Best Marketing Gimmicks of 2011 : Bollywood News

RA.ONE

Touted as a savvy marketer, Shah Rukh Khan very well understands the need and power of marketing and when you are making Bollywoods most expensive film, you have got to go all out with the promotions. Ra.One had possibly one of the longest marketing campaigns in the history of Bollywood movie marketing spanning over a period of approx 10 months with tie-ups worth Rs. 52 crores with over 30 brands. SRKs magnum opus Ra.One redefined the ways movies are being marketed in India.

First look unveiled during World Cup telecast

SRK gave Ra.One the best start ever by showcasing a 10 seconds teaser over 6 months before release during the first quarter finals of World Cup Cricket, 2011. The frequency of these teasers was at least once every hour ensuring that no one misses having a glimpse of 2011s most anticipated film.

Magnificant Audio launch

With over Rs. 10 crores being spent on its music launch, the audio launch of Ra.One was the grandest any film has ever had, with King of B-town in his superhero avatar landing on the stage from top and lifting a car like a superman. This is the first time ever that the entire audio launch was telecast on TV.

Merchandising

As far as Bollywood is concerned, we have not yet seen any film with such exclusive movie merchandise products. Ra.One is the first movie in India to come up with an all exclusive store having merchandise for the people to purchase. Products like piggy banks, pencil box, notebooks, sippers and lunchbox were sold as a part of this movies promotional gimmick.

Video Games and Comics

While video games related to movies is a very popular concept in Hollywood, for the first time in Bollywood, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) along with Red Chillies released a Play Station 3 game for Ra.One featuring all the characters. Also, it was the first movie to come up with a comic series showcasing the characters and promoting the film. Even iPad and Android apps were available for Ra.One movie.

Online Marketing

YouTube launched the official customized Ra.One channel(a first for an Indian film) of the film, where several song and theatrical promos were released to the public, along with videos of the films making, events and uncut footage. There were also videos of Shah Rukh sharing his thoughts and views on Ra.One and more. While Ra.Ones official Facebook page has more than 3 lakh likes page, the film also had a tie up Google+, Googles social networking platform.

Other Tie-ups

The other tie ups include kiddies favourite McDonalds where the Happy Meal included G.One toy action figures, Godrej Appliances G.ONE MEIN EK BAR OFFER, Horlicks Nerolac, Western Union Money Transfer, UTV Indiagames, Videocon, Nokia, Coke, ESPN Star Sports and Cinthol amongst others.

The aggressive marketing worked as Ra.One went on to break all box office opening records.