round.

This was thus an ideal platform for hoards of brands to get theirtarget audience in a big way. Lage Raho however carried a lot of

brands as an extention of its prequel, Munna Bhai MBBS. These apart,some new brands too got associated with the movie and rode tosuccess.

In the centre of the plot is the radio programme which MunnaBhai never misses as he is in love with the voice of the Radio Jockey,played by Vidya Balan. Over the course of the film, Munna Bhai too isinvited to host show on the radio and he goes on to solve peoplesproblems through the show, and ultimately gets reunited to hissweetheart via that media itself. Cleary this was a perfect opportunity

for Worldspace Radio for brand placement. Nothing could be betterthan the fact that radio was the centre of the story. This was aguarantee for making the consumers notice its presence and also beensured of future brand recalls whenever there is a mention of themovie or a broadcast of it subsequently in TV or DVD modes.

So Worldspace succeeded ingetting the cherry of the pie. Itsucceeded in capturing theaudiences attention to themaximum. Other brands tooreaped in a lot through tacticalairtime. MSN even ran its


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commercials in line of the film andparticipated in promotions asonline partner. Reliancecommunications rode high ongood network at cheaper rates

proposition.

Kurkure re-established it self as a no excuse snack, and Gooddayas premium biscuits.

However, the movie is now almost a year n half old and this time laghas resulted in a lot of memory loss on behalf of the consumers.Worldspace however still commands a substantial recall by virtue of itbeing integrated in the story itself. A clear example of winning strategy

by Worldspace brand managers!

The brand placements in the film were divided according to the earliermentioned criteria. The classification of brand placement in Lage RahoMunna Bhai is as provided in Table 1.


Go Air Kurkure Worldspace Satellite


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IOCLBright Outdoor

GooddayReliance

Communication

Radio

RESULTS

Recall scores of Brands placed in the selected casestudies:

1. Om Shanti Om

Brands Unaided Recall Score Aided Recall Score


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a. Nokiab. Maybellinec. Shoppers Stopd. TagHeuer e. Sia Jewelry

f. Compaq

502213294

2

502416213

9

2. Goal

Brands Unaided Recall Score Aided Recall Scoreg. Reebok

h. Western Union moneytransfer i. Gillettej. ESPN Star Sports

50

10

00

50

17

57

3. Chak de! India

Brands Unaided Recall Score Aided Recall Scorea. UltraTech Cementb. Pumac. MacDonaldsd. Aaj Tak e. Times Of Indiaf. Bislerig. Hockey stick brands

Vijyanti andRakshak

1216339000

35241718420

4. Lage Raho Munna Bhai


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Brands Unaided Recall Score Aided Recall Scorea. Worldspace radiob. IOCLc. Go Air d. MSNe. Good Day

f. Kurkureg. Bright Outdoor h. Reliance

Communications

46002

1103

4057

2000

KEY FINDINGS

From Product Placement Recall Exercise:

1. Integrated explicit product placement has largest product recall.(Nokia,Worldspace, Reebok)

2. With film getting older, the recall diminishes. (Lage Raho MunnaBhai)3. Well known brands are recalled more. (Nokia, Tag Heuer, Reebok).

Thusbrands familiar to the consumers life are recalled more.

4. More air time does not necessitate greater recall. (For majorityUltra Tech

couldnt be recalled first but only after hint)5. Brand associated with promotion and merchandisings have

greater recall.6. Interestingly, when probed, many consumers tended to associate

brandswith a particular movie by virtue of the stars in the movie.Example: many

people when asked to recall brands in OSO came up with Airteland Pepsi,

because SRK is the brand ambassador for these brands.


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Other Issues:

Issue 1- Do you think Brand placement in movies is a good alternativeto traditional advertising?

Substantial number of yes coupled with some grave no! While 70% thought brand placement is a good alternative, others

differed in opinion. Those who think its good believe that it is seamless and catches

audiences interest and attention easily. However, those who didnt like the concept complained that they

are irritating and obtrusive in the movie. Some said they didnt pay money to watch an extended

advertising.

