2. Featured Articles
Editor’s Note
GLOCALIZATION –
Keval Naam Bikta Hai
Strumming the Emotional Chord
Importance of Marketing in Politics
Product and Brand Placement In Movies
Page No
1
2
6
12
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CONTENTS
May 2013

3. Hello Readers!!
Warm greetings to all our readers..!!
Here we are... yet again, with another interesting issue... And somehow this edition of ours, along with the
articles here has captured the best of all the class room concepts of a B-school, in perfect real life examples.
This time, the highlight of this edition is our very own, well written article – “Glocalization”. It is one of the
biggest and most often faced challenges by companies who want to go global. Is there a company that is
completely global? Do companies need to adopt certain amount of localisation depending on the tastes and
preferences, culture of the country, etc., to succeed in the markets they enter and for their long term survival?
The answers for these questions are difficult to find but this article gives you an insight that attempts to an-
swer some of these questions.
The following articles are also equally interesting; giving all you marketers a good understanding of what is
happening around and of course giving you a good food for thought.
So happy reading-
Team MARkezine
Editing and Design:
Shivaraj Ganesh Babu | Sheeza Shakeel | Ishwarya Lakshmi
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine1
Editor’s Note
May 2013

4. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 2
Shakespeare once said, “What’s there in the Name”.
He may be right for many, but at least in our context
he is surely proven wrong. As the rush of the foreign
single brands into the country peaks, a number of
home-grown, international sounding brands are
melding themselves into the retailing landscape. It
is unlikely that this trend will change anytime soon.
The trend is gathering momentum. Indian brands
are trying to look and sound foreign to make the
most of rising aspirations of foreign-label fascinated
Indians.
To begin with, high end brands like Reid & Taylor,
Belmonte are of Mumbai based S. Kumar’s group.
Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter
England are owned by Aditya Birla Group. Similarly,
brands like Lee, Wrangler, Tommy Hilfiger and
GLOCALIZATION –
Keval Naam Bikta Hai
May 2013

5. Arrow are of Bangalore-based Arvind Mills. The list
is not exhaustive as brands like Provogue, Indigo
Nation, Koutons, Cotton County, Charlie Outlaw, Les
Femme, and TNG also lie in the same category. In
fact, the major Indian brands like ITC is also using
foreign names like Fiama Di Wills, John Players, and
Miss Players etc. When apparel industry has gone
way forward, footwear industry could not be far be-
hind , reaping such fruitful benefits. Woodland, Lee
Cooper, Red Chief, Red Tape are also local brands.
But why use a foreign name in India? The answer
is simple, “The Indian mindset. It makes immense
business sense. We love and easily accept European
and American fashion because it has aspiration val-
ue, “The fact is, if given a choice, an Indian consumer
will buy a foreign brand instead of a domestic one.
At its most basic level, this preference is sparked
by prejudices against an Indian brand name, even
though there is no valid reason to justify this bias.
“Despite the high quality of Liberty (Shoes), people
still prefer Lee Cooper because of its foreign tag.”
For a brand, an image of quality and credibility is an
extremely important asset and a key factor in a com-
pany’s profitability and growth. In India, where
locally produced brands are often seen as inferior,
businesses consciously choose to build a “fake” for-
eign image for themselves. An abundance of foreign-
sounding goods available at any high-end Indian
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine3
May 2013

6. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 4
mall makes it look as if India doesn’t manufacture
any consumer goods of its own. But is it really the
case or merely a well-planned illusion?
The name is just the beginning of the carefully craft-
ed illusions (one may even call it deceptions). These
companies hire foreign models to showcase their
collections, which is why there are so many foreign
models in India. Fortunately for the companies, hir-
ing an overseas model is not difficult. Many of them
come to India as tourists and charge between 20,000
and 40,000 rupees for a day’s shoot, while a famous
Indian personality would charge a lot more. After all,
it is easier to perpetuate a pre-conceived notion of
a foreign brand if foreign models are showcasing it.
Brands like Duke, for instance, have been hiring for-
eign models for their collection because these mod-
els “help create an international feel for the brand,”
an image that an Indian model would not be able to
project.
Fortunately for the companies, hiring an overseas
model is not difficult. Many of them come to India
as tourists and charge between 20,000 and 40,000
rupees for a day’s shoot, while a famous Indian per-
sonality would charge a lot more.
Cotton County, for example, faced declining sales,
which were revived once they brought in foreign
models. It cannot be merely coincidental that profit-
able brands like Van Heusen, Louis Phillipe, and Al-
len Solly have never hired Indian models.
Some firms have gone as far as to fall for their own
act. Like the brand Munich Polo, that sashays itself
as German, chose to design its site in the same fash-
ion – so much so that its website talks about German
culture and the German city of Munich, complete-
ly erasing all signs of its Indian origins. Similarly,
brands like Woodland have succeeded in projecting
themselves as a foreign brand. Launched by Aero
industries, Woodland now has lost its original roots.
The Woodland site terms itself as Woodland Inter-
national, even though it ships products only within
India. Therefore, the conscious effort to create a for-
eign image is embedded in even the smallest details.
This trend is not limited only to adult brands, but
also to many children’s brands like Lilliput, and Gini
and Jony. In reality, Gini and Jony is a product of
Pakistan-based Lakhani Brothers, while Lilliput was
founded by an Indian businessman, Sanjeev Narula.
These brands also use foreign kids as models and
project their merchandise as if it were manufactured
in America or England. The new emergent middle
class falls for the illusion and participates in this
conscious manipulation of the Indian psyche.
Five Benefits That a Local Brand Gets From An
International Endorser
1. Heightened Advertisement: -
To sell a product people must look at it. What way
is better than to catch the attention of the public by
having a foreign celebrity endorsing your brand.
And a foreign endorser also sparks the interests of
socio economic classes.
2. Going after International Market: -
Along with getting attention in the local market, the
foreign market will also give your brand a second
May 2013

7. look as they are familiar with the endorser.
3. Expansion: -
Getting an international celebrity is not only about
adding prestige to your marketing campaigns. It
is also about making your brand familiar with un-
tapped markets. “It makes easier for the brand to ex-
pand into new territories”.
4. Brand Upgradation: -
An International celebrity endorsing your brand
gives it a facelift. “It upgrades the image of the
brand”.
5. World Class Quality: -
“An International endorser implies that a brand has
gone global and its products are of international
standards”. Hence this gives a sense of quality to the
public.
Inference
The question here is why Indian brands pretend they
are foreign when they are clearly not? It is not as if
local brands like Fabindia are not equally popular. It
cannot be denied that these pseudo-foreign compa-
nies are exploiting the Indian mentality, which, as
stated above, perceives foreign goods as superior.
Therefore, the projection of a certain brand as origi-
nating from abroad justifies higher prices.
Though this technique seems to be very effective,
there is no reason for it to continue. It must be very
frustrating for Indian companies to know that so
many consumers do not give native products a fair
chance. But at the same time, the brand image does
very little if the actual products do not provide the
high quality expected of imported goods. If a local
company chooses to market its merchandise under a
foreign alias, it has to ensure that its products look,
feel, and last as long as the imported ones, otherwise
it’ll be taking advantage of gullible consumers.
A foreign named brand can be a double-edged sword.
If it doesn’t deliver its promise, it is doomed to bomb.
“Consumers are not stupid; you can fool them once,
but not twice”. If you claim to be an Italian brand,
then you have to deliver Italian quality. If you don’t,
people won’t buy it.”
So the next time you step into a mall, make note of
the brands you go for. You might be surprised to note
that many of the ones you choose are actually Indian
brands and that is proof enough of the need to recog-
nize the potential in the indigenous market, and not
to fall for the same prejudices again and again. Who
knows, maybe your next visit to a mall would be to a
truly Indian one!
Submitted by:
Harshul Kashyap
1st year PGDM (ABM) Student
Rajesh Kevlani
1st year PGDM (ABM) Student
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine5
May 2013

