Will 20 something brand integrations in Mighty Raju Rio Calling set a new trend for advertisers and movie makersIJ Is the animation industry the next big potential platform for advertisers to exploitIJ Deebashree Mohanty speaks with experts to know more about this trend
What Shah Rukh Khan managed through Ra One in 165 minutes, Mighty Raju did in 60 minutes flat — both the super heroes managed an unbelievable around 20 brands integration in their respective films. But while brand tie-ups and integration is not new in Bollywood, this is the first time that any animation film has managed this feat. Trust Mighty Raju to do the needful.
So, what is it in animation films that attracts brands like Adidas, OlX, Jungle Magic among others to partner with the filmIJ “The animation industry in India is slowly coming of the age in India and present themselves as the next big platform for brands to convey their message to the audience. It is no longer just a film for kids but is about family entertainment, so the brand value ultimately rises. Given that children are main drivers of any purchase decision in India, this trend is only going to grow. There will come a time when SRK and Ajay Devgn films struggle to find brand partners while the animation heroes have all the fun,” adman Shreeman Joshi from Adworks Gurgaon points out.
For Joshi, such is the hype over this cartoon-brand integration that top advertising firms are advising their production house clients to own animation properties to increase sales. But does content of the film have nothing to do with this kind of a brand turnoutIJ
“Yes. Content plays a huge role in getting the brands interested in your offering. In Mighty Raju, for instance, we decided to go all out in terms of marketing and distributing the film. It is a big budget film and we have not tried to cut cost in any way. The film needed a grand scale production and we have delivered. That’s how reputed brands have collaborated and supported the film in many ways. If the content was slipshod, branding would have been slim,” Sameer Jain, co-founder and executive director of Green Gold Animation Pvt ltd, explains.
For evergreen actress Kajol, brand integration in cartoon films make more sense than in adult movies. “Most times, the product is made to look like the hero or heroine in a particular scene. Too much of mindless integration becomes an eye sore in any format but I would still think for a cartoon character to sport a brand is okay and not too overpowering,” she says, adding that this kind of an impetus is required to give the animation industry a boost.
Jain quips in that the industry at this stage could do with a little bit of good luck and support. “We have to better our post and pre production work to get anywhere close to the American and the Chinese. Otherwise we have the best minds and facilities in India,” he says.
It’s not just the brand integration in cartoon films that is seen as a positive trend but even advertisers seeking screen time on TV that is generating noise. “Over time advertisers realised there was a huge secondary TG in parents that kids channels delivered. Categories like toothpastes, soaps, etc have started coming on the genre. It is a positive trend,” Juhi Ravindranath, network head, ad sales, South Asia, Turner International India, says.
From the brand perspective, they are more than happy to have a presence in a kid-specific zone and animation films. “With an animation the brand is playing safe. There is very little scope for any controversy,” Joshi concludes.