Issue 2 - Do you think real brands should be used extensively inmovies to make a scene more believable?

77.2% people believed that product placements make themovies more realistic.

However, majority of them are of the opinion that it is so only incases where the product placement is un-intrusive and not onyour face. They believe that if used intelligently, these productplacements help them relate to the movie better.

Issue 3 - Does the way a brand is used in movies affect your feelingsabout the brand?

66% people believed that brand placement does affect theirfeelings in a positive way.

The respondents believe that they relate to the brands betterafter watching their brands in movies.

They feel happy when they see their favorite actors use thebrands of their choice.

However, they feel cheated when brands preferred by them areshown in negative situations in the movie. As examples theycited instances of Aaj Taks placement in Chak De. The fact thatit was the channel which started the whole non-issue out of KabirKhans sportsmanship in the movie did not go down well with theaudience.


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Issue 4 - Does product placement in movies affect your buyingdecisions?

Surprisingly, 59% of the respondents said that productplacement does not affect their buying decisions.

They say that they buy something based on their necessity and

preference and not because a certain brand was shown in thefilm.

The buying decisions also depend on consumers previouspersonal experience with the brand or his risk taking habits.

However, the remaining 41% said that they buy products afterseeing them in films as they feel that its more credible sourceand if their favorite actor uses it, it has to be good.

Some also buy the products to look and feel like the actorendorsing it in the movie.


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2. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this essay is to know about the industry insightsregarding:

How the brands get associated with a particular film and at whatstage does the involvement begin.

What are the channels through which brands negotiate theirplacements in the movie. The importance and role of ad agencies in product placement. How product placement is measured?

And many more such issues.


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Methodology

Industry insights could be best obtained from people who are theoperating in there. People like brand managers, media planners,film producers and directors and actors would be the people whocould give the real picture of this upcoming concept and what theythink about it. Different perspectives are important to understandthe concept in holistic fashion.

Experimentation Procedure

Target Segment:1. People who are directly involved in making of films.

Film Directors Film Producers Actors

2. Brand managers of brands which regularly advertise in films3. Media Planners

The respondents were approached through various means.Film directors, producers and actors were approached in the premiere

of the latest film Halla Bol. The premier gave opportunity to interfacewith these people together. The people interviewed were film directorRajkumar Santoshi, film producer Abdul Samee Siddique and eminentactor Ajay Devgan. All three readily agreed to share their views aboutin-film branding.

Two clients were approached for their opinion: Ms Pushpanjali ..,Communications Manager, Nokia India. Nokia featured in Om ShantiOm.Mr. C. K. Pavan, Sr. Marketing Manager, Ultra Tech Cement. This brandfeatured in Chak de! India.

Media planners: They are the biggest influencers in the process.-Mr. Arun Mehra of Spatial Access-Mr. Atul Phadnis of Media e2e.


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Key Findings

1. The Process of Product Placement

According to Mr. Samee, in-film branding today is the biggestsource of revenue after the revenues from film showing. This,together with music and satellite rights has opened up neweravenues for the industry to cover the production cost. He said that,any major film today generates Rs. 6-10 crore worth publicitythrough promotional tie-ups. Mr. Phadnis, of Media e2e, adds thateach effective tie-up involves hectic negotiations of around 3-6months. Sometimes the brands approach the production houses, inother times its the production houses which approach the brandsfor such tie ups. This system depends upon the demand of theoccasion.

Mr. Mehra of Spacial Access opines that there is no fixedformula but the factors that are taken into consideration during thenegotiation stage are:

Cast and credits Size of the project and the producers Timing of the release Brand impact Possibilities of brand associations through contests and

promotions.

Actor Ajay Devgan said that if the product is not clashing with thetheme of the film, I see no harm in having it in the film. It helps inincreasing the realism of the film and help audience connects to thefilm on a more personal level, as the film characters seem real, notfrom any far away land. Based on the content of the film and its storyline, both, the film maker and the brand managers, can sketch a profileof viewers who would flock to see the movie. Depending on this, a 360degrees plan is formulated for cross promotion during various stages of film making.

