Mars Wrigley India has collaborated with film director Rohit Shetty as its new ambassador in the latest campaign for Snickers. A new TVC has been conceptualised by DDB Tribal.
“We are thrilled to have Rohit Shetty endorse and lend his signature swagger to the Sickers brand. Rohit’s authentic and adventurous personality are perfect fit with Snickers,” said Nikhil Rao, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley India, adding: “Snickers reignites its timeless and world-famous creative proposition ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry.’ Our new campaign film with Rohit showcases high-octane drama and humor, especially connecting with our Gen Z audience across media touch points. We believe this collaboration will stand out and strengthen SNICKERS®’s position as the ultimate hunger bar. We are confident that Rohit’s association with SNICKERS® is the beginning of great impactful work on the brand in India.”
Added Iraj Fraz, Creative Head, DDB Tribal: “Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” is one of the most enduring campaigns in the world, with its endless adaptability, local flavors, and rofling use of humor. And Snickers India in partnership with DDB Mudra is simply continuing the tradition with a fresh interpretation. We have Rohit Shetty starring in his most hilarious, and perhaps his easiest-ever role – since he plays himself. Through the last few months, the clients, the agency, and the production team have all had a riot of a time building this campaign and we’re sure the audience is going to enjoy it equally.”
In the cinematic world with superhero sagas, a recent newspaper article flagged a potential concern: audience fatigue with Marvel’s ever-expanding superhero multiverses. These movies now ask viewers to have extensive background knowledge to enjoy them thoroughly. It may alienate viewers and highlight the importance of closure each time for a sustained engagement. Closure is something movies need for the continued association and hunger to engage.
Marvel’s success story is not without challenges. And it is true for its challenge to fight fatigue and keep the viewer’s interest alive. Indian cinema, though more familiar with remakes, has been late to such sequential exploits and franchise build-up.
The current Indian cinema is attempting to create multi-universe and demi superheroes like the Spy drama of SRK and Salman, War of Hrithik, Brahmastra and Animal of Ranbir Kapoor and top of the charts – the police universe of Rohit Shetty and Gang.
They work best as a standalone movie with a teasing twist and reminder of something to come in future or very little of what happened in the past. When it does refer to the past, there is a well-managed short flashback; they do not allow the coordinates of the past to catch up and become a constraint to enjoyment.
Shetty knows it best; not only does he have cinematic experience, but he also hosts one of the popular running reality shows on Indian television, Khatron ke Khiladi. The soft intrusion of the next chapter with a tinge of the past keeps his set of franchises alive. We need not add that their being successful is a definite advantage.
Bridging the Gap: The Art of Timing in Cinematic Universes
More than the question of when to kill the franchise, the multiverse grapples with the desirable and manageable gap between the two releases. Rohit Shetty has managed to understand and explore it the best in the Police and the out-of-mind, senseless laugh-a-minute Golmaal. Other films like Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hungama have just managed to keep the interest alive and create a partial world of followers. However, it cannot be said about Brahmastra for two reasons- one, the franchise is yet to take shape, and two, the indicative gap suggests that the makers may be overestimating the viewer interest- taste and memory.
Balancing Act for Enduring Appeal
We heard of a possible sequel to Munnabhai, but the lack of feasible content and subject has closed the chapter. It is like Dhoom, which cried for continuity but failed to live the promise. On OTT, only a few have managed it right. The criminal justice series and the Delhi Crime have worked well. However, the constraints and the need to explore new areas and subjects have become daunting for creative teams.
Rohit Shetty – A Lesson in Universe Fatigue Management
Rohit Shetty has understood the model, and he keeps it simple- there are no surprises. He works and serves on the franchise’s promise and exploits the audience’s faith in jumping, blasting, twisting cars and a no-nonsense bold police character.
The director keeps the imagery alive whenever he has a presence in a reality show. He has been so well associated with his brand of films and audience expectations that similar dialogue and imagery get used in product advertisements featuring him.
Enjoy his films as standalone of a sequel: they work. The minor twists to the plot and introduction of new characters keep the frames rejuvenated while keeping the old ones under a support system to be revived if needed.
