Zee goes big with its Dangal promotions

Dangal created a few dangals of its own when it released on December 23, 2016. Not only did the movie garner much appreciation from audience and critics alike, it also charted history by being the first Bollywood movie to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark.

Zee TV aired the blockbuster on May 21 and left no stone unturned when it came to the promotion of the film. In collaboration with sand artist Padmashree Sudarshan Patnaik, the channel created an exclusive sand art that brought alive the film’s iconic poster on the sands of the Versova beach.

An aggressive outdoor campaign at impact locations in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat depicted the most iconic moments of the movie.  In addition to that to give viewers a traditional flavour of the ‘akhada’, Mumbai bus stops were given a ‘dangal akhada’ makeover for the week.

‘Dangal melas’ were also setup at leading malls, where visitors were able to experience a live dangal match with real-time wrestlers, exciting photo-ops with super-sized medals; a wall of fame with dangal messages and much more. The dangal melas also saw participants of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs perform chartbuster songs on May 19 and 20 in Mumbai and Delhi.

Speaking about the focus on on-ground initiatives, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head, Zee TV, said, “We have come with a ‘Saara khel hi palat dala’. The movie Dangal has very stark visuals. So, we have re-created these visuals and these dangal experiences on ground for the viewers. The movie has changed the perception of the game (wrestling) in the hearts and minds of viewers after release and we wanted this change to be expanded in various ways and that is why there is so much focus on on-ground initiatives.”

Elaborating on their 360 degree promotion plan, Rajadhyaksha said, “We are using other mediums for promotion such radio and our own platform that is Zee TV. The entire network platform, platforms outside the network will also be used. We have created a huge talking point even on digital. So, we have used all the mediums.”

Asked about the presenting sponsors for the movie, Rajadhyaksha said the channel was still holding their prices and the decision hadn’t been made yet.

“In terms of powered by and co-powered by sponsors Yepme.com is on board and Pulsar and Lifebuoy are the other two brands on board,” said Rajadhyaksha.

Commenting the deal and the revenue expectations, Rajadhyaksha said, “It is a deal of five airings on SD and HD. The first airing will obviously have the most advantage in terms of share when it comes to revenue.”

Rajadhyaksha said the channel will air the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees in the month of June.

According to the latest BARC data, Zee surpassed Colors after a very long time. Speaking about the shows, apart from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which are the key drivers for the channel, Rajadhyaksha said, “Kumkum Bhagya for sure and Woh Apna Sa has increased a bit and Piya Albela has sustained.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com