Payments are based on exposure, including the number of timesthe product is shown or mentioned, the duration of that exposure, andthe degree of inclusion of the product in the story line. Howeversometimes product usage is negotiated rather than paid for, informs


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Mr. Samee. Mr. Mehra added that some placements provideproductions with below-the-line savings, with products such as props,clothes and cars being loaned for the production's use, thereby savingthem purchase or rental fees.

2. Role of Advertising Agencies and Their Importance

Recognizing the growing significance of branded entertainmentconcept in India, advertising majors are beefing up the operations intheir respective entertainment wings. Major advertising agencies havecreated special wing to catch business. They are:

WPP Group (Broadmind) Lowe (Lin Entertainment) Percept (P9) Leo Burnett (Leo Entertainment) Madisoon (MATES)

Apart from these there are some specialized agencies coming up, onlydealing with in-film branding. Media e2e is one such agency.

These agencies fix up the deal between a producer and thebrand for placement. And today almost all movies have product

placement in some amount or other. However some brands go for tie-ups without the help of these agencies. Nokia had a direct tie-up in OmShanti Om . On the other hand, Ultra tech Cement took the assistanceof P9 Integrated for its crucial placement in Chak De.

Talking of trends, Mr. Phadnis talked about the role reversals atin-film and co-branding options. P9, for example is looking at in makinga full length Hindi commercial film on a life style brand.

3. How is product placement measured?

Mr. Phadnis gave very informative insight on this topic. He informedabout the tool developed by his agency to measure productplacement. It is South Asias first Product Placement Evaluation tool incollaboration with iTVX.


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The ITVX tool offered by Media e2e is a product placement valuationmetric service for media professionals in the branded entertainmentindustry. The system hinges on Q-Ratio. The quantitative metric knownas a Q-Ratio reflects the quality of product placement or brandedentertainment exposure. It is based on the simultaneous calculation of

50 variables. The tool will help advertisers, media planners, contentproducers & TV stations with valuation & quality of product placements& other forms of Branded Entertainment. The summary output at theend of a product placement is Q Ratio , a single metric that representsthe quality of the product placement. This ratio can be applied in anumber of ways to privy costs the client typically uses for mediameasurement to guide prognosis or diagnosis of what clients got fortheir money.

WHAT IS Q-RATIO? Q ratio is a global measure for quality of

product placements. It is measured as a % of a 30 sec ad i.e. Decimal fraction of a 30 sec ad or Number of commercials to which it is equivalent.

It creates placement standards & parameters for broadcasters,agencies & advertisers. It also hedges the risk in product placementdeals.

Q RATIO SYSTEM CONSISTS OF 2 COMPONENTS1. A psychological dimension, with 3 parts (and multiple levels) that

simultaneously interact with each other. Impact factor- The backbone of per calculations Awareness factor- Measures of involvement Integration factor - Measures of engagement

2. A perpetual dimension e.g.: signal attributes The clarity of audio & video This is called a threshold measure below a certain

point it can detract from the message & damage theimpact.

Other Issues:

According to Rajkumar Santoshi, film director, in-film brandingwas present from a long time but it was caught our fancy in recenttimes. And it is a welcome phenomenon. Before year 2000, most of themoney coming for funding of movies was from mafia and other illegalmeans. And if not them, there were a handful of financers whocontrolled the entire movie business. In the year 2000 Bollywoodformally got the tag of industry. And this was possible thanks toincreasing number of corporate wanting to have stake our movies


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either as plain financers or through in-film advertising of theirproducts, brands, companies.

He added I find this a big boon to the industry because now withlesser sweat about acquiring finances, we can actually concentrate andexperiment with better and relevant themes in our movies. It no longer

needs to bend to the pressures of mafia or financer to cut out someparts of the story because it either does not match the views of mafiaor is too heavy on the financer's pocket. The brands coming in havegiven fresh air to our creative freedom.