Net-net
There is no set pattern. And like in mutual funds, the past performance is not a guarantee for future performance- the filmmakers must understand the complete script and possible audience reaction before making the film. However, a few solutions have worked selectively in the past. No one can be sure of their aftereffects. Look no further than the franchise of Star Wars, James Bond, Pink Panther, Fast and Furious, Mission Impossible, Jumanji and Indiana Jones. Each has used and exploited the canvas in different ways. Here, Star Wars and 007 are outstanding in managing the audience’s interest, engagement and expectations. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Adrift or Afloat: Brands that Endured and Those that Faltered.
Finding a true purpose and a long-serving brand proposition is tough. Advertising and marketing also face this problem. The brands continue to remain in the same framework without rejuvenating and recrafting the proposition- risk fatigue at multiple levels. It is a delicate balance that needs exposure control and newness to the plot- in terms of execution to keep interest and relevance alive and make sense to the audience.
Ariel share the load, Surf- Daag Acche hai, Happydent, Santoor, Tata Tea, Santoor, Policy Bazar, CRED, and the Make My Trip are examples of handling them right. Surf and Make My Trip are my favourites with respect to keeping the thought alive.
What examples come to your mind? Brands that have brilliantly extended the brand proposition and which have failed in the process?
Tata AIG, the general insurance providers, released its latest campaign titled ‘Expect the Expected’ featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Rohit Shetty, directed by Razneesh Ghai, AKA Razy. It’s a full funnel campaign, created and executed by Wondrlab.
Amit Akali, Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Wondrlab, said: “At Wondrlab, we believe that work that’s built on popular culture and conversations, is work that truly succeeds. Thus, getting Ranbir and Rohit together, the campaign not only entertains but also serves as a compelling reminder for individuals to secure their future with TATA AIG’s comprehensive insurance offerings through a blend of humour, action, and a touch of expected Bollywood magic. Crashing a few cars and breaking some bones, while we were at it!”
Riaan Rodrigues, Sr. Vice President – Digital Business & Marketing at Tata AIG added: “Tata AIG always believes in transparency. This belief is at the core of everything we do. Our fun new campaign brings it alive in a fresh and unexpected manner.”
Colors is back with the 12th season of its premier show ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’. It will be hosted by director Rohit Shetty and is produced by Endemol Shine India.
Said Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18: “At Colors, it has been our continuous effort to deliver variety content through our fiction and non-fiction properties. In the reality entertainment segment, we have pioneered different genres over the years that include dance, singing, talent, voyeurism, and we are once again delighted to bring back our action-based show Khatron Ke Khiladi. Last season the show broke significant records by becoming the no.1 Non-Fiction show in the Hindi GEC space and has received immense love from the viewers and sponsors alike. The excitement amongst the fans is palpable and we are looking forward to a super, action-packed new season,”adding: “We are elated to continue our partnership with Maruti Suzuki as our presenting sponsor, and welcome on board ‘Charged’ by Thums Up as the powered by sponsor along with Ching’s, Amazon Prime and Hershey’s Kisses as the associate sponsors.”
Added Manisha Sharma, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18: “Khatron Ke Khiladi presents a unique blend of action and entertainment that the viewers so eagerly look forward to every season. We are thrilled to return with another power-packed and adventurous season with the action maven Rohit Shetty as the reining host. He has been an integral part of the show and he will be adding his personal touch and expertise to some of the featured stunts. The new season will have many adrenaline-surging stunts performed by 14 feisty and popular mix of contestants. This time the contenders will be seen exploring new arenas of Cape Town which will test their mental and physical tenacity like never before.”
The show will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 9pm.
After launching popular children’s television characters, Motu Patlu, Shiva and Rudra amongst others, Viacom18 is launching its eighth indigenous show called Golmaal Jr. Produced by Nickelodeon and created by Reliance Animation and Rohit Shetty Picturez, the show recreates the fun and pranks that exist in the theatrical version of Golmaal. But the show is meant for kids, so it’s going to minus all the risqué jokes and scenes that were unsuitable for children’s viewing (though very popular with kids!).
