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  • Second Covid wave chokes India; filmmakers eye OTT route for new releases

    Second Covid wave chokes India; filmmakers eye OTT route for new releases

    MUMBAI: After showing signs of flattening the curve, India is once again struggling to leash the deadly virus that has reared its ugly head in the last few weeks. On 13 April, the country recorded more than 1,61,736 Covid2019 positive cases and over 900 related deaths. As the pandemic rages on, several states including Maharashtra and Karnataka are considering a second lockdown. 

    Like all other sectors, the entertainment industry in India is also facing a setback due to the resurgent virus. Even though the government gave permission to open theatres in November 2020, the footfall in cinema halls was very low, and most screens in Maharashtra witnessed an attendance of just four to five per cent. 

    Covid brings entertainment industry to its knees

    Even though several Bollywood movies including Mumbai Saga hit the big screen, none of these films succeeded in creating an impact at the box-office. Industry experts believe that the only way to revive the exhibition industry is by waiving taxes imposed on cinema halls, and by allowing them to function without restrictions. 

    "If theatres in Maharashtra remain closed due to lockdown, it could affect Hindi movie releases in all other states as well,” pronounced Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India president Nitin Datar. “Theatres are making sure that all hygiene measures are adopted to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. Even though the attendance in theatres is very low, the expenses incurred by theatres which include electricity bills, taxes (including entertainment and property) remains the same. In Maharashtra alone, theatres incurred loss of Rs 800 crore. We request government to waive the taxes which is very much necessary for the exhibition industry to survive.''

    Datar also added that the closure of theatres in Maharashtra could not only affect theatre owners, but will also impact the lives of thousands who are directly or indirectly dependent on cinemas. 

    "In a theatre, there will be 25 workers. There will be four or five people working in the parking area, and other people working in the canteen area. In the surrounding areas, around the theatres, it will be a market hub depending on people coming to theatres. All the small shops are also dependent on the public who come to see cinemas. Around 1000 or 2000 people used to visit the theatres every day, and these retail shops are running relying these theatre visitors," he pointed out. 

    Exhibitors are ready to cooperate with whatever call the government takes during the pandemic, said Dadar, but at the same time, they expect help to survive.

    Production houses may postpone releases

    If a possible lockdown happens in Maharashtra, release of several movies including Sooryavanshi and Salman Khan's Radhe may get postponed. With a power-packed star cast of Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, and Ranveer Singh, Sooryavanshi is scheduled to release on 30 April, but if theatres remain closed, makers may postpone the theatrical hit, and some day, may even opt for an OTT release. 

    Elara Capital vice president & research analyst (media & consumer discretionary) Karan Taurani hinted that theatres will return to pre-pandemic normalcy only by September 2021, which means several big budget movies may well take the direct to OTT route.

    "In January 2021, industry experts believed that theatres will return to pre-pandemic normalcy by May-June 2021. However, due to the second wave and a lockdown scare, things have turned upside down. I personally believe that the process of returning to normalcy will take some time, and I believe things will return to pre-pandemic atmosphere by September 2021. Makers of films like Sooryavanshi may consider OTT release, as the content is getting old," he said.

    Taurani also added that OTT releases are inevitable in the current scenario. While films like Sooryavanshi are not made to release on video streaming platforms, the current pandemic situation is compelling production houses to release their films online. 

    "If filmmakers have the option to release movies in theatres, they will obviously screen in big screens. And personally I believe that production houses will not opt for simultaneous releases in both OTT platforms and theatres on the same day, a practice which is widely followed in Hollywood," he stated. 14apr-Anx-mailer.html

  • Fresh Covid wave chokes Bollywood, regional industries partially safe

    Fresh Covid wave chokes Bollywood, regional industries partially safe

    NEW DELHI: After showing strong signs of flattening the curve, Covid2019 has again reared its ugly head in India. With more than 59,117 positive cases recorded on Thursday, infections of the deadly pathogen are climbing up steadily in the country, and experts are not ruling out the possibility of a second lockdown in the near future. With the pandemic returning with a vengeance, one sector which is bearing the brunt is the entertainment industry. Even though regional industries like Kollywood, Mollywood, and Tollywood are partially succeeding to bring audiences to theatres, Bollywood is struggling to keep its head above water.

