MUMBAI: It was a virtual call to arms today for Sahara India as it put in action an elaborate and innovative multimedia campaign across nine cities to push its big ticket show Mission Fateh that kicks off tonight at 9:30 pm.

The channel is sparing no effort to make sure Mission Fateh gets maximum attention. Promo activities reached a high point this morning with huge half page advertisements in most major newspapers in metros and most of northern India.

The ads are scheduled to appear every Friday (the day the one-hour weekly airs) for the next few weeks. Hoardings at strategic locations in Mumbai and nine other cities have been pressed into service to push the new show as well as the news channels that debuted today.

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The channel has also roped in FM radio stations Radio City and Win to promote Mission Fateh every Friday. A plethora of other activities have also been planned in nine major TRP cities across the country to capture the attention of the viewer on the the day of launch, says an official spokesperson.

Sahara targeted suburban railway commuters with an elaborate campaign plan to tune in both Central and Harbour line commuters in Mumbai by promoting their fare at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) between the peak hours 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Four “army jawans” along with ammunition were ‘stationed’ at a specially fabricated army bunker created inside the station, along with two promoters clad in Mission Fateh T-shirts, distributing leaflets.

Another set of 14 promoters in army fatigues were placed at three entry/exit points outside the station distributing the leaflets. Twenty people in army fatigues were also placed at five entry/exit points outside Mumbai’s Churchgate station on the western line, to distribute leaflets. Eight people in Mission Fateh T-shirts were stationed at Churchgate as well as the CST platform entry/exit points inside the station. Besides, there will be free distribution of T-shirts to cobblers and vendors at both stations.

In Kolkata, 10 people in army costumes were to distribute leaflets at Tollygunge and Shyambazar Metro railway stations.

In an innovative initiative, a march-past was conducted on an important route in each of the nine cities, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad and Pune this evening. In Mumbai, four batches comprising 40 people in soldiers’ costumes were scheduled to participate in an army like march past from Nariman point NCPA to Girgaum Chawpatty, holdingMission Fateh banners, between 5:00 -7:00 pm, while two batches consisting of 50 “jawans” were to march in Delhi.

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In Kolkata, two batches of 80, while in Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhopal, Ahmedabad and Pune one lot of 50 jawans each were promoting the hour long weekly based on the lives of real life army heroes. Another group dressed in army fatigues distributed leaflets at other key traffic signals cities between 4:30 and 8:30 pm. In Mumbai, the traffic signals targeted were Bandra junction, Andheri’s SV Road, Haji Ali, Chowpatty, Vashi Toll Naka and Sion Circle.

Sahara isn’t sparing cinemas either. Around 100 cinema houses across the country will be screening the promos of the show. Almost all the leading cinema houses in Mumbai, including Cinemagic, Cinestar, Starcity, Regal, Imax and Fame ad labs, have been roped in for the campaign.

In the northeast region of the country, Mission Fateh will be introduced to the locals via a unique promotional campaign – a video-on-wheels. An automobile will tour different cities screening snippets from the show and organising on the spot contests and distributing freebies.

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Media planners estimate that a whopping Rs 35 million has gone into this massive campaign that kicked off a few days ago.

The show itself is high on class and content, according to initial reports. Now it remains to be seen whether the viewer will join Sahara’s marching band.

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