The show premieres today (May 13) on Sonic, part of the Nickelodeon bouquet of kiddie entertainment of Viacom18. MxMIndia spoke with Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and the Kids TV Network at Viacom18, at the press launch of the show held in Mumbai last Friday (May 10)
Did you consider other characters and themes before zeroing in on Golmaal?
Yes, we did. In fact there are three more shows in the pipeline which are not necessarily Bollywood-associated. We have more IPs in newer genres which of course I can’t talk to you about but there are three in the pipeline.
Given that kiddie television viewership is very high in the South, did you evaluate something around a southern superhero like Rajnikanth? Did that ever cross your mind?
No, that hasn’t. I don’t think kids’ content has got anything to do with geography. So even if I did create a show, it could be an international hero, it could be a local hero. For example, when you look at Shiva or when you look at Rudra I don’t think of South North, East or West… they are all very homogenous. And that’s how kids’ content is traditionally created, because it doesn’t look at white or black, it doesn’t look at dialects. It doesn’t look at content that is specifically for a region, because we cater to the common denominator. And when you cater to the common denominator, you should be very homogenous. And the fact of the matter is that I cannot customise animation for regions. From an investment perspective, I can’t do it and I can’t do that in animation as a format anyway.
Did the success of the Rohit Shetty-Reliance Animation show Little Singham on Discovery have any impact on your decision?
The theme about friends and their pranks in this mischievous show is something that has been terribly missing from the Nickelodeon franchise. This little bit which is grey and not black and white, was totally missing on the channel and I think that encouraged us to go with it. But having said that, 13 years ago, we actually made ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ into an animation film on Nickelodeon- it was called J for Jadu!
But the movie ‘Golmaal’ has its risqué bits, bordering on the vulgar…
No, no we have made this a very safe show. We are very responsible broadcaster, so what you saw were kitchen and slapstick fights.
You haven’t replicated the original franchise of Golmaal?
That we couldn’t have replicated. This is obviously adapted for children, and therefore it is called Golmaal Jr. We’re not doing a Golmaal! Therefore. we’ve introduced a Principal, for example which was not in the movie. So we have adapted and introduced a school and there is whole scenario of being in a school, in a hostel and all of that.
L to R: Child artist Ruhanika Dhawan, Anu Sikka , Head – Content , Kids TV network, Viacom18; Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18; Madhav from Golmaal Jr, Rohit Shetty, Gopal from Golmaal Jr & Vikram Vetturi – Creative Director, Big Animation
Internationally, cartoon shows do get the big voices from Bollywood, big voices from Hollywood. Did you try doing that given it’s Golmaal Junior?
No, also I don’t know how sustainable it can be. So, we may want to try it for a movie which is like a one to three-hours movie at best but if we have to sustain ourselves over 100 episodes and 500 hours it’s impossible. Actually, we’re going to experiment with our next movie, the theatrical, one with big voices.
And any targets on viewership or revenue that you’d like to specify? What would you like the show to achieve for Sonic?
Sonic has been ailing for a while and if I look at the whole year number, we are at a No 7. We’re hoping that with Golmaal Jr as the show sets in, in the next 6 months or so, it should be in the Top 3-4, if not better.
But Sonic is in a tougher TG bracket, right? Kids most often grow into your other channels?
But kids are embracing newer characters and we saw that with Rudra, right? Last summer I launched Rudra – It was the Prince of Magic, it’s become the No 1 in the category today which means that while kids are actually in love with the characters that they love to watch, it’s not like they’re not embracing newer characters. That’s the nice thing about kids and that’s why you’re noticing that repetition value. You know repetition is going down in the category to some extent where they’re willing to embrace bigger and newer characters.
Are the newer shows – those three IPs – going to be on Sonic given that you want to push up the channel in a big way?
No, these are franchises and IPs that we’ll create so they take time anyway so they’re about a year away. Every IP takes some 18 months to create.
And how much did Golmaal Jr take?
This took us almost a year. But then it was slightly easier one to tell because it’s a story we are familiar with.
Hmm.
