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Is there a rule for in-film product placement?
 
Sanjay Bhutiani
(Business head � B R Films)

I don't know if there are any rules for in-film product placement. However, some critical factors must be considered before getting into it. Seamless integration of the brand within the story line; less is more in film placement and
vice versa. Film is absolutely a different medium from TV, and so if the brand message leaps out of the story then it can end up looking quite irrelevant. Credibility takes a beating. Film placement is an art like any other and there is a lot of craft required in it. A credible director is another key factor for in-film placement.

Most brand managers want more placements which the producer refuses. Ultimately a compromise is worked upon but the audience has the last laugh.

One thing is for sure, a bad placement is spotted very easily; the good ones are blended so well that they look a part of the scene.

I have experienced many instances, where agencies/brand managers wanted the film star to endorse a certain brand in the film. Most often the effort has gone unnoticed because it was not handled well or there was a 'force fit'. However, there are instances of good in-film placements like Baghban and ICICI, where there was a lot of branding, brand interaction and yet it had credibility and it blended well with the storyline.

I personally think, you can use a brand in every frame. We live in a branded world, go to branded hospitals, schools, eat branded food, work for different brands, so why can't every frame of a film have a brand?

Cinema is an amazing medium for brands to exploit. You can't have co-branded commercials all the time and only want big associations. One should look at multiple films and see how best your brand can fit at different cost structures. Studios in Hollywood have product placement executives who have long-term contracts with brands and they plant the brands very effectively.

There is no limitation to brand placements in movies, the most important factor is the 'creative integrity' of the film, if you don't compromise it, everything will be fine.
   
Rakesh Roshan
(Director)

Well, a brand can be placed in every print/frame of the movie if required. Bournvita was present in Koi Mil Gaya and went very well with the profile of the hero's character, it therefore made perfect sense to include it in
the sequel (Krrish) as well. Lay's was used in the movie because when my heroine was watching TV in a scene, the director could keep her hands busy with her munching something. And if she is, then why not Lay's? And that is how we approached them, along with Hero Honda, Bournvita and Samsung. With Tide, the scene was already there and P&G; approached us since the scene included Rekha ji washing clothes having her back towards Hrithik. There was space which could be utilised for a brand that went with the requirement of the scene.

The most important factor the marketers need to focus on is, the kind of viewership they are looking at and only then can they make good use of in-film placement. The risk factor with the success or failure of the movie is always there, but the concept of in-film placement is picking up - wait and see how it will grow in the coming years.
   

Sameer Joshi
(Head of Marketing � Mukta Arts)

At a very fundamental level any brand is an expression of certain attributes and set of values. In any brand building exercise one always zeroes down to defining a definite target audience for that particular

product/brand and then sharply focuses on positioning the brand in the consumer mind space catering to the TG's (target group's) desire and needs. The same principle should be followed for in-film placement.

First and foremost one needs to find out what are the set of values and attributes the film portrays and then place a brand which portrays the same and thus lend synergies which could work mutually for the brand as well as the film.

Secondly, the brand needs to be intrinsically woven into the screenplay of the film, and this ideally should be done at the scripting stage, so that one can avoid a forced fit which looks ugly, cases in point being Viruddh and Krrish.

Thirdly, a brand should look at a complete 360 degree association with a film.

If it fits in perfectly with the brand essence rather than just an in-film placement, it can generate multiple touch points with its end consumers. The brand and the film should have such synergies that one single communication idea can be carried out through various media like print, TV, outdoor, radio, internet, retail, merchandise and ground promotions and work mutually for the film as well as the brand.
   
Sucheta Govil
(Director Marketing � Frito Lay India)

Our endeavour with Lay's has been to identify relevant programming platforms and create integrations that will add value to both, the brand Lay's and the programming content without being a force-fit or blatantly in-your-
face.

We have been doing this across genres with success - whether in movies like Hum Tum, Main Hoon Na or Krrish recently, or even on the music platform like the recent Lay's Latino Salsa music video.

For brand Lay's, the criteria for product placements depends entirely on the brand's personality fit and the efficacy with which brand messaging is delivered without taking away the viewing experience. This brand messaging too has to derive from an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour. As Lay's success is built on its consumer connect and driven by the continuous marketing innovations we are able to deliver basic key consumer insights. Since the messaging borrows from the consumer's world, the content delivered is plausible and real life too. We always look for a close working partnership with the programming team to achieve this.

In Krrish too, our integrations are all reflections of how our consumers interact with our brand in real life. Whether in the scene depicting Priyanka Chopra and Manini De munching from the Lay's pack they have picked on the go or Priyanka Chopra savouring her Lay's while watching TV at home. We believe brands need to integrate with content and continuously strive to ensure that it enhances both the brand and the viewing experience.
 
Reported by Ruchika Kumar

 

   
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