Mr. Samee said that in-film branding is the latest way of earningrevenues, legally! To this Mr. Devgan added Of course its the matterof money coming in via these in-film advertising. With increasinglyambitious budgets, its important to get these endorsements as theypay heavy money for the brands to be feature. And at the end of theday, money matters.

Both, Nokia and Ultra Tech cement managers talked about thetheme of the film matching their image. In case of Nokia they identifiedwith the versatility of SRK, the mood of second part of OSO beingprojected as both up-market (SRK as superstar) and humble (Pappu aslower income group representative), tech savvy, stylish, vibrant, beingthe in thing. Ultra tech cement identified with the integrity, the mentaltoughness, the determination, the zeal, the trust, being global winner,modern and youthful, tech savvy yet intrinsically Indian image of thefilm characters. Ultra tech pulled a coup of a sort by its placement in

the movie Chak de as its unprecedented by any cement company. Andthey managed to be seen in virtually every frame the team wasplaying in its official gear, as it was the official sponsor.

There is also a fear in many corporate that if they associate witha film and it flops in box office, it may affect their brand adversely. Soinvesting in in-film advertising is seen as having a risk factor of 50-50.Many thus refrain from such activities. Some however have no issuesin promotional activities. They can mostly profitable and does not havethat strong an association with the movie to be affected by its

commercial success and failure.


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CONCLUSION

Product Placement in Mainstream films is emerging as the mostreliable and viable medium from brands today. If there is in-filmbranding in a movie, the 15,000 audience sitting in the theatre aregoing to look at it unlike a TV channel where they can browse throughdifferent channels. Hence its here that the brands catch and can holdon to consumers' undivided attention. The power of celebrities, manywith iconic and idol status, give greater credibility to brands andreinforce or establish positive associations.

The study indicates that brand placement in Hindi films areeffective. The high recall, recognition and positive attitude scoressuggest that brand managers are seriously looking at productplacements in movies as a new vehicle for reaching to consumers.

However, several issues need to be kept in mind. Relevance of products to the situation needs to be created- this is possible byincorporating the placement planning at a script level, as practiced inHollywood. The brand managers also need to guard against the clutterin the scenes- other competing products of product category shouldnot be incorporated. They need to look in the future where use of comparative brand placement will be a reality. The research suggeststhat explicit placement is more successful than implicit placement. Thebrand managers however, should pretest the placement to determinethe exact level at which viewer irritation sets in. As success of brandplacement is dependent on the success of the movie andconsequently, its reach, it is not possible to evaluate placements froma sales generation perspective.

As the Indian economy develops a global perspective, Bollywoodneeds to follow suit. More importantly, as Indian audiences becomefragmented into class specific segments, marketers are faced with themore difficult task of communicating their brand messages. Effectiveand well thought of product placement appears to be some solution.


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REFERENCES

Print: Panda, Tapan K, (2004), Consumer Response to Brand

Placements In Films, South Asian Journal of Management, Vol11, Issue 4.

Dwyer, R. and Patel, D. (2002), Cinema India: A Visual Culture of Hindi Films , London, Reaktion Book Ltd.


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Balasubramanian, S. K. (1994), Beyond Advertising andPublicity: Hybrid Messages and Public Policy issues, Journal of Advertising , 23(4), pp 29-47 Business World, May 2006.

DLR van der Waldt, LS Du Toit and R Redelinghuys, (2007),Does Branded Product Placement in Film Enhance Realism and

Product recognition by Consumers?, African Journal of BusinessManagement , May 2007, pp 19-25.

Sengupta. R., (1999), Taalis for the Showmn 8 th July, The Timesof India.

Clark, Nicola (2008), In the Eye of Storm, 16 th January, BrandEquity, The Economic Times.

Kapoor, Jagdeep (2005) In-film Branding is the In Thing, 30 th

June, The Hindu Business Line. Arya, Swati (2007) Ultra Tech Cement Tastes In-film Branding,

23 rd August, Media Newsline. FICCI and Ernst Young, (2004), The Indian Entertainment

Industry: Emerging Trends and Opportunities, FRAMES 2004,Global Convention on the Business of Entertainment; Federal of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries.

