The modern world is cut throat and only the fittest of the fittest survive. Companies resort to any trick of the trade to achieve eyeballs (more recognition and awareness of one’s product than that of the competition). Usually the easiest way out is sponsoring a programme on the TV or the radio. Most companies think it is a simple matter. Picking up the most popular programme (read the programme with the best TRP rating) and sponsor it.
The reality check is very different. “Padutha Teeyaga” a popular telugu music programme compered by P. Bala Subramanyam was initially sponsored by Bajaj. Bajaj later withdrew. There was nothing a Auto major like Bajaj could gain by sponsoring a music centric programme. Antakshari ( a music programme like the American Idol) was initially sponsored by Amrutanjan (a pain balm reliever). Watch Antakshari get headache and get it treated by Amrutanjan! Is it an insult to the programme or to the sponsor? The viewers has to decide for themselves. Finally sanity prevailed and the apt sponsor was found for Antakshari in Close-up. A splendid idea, get Close-up tooth paste as a sponsor which stands for freshness of breath and for a programme where the contestants (usually a boy and a girl) come very close to each other to crone a song.
We generally find that product placements in programmes are done very crudely. Many telugu movies have songs where a scantily dressed heroine dancing (sometime in rain). The background is lit up with gaudy hoardings of products or even worse an array of Kinetic Honda scooters or hero Honda motorcycles with their head lights/blinkers/side lights coming on and off. The viewers are put off by these in your face product placements.
Product placements are tackled very professionally in Hollywood. James Bond movie uses product placements but with lot of suave. James Bond wears an Omega, uses a Motorola and drives a BMW. A very apt product placement was for a television programme called “Chutke Bajake” which featured the famous Marathi actor Ashok Saraf. The hero in the serial snaps (Chutke) his fingers and gets involved in very interesting adventures.
The sponsor was quickfix. The connection? Quickfix at that particular point of time was running an advertisement film that showed a boss (Satish Shah) clicking his fingers and getting frantic attention from his harassed lady secretary played by Renuka Sahane. The solution to the problem - the secretary puts a small drop of quickfix between the thumb and the index finger of the boss. He no longer can click and when he can’t click he cant order his secretary around.
The sponsor was quickfix. The connection? Quickfix at that particular point of time was running an advertisement film that showed a boss (Satish Shah) clicking his fingers and getting frantic attention from his harassed lady secretary played by Renuka Sahane. The solution to the problem - the secretary puts a small drop of quickfix between the thumb and the index finger of the boss. He no longer can click and when he can’t click he cant order his secretary around.
Whenever Ashok Saraf clicks his fingers in the serial one immediately gets reminded of quickfix. The double whammy is the title of the serial is also reminding the viewers of the advertisement. A wonderful marriage between the product and the programme.
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