    People hesitant to visit theatres

    Several studies have previously found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has the capability to spread drastically in closed spaces, where ventilation is limited. Due to this factor, the Indian government ordered a shutdown of all cinema halls in the nation in the initial phase of the 2020 lockdown. After a few months, when cases in the country started declining, authorities gave permission to open theatres with limited capacity, and a few films were released for public screening. 

    Some of the noted films that had theatrical releases post the Coronavirus outbreak were Bollywood films Roohi and Mumbai Saga, Mammootty's Malayalam film The Priest, Vijay's Master, and Telugu movies Krack, and Uppena. 

    Of these, south Indian flicks like Master, The Priest, and Krack managed to draw audiences to the theatres. However, Bollywood films failed to attract viewers, especially due to the rising caseloads in Maharashtra. Even though the John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi-starrer Mumbai Saga garnered positive reviews from all corners, the film managed to collect only Rs 2.85 crore on its opening day, followed by Rs 2.4 crore on the next.

    Considering the pre-release hype generated by Mumbai Saga, the recent figures are not promising, especially at a time when Maharashtra is becoming the nation’s Covid epicentre.

    Studios planning to postpone releases

    With audiences a no-show in theatres, several top studios in the country are deferring the release of their films; some are opting for OTT premieres instead. Take for instance Drishyam 2, one of the most anticipated movies of the year which landed on Amazon Prime. Producer Antony Perumbabvoor’s decision paid off and the Mohanlal-starrer became a sensational hit on the OTT platform; in fact, it helped Amazon Prime Video expand its subscriber base with the release of this single movie. 

    As the second Covid2019 wave washes over India, notable Bollywood production houses are delaying the theatrical release of several films. It has been previously reported that Rana Daggubatti's Haathi Mere Saathi would come to theatres on 26 March 2021. But due to the rising number of cases, especially in Maharashtra, Eros International has pushed back the release of the Hindi version, while the release of the Telugu and Tamil versions will go as planned. 

    Meanwhile, Zee Studios has also announced that they have postponed the release of upcoming Punjabi movie Puaada starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa in the lead roles. 

    "Due to the rising cases of Covid2019 and new guidelines for cinemas, with weekend and night closures of theatres, we have decided to postpone our movie Puaada until further notice," said Zee Studios in a statement. 

    According to The Storytellers Fund managing partner Naveen Chandra, with 50 per cent occupancy limits and only 60 per cent theatres open pan India, there is no way big-budget films can recoup investments if they’re released now.

    "The only option is to hold the film till market conditions make for a viable release. Those that cannot hold will try and negotiate a direct OTT deal to avoid further loss of their investment. But,  audiences are hungry and waiting for good content to arrive at the theatres. So whenever the theatrical markets open fully, we should see some good collections at the box office,” stated Chandra.

    Bollywood films suffering, regional movies relatively untouched

    The decision to postpone movies by Zee Studios and Eros Entertainment comes at a time when Maharashtra accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the overall daily Coronavirus cases being reported in India. The state reported more than 28,000 cases in the past 24 hours. As most of the B-Town activities are centralised in Mumbai, industry experts believe that release of several other movies may also get pushed back if the second wave continues to wreak havoc. 

    Elara Capital vice president – research analyst (media & consumer) Karan Taurani has hinted that releases of big-budget outings like Sooryavanshi and Radhe may also get delayed if the recent spike in Covid cases carries on unabated.

    "Makers of Sooryavanshi are planning to release the movie on 30 April. The condition in Maharashtra seems very heavy when it comes to the number of cases. And I think the marketing of the film will begin by the first week of April. So, until the first week of April, if the situation does not improve, there is a high likelihood that Sooryavanshi's release may also get postponed. If the situation persists until May, the release of movies like Radhe may also get affected. It is a very big blow to cinemas, as the industry is missing April-May months when big films used to get released," Taurani told Indiantelevision.com. 

    The media veteran also talked about the dream run of Vijay's Master in theatres amid coronavirus scare. 

