MAM
The making of the 6 Pack Band videos to the Cannes Grand Prix story
MUMBAI: After putting India on the international creative map by winning the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2016, the 6 Pack Band is all set to release its much awaited sixth and last music video; this time showcasing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and the leads from YRF’s upcoming blockbuster, Sultan.
In line with the last five videos that featured the likes of Sonu Nigam, Hrithik Roshan and Arjun Kapoor, the band’s latest video also promises a star studded entertainer package that engages its audience in a meaningful conversation about accepting the third gender in our society.
Put together by Y-Films with Ashish Patil at the helm of the project, the first music video ‘Hum Hain Happy’ showcasing the six transgender band members, sent ripples across the social as well as advertising network for its sheer organic reach and the core idea behind the concept.
Several did a double take initially to see FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever’s flagship tea brand, Brooke Bond Red Label as the brand partner — made possible by its agency Mindshare Fulcrum’s effort. That soon translated into appreciation for the brand when the organic reach numbers rolled out. Winning the coveted Grand Prix for Glass Lions category at Canes Lions 2016 was the cherry on the cake.
Read Mindshare and HUL’s reaction after their Cannes Lions win for 6 pack band here:http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/marketing/mam/hindustan-unilever-and-mindshare-mumbai-bag-grand-prix-at-cannes-lions-2016-160621
Contrary to the current pomp and cheer for the initiative, Patil assured that the journey to make the 6 Pack Band a reality wasn’t quite so rosy.
In fact, Patil had made up his mind to execute the idea on his own if he didn’t get support from any brand. “This is something we have been wanting to do for a while. I never pitch an idea unless I am sure I can execute it. It wasn’t a traditional idea and was fairly outrageous, if I may add.”
What he was sure of was it was impossible to do justice to the idea unless Y- Films had the right brand partner that believed in the cause. The timing aligned with Mindshare’s Content Day for HUL, for which Patil received a brief. Patil noticed the idea had a great fit with Brooke Bond Red Label.
In Patil’s own words, there couldn’t have been a better brand partner than HUL’s flagship tea Brooke Bond Red Label for this project, as it adhered to the idea of ‘making the world a more welcoming place a cup at a time.”
Much to Patil’s trepidation, the first hearing of the idea threw the officials at HUL off, together with the team at Mindshare Fulcrum. ”Without exaggeration, I created 19 presentations for this project which subsequently was passed through Mindshare, GroupM and HUL, and within HUL at several levels — be it the media team, the brand team, regional heads or the category heads,” shared Patil.
Recalling one of the many board meetings Patil attended with HUL following the pitch, he shared the several concerns raised from the brand’s’ side. “I remember someone point out that the brand’s association with the content could mislead or misinform the consumer about the product. Brooke Bond Red Label is sold among families in tier II and tier III cities in India. What if it is mistaken for a chai targeted at the transgender community by the consumers there? It may sound odd now, but those are valid concerns that the brand needed to think over before going through with the campaign.”
“But I must give it to Mindshare for backing us up as much as was necessary, to push the idea through not only it through its own system, but also within HUL,” he added.
Ultimately the power of the idea, and Mindshare’s constant support won the brand over. “Not to mention that we had an incredible aide in the form of Shiva Krishnamurthy, the general manager of marketing for the tea segment at HUL. He was convinced of the idea’s power from the beginning. Once he understood how the content aligned with Brooke Bond’s brand statement, he was a pillar of support through and through.”
Patil made it very clear that the intent behind the concept and the chosen topic was never to be provocative to bait eyeballs. “We pitched it like we would pitch any other band. I could have been launching maybe a boy band for that matter. The fact that it happened to be transgender possibly made it more outrageous, but we didn’t shift the focus from them being band members primarily.”
Should more FMCG brands take a leaf from this and keep an open mind for unconventional content or communication that is beyond its comfort zones? “I certainly hope that 6 Pack band’s success translates into brands funding more on ideas which are not traditional or core to the brand’s’ communication. Consumers need something different from the same vanilla 30 seconds advertising trope that the industry is used to giving,” said Patil.
Instead of chasing after ratings, revenues, and brand recognition, Patil hoped that this encourages brands to stand by causes and content because ‘it is the right thing to do.’ The recognition and numbers would follow, Patil frankly stated, echoing the sentiments behind the famous one-liner from Aamir Khan’s character from The 3 Idiots.
