Saturday, February 11th, 2012
A few months back, Elder Health Care Ltd introduced a new deodorant?Fuel.
The company took on challenge of marketing the new product in a category that was dominated by Axe. The challenge was to make a good enough impression for consumers and retailers to buy the product.
To do this, Elder turned to branded entertainment. The company secure the endorsement of two Bollywood elites?Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar?in a film promotion. According to Gouri Shah from LiveMint.com, ?The film connection ensured that Elder got its product into stores.?
Typically, the endorsement of a product would cost a lot of cash. But Elder brokered a deal that got the two celebrities at a much lower rate. The tie-up to promote the film (Kambakkht Ishq) implied an unofficial endorsement from the lead actors.
?We knew that the film was going to be big,? comments Anuj Saxena, the managing director of Elder Health Care. ?It was launching after the film strike and was likely to get a lot of publicity with its international cast featuring Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards.?
While product placement and branded entertainment have long been staples in big movies, research says that the industry has risen even more as of late.
Shah writes, ?Not only is branded entertainment considered a cost-effective way to reach audiences, it has become even more attractive with cash-strapped film-makers willing to go that extra mile.?
Branded entertainment is a creative solution that addresses need for additional revenue on the producer?s side and the wanting for good exposure on the advertiser?s side. And the recession has bought both sides closer.
Source: LiveMint.com