    "When Master was released in January, things were different as the Coronavirus curve was showing signs of flattening. However, after the success of Master, no big movies were released in Tamil, and none of the small-budget Kollywood movies that hit the theatres during this time span made an impact. Some Telugu films made with a moderate budget did make their presence felt at the box-office," added Taurani. 

    He went on to mention that ever since the shutdown of cinema halls, the condition of theatre workers is very troubling, and it will take some time before things return to normal.

  • #Throwback2020: India’s Top Brand Ambassadors

    #Throwback2020: India’s Top Brand Ambassadors

    New Delhi: Brand ambassadors – they are the icons, the celebrities which consumers associate with a brand because they extoll its virtues on television, print, and digital adverts. The role of any and every brand ambassadorin 2020 came with added responsibilities than ever before. They were not just selling products or services but trust and assurance to the potential customer that whatever they are promoting  is safe to use in the times of coronavirus.

    It is to their credit that  many of them stepped forward on the government’s call for social messaging, telling the homebound to stay that way and resort to social distancing,  masks and extreme sanitisation  measures every time they stepped out.

    While expensive, expansive shoots were a no-no for about four months in the early stages of the pandemic, many celebs found innovative ways to continue filming from their homes with the help of remotely located directors and production teams, Once the unlock orders were passed and proper standard operating procedures put in place for TV commercial and other shoots, the brand ambassador band played out in full swing. Several brands roped in new ambassadors this year and several new ambassadors started shining on air.

    Here are India’s op 10 brand ambassadorsin terms of ad volume on TV according to Tam data (from Jan 2020 – Nov 2020).

    Akshay Kumar

    The 50 plus year old actor has emerged as the king of endorsements in the Bollywood fraternity. He is associated with brands across different categories such as Protein Plus, Dollar Industries, RB, CarDekho, Honda, Nirma, Pagarbook and several others. Kumar has a kitty of over 20 brands including traditional and new-age brands.

    Known for his discipline, fitness, and integrity the actor’s credibility reached its peak when he interviewed prime minister Narendra Modi at his residence just before the 2019 general elections. Over the years his fan base has increased and brands have found him to be a credible face when it comes to creating a strong recall.

    Virat Kohli

    The current Indian cricket team captain is one of the most successful brand ambassadors from the world of cricket. He represents a variety of virtues such as discipline, aggression, commitment, team-player, and most recently soon-to-be-father. Kohli has been breaking multiple records and cricket experts across the world have been lauding his success.

    Going by the latest reports, his brand value is above Rs 320 crore and is slated to grow as he has a good number of years left in his career before his retirement. Kohli endorses brands like Great Learning, Blue Star, WellMan, Himalaya Men, Google Duo, MPL, Shyam Steel, Amaze inverters and batteries, Puma, Hero MotoCorp, Colgate, Volini, Too Yumm, Wrogn, Tissot, Audi, Royal Challenge.

    Kareena Kapoor

    The leading lady of Bollywood is one of the most expensive ambassadors in the industry. Kapoor represents virtues such as finesse, quality, beauty, glamour and fitness. She has been in the industry for over 20 years and has emerged as a big influencer and commands a very strong social following. A brand report in August clearly stated that Kapoor leads the brand endorsement chart among the women in Bollywood. She endorses brands such as Lux, Puma, Vectus Group, RB, Airbnb, Prega News, VIP Bags, and others.

    Amitabh Bachchan

    He is known as the evergreen brand ambassador of the industry. Bachchan is the easiest choice for any brand manager to make since he cuts across multiple age-groups, communities and commands an unwavering love and respect from the audiences. He represents virtues such as patience, calmness, commitment, etiquettes, politeness, friendly, family man, elderly and many other things. He is among the veterans in the industry and commands an ability to shift the needle of sales on any product. Some of the brands that he endorses are – Ghadi Detergent, Dr Fixit, FirstCry, Gujrat Tourism, RBI, TVS and others. He has a kitty of over 15 brands.

