The branding activities of the Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Kabali’ which was pegged at Rs. 40 crore has now touched Rs. 70 crore and will close at Rs. 100 crore.
“The value of branding activities will touch Rs. 100 crore by the time the movie goes off theatres. The Rs. 100 crore is the value of the associations we had with various brands,” said D. Paranthaman, Chief Executive Officer of V Creations (production firm) and son of Kalaipuli S. Thanu (the producer of ‘Kabali’) told The Hindu .
“The branding association with firms such as AirAsia, Airtel, ShopCJ, Amazon, Emami, Muthoot Fincorp, Cadbury 5 Star and many others has added value for us and helped register the name ‘Kabali’ in people’s mind. It helped the movie reach a wider audience through different modes,” he added.
Brand managers of these firms who worked on the ‘Kabali’ deal said that this was a win-win-situation for them too. Low-cost carrier AirAsia which painted the sky with ‘Kabali’ posters, said that it had hit bull’s eye with this association. “Coming together with a big-ticket movie like ‘Kabali’ has been one of the biggest commercial coups that the film industry has seen,” said Amar Abrol, CEO, AirAsia India. “We have received a couple of proposals from a few movie production houses. We might associate with another movie if our brand synergies match. Dharma productions & Studio Green are some of the prominent production houses that have approached us for associations post ‘Kabali’,” added Mr Abrol.
Thomas George Muthoot, Director, Muthoot Fincorp, part of the Muthoot Pappachan Group, said, “We have sold 20,000 ‘Kabali’ silver coins, launched ahead of the movie release, so far.”
AirAsia will be the partner for ‘Kabali’ when the movie releases in Japan, China and Thailand later this year. In Thailand, several brands have already approached the producers for a brand tie-up. Mr Paranthaman said that he will finalise the brands that the film would associate with next week.
According to Mr Paranthaman, the merchandising activity has also witnessed good traction. “We have now tied up with PVR and Mayajaal for merchandising and we in talks with more theatre owners to display the t-shirts, 3D posters at their theatres.”
