What goes around, comes around. This cliché now seems to apply to the world of Tamil film marketing, if latest promotional strategies are any indication. A film’s marketing budget is no more completely spent on advertisements and expansive audio functions. It seems in order to lend a personal touch, producers, in a throwback to the fifties and sixties, are now keen on taking promotions literally to the streets, by organising road events. The makers of the recent horror film Ra held a banner-flying event at Marina Beach to announce the film’s release date. “If we stop with advertising, we simply become one of a dozen films that advertise on any given day,” says Ameen, producer of the film. “Banner-flying is a popular exercise in north India and we are the first to bring it here.” Though the event isn’t directly related to the story of the film, Ameen maintains that some science was, after all, used in flying the banner with a remote-controlled plane. “ Ra touches upon some aspects of science,” he says, tying the event to the film’s theme.
Another recent film Sutrula hired two jeeps to carry around Tamil Nadu an ominous doll that is part of its story. Meanwhile, an upcoming film, Vajram, arranged a marathon in the city for school students as it is about the need for inclusivity in education. As Ameen says, “such events bring to the notice of the public the existence of our movies.” Based on these examples, it’d be easy to conclude that only smaller films hit the roads in order to whip up frenzy over their release. It’s not true though, as shown by Kaaviya Thalaivan ’s planned promotional activities. While its ambitious plan of setting up road plays across the State didn't take off, thanks to the unavailability of the film’s stars at short notice, Sashikanth of Y NOT Studios, the film’s producer, isn’t fazed. “We should have planned it better,” he says. The plan was to allocate 20 per cent of the total publicity budget (Rs. 2 crore) towards a street play that would see the participation of the lead actors such as Siddharth, Prithviraj and Vedhicka. “Such an idea seemed perfect, as our film was about Tamil theatre in the early 20th century. During that time, it was by organising such skits on the road that people were invited to watch stage plays.”
Sashikanth believes traditional methods of advertising aren’t enough. “The problem is print ads, for example, are not targeted. However, by having the cast and crew participate in marketing events, we are able to create hype and reach out to the public directly.” While he might not have been able to organise street plays as planned with Kaaviya Thalaivan , Sashikanth says he has emerged wiser from the experience. “For my next film, I’ll have a better system in place and inform the actors well in advance about shooting dates, post-production dates, and promotion dates.”
The plan is to use part of the marketing budget on events that would directly involve the public. While such events will only reach a minor percentage of the film’s audience, the producers believe that when combined with traditional forms of advertising, such events create an effective platform for direct interaction between the stars, the makers and the public. So, don’t be surprised if your door is knocked the next time and you open it only to find a celebrity asking you if you are aware of their next film.