    Kiara Advani

    She is the new girl on the endorsement block. Advani emerged in the industry with her performance in Kabir Singh and since then has bagged multiple roles in films and contracts from brands. She represents youth and beauty. Advani is associated with Myntra, Colgate, Limca, Priyagold, boat, Giordano Handbags, and others.

    Ranveer Singh

    He is one of the most revered youth icons the industry has seen in a long time. Be it his dressing sense, commitment towards maintaining his shape, love towards his lady lass, Singh is much followed by youth (both male and female) across geographies. Singh represents virtues such as – living the moment, lively nature, commitment, carefree attitude, and others. He is undoubtedly the darling of brands. Some of the brands that he represents are Harman JBL, Thums Up, Jio, Eduauraa, Royal Stag, BigMuscles Nutrition, Astral Pipes, Bingo, Ching’s, Kotak Mahindra, Siyaram’s and others.

    Alia Bhatt

    They hated her, they trolled her and then finally they started liking her. Alia Bhatt has emerged as a popular brand ambassador in the last three years. She is followed by youth and cuts across the age group of 18 – 30 years old. She is associated with brands such as PhonePe, MakeMyTrip, Lux, Nestle, Capresse, JSW Paints, Tresemme, Vicco, and others.

    MS Dhoni

    He is the legend of Indian cricket has etched a name for himself in the history books. The story of a boy rising from a small town to the highest levels of the game is nothing less than inspirational. Audiences have always loved this story and brands have backed it. Despite retirement from cricket (minus the 20:20 format) Dhoni still represents virtues like leadership, skills, calmness, patience, sportsman spirit, family man, mentor and much more. He has been associated with brands such as India Cements, PokerStar, Oppo, Khatabook, GoDaddy, Snickers and others.

    Anushka Sharma

    The soon-to-be-mother and a popular Bollywood actor has emerged as a top ambassador this year on the back of Prega News spending heavily on advertising. The brand immediately signed Sharma as she broke the news of her pregnancy and launched a massive campaign with her.

    Shraddha Kapoor

    She is one of the most under-rated actors of Bollywood and was seen in almost all the big box-office hits of 2018 and 2019. Kapoor has built her brand saliency step-by-step and has emerged as one of the most popular and credible faces of the industry. She represents hard work, persistence, patience, beauty, glamour, fitness and other such virtues. Kapoor represents brands such as The Body Shop, Vogue Eyewear, 2bme, Lakme, Veet, Hair & Care, Hershey’s, 

  • Guest column: Why influencer marketing is a key communication strategy for brands

    Guest column: Why influencer marketing is a key communication strategy for brands

    NEW DELHI: In the times of social distancing and digital evolution, when millennials are spending a substantial amount of their time on the internet, brands are roping in influencer marketing strategies to communicate with their audience. With an evolved ROI, cost per view and demographic of an influencer, this space is maturing with the changing times. Brands have extended their influencer marketing work with chefs, designers, comedians and other content-creators besides Bollywood A-listers.

    A range of new social media influencers including nano-influencers have also been appointed to scale up engagement. The impact of these influencers has been witnessed during recent festive season – where digital marketing experts estimate a 20 per cent jump in influencer marketing campaigns. Though the influencer marketing is on rise currently, it isn’t a new concept. Since the beginning of the early 20th century, we have been seeing Bollywood celebrities and other well-known individuals endorsing products and services. Brands are also tapping into these people as part of their marketing campaigns. 

    Why influencer marketing is driving communication strategy for brands

    When content is shared by someone, who is a friend or colleague or somebody who is not from the world of glamour, on social media, it creates an impact on the audience's mind. The trust level for that message is said to be a whopping 83 percent. This percentage is quite high as compared to other forms of marketing. This is also one of the prime reasons behind companies making their resources move toward marketing programs that focus on influential people with social media followings – instead of simply just traditional media. These influencers, too, work really hard to create content, which is authentic and relatable, and are focused on building their audience.

    Earlier, an influencer or blogger’s world was confined to industries like fashion and lifestyle but as the reach of digital penetration increased, influencer marketing took a leap and started influencing a wide variety of customer base. This is why a brand should look at influencer marketing more seriously as it offers more profound engagement and organic growth.