Websites:

www.domain-b.com www.brandchannel.com www.businessofcinema.com www.agencyfaqs.com www.exchange4media.com www.mediae2e.com www.madison/mates.com


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In-depth Interviews: Mr. Raj Kumar Santoshi

Film Director

Mr. Abdul Sammee Siddique Film Producer

Mr. Ajay Devgan Actor

Ms. Geetanjali Sharma,Nokia Phone: +91 1244199000

Mr. P. V. Raman, Ultra TechCement. Phone: +919890455343

Mr. Arun Mehra, SpacialMedia

Phone: +91

Mr. Atul Phadnis, Mediae2e Phone: +919920897407

Annexure

Questionnaire

DETAILS:Name :___________________________ Age:___________


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Sex: M F

Occupation: Working Student

Education: School Pass Monthly Household Income

Under Graduate 10,000-20,000Post Graduate 20,000-30,000Post Graduate(Special) 30,000-40,000Others 40,000+

Contact:

1. Do you watch movies?Yes No

2. How often do you watch them?a. once a month

b. once a week c. Two to five times a week d. Daily

3. Which movies have you watched recently?_______________________________________________________________________ _ _______________________________________________________________________ _

4. Have you watched Om Shanti Om?

Yes NoIf yes,5. Did you notice any brand featured in the movie?

Yes No6. Can you list them?______________________________________________________ TICK THE BRANDS THEY MENTION. FOR THE REMAINING GIVE HINTS ANDMENTION H IN FRONT OF THOSE BRANDS.

a. Nokiab. Maybellinec. Shoppers Stop

d. TagHeuer e. Sia Jewelryf. Compaq

7. Have you watched Goal?Yes No

If yes,8. Did you notice any brand featured in the movie?


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Yes No

9. Can you list them?_____________________________________________________ TICK THE BRANDS THEY MENTION. FOR THE REMAINING GIVE HINTS ANDMENTION H IN FRONT OF THOSE BRANDS.

k. Reebok l. Western Union money transfer m. Gilletten. ESPN Star Sports

10.Have you watched Chak De?Yes No


Yes No


h. UltraTech Cementi. Pumaj. MacDonaldsk. Aaj Tak l. Times Of Indiam. Bislerin. Hockey stick brands Vijyanti and Rakshak

13.Have you watched Lage Raho Munna Bhai?Yes No


Yes No


i. Worldspace radioj. IOCLk. Go Air l. MSNm. Good Dayn. Kurkureo. Bright Outdoor p. Reliance Communications


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16. Do you think Brand placement in movies is a good alternative to traditionaladvertising?

Yes NoWhy____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

_

17. Do you think real brands should be used extensively in movies to make a scene morebelievable?

Yes NoWhy____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _

18. Does the way a brand is used in movies affect your feelings about the brand?Yes No

Why____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _

19. Does product placement in movies affect your buying decisions?Yes No

Why____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _

20. Do you think the idea of placing a brand in a movie is unethical because the moviegoers do not want to watch paid advertising?

Yes No

Mediagraphics:


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1. Which newspapers do you read/subscribe?a.____________________ b.____________________ c.____________________

2. Which business dailies do you read/subscribe?_______________________________________________________________________ _

3. Which magazines do you read?Business________________________________________________________________ General_________________________________________________________________ Special__________________________________________________________________

4. Which FM channels do you regularly listen to?

_______________________________________________________________________ _

5. Which TV channel do you watch regularly?_______________________________________________________________________ _

6. Which TV program do you watch regularly?_______________________________________________________________________ _ 7. Which is your favorite online portal/you visit regularly?_______________________________________________________________________ _

8. Are you member of an online community/ blog? Name them._______________________________________________________________________ _

9. Do you visit Multiplexes?Yes No

10. Which Multiplexes do you visit frequently?_______________________________________________________________________ _


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