News Broadcasting
Trigger Happy performs a Surgical Strike on Film Promotions with “Uri” entering the 150 crore club
MUMBAI: Movie promotions have a lot of scope for creativity and imagination, but in the Hindi film industry, the various safe traditional marketing often leaves much to be desired. However noticeably, Trigger Happy’s Marketing division (Trigger Max) & Digital Innovations division (Trigger Edge) have been breaking the norms consistently. With innovative marketing and creating highly viewed and appreciated digital videos/ads from out of film content for films like Fukrey Returns, Pari, Pihu, Stree, Mulk etc, they have generated positive anticipation and aided these films to open successfully at the Box Office.
For RSVP’s URI – The Surgical Strike, THEN (Trigger Happy Entertainment Network) has boldly stayed away from the usual run of the mill ideas and these have in turn become a talking point in the industry, as every innovation garnered tremendous appreciation and built excitement for the film. The entire campaign i.e. Trailer, Marketing & Digital Videos have been executed by THEN.
The first taste of this creative marketing campaign was the launch of five digital marketing promos named as “Strike” videos. All the five strike promos termed as Night Vision, Stealth Mode, Revenge etc were ideated & executed by Trigger Edge, which were all out of film content. These five digital promos garnered a lot of attention for the campaign and the film. In another deceptive strike video, #UriDeceptiveStrikes, set at a press conference held by Yami Gautam, the viewer is left stunned when they realise that Vicky Kaushal and a bunch of other soldiers were standing in the background the entire time, and they went unnoticed, until the very end. In line with the theme of a surgical strike
” Taking an untraversed route, we struck gold. The right creative collaborations always reap new, unchartered and exciting ideas. Along with the RSVP marketing team’s support, Trigger Happy could walk the path less taken on Uri. The positive box office results are for all to see and it is highly motivating to have clients back us in the process, so we can keep innovating and pushing the envelope constantly.” says Amit Chandrra, Chairman Managing Director of Trigger Happy
In the campaign, a radio silence was observed which paid homage to 26/11 Mumbai attack victims. This was followed with a hard-hitting trailer which generated a lot of noise & did full justice to the theme of the film. The marketing team also pulled off the digital surgical strike #WeDidIt by making the Uri trailer trend in Pakistan.
Taking the promotional stint to the next level, Trigger Happy in collaboration with Dentsu Webchutney engineered an engaging interrogation with the help of Google Assistant. A supposed terrorist could be interrogated by the users to fish out the name of their employer via the Google Assistant. Another promotional activity was a brilliant and unpredictable attack on piracy.
A video was uploaded on Torrent sites with the same file size as that of a full-length movie. Upon downloading the torrent file, the users found a video of the cast talking to the person who downloaded it via the screen and urging them that the movie be seen at the theatres, and to stop piracy.
By the time the movie arrived in theatres on Jan 11, audiences had their adrenaline pumped and were thronging at theatres to watch URI. The film opened to a 8.49 crore which left everybody jumping with joy. The josh only went higher which has led to the Box office collection of over 150 crores, the verdict is out, the film is highly appreciated and the marketing campaign had delivered what it promised and more.
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