    People are spending more time digitally these days as compared to the real world. In the times of remote working, Indians have spent roughly 3 hours and 22 minutes on their smartphones per day, which increased to 3 hours 54 minutes in phase two of the lockdown, states the findings of a July report by television viewership monitoring agency BARC, and a Nielsen report that tracked TV viewership and smartphone usage during the various phases of India’s lockdown.

    Brands are making use of this window in the best possible way because an increased screen time has made them recruit content creators and influencers. Through their posts, they created audience’s engagement on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube in the space of recipes, gaming and do-it-yourself (DIY) arts and crafts. Even influencers have become opinion makers, who can slip a brand into a consumer’s consideration set.

    There are many situations where a brand can benefit from influencer marketing:

    • To get the maximum result for a new product launch 
    • Leveraging influencers to share already-created content or having them create their own content for marketing campaigns
    • Influencers also do a great job of reporting and extending the life and impact of brand events
    • In a crisis, they can also be invaluable by providing another channel to reach audiences 

    However, one should not completely depend upon influencer marketing as it’s not a guaranteed success. Successful influencer marketing requires time, dedication and research. A well-thought-out influencer program should be incorporated as part of a much broader marketing strategy.

    (The writer is the director of Bonn Group of Industries. Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his views.)
     

  • Dollar Industries adapt to changing consumer trends

    Dollar Industries adapt to changing consumer trends

    Dollar Industries has unveiled a new campaign to promote its existing range of Dollar Bigboss and Dollar Missy.

    The company said that it explores many aspects of self, audaciously embracing and showcasing a collective individuality and shattering of the status quo.

    The Dollar Missy campaign film, featuring Bollywood star Chitrangada Singh contradicts the popular philosophy of women prolonging to dress up, the campaign showcases how Dollar Missy enables today’s Gen Y woman to get ready in a jiffy so that she may seamlessly juggle between her personal, official and social lives.

    The Dollar Bigboss commercial starring Akshay Kumar reveals the actor’s perfect clone effectively devised, failing in one final and most vital test. Unlike the Dollar Bigboss vest worn by Akshay, his clone’s vest gets easily ripped off portraying only the original brand can stand up to the test of advanced strength and durability.

    Developed by Lowe Lintas Kolkata, it reflects the brand’s alacrity to adapt to changing consumer trends and break existing stereotypes when it comes to fashion, both for men and women.

    Both the commercials have been directed by ad film maker, Shiven Surendranath. The campaign has been released on both electronic and online platforms.

    Dollar Industries MD Vinod Kumar Gupta said, “With our decade long association with Akshay Kumar, our brand has witnessed a 3x growth. Coming to Dollar Missy, for women, armed with an enviable range of womenswear, we felt it was time for us to break old-standing beliefs as well. Our festive collection consists of 102 colors to choose from. The leggings cater to various occasions and are a perfect fit for women across various leagues of life.”

    Lowe Lintas regional creative officer Janmenjoy Mohanty said, “Akshay is a brilliant actor who pulls off the film with flying colours. With regards to Missy, the concept was derived from the product itself. These easy-to-slip-on legwear are meant for a wide variety of occasions and uses and lends itself perfectly to the idea that today’s multi-tasking woman is game for #SpeedDressing.”

  • Bollywood associations & producers file legal suits against Times Now & Republic TV

    Bollywood associations & producers file legal suits against Times Now & Republic TV

    NEW DELHI: The trouble surrounding the nation’s news broadcasting industry does not seem to be dying down. Last week, a few channels got embroiled in the TRP manipulation scandal, and now the Indian film fraternity appears to have joined forces against them.

    Four Bollywood industry associations and 34 leading film producers have filed a civil suit before the Delhi High Court against Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami and Pradeep Bhandari, and Times Now’s Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar, on their coverage of the drugs probe being carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

    The suit urges the court to restrain these channels – along with their editors and journalists – from making “irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks” against Bollywood and the members of the film fraternity. 

    The producers have taken exception to several derogatory phrases used during the coverage such as ‘dirt,’ ‘filth,’ ‘scum,’ ‘druggies’ and expressions such as ‘it is Bollywood where the dirt needs to be cleaned,’ ‘all the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood,’ ‘This is the dirtiest industry in the country,’ and ‘cocaine and LSD drenched Bollywood’.