Yeah, so it’s not a story that we had to re-imagine and start writing from scratch, it was slightly easier so to do… Otherwise a typical story which starts from scratch is at least 18 months.
What works better… getting a franchise like Golmaal or building one from scratch?
I think both are equally difficult to do. And I’ll tell you why: One, you have to create the character and the new character has to, get the imagination of the child. But, and that’s the challenge of creating an original because it’s a brand new character. The challenge here is that there are certain set of perceptions of the franchise and of the characters – there is a Madhav and there is a Gopal and there is already a Lucky and therefore you’re trying to match up to a particular perception that a child or a viewer already has. And that to my mind that’s also very challenging.
So, for example, in the movie, Tushaar has that speech problem. Now as a very responsible broadcaster, we didn’t want to go there. We can’t show a child which is kind of challenged in that way but the way to get around that was that we’ve said that this child loves to eat lollipop and has a lollipop in his mouth.
And did Rohit Shetty have an issue on tweaking the film?
In fact he was happy to do so because we had to make sure that we are creating a safer adaptation for children. Therefore, he is very happy to adapt it for juniors and call it Junior otherwise he could’ve called it, Golmaal on TV and we’d have gotten away with it. But the fact that it is ‘Junior’ means that it is safe, it’s good for children. Of course it is slightly grey like I said, but now that’s where content is going and that’s where kids are going. They are this restless bunch for whom style has become important, where fashion has become so important. They are so confident today of themselves, they’re performers! They’re performer in hobby class, performer in school – it’s all about performing today and achievement. It’s about success. It’s about being happy so they’re on a different level and I think shows have to now start catering to this.
The last Bollywood release of 2018, Rohit Shetty’s Simmba, is buzzing at the box office. The film’s extraordinary run in its first week puts it in a firm position to be the third-biggest Hindi language grosser of the year after Sanju and Padmaavat. While the full-blown mainstream entertainment package delivered by the film works as its biggest plus, Simmba benefits in no small measure from an inspired no-holds-barred yet mature performance by its male lead Ranveer Singh.
If there is such a thing as taking a role by the scruff of its neck and owning it completely, Ranveer Singh has done that twice over last year. His January performance as Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat had the audiences and the critics applauding him. Simmba is arguably a more towering performance, where Singh plays to the gallery for most part, delivering comic punches and clap-traps by the minute, till the film enters a certain emotional space, into which he transforms seamlessly, almost like he’s living the character’s journey – an incredible feat to achieve in a film that’s essentially designed to be larger-than-life and hence definitionally unreal.
But it’s not just these two performances that have set up Ranveer Singh as the potential No. 1 Bollywood star in the coming years. There’s an off-screen persona that’s so unique and effervescent that it makes him stand out in a crowd of vain stars living in their bubble of (often self-fulfilling) stardom.
Watch Ranveer Singh in this Actors Roundtable with Rajeev Masand. He’s clearly the biggest star on the table. But he’s also the most generous and fun-loving one of the lot. Early in the discussion, he praises Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi for their film Newton. Towards the latter half of the show, he develops a rapport with the much-respected Tripathi. Watch them bond and you know Ranveer Singh doesn’t wear his stardom on his sleeve. Or anywhere for that matter. He goes on to compliment Tripathi on his film Gurgaon. The 2017 indie film got a limited release and hardly any takers at the box office, though it has since been discovered by many on Netflix. In an industry where people are too busy and self-occupied to watch other people’s work (some even say so proudly!), here’s a top star who’s had a busy year with two films, a high-profile marriage and several endorsements, but has somehow managed to watch a film many others may not even have heard of.
This accessibility and generosity are such uncommon celebrity traits that you actually wonder if this is all a charade the man could be putting up to project a certain image. But the more you see and learn about him, you know that’s him for real. He’s a genuine, one-in-a-million outlier. And one with immense talent.
In this episode of ETC Bollywood Business, watch (from 4:07) Simmba’s dialogue writer Farhad Samji respond to a question by anchor Komal Nahta on how Ranveer Singh responded to the script narration of the film. Or watch him on any reality show. Or watch him speak about Deepika Padukone. Or watch him dress bizarrely and then talk nonchalantly about his ‘fashion sense’. Watch him anywhere, doing anything. It’s a curious case of talent meets energy meets humility.
