Har promo kuch kehta hain...

When a show is ready to launch the channel pulls out all the stops to promote it. In the current times when competition is so intense on TV it’s very essential to effectively market the show or else it will be lost in the clutter. It is indeed challenging times for TV channel marketers and programmers. How to get their programmes noticed above the din of everyone else’s marketing noise is what everyone is working at. The television space today is cluttered with hundreds of programmes vying for attention. An online survey says that 51% of the people find out about a new show through ads or promos on TV. So getting a promo right is the most important thing and if you manage to do that then half your battle is won. Apart from the word of mouth phenomenon, it’s the television promos that are getting increasingly important. Moreover, broadcasters are also putting in extra effort in making these promos slicker and savvier. Television promos hold audience’s attention and form an integral part of what the medium is communicating. Industry biggies say that it is an art as well as science. When I started to write this piece I asked a few people to name one show that they are keenly awaiting. And most of them said Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Dharampatni and Parichay. They also confessed that this was based on the promos they have been watching. Somewhere down the line I also found promos of these three upcoming shows quite interesting and appealing. I am convinced that they will atleast draw in the initial audience and that’s what a good promo is all about. Coming to the big ticket and path-breaking show KBC, for both Sony channel and Big Synergy (production house for KBC) the challenge is in getting the buzz back for KBC 5. The promos that preceded the show tell a good story. Going by it viewers will surely tune in to watch this one. One sees novel ways of using the promos. It’s been a while since promos of new shows on the channels are being woven into their present shows. Like one sees the KBC promo during a volatile scene in Bade Acche Lagte Hain and this grabs the viewer’s full attention. However, I must mention that the initial promos of KBC 4 had a legal notice slapped on the channel and its host Amitabh Bachchan. The Bombay High Court issued notices to megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Sony Television in response to a PIL which challenged a promo in Kaun Banega Crorepati 4 saying it has insulted and maligned the slogan 'Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi doonga', coined by Subhash Chandra Bose. Balaji has adhered to a very different marketing gimmick for its show Parichay which went on air on Aug 9 on Colors. The promos which are in the form of dated diary started by introducing the lead character and then moved on to the next set of actors. It not only gives you a glimpse of the story but also introduces you to the look and feel of the show. Unlike a film where a plot is crucial, it is all about characters in television. So a promo should establish the characters and that’s precisely what the Parichay promo does effectively. Imagine’s Dharampatni which launched on 16 Aug also had a differentiating promo. After all, any promo that creates sensation and buzz can be termed successful. A producer friend says a promo is the window to the show. But unfortunately not many production houses are part of this exercise as its part of the channel’s marketing strategy. And sadly very often a promo is not ‘bang on’ as the promo director is brought in only towards the end. Hence he doesn’t know what the show is all about. He further adds that a promo should not only have picture value but also content value. But now things are changing and a producer is taken into confidence when a promo is conceived. However, another top producer of comedy shows says that the channel he works with always takes his inputs for a promo and thus he is totally involved in the process. He says that along with the marketing team of the channel he plays a vital role in conceptualising the promo. After which the promo is created keeping in mind the vision of the channel. Nowadays a channel apportions large budgets for promos as it is the invitation card to a show. So next time when you see Dharmendra getting teary-eyed on a promo of India’s Got Talent which then lead you to watch the episode, the promo creators have definitely hit bull’s eye. Read more...