In 1994 we already had an advent of satellite cable channels beaming Hindi music & trailers 24/7 which captivated the mind of youngsters (smart phones & the concept of consuming online content came about 10 years back) across India. I was no exception, enjoying such non-stop entertainment throughout the day.
What kept me hooked was the promotions (they were just called trailers & not the kind of crores spent in today’s context where stars & their entire entourage will flock from one city to another in chartered flights giving sound bites to print & television channels to promote their new movies/web series in color coordinated designer wear!) of India’s block buster movie Hum Aapke Hai Kaun !
The vibrant colors, sprinkling of stars, catchy music, 50 visuals in 50 seconds, gave us goose bumps just by watching the trailers.
I recall with great vivid memory of a song picturized on the heroine Madhuri Dixit—Chocolate, Lime Juice ,Ice Cream…(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uzkpoxj5J0) sung by the ever green Lata Mangeshkar which celebrated a young girl growing up & perhaps falling in love, the kind of song which is all about your college crush, teenage romance & peppy feel good numbers.
With great enthusiasm I watched the Movie on 5th August 1994 first day first show along with a bunch of fellow teenage friends in a stand-alone theatre (malls & multiplex hadn’t invaded India yet!). The movie was good, songs came every 10 minutes & my wait for the above mentioned song remained unanswered, much to my horror the song was edited out though it was heavily shown in the trailers.
I was loyal like the wonder dog Tuffy to Rajashri Productions (the makers of HAHK & many other family-oriented movies from decades), but did I feel ‘cheated’, ‘betrayed’ & upset that the song I wanted to watch was edited out? Yes, yes & yes! How could they? Why did they? Is it Fair! Was this paisa vasool for me?
Cut to 2021, the 2016 released Shah Rukh Khan Yash Raj Films (YRF) FAN banked heavily on the promotions & released the song Jabra Fan which had so many versions from YouTubers, instagrammers & SRK Fans dancing to their renditions in India & Abroad with millions watching them on the internet. The song was super-duper hit though the movie wasn’t!
But while I watched the movie, it was a sense of Déjà vu, similar to HAHK this time the Jabra Fan song didn’t feature at all in the movie, not even in the ending which usually is the norm off late when the credit title roles.
But India today is far more advanced, far more demanding & even 3 hours of our entertainment for which we pay anywhere from Rs.300 upwards per ticket, we want our paisa vasool.
From a marketing & brand perspective, it’s important that what we say & show is what we finally sell—ditto for the movie business too as I ‘expect’ to see what they have shown & enticed me to spend my time or my family time with the expectations I have invested my time & money on.
The School teacher from Maharashtra -Afreen Fatima Zaidi is justified when she went to the state tribunal which directed YRF to pay Rs.15,000 to her as a compensation which was in turn stayed too by the Supreme Court last week.
When we see an image selling Pizza with its toppings, I surely need it when the final product arrives it would be unacceptable if I receive any less when I am the one who is paying for it.
It doesn’t matter if you are in the services marketing or product marketing—what is essential is transparency & integrity in what the brand stands for which makes us a fan for life & perhaps we end-up endorsing it for generations to come.
Bata Chappals, Amrutanjan Balm, MTR Dosas, Kanjeevaram Sarees & even a roadside Bajji vendor has loyal customer base because of the most important part of marketing—TRUST which should never be compromised!