Only time will tell how big a star Ranveer Singh turns out to be. But one thing is already certain: He’s a star like no one else. And he shall shine bright for that reason alone.
Discovery Kids, in collaboration with Rohit Shetty Picturez and Reliance Animation, has announced a new animation series ‘Little Singham’. Little Singham will be launched with 156 episodes and five tele features. The animation series will be aired in three languages – Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Dabur Red Paste has come on-board as the title sponsor of Little Singham.
Discovery India has tied-up with Indian Council for Child Welfare National Bravery Awards to inspire young children across the country. As a part of this tie-up, Discovery Kids will run a special Little Singham episode based on the real-life stories of ICCW National Bravery Award (ICCW NBA) winners. Two children – Sonu Mali (from Rajasthan) and Shivampet Ruchitha (from Hyderabad), recipient of ICCW NBA awards in 2016 and 2015 respectively were personally present on the occasion.
“Little Singham was conceptualised based on an insight that every child wants to be a superhero, wants to help others if the situation arises. Little Singham, the brave young super cop, defends the residents of his home town Mirchi Nagar against all evil in this out and out entertaining animation series,†said film-maker Rohit Shetty. “We are delighted to have the august company of select brave police officials from Mumbai Police along with their children as well as ICCW National Bravery Award recipients on the launch of Little Singham. We respect their valor and hope that all the children across the country will get inspired to do more good for the society at large for a better tomorrow.â€
Speaking about Little Singham, Uttam Pal Singh- Head of Discovery Kids, said: “The kid’s genre in India has been largely devoid of ground-up superheroes. Little Singham is a very bold and at scale attempt to fill this gap. We have worked with a world class animation partner Reliance Animation to produce this masala faceted series rooted in action, adventure & comedy to attract attention of kids across the country.â€
Added Shibasish Sarkar, COO, Reliance Entertainment: “We are delighted that the Singham franchise is extending itself to kid’s genre in India. We are confident that kids across the country will love this new entertaining series. We have engaged as many 250 animation artists on this project who have been working for than 6 months to get ready for this mega launch. The presence of Rohit Shetty as a mentor of Little Singham will further help in penetrating deep across the country.â€
The poster of ‘RanveerChing Returns’ must have caught your eyes, since it is all over social media. If not, we are here to update you. When the first poster was released many confused it for a new film of Ranveer Singh, directed by Rohit Shetty. No, it is not a Bollywood film but a filmy new campaign for the Capital Foods brand Ching’s.
The film has unique content innovations and promises to be a game changer in terms of how brand integrations are done in the category. It had a premiere in Mumbai’s Chandan Cinema where in several fans watched the first screening along with the entire cast and crew including Singh, Tamannaah Bhatia and Shetty. And within a week, it will premiere exclusively on Sony Entertainment Television.
The content and treatment of this film goes on to show how Ching’s has evolved as a brand. We spoke to Ajay Gupta, Managing Director, Capital Foods to know more about the brand’s journey and the new campaign.
How has the marketing strategy evolved over the years?
Since 1996, we have been focusing on a cuisine block called Desi Chinese. As the consumer kept evolving with experimenting with food outside in restaurants, we have been evolving the categories within the cuisine. Started with the most basic of sauces and hakka noodles and at some point we said the woman is ready to now experiment by cooking manchurian and paneer chilly at home. That is when the masalas came in. Then we saw an opportunity in soups. While there was soup in the market, it was at the premium end of the market. We ended up creating a single serve pack and going to the large mass consumers, creating a completely new consumer base for soups. And, somewhere down the line we also bought in noodles. Noodles came very late in fact. That is how we evolved our entire portfolio.
Talk us through how the tagline – I love Desi Chinese – come about and how has it done for you?
