MAM
Brand placements in TV serials to follow in-film placements
MUMBAI: The phenomenon of in-film advertising is helping to build brands and proving to be a revenue-spinner for several ad agencies. Film placements are currently raking in anything between Rs 5,00,000 to Rs 50 million for the producers. Top marketing and advertising agencies are also considering options of negotiating with TV channels and producers of TV serial to explore various possibilities. Currently, TV channels forbid producers of programmes in conducting deals with advertisers for placing their products within the story line.
Star India COO Sameer Nair says: “We are open to all such options which will enhance our revenues. However, the advertisers have to deal with us directly rather than approaching independent producers.” One wonders how Star allowed Balaji Telefilms to use serials such as Kutumb and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki to promote Tusshar Kapoor and his films. Radio City, a division of Star India, is also promoted on Neena Gupta’s serial Kyo Hota Hai Pyaar.
Incidentally, several ad film marketing agencies are cashing on the concept of marrying statistics with showbiz. Leo Entertainment has bagged new films such as Pooja Bhatt’s Jism, BR Chopra’s Baghban, new films of producers such as Shahrukh Khan, Ramgopal Varma, NR Paschisia and Ramesh Sippy. Leo Entertainment is already an independent profit-centre due to the revenues obtained from films such asKaante, Raju Chacha and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai where it leveraged brands such as Coke, Thums Up, Maaza, Provogue, Castrol, Tata Tea and Blowplast.
For the forthcoming release Jism, Leo Entertainment has developed an innovative association with Zingaro, a liquor brand. In fact, Leo brokered a Thums Up Taste the Thunder deal for the film Kaanteand won an award for being one of the Top 10 product placements of 2002.
“There is an ardent need for producers to involve a marketing and communication consultant such as Leo Entertainment simply because we are the ‘creative suits’ who can marry showbiz with statistics. With a backing of Rs 1000-million that the Leo Burnett brands command, we can leverage various opportunities for enhancing the visibility of brands,” adds Leo Entertainment head Sanjay Bhutiani who has worked with several ad agencies and worked with brands such as Bajaj Auto, Kelloggs, Videocon, Balsara and Hallmark. Through his own initiative, Bhutiani evolved a business model on film marketing during the process of handling the promotions of the first feature film handled by the agency – Raju Chacha.
Advantages of film placements:
* Big stars at a fraction of the costs
* Films transcend geography, class and culture barriers
* Clutter-free environment
* Not subject to surfing, zipping or muting (unlike in TV and other media)
* Catches people in a receptive mood
* revived and revisited several times as a film’s length always get lengthened
* Target specific
* Opportunities for cross-promotions
Since February 2002, Leo Entertainment, a division of Leo Burnett India, has been providing an entire gamut of services such as marketing strategies; in-film placements; creative campaign; outdoor, print, online advertising; ground promotions and contests.
In the US, the entertainment pie is US$480 billion and this mammoth spending has resulted in the mushrooming of megaplexes and gigaplexes. The consumers spend an entire day in these complexes which include theatres, casinos, screens, hotels, restaurants, bars and night clubs. The entertainment industry in India is estimated at Rs 75 billion and slated to increase to Rs 250 billion by 2005.
The new trends in Bollywood include corporatisation; multinational studios localising their content; enhanced production values due to higher production costs; Bollywood films making an impact on the international arena; increased investments in promotions and marketing entertainment properties; and more brands jumping onto the entertainment bandwagon.
Brands and films:
However, there is evidence of shortened attention spans and a greater effort to break through the clutter of multitudinous brands and media vehicles. The best way to deliver the message is to catch the customer off-guard when the rational defences are down. The best way to do so is to use the emotional gate rather than the rational gate. The rational gate examines the advantages, benefits, features and seeks value for money; the emotional gate is all about trust, love, identification and belief. It has been noticed that films operate at the emotional level. These aspects have been leveraged by brands such as Coke, Pepsi, Lux, Airtel, Hyundai, Bagpiper, Lux wherein movies and brands flash identical messages at their target audiences.
There is a need to examine synergies between the brands and films. The successful integration of product placement within the film’s storyline has a long history – the first example being the yellow Rajdhoot “Bobby” bike used in Raj Kapoor’s superhit Bobby. Hollywood also leveraged brands such as BMW (Bond movies), Jaguar, Ford, Ray Ban (Tom Cruise in Risky Business and Mission Impossible), Starbucks coffee, AOL, AT &T.
Films are a different medium and one bad placement can do more damage than 10 good placements. Artistic integrity is crucial for successful brand placements and the operation has to be woven into the script. Sometimes, unreasonable clients demand more footage although research has shown that a two-minute clip can effectively deliver a message in a credible manner. The placement should be a natural fit and shouldn’t be contrived and unnatural.Each effective tie-up between a brand and a film involves hectic negotiations of around 3-6 months.
There is no fixed formula but the factors that are taken into consideration during the negotiation stage include: cast and credits; size of the projects and the producers; timing of the release; brand impact; number of screens during release and post-release phase; and possibilities of brand associations through contests and promotions. Depending on the content of the film and its story line, the agency can sketch a profile of viewers who would flock to see the movie. Then the agency approaches all those brands who could appeal to the targeted viewers. This is followed by a 360 degrees marketing plan for cross-promotions during the various stages of a film’s release.
Also read
Need a hit – all about marketing and communication
Entertainment brands are illusory, elusive and magical – Star India COO Sameer Nair
Bollywood producers need specialised marcom agencies
Radio provides unique options to advertisers
Leo Entertainment capitalises on in-film product placements
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