    The suit states, "The livelihood of persons associated with Bollywood is being severely impacted by the smear campaign being run by the Defendants. This is in addition to the ongoing pandemic which has resulted in extreme revenues and work opportunity loss. The privacy of the members of Bollywood is being invaded, and their reputations are being irreparably damaged by painting the entire Bollywood as criminals, seeped in drug culture, and making being part of Bollywood as synonymous with criminal acts in the public imagination."

    In their plea, the producers have asked Delhi High Court to pass directions ordering Times Now and Republic TV to withdraw, recall and take down all the defamatory content published by them against Bollywood. The suit also seeks that the channels and the four people mentioned abide by the provisions of the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.

    While the producers don't call for blanket media gag in the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation, they want the court to stop reportage that violates the law. The suit further asks the channels not to conduct media trials of Bollywood personalities and to stop interfering with the privacy of those associated with Bollywood.

    Reacting to the lawsuit, Times Now news editor Rahul Shivshankar said in a tweet that filing cases against journalists "that have only sought justice for those who are wronged" would set a bad precedent.

     

     

    Navika Kumar also took to Twitter, saying: "All the A-listers can come together but India will continue to fight for the truth. You can’t intimidate us."

     

     

  • Bollywood celebs, brands & the SSR controversy

    Bollywood celebs, brands & the SSR controversy

    NEW DELHI: Apart from God, Indians worship cricket icons and Bollywood stars. On most occasions, all that a brand has to do is stick a product in a famous cricketer’s or actor’s hands, and, lo and behold, it starts moving off the shop shelves. It’s because of this most marketers and agencies are more than willing to sign hefty checks to the celeb for his or her endorsement of a product.

    The negative outcome of depending on celebrity endorsements is the flak the brand faces from consumers should the big-name falter in public life.

    Just like Bollywood is doing now. It has been losing its gleam and shine thanks to the unsolved, unexplained sudden death of Sushant Singh Rajput and the investigation by the CBI and the Narcotics Control Bureau, which has exposed the dark underbelly of the Mumbai film industry.

    Read more news on Bollywood

    Allegations of favouritism, me-too, drugs being rampant amongst Bollywood’s best are flying thick and fast and being played out on a majority of news channels almost like a reality show. Videos have been circulating like wildfire showing popular film faces red-eyed and in a state of stupor.

    No one has been spared.  Even A-listers have been dragged into the Sushant Singh Rajput and the related drug investigation and got their images tarnished. Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Varun Dhawan, Malaika Arora Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rakul Preet Singh, Sara Ali Khan, and Shraddha Kapoor.  

    It’s not the first time that personalities have been hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. Hindi film actors have been discredited in the past, and they have on most occasions bounced back on to the big screen. But what gets impacted is their endorsement income as brands dissociate with them, come any signs of serious disrepute.

    In 2015, actor Aamir Khan's statement about not feeling safe in India triggered a 'Hate Khan' campaign on social media platforms. At that time, he was the brand ambassador of the e-commerce website Snapdeal which faced the brunt of the anti-Khan ire. Over seven lakh customers uninstalled the Snapdeal app and over a lakh downgraded the app rating from five points to one. The whole situation led to Snapdeal dropping the method actor as its ambassador.

     Recently, PhonePe released a new ad on the IPL series which features Alia Bhatt and Aamir Khan. This has agitated a few users who trolled  the company for promoting the two  stars and soon the hashtag #BoycottPhonePe started. 

     

     

    Will the current brouhaha impact how advertisers and brands view their associations with Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor, three of the top stars who were summoned by the NCB and interrogated for their engagement on whatsapp in conversations around drugs?

    Brand consultant N. Chandramouli believes it will. “Brands are a cautious lot, and would not like to be dragged into any such controversies, and will think about ambassadors they choose,” says he.

    Hypercollective founder &  chief creative officer KV Sridhar agrees. “Nobody wants negative publicity after paying so much money,” says he. “So, brands would be more careful to protect their reputation and they will not take any risks.”

