The Indian film industry needs to up its movie marketing game

livemint.com:

Movie marketing in the Indian film industry is like navigating a labyrinth of missed opportunities and hastily executed ideas, often accompanied by overspent budgets. After more than 100 years of Indian cinema, movie marketing seems stuck in a rut of recycled gimmicks presented as disruptive ideas by hustlers whose main audience appears to be film producers rather than a relevant target audience. In a business where a largely perishable product must quickly make an impact within limited resources, content marketing can’t just be about random ideas favoured by a select few.

It needs a meticulously planned strategy that has been brainstormed even before a film’s title is conceived. The Indian film industry is far more intricate and dynamic than its nickname ‘Bollywood’ implies. Yet, myths surround content marketing.

Fragmented approaches and numerous one-man-show agencies dominate the landscape, with more than half a dozen freelancers typically managing different aspects of marketing for one film. From promotional design and poster art to digital marketing and media planning, this often leads to disjointed campaigns that fail to resonate with audiences. Often, the focus is on pleasing film stars and producers rather than achieving any real impact.

Meanwhile, over-the-top (OTT) platforms in India have transformed entertainment consumption. But instead of leveraging their own digital databases for geo-targeted advertising, the stakeholders sometimes allocate significant resources to traditional outdoor publicity, which can be costly with questionable returns. While outdoor ads work as reminders, they do little to achieve deeper brand impact and recall.