BIG FM bets big on Karishma Kapoor

Apart from the show being promoted across radio, television, outdoor, digital and social media, the focus will be more on the on-ground element

Shachi Tapiawala | Mumbai | December 19, 2012

(L-R) RJ Rani, RJ Karisma Kapoor and Manav Dhanda

Karishma Kapoor will debut as an RJ for a women-centric radio show called BIG Memsaab from Dec. 24. The specially conceptualized segment 'BIG on Style' will air on BIG Memsaab every day between11 am to 12 noon across 31 stations of the radio network.

Commenting on the occasion, Manav Dhanda, Network Programming Head, 92.7 BIG FM, said, “The core target group being between the age of 25 to 44, we needed to bring on board a style icon considered by people in their mid-30's and that's when we realized who can be their style icon as most of them began watching movies in 90's and still do. Of course, there were actors like Madhuri Dixit and Shreedevi but they were pre-90 actors. As of today we have Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor, but Karishma transcends style which is unique of her own self from the 90's till now and not as a girl but as a woman, a mother, a sister and a daughter-in-law.”

He further added, “Never before has a radio brand inIndiapromised its listeners entertainment, engagement and enrichment with an A-list Bollywood celebrity as a daily feature all year round! The format of the show, the pegs that we will touch upon and the innovations planned made the show unique and appealing to her. Radio is a live medium and highly engaging allowing for direct interaction with crores of Indians and fans across the country for a celebrity.”

Been present for four years for six seasons on Big Magic, the Hindi heartland broadcasting channel in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, the show is a large platform which is present on radio, TV and on-ground. To ensure maximized reach, the show will be promoted through a multi-media marketing campaign across radio, television, outdoor, on ground, digital and social media. Contests will also be hosted on air, wherein lucky listeners from across the 31 cities stand to win a personalized grooming consultation with Karisma.

Being a female centric show, 92.7 BIG FM has planned alliances with major dailies, magazines and commercial platforms which are women centric. Commenting on the medium they choose to campaign to reach out to their target group, Dhanda added, “Print ads and OOH campaigns always get noticed and can get you maximum reach. But considering reaching out to a specific target audience we would resort to more of on-ground campaigns with RWA's, societies and associations. Radio is more of a one to one platform so we would promote our show through all platforms but our main focus would be to promote the show on-ground which would be more than a billboard communicating it.”

Having showcased a sample of her hosting the show, Karishma Kapoor, the show would not only speak about style, but style which a person can adapt to. Speaking about her association, Karisma Kapoor said, “Having worked in movies and television, I was extremely keen to try a new medium –so I decided to do radio. The Indian media scenario is constantly evolving and radio is the perfect medium for me to be closer to my fans than ever before. I am very excited about my radio debut on 92.7 BIG FM's afternoon show, BIG Memsaab. I am confident that my fans will enjoy the show thoroughly and will continue to support me as I undertake this new journey.”

As a part of airing the show Big FM claimed their plans to adapt a new growing trending adapting the format of shows being aired. Dhanda claimed that music has not been the end game for them. The end game is to create content which is not easily replicable. He elaborated saying that earlier comedy and humour were the only two formats when it came to talk radio, but now there are efforts being made to change the trend. “We initiated Yaadon ka Idiot Box which was the first big property and BIG Memsaab is the second. This Navratri too, we had Mukesh Khanna dubbing 'Mata ki Kahaaniya' which was a big hit in the hindi markets. Yes people are obsessed with cricket and Bollywood music but asuch a format on talk shows I would say is a national revolutionary curve.”

Shachi@BestMediaInfo.com

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