    Yes, stars cost a lot. When it comes to their cinematic career, they might take a cut in fees for a film as they probably want to work with a banner or with a specific actor or director. But when it comes to advertising and brand endorsement campaigns, they charge top dollar.

    Sara Ali Khan is associated with brands such as Fanta, Puma, Vivo, JBL, Ceriz, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ), Veet, ITC’s Fiama, and Garnier. Deepikais one of the biggest endorsers of  top end beauty brands. Shraddha can be seen in TVCs for  Lipton Tea, Body Shop, Realme, Lakme. She had also endorsed brands like Vogue Eyewear, Baggit, Flipkart, Secret Temptation, Veet, Vaseline, and others. Rakul appears in ads for Elleys’ switches, the Telangana Govt’s 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign and Vaibhav Jewellers

    Estimates are  that Deepika charges brands Rs eight crore for three days of ad shoot time. She leads the female endorsement brigade with a brand valuation of $93.5 million, with her husband Ranveer Singh having a similar valuation, according to the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2019.  Rakul Preet Singh has a sticker price of Rs 1.5 crore per endorsement according to the  Sandeep Goyal-mentored Indian Institute of Human Brands. Sara Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, are reportedly paid more than twice that.

    Sridhar expects these rates and associations to get sharp cuts. “A couple of brands will drop them at this time,” he says. “Their prices will go down. Big brands go for multiple celebrities, so if something happens the brand cuts back immediately. Brands will lie low if their ambassadors are involved.”

    He believes major FMCG players are the ones who would most likely take a decision to use the scissors on their relationship with the stars, while e-commerce websites might not.

    Dentsu One president Harjot Singh Narang echoes Sridhar’s view, adding,  ”a brand selling health and wellness to its consumers would definitely not want an endorser who is caught up in drugs and illegal behaviour.”

    He adds that some brands may “have to wait for these allegations and controversies to pass before making choices or have to choose differently given the seriousness and slightly longer than normal life that the current scandal seems to have.”

    Sridhar opines that memories are short and people will forget the current scandal over time. “These very same stars will be back in time,” he says.

    Taproot Dentsu chief creative officer and co-founder Santosh Paddy shares that brands will deal with Bollywood celebs cautiously going forward.  As it is, he Is not too much of a fan of doling out big money to stars. He’d rather focus on getting the idea for a brand right.

    “I don’t like Bollywood endorsing for my clients because it’s a pain to deal with them,” says he. “I always feel that if you’re paying them Rs 5 crore put that money behind the media and you will get a lot more attention. Celebrities can be good in the short run but great stories built on great ideas in advertising last the distance. Creative people tend to take short-cuts when they have a celeb.”

    Can we hear some advertising gurus clapping? 

  • Eros International unveils new identity for Eros STX Global Corp

    Eros International unveils new identity for Eros STX Global Corp

    KOLKATA: Eros International Plc has changed its corporate name to Eros STX Global Corp. Along with the change in the corporate name, the brand has come with a new logo, a new website, and a new stock ticker ESGC for New York stock exchange.

    Eros Intl Media CEO Pradeep Dwivedi shared the new identity for Eros STX Global Corp on his social media account.

     

     

    The name change follows the completion of company’s merger-of-equals transaction with STX Entertainment on 30 July. The corporate name change does not affect the company’s share structure or the rights of the company’s shareholders, and no action is required of the company’s existing shareholders in connection with the corporate name change.

    Read more news on Eros & STX Global merger 

    As described in the new website, the merged entity has six divisions Eros Now, Eros Motion Pictures, Eros STX International, STX films, STX television, STX alternative. The merger which was announced earlier this year brings two major forces of Bollywood and Hollywood together.

    In a recent interaction Dwivedi delved deeper into the merger of the two entities and shared his belief that the merged entity should be able to build the first compelling Indian studio that will capture worldwide attention both in terms of theatrical and streaming business.