“When brands aren’t trying too hard to campaign themselves and actually let the content speak for itself, it has an immense potential for returns both tangible and intangible,” he added in parting.
MAM
Lessons from global media markets on building enduring content franchises
Rose Audio Visuals COO and CFO Mitesh Patel.
MUMBAI: The global media landscape has undergone a fundamental shift. Success today is no longer defined by a single hit show. It is defined by the ability to build intellectual property (IP) that travels, evolves, and compounds over time.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this shift is central to how we think about content pitching and creation. We are no longer in the business of just making shows. We are in the business of building IP ecosystems.
From Hits to Franchises
Globally, the most successful content is designed to extend beyond its first outing. It travels across: Seasons, Platforms (TV → OTT → Digital), Formats (series → spin-offs) Shows like Stranger Things and Money Heist are not just successful series they are multi-layered franchises with global recall, fan engagement, and long-term monetisation. The key learning is simple: If content cannot scale beyond one season or one platform, it remains a project not a franchise.
Local Stories, Global Impact
One of the most powerful global trends is the rise of culturally rooted storytelling. Platforms today reward local authenticity combined with universal emotion. Stories that are deeply regional are no longer limited by geography they are amplified by it. Consider the global impact of Squid Game or India’s own Sacred Games. The takeaway is clear: The more authentic the story, the greater its potential to travel if the emotion resonates universally.
Monetisation Begins After the First Window
A critical global learning is that the true value of content is not realised at launch, it is realised over time.
Strong franchises unlock multiple revenue streams: Licensing, International remakes, Brand integrations, Digital extensions , Events and immersive experiences
Global players like The Walt Disney Company have mastered this approach, turning content into long-term ecosystems that extend far beyond the screen.
The first window is just the beginning. The real value lies in what follows.
At Rose Audio Visuals, we increasingly evaluate projects not just on commissioning value, but on their long-term franchise potential.
The Rise of Creator-Led Franchises
An important global shift is the emergence of creator-led IP ecosystems.
Creators today are not just content producers they are building full-scale franchises across platforms, formats, and businesses.
A powerful example is MrBeast. What started as YouTube videos has evolved into: Multiple content formats, Global audience scale , Brand extensions and businesses, High-impact experiential content This is a fundamentally different model digital-first, audience-owned, and infinitely scalable.
This model is still in its early stages in Indian but it represents a massive opportunity.
The next wave of Indian content franchises may not come from traditional studios alone but from creators who think like media companies.
Balancing Data with Creative Instinct
Streaming platforms today are deeply data-driven. Data helps Identify emerging genres, Predict audience behaviour , Inform commissioning decisions However, global experience shows that data alone does not create hits. Data informs scale, but storytelling creates impact.
Talent is the Foundation of Franchises
Enduring franchises are rarely accidental they are built through long-term creative partnerships. Globally, there is a clear focus on nurturing Actors, Writter, Show runner and director. Franchises are not built on scripts alone they are built on creators. This is an area where we continue to invest deeply building long-term relationships with talent rather than project-based collaborations.
Multi-Platform Thinking from Day One
Content consumption today is inherently multi-platform. A successful show must be designed not just for its primary platform, but for: Short-form extensions, Social media amplification, Digital-first engagement. Every show today needs a second life beyond its original format.
India: A Market at an Inflection Point
India today stands at a unique moment in its content journey.
We are seeing significant opportunity in Regional markets (Telugu, Tamil, Marathi and others) Emerging formats such as micro-dramas, Scalable, franchise-driven fiction IP
India does not lack stories. What we have historically lacked is structured franchise thinking something that is now beginning to evolve.
The Way Forward
The biggest lesson from global markets is this: The future belongs to companies that do not chase hits, but systematically build franchises. Because while hits may deliver immediate success, franchises create long-term value, recall, and compounding growth.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this belief shapes how we develop, greenlight, and scale content across platforms.
For content companies today, the question is no longer “Will this show work?” It is: “Can this become a franchise?”
A Personal Note
Having worked across content, business, and strategy, one thing has become increasingly clear to me, the most valuable companies in our industry will not be those that create the most content, but those that create content that endures.
Building a franchise requires patience, conviction, and a long-term lens something that the industry is only now beginning to fully embrace.As we continue this journey at Rose Audio Visuals, our focus remains simple: to move from volume-driven creation to value-driven storytelling. Because in the end, stories may start conversations but franchises build legacies.
