The King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan has earned himself a reputation when it comes to marketing his movies.
We all know that SRK is a marketing whiz and plans his promotional activities in great detail. We also know that he loves to go overboard whenever his company Red Chillies Entertainment produces a film. Case in point: Chennai Express! And Shahrukh, co-star Deepika Padukone and director Rohit Shetty have been giving interviews on every entertainment and news channel here and abroad, in person and via satellite.
“No actor can come close to Shahrukh Khan in terms of marketing, fan following and box office collections – India and overseas,” says exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi. And Shahrukh tweeted: “#ChennaiExpress has reached all over. Want to thank u all for welcoming it so. I hope you all feel my love for you too thru the film.”
The greatest achievement of Shah Rukh Khan is that he has successfully posted himself CEO of Brand SRK, which is now a synonym for success and taken with certain religiosity in management schools all over the country and beyond. Marketing Himself has been his core activity, over the years. With this Khan, you never discuss art. You discuss the buck.
“If you have a product and you want to show it to the world, you need to promote it.”
Chennai Express: 10 innovative marketing techniques
Posters in different languages: The film is going to be released in many languages and thus the promoters developed posters for the respective language. It added a sense of belongingness to the posters. The audience will be watching the film in several languages including German, Spanish, Tamil and Telugu.
Game: The promoters of 'Chennai Express' have launched a game based on the film. It is a move to tap the huge potential of the cyber games user base. The game app is available on both android as well as java based phones. The user will fights roadside goons in order to score points in the game.
Tie-up with products: Shah Rukh Khan is one of the leading actors when it comes to brand promotion. He has been associated with a long list of products and many of them are going to be featured in the film as well. His earlier film 'Ra.One' also saw Shah Rukh collaborating with popular brands.
Promotion on TV: These days, Shah Rukh Khan is visible on the small screen in serials and shows with high TRP. He is continuously giving interviews and talking to the participants but he never loses his charm and trademark smile.
Interactive movie channel: A media house is going to launch its interactive movie channel with 'Chennai Express', a huge feat to achieve for any film. Shah Rukh is known for his undying spirit and grace, so this move will help the movie channel in becoming a brand.
A new range of sarees: The star-cast of 'Chennai Express' launched a new line of sarees that have designs similar to Deepika's sarees in the film. If reports are to be believed then the 'Chennai Express' merchandise are in demand in the market.
Snacks: No matter where are you watching 'Chennai Express', you will get a chance to satiate your taste buds with your desired foods. The cinema halls will serve snacks carrying a local flavour in different metropolitans.
Lungi dance: This song was composed for the promotional drive of 'Chennai Express' but it has become one of the chief attractions of the film. Yo Yo Honey Singh has come up with a catchy tune and it is likely to fetch benefits for 'Chennai Express' at the box-office.
The Rajini brand: 'Lungi dance' is a very well planned marketing move. Shah Rukh Khan's film is based in South India where Rajinikanth's name matters a lot. SRK had tried the same trick in 'Ra.One' as well.
Fashion shows: Shah Rukh was recently spotted at a fashion show walking the ramp, an alien territory for him, but everything is fair in love, war and film promotion.
Chennai Express seems to be ticking all the right boxes which should give it a very favourable release: a holiday release, no clash, a huge number of screens (3500-3600), the length is rumoured to be around only 135-145 minutes, there have been no major controversies surrounding the film so far, the treatment of the film is massy, the film is directed by the Rohit Shetty whose last 3 films have all crossed 100cr, it stars the current audience favourite Deepika Padukone opposite SRK, it is co-produced and distributed by arguably the No.1 production house in India – UTV. And oh, the last big film (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) to release would already have been 4 weeks old when Chennai Express releases.