  • IPL partner Cred launches TVC with Anil Kapoor

    IPL partner Cred launches TVC with Anil Kapoor

    NEW DELHI: CRED, a high-trust community of creditworthy individuals, merchants and institutions, has come on board as the official partner of the most awaited event of the year, the Indian Premier League 2020. CRED has kickstarted the journey of making this year’s IPL more rewarding for all players and viewers with a host of activities that would upgrade the experience for CRED Members. In line with the same, the brand also launched their latest campaign – ‘CRED: Not Everyone Gets It’ – featuring three ad films slated to launch over the course of the tournament, and starring leading Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor along with other iconic celebrities from the 90s, that promises to entertain and spread CRED’s message.

    Through these creative and fun ad films, CRED aims to amplify its messaging of how easy it is to manage timely credit card payments through the app and also getting regularly rewarded for good financial behaviour. The campaign started from 19 September with the launch of the first film starring Anil Kapoor. The veteran actor talks about the message of paying credit card bills on time in his unique, inimitable style which has made him a favorite since the 90s, across generations of audiences from millennials to their parents. To keep up the momentum, two more films featuring other much loved Bollywood celebrities will be released over the next month to join in the celebration. The campaign is truly a memorable and comedic take on CRED’s messaging that has been conceptualized entirely by the in-house team and brought to life by Ayappa KM, co-founder, Early Man Films, the production agency.

    CRED lead – growth and engagement Trupthi Shetty said “We are extremely excited to be associated with IPL 2020. At CRED, we believe in rewarding good financial behaviour and with this campaign, we are positive that our message of encouraging financial literacy and educating viewers on the rewarding benefits of responsible financial behaviour would come through in an entertaining manner. With Anil Kapoor and others lending their inimitable styles and unique personalities to each video, we are sure audiences would definitely relate to this campaign and our association would be off to a rewarding start.”

    Early Man Film executive producer & co-founder Anand Menon said, “It was a massive challenge for us to turn around this production keeping in mind the current scenario. But the fact that we had an opportunity to use these celebrities in a unique and entertaining way to tell the CRED story, made the effort worthwhile. We hope everyone enjoys these films and they bring a much-needed smile to people’s lives.“

    Read more news on CRED

  • Move away Bollywood, regional cinema is now raking in the moolah

    Move away Bollywood, regional cinema is now raking in the moolah

    MUMBAI: For years, regional cinema has been given secondary treatment as compared to the show and pomp of the burgeoning world of Hindi cinema , be it in the sheer number of movies produced every year or just the level of exposure. But there seems to have been a tectonic shift in the paradigm – given the number of regional films hitting the market over the last few years and creating box office waves. Sairat and Bahubali were movies that paved the way and proved the mighty power of the local language.

    Yoodlee Films, one of the youngest production houses in the country, had sensed this shift a while ago and decided to leverage on this continuing trend from the very onset. Having produced some 15 movies in only two and a half years, the move to assign importance to local language movies was inevitable. According to Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President – Films & Events at Saregama India Ltd, for the production house,  regional cinema is going to be a focus area. “We are strongly looking at regional cinema as we are convinced that making cinema in local languages will help us reach a wider and different cross-section of the audience. While some of our regional language movies – namely Tamil and Marathi are already in the works, we are looking at many other local languages to tell stories in.

    Yoodlee Films’ released two films previously in the South market :  the critically acclaimed Tamil film KD and the Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Abhiyuum Anuvum. Three more, namely Habbadi and Zombivali in Marathi and Super Senior Heroes in Tamil are in the making. Zombivali has already garnered much interest when it releases its first look a few weeks back,  given that it will be the first Marathi horror comedy featuring zombies. The movie is directed by  Aditya Sarpotdar, and has a power-packed cast of Amey Wagh, Lalit Prabhakar, and Vaidehi Parshurami.

    Siddharth adds that regional cinema has might have stories rooted in a particular milieu but they are powerful narratives which cut across language divide. “Regional cinema is also seeing big names investing in it and there is  sense of innate pride in putting forth a project of one’s language and culture in the mainstream. Viewers are no longer seen through a sieve of language anymore. All they want is an unique story – one which works at a human level and that they can relate to” he added.

    The shooting for Zombivali is currently continuing in Latur, Maharashtra and Super Senior Heroes and Habaddi is in various stages of post production.