RA. One - A Case Study In Integrated Marketing Communications with solutions

Whenever I see, hear or read about the RA.ONE Marketing Campaign, I am reminded of Prof. Vineeta Rupani and her IMC classes. Had RA. One released sometime in 2008 she would have definitely discussed it in the class while emphasizing the importance of reaching to the customer at every possible touch point.

The day I heard about the partnership between Ra .One and Google, I decided to follow the marketing efforts of  Red Chillies so that I could write about it on my blog. I had thought that the post would be best titled " Digital Marketing in Bollywood". But with each passing day the scope of  topic transcended way be beyond the realm of digital. Also I did not have to make much effort to follow the marketing initiatives by Red Chillies. Wherever I went Ra. One followed, whether it be it through the regular movie promotions on the radio and television or through the relatively newer mediums like mobile phone applications/games.

Ra.One's co-branding initiative with Horlicks has been bang on. The tall, strong and sharp super hero of the movie perfectly embodies Horlicks' brand promise. Associating with Horlicks is not the only way Red Chillies is trying to get  kids to the multiplexes.

Kids will also get a flavor of Ra. One with the Mc Donalds' Happy Meal. The themed meal box contains the G.One toy action figures. Though a lot of foreign films have earlier collaborated with Mc Donald's for promotion this has never happened in India. This makes R.One the first Indian movie to have associated with Mc Donald's for promotion.

This is not all, the kids have more to go after. Ra.One merchandise like school supplies/stationary,  toys and various other accessories are available both at the G.One store and the Ra.One official website.

And we should certainly not miss " G.One in Ra.Ville" the movie comic. This was distributed with the Times Of India on Saturday. If you missed it, you can always read it online on Google+.

 

A +1 to Ra.One's association with Google. On the movie's official YouTube channel the fans can see behind the scene and movie premiere videos. SRK is the first verified Bollywood star on G+.

For the gamers out there, SRK has lined up something for you too - a PlayStation game. "RA.One - The Game" is a prequel to the movie. The story line of the game has been written by the Shahrukh. This again, is the first time a Bollywood movie has collaborated with Sony PlayStation.

Do not own a PS Console? All the SRK fans (specially my friend Jasmeet), you needn't be disappointed. You will still be able catch the RA.One fever if you own an i Phone/i Pad. "RA.One Genesis" the Ra.One game for i Phone already holds the top spot on the app store. However, I am greatly disappointed that the Super Marketeer from Bollywood missed the Android Market. Android phones have a 52% share in India while iOS holds just 28%. If SRK really wanted to reach the masses he should have had launched the game in the Android Market too.

The movie releases during Diwali - the most important time of the year for any consumer durable company. Thus, the tie-up  with Godrej Appliances to introduce their festive season promotion "G. ONE MAIN EK BAAR OFFER" makes perfect sense. The point of purchase displays will make sure that everyone who walks into the huge network of Godrej Appliances stores across the country, notices Ra. One.

Not planning to buy Godrej Appliances this Diwali? The super hero may still be around if you intend to buy a laptop this festive season. Yes, I am talking about another collaboration. HCL has launched an exclusive range of RA.One laptops with high definition display and enhanced output quality. These are targeted at the buyers who wish to enjoy movies on laptop in high definition. Not only are the features great, but the laptops come with some attractive add-ons like the Philips sound bar, graphics card and also 2 years warranty.

Phew! I have listed a whole lot of initiatives already but am sure this is not entirely complete. Rest is for the readers to complete.... (Please add comments about the ones I have missed)

Solutions :

IMC activities of Ra. One as Brand:

• Giving advertisement in radio, TV and print media
• Cobranding with Horlicks, Horlicks promoting Ra. One in their packaging and promotions.
• Ra. One themed MacDonald’s' Happy Meal. The themed meal box contains the G.One toy action figures.
• Association with Google through Google+ and YouTube.
•  “Ra. One - The Game”, A PlayStation game
• “Ra. One Genesis”, An iOS (for iPhone, iPad etc.) game
• Selling Ra.One merchandise like school supplies/stationary, toys and various other accessories by G.One store and the Ra.One official website
• Showing movie premier and behind the scene videos in official YouTube channel.
• Movie comic “G.One in Ra.Ville" distributed with Times of India in Saturday also available in Google+.
• Tie-up  with Godrej Appliances to introduce Diwali promotion "G. ONE MAIN EK BAAR OFFER" in Godrej stores around India.
• Collaborating with HCL to launch an exclusive range of Ra. One laptops with high definition display and enhanced output quality targeting customer buying Blue-ray/DVD disk.

Challenges:

• Cobranding with a Bollywood movie was unprecedented for brand like Google, Horlicks and HCL etc. Surely Ra.One marketing team had to handle lots of dilemma and uncertainty.

• India is a huge, diverse and uncertain market. Developing perfect marketing strategy which would generate large revenue was a big challenge.

• Knowing movie wouldn’t be critically acclaimed, still investing hugely on marketing relying on Shahrukh Khan’s brand image was a gamble. 

 Reference :

http://mybrandexperiences.blogspot.com/2011/10/ra-one-case-study-in-integrated.html