We all love Desi Chinese. The cuisine that connects this country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, is Desi Chinese. You go to districts in Tamil Nadu and they may not have heard of tandoori but ask them about fried rice and chowmein, they know. Go up to Kashmir, you do an idli-vada, probably the idli will break your head, it is so tough but the chowmein is fabulous. And, that is a cuisine that has linked the country. People have called it with different names- Indo Chinese, Indie Chinese, we sat back and said we need to give it respectability now. That is where the line ‘Desi Chinese’ came up. ‘I love Desi Chinese’- it has connected with the consumers.
What was the idea behind this new campaign?
We went to Ranveer (Singh) and he agreed with us is because Ranveer and the brand marry each other perfectly. ‘I love Desi Chinese’ is what we want to own. This country loves Desi Chinese, not only in urban cities but in Tier I and II cities. How do you reach the masses? Through Bollywood. Go out and create a blockbuster. Who will make a blockbuster? Rohit Shetty.
You came in at a time when there were other big players in the market. How easy or difficult was it for you?
There were people who were doing sauces, there were people who were doing noodles but nobody was doing Desi Chinese. So, we have struck to a strategy, single-mindedly focused on everything that we do is around the cuisine Desi Chinese. We are a specialist when it comes to sauce and soup. I do not do all kinds of soups like others in the market do, we are doing Desi Chinese soups, sauces are Desi Chinese sauces, masalas are Desi Chinese masala and noodles are also Desi Chinese. So, I do not compete. I compliment them in the market.
Ching’s has now moved on to sponsoring events and shows in a big way. So, what other plans do you have in store?
You just saw a blockbuster (referring to the release of the Ranveer Ching Returns film). Give us a little time to sleep over this and enjoy what we have done and yes we will come back to you with something bigger and better. We are a hat ke brand. We do things differently and that is what you saw.
When it comes to advertising, you have always been quirky and minimalistic in nature in terms of the scale and spend. Has it changed or still the same?
The stereotype Ma-baccha is done to death. We keep saying we are a young country, so we need to talk to the young and the language they speak is the language we speak. We are a young brand, our core consumers are between 18 and 36 years, and we stick to the language they speak. We are quirky, fun and we are tadka. It is not about how much you spend. Good ideas and bad ideas is not about money. We create ideas; we spend the money and then bag those ideas. So, it is not really about how much money, you may get all the money and do stupid things, so, we spend enough.
You were one of the firsts to explore the digital platform. How did you come up with the idea of experimenting in the digital space when others were still loyal to more traditional ways?
As I said earlier, we are talking to the youth and if you are talking to the youth, where is the youth? Social media, all kinds of social media. We were the first who created one million fans on Facebook. We are very active on social media and we will continue doing that. If you look at this film, everybody has been talking in the last two years about these two or three minute films, then they celebrate when 50 thousand people watch it, they celebrate it on 100 thousand views. The trailer of our film has reached four million. Our strategy is very clear, we are there across. Where you spend money is not important, it is important what you are telling the consumer and how you are connecting it. We think we are connecting it right.
In the cinematic world with superhero sagas, a recent newspaper article flagged a potential concern: audience fatigue with Marvel’s ever-expanding superhero multiverses. These movies now ask viewers to have extensive background knowledge to enjoy them thoroughly. It may alienate viewers and highlight the importance of closure each time for a sustained engagement. Closure is something movies need for the continued association and hunger to engage.
Colors is back with the 12th season of its premier show ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’. It will be hosted by director Rohit Shetty and is produced by Endemol Shine India.
The last Bollywood release of 2018, Rohit Shetty’s Simmba, is buzzing at the box office. The film’s extraordinary run in its first week puts it in a firm position to be the third-biggest Hindi language grosser of the year after Sanju and Padmaavat. While the full-blown mainstream entertainment package delivered by the film works as its biggest plus, Simmba benefits in no small measure from an inspired no-holds-barred yet mature performance by its male lead Ranveer Singh.
Discovery Kids, in collaboration with Rohit Shetty Picturez and Reliance Animation, has announced a new animation series ‘Little Singham’. Little Singham will be launched with 156 episodes and five tele features. The animation series will be aired in three languages – Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Dabur Red Paste has come on-board as the title sponsor of Little Singham.