Gunday wins hands-down as the best-promoted film of February
Content may be the key to box-office success but an aggressive marketing strategy usually ensures the best possible collections. But there’s a big difference between ‘marketing’ and ‘promotional blitz’. It’s the difference between pure visibility and using the right strategy and raise the curiosity quotient so that cine-goers are tempted to watch the film at cinemas
Last month, we began a special feature to rate the best-promoted and marketed film of the month before. We continue this series this month. We spoke to the people who are the driving forces of marketing and promotion, and also to distributors and exhibitors, who are best-placed to judge whether production houses and marketing gurus do full justice to their films.
Well, February saw as many as nine films releasing – Hasee Toh Phasee, Ya Rab, Heartless, Gunday, Dee Saturday Night, Darr@The Mall, Highway and Shaadi Ke Side Effects.
Judging by the response from tradewallahs, the hands-down winner is Rafiq Ganjee, VP, Marketing and Communications of Yash Raj Films for Gunday. The aggressive marketing and promotion of the film gifted the film a flying start, an impressive weekend and, of course, lifetime collections. As for the PR-Media machinery, it was a victory for Spice PR, for the second consecutive time, for their efficiency and innovative promotion of Gunday.
Also, a special mention of Gaurav Verma, Executive Director – Theatrical Distribution, Studios – Disney India, for his distribution-release strategy of Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. Verma, who has released some big-ticket films as well as some small ones, proves that apart from marketing and publicity, the right release strategy too helps a film register good footfalls. It was his understanding of cinema and intuitive knowledge of the target audience of Highway that, quite literally, paid off. Here are the industry experts and their take: