10 of Bollywood’s most interesting movie promotion ideas
Last updated on - Jan 9, 2018, 17:50 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/1110 of Bollywood’s most interesting movie promotion ideas
Bollywood is one of the biggest film industries in the world. It has come a long way, especially with regards to its promotional strategies. Earlier, films relied on enticing viewers with free goodies. But producers have now shifted their focus to tactics that make more headlines than the movies themselves. Gone are the days when film promotion in Bollywood was limited to trailers, posters, and hoardings. Filmmakers and actors have given up outdated methods to try something new. Though a few talented filmmakers have introduced some really unique styles, as a result, promotional strategies come to rescue and celebs leave no stone unturned in grabbing the attention of the audience. Here are 10 most interesting movie promotion ideas of Bollywood.
02/11‘Zero’
Much was said about the title of this film. But finally, Shah Rukh Khan on 1st January surprised everyone and released the first official teaser along with the name of the title in Hindi. Soon Twitter was full of comments and people loved the teaser and it got millions of views for the same. In his next film ‘Zero’, the actor will take over the screen as a vertically challenged man. The views crossed 20 million. Later for which Shah Rukh even thanked everyone by saying thank u all for making ‘Zero’ feel like a Hero. For the first time filmmaker, Aanand L Rai and Shah Rukh Khan have collaborated on a film. The director had said earlier that they are still in the middle of making the film but decided to unveil the title on popular demand as there was a lot of curiosity surrounding Shah Rukh Khan’s role.
03/11‘3 Idiots’
It’s no secret that the actor tries to play characters that are as diverse as possible. However, this also reflects in his promotional strategies. Aamir’s approach towards this film was much different. The actor, who portrayed a character that had been missing for years, also went missing. To promote ‘3 Idiots’, Aamir Khan announced that he would go missing in a unique game of hide and seek. As a part of this game, the actor visited a variety of locations in the country for 2 weeks. Seven clues about his location were given to the public. The first clue was given out by none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Though it was a risky gamble, the strategy proved successful. In fact, ‘3 Idiots’ broke the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever.
04/11‘Bobby Jasoos’
While promoting her film 'Bobby Jasoos', Vidya Balan dressed as a beggar and sat amongst the beggars outside Hyderabad Railway Station. Reportedly, a woman, who mistook her for a beggar, scolded her for not working and taking the easy way out. She also wore a fake baby bump while promoting her movie 'Kahaani'. The film was Vidya Balan’s version of a Peter Sellers film. She was seen in many disguises in the film, owing to the fact that she was playing a private detective. So to promote the film, she even dressed up as a beggar and sat outside Hyderabad station to first blend in and then cash in on the strategy.
05/11‘Ghajini’
Aamir Khan is credited to have started the trend of unique and smart promotion techniques with this film. Aamir not only himself sported a bald hairstyle but also managed to tie-up with a few multiplexes to have their staff do the same two weeks before the release. The brand organized a fashion show, in which all the models walked the runway rocking Aamir’s signature look. All this effort certainly paid off, as the film raked in over Rs. 90 crores on just the first weekend.
06/11‘2 States’
Alia Bhatt shocked everyone when she tweeted about her upcoming engagement on February 25. However, the shock was only temporary. The tweet was quickly revealed to be the announcement for the trailer launch of her film. The actress tweeted a wedding card that invited viewers to watch the trailer, which launched on the same day. The tweet certainly helped the buzz surrounding the film, with many of the actress’ followers viewing and sharing the tweet. But with the book’s rabid fan-base and all the hype, there’s only one possibility. The Internet went into a frenzy when Alia Bhatt announced her engagement on social media. Only after reading the full image, fans were relieved that it was just a publicity gimmick and nothing more than that.
07/11‘Dhoom 3’
Aamir Khan picked an entirely new promotional strategy. Instead of making the usual television appearances, the actor resorted to a less is more approach. Though films usually rely on these appearances to gain exposure, YRF and Aamir decided to let the trailers do the talking. They also took an unconventional approach to the promotion of the soundtrack. Unlike other films, the music from ‘Dhoom 3’ wasn’t completely unveiled until the release of the movie. In fact, only 30-second teasers of the songs were aired on television. This strategy paid off, making ‘Dhoom 3’ the first Indian film to cross the five-billion rupee mark. However, it would be unfair to say that Aamir Khan did this all by himself. He had some help from his friend Salman Khan. Even though the cast of ‘Dhoom 3’ did not make an appearance on the show, Salman promoted the film by himself. As a gesture of friendship, he also donned the infamous bowler hat on the show.
08/11‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’
Imtiaz Ali, with the idea of inclusive marketing, had asked people to vote for one of the three title options, before naming his film ‘Jab We Met’. And even Shah Rukh Khan had the most interesting way to promote the film. The film narrates a story of a Punjabi tour guide Harry (Harinder Singh Nehra) who helps a Gujarati girl Sejal find her lost engagement ring. Shah Rukh Khan sent out an invite to meet girls named Sejal. Lucky or unlucky for him, the star received entries from more than 7000 girls by the same name in Ahmedabad. King Khan met the girls at an event and even clicked pictures with them.
09/11‘A Flying Jatt’
For this film, the team came up with ‘Beat Pe Booty’ Challenge, which was a massive success, among celebrities as well as the people on social media. ‘Beat Pe Booty’ is the song of the film had gained a lot of popularity thanks to the challenge. It began with challenging Bollywood friends and then it went on to a larger audience. It didn’t take long for the challenge to become a rage, as fans from across India and overseas started sharing their videos. Celebrities like Hrithik Roshan, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Disha Patani, Huma Qureshi, Prabhudheva, Tusshar, Sunny Leone, Mouni Roy, Divyanka Tripathi, Anita Hassanandani, Krystle D’Souza, Mona Singh, the Mohan sisters, Masaba Gupta Mantena, and Ganesh Acharya, among many others, grooved their ‘booties’ to the track.
10/11‘Ra.One’
Shahrukh Khan didn’t leave any stone unturned when it came to promoting ‘Ra.One’. He spent a staggering Rs. 52 crore on the marketing budget, which was the highest Bollywood had ever spent on a film. However, ‘Ra.One’’s digital marketing strategy was its main strength. It became one of the first Bollywood films to incorporate gaming and merchandise in its promotion. In October 2011, Ra.One – The Game was released for the PlayStation. Shah Rukh Khan also teamed up with Seventymm to release merchandise like tee-shirts, watches, and video cameras. King Khan always tries to do something unique for his movies and always surprises the audience. Don’t you think?