8. What do the pug of Vodafone, the “Jaago Re Cam-
paign” of Tata Tea, Coke’s Spirit of Happiness have
in common? All these advertisements have been
a part of a form of marketing that seeks to tap the
Emotional Intelligence of people. The concept of
Emotional Marketing has been doing the rounds for
a long time but it has assumed greater significance
in recent years. With the commoditizing of most
of the products and services offered by different
companies, brand loyalty comes at a premium and
in recent times the marketing campaign has been
channelized towards campaigns that leverage on the
concept of emotional connect.
During the 1980s Coca Cola tried to indulge in intro-
ducing a new variety of Coke and this was met with
widespread disappointment. Fidel Castro termed the
move as one that jeopardized the national identity of
the Americans. Brands have tremendous potential in
connecting with the masses and this genre has given
individuals a reason to associate with the brand. The
IPL and the EPL are two sporting events that further
bring to light the impact of brand association. How
often have we seen youngsters don the jersey of their
favourite team with utmost pride? This form of mar-
keting is very effective in brand penetration. While
one may be loyal to Airtel, the Vodafone pug con-
tinues to be the darling of many Airtel subscribers.
Even a diabetic patient will be able to recapitulate
the series of advertisements that portrays Dairy Milk
as the initiator of every happy moment.
While we have seen emotional marketing in good
light some companies tend to overdo the concept
and in the process seem desperate to get the mes-
sage over. Many beauty soaps exaggerate their ca-
pability of ensuring “fair skin” within weeks. Some
beauty products implement software to tweak the
facial features of their model in order to get the mes-
sage through. It would only be hilarious to assume
that people would be hoodwinked into such prom-
ises and exhibit brand loyalty. Unilever on the other
hand redefined beauty as being an attribute that
does not necessarily associate with fair skin. . “The
Campaign for Real Beauty” removed the stereotypic
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 6
Strumming the Emotional Chord
May 2013

9. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine7
definition of beauty and this was widely appreciated
by all. Dove became a brand that was a symbol of
beauty and women across the globe has a sense of
pride in using the product.
Various emotional triggers can be set off in order
to make customers establish an ego towards their
brand. Few of them are tabulated below along with
the sector that can use it as leverage in marketing.
Emotional marketing has certainly helped brands
penetrate the emotional chord of the customers and
have made many brands an integral part of the lives
of these people. By making brands permeate the
minds in a subconscious way, this form of marketing
can also work wonders even if the brand does not
have a unique selling proposition in terms of prod-
uct differentiation. Unfortunately the impact of emo-
tional marketing cannot be measured in monetary
terms and this makes many critical of the usefulness
of the method. However we need to acknowledge
the nuances between marketing and selling and in
this context appreciate the utility of emotional mar-
keting. After all it makes a Pepsi fan appreciate the
“Spirit of Happiness”, makes every lady value “The
Campaign for Real Beauty” or secures an individual
“Zindegi Ke Saath Bhi Zindegi Ke Baad Bhi”.
Marketing! Politics! Phew!!!!
The fever is catching up - different moves are tried
to hit on the opponents, every one trying to outdo
the other, what could that possibly be for? A product
launch .. maybe .. wait ...the extravaganza of election
is about to BEGIN....
School of Thought:
As Kavanagh (1995, 1996) defines it, electioneering is
a set of strategies and tools to trace and study public
opinion before and during an election campaign to
develop campaign communication and access their
impact. Maarek (1995) says it’s a complex process,
May 2013

10. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 8
the outcome of a more global effort implicating all
the factors of the politician’s political communica-
tion. The introduction of marketing in politics is an
outcome of the elaboration of a policy of political
communication-a global strategy of design, ration-
alisation and conveyance of modern political com-
munication. As per Lock and Harris (1996) political
marketing is concerned with communicating with
party members, media and prospective sources of
funding as well as the electorate. The party or can-
didate’s use of opinion research and environmental
analysis to produce and promote a competitive offer-
ing which will help realise organisational aims and
satisfy groups of electors in exchange for their votes.
Wring (1997) O’ Cass (1996) says it offers political
parties the ability to address diverse voter concerns
and needs through marketing analyses, planning,
implementation and control of political and elector-
al campaigns.
Does it WORK?
Decline of per capita growth rate from 20% in
1994-95(Congress govt.) to 5% in 2004-05 and 15%
in 2005-06
Gujarat slipped to 5th in 2005 (later to third) from
2nd position 1996 in India in terms of its investment
climate- Asian Development Bank
31.8% population of Gujarat living below the pov-
erty line, one of the highest %age of poor people and
suicide rates in the country- Suresh P. Tendulkar
Committee ,Planning Commission
It also remains at the bottom of the pile of the
Human Development Index. Hunger, disease and
deaths are chronic in villages.
Anaemia and malnutrition increased by 60%-
National Family Health Survey-3rd Round
Other states showing far better improvement in
rural healthcare than Gujarat- National Council of
Applied Economic Research
Even with 31.6% of Budgetary expenditures on the
social sector Gujarat was at
the 17th position among the 18
largest states in India- Month-
ly Bulletin ,RBI, Feb’2007
3rd in the no. of complaints
about Human Rights viola-
tions- National Human Rights Commission
3 sections -Muslims, Adivasis and Dalits have all
along faced atrocities and human rights violations
in Gujarat- Achyut Yagnik, social scientist
FCI allotting less than the required PDS quota to
Gujarat and the government doesn’t even bother
about it. It keeps itself busy converting more and
more BPL cards to APL, apparently to showcase
its efforts at improving the hunger situation in the
state- Frontline, May 7, 2011
Fraud to the tune of Rs 26,651 crore - CAG Report
Not to forget the innocent people killed, tense at-
mosphere, emotions running high during and after
Gujarat riots.
Well these were some of the excerpts from Modi’s
reign.
Then what made the winning streak to con-
tinue for more than a decade?
Just like a product sold in the market that needs a
brand identity, the candidate’s name must also cre-
ate an impact on people’s minds and that’s what
Modi is best at.
May 2013

11. Gujarat’s assembly election was a no contest; it was
all about Narendra Modi. When you ask people go-
ing to vote during election, “which party are you
going to vote for?” they’ll answer, “Narendra Modi”.
Yes, he’s a bigger brand than the BJP itself, in Guja-
rat. He is often referred as a “Propaganda machine.”
The beauty about Narendra Modi’s campaigns is
that he makes every campaign a brand by assigning
beautiful names to all his campaigns like:
Vibrant Gujarat
Sadbhavna Mission
Vivekanand Vikaas Yatra,
Ek Mat Gujarat, BJP Sarkar
Ramshe Gujarat, Jeetshe Gujarat
Much publicised 3D speeches, 29 Vikas Raths
equipped with projectors, 10 LED Raths, each with
a 110’’ screen, which roam interior villages, more
than a million followers on FB and Twitter, reaching
more than a million people on Google+ Hangout,
and launching his own TV channel NaMo Gujarat
etc. clearly exhibits his art of exploiting all sort me-
dia channels. He leaves no stone unturned when it
comes to online marketing
Narendra Modi was nominated in top 5 political per-
sonalities in the world who have made a mark on web
in 2011 along with the US president Barack Obama.
A classic case of the new product launch.
Talking about the guy completely unknown to any-
one outside of Illinois except for the fact that he
made a great speech at the Democratic National
Convention in 2004.Not only was he relatively un-
known, he was a black man with a name that a lot of
people found to be unsettling.
Talking about the guy completely unknown to any-
one outside of Illinois except for the fact that he
made a great speech at the Democratic National
Convention in 2004.Not only was he relatively un-
known, he was a black man with a name that a lot of
people found to be unsettling.
His campaign’s ability to reach out to voters, espe-
cially young disenfranchised voters, was a stroke of
marketing genius. He used a methodical, corporate
style to specifically target ideal potential supporters,
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine9
May 2013

12. encourage their support and help get them out to
vote for the President. The techniques themselves
are not revolutionary as businesses and advertising
agencies have used them for years. What is revo-
lutionary is that a political campaign used them to
help elect a President. They try to build up databases,
grow social media followers, encourage donations,
and build credibility and trust through ongoing and
sincere communication.
What differentiates him from the rest that he fol-
lowed a theme of hope during his entire election
campaign in 2008 using the slogan ‘Change we can
believe in.’
His campaigns were well segmented by market
(state wise). Segmentation drives engagement with
his supporters because they only hear about what is
related to them avoiding the clutter (Selective Per-
ception, Distortion and Retention).
Marketing Strategies:
Use of high performance websites to Drive Action,
use of Split-Testing to achieve maximum perfor-
mance (using goggle analytics) and Email Market-
ing used to build the Relationship. Both Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) databases and
public domain research permit them to precisely
match their servic-
es and commercial
opportunities with
ideal potential
clients. Blogging
used to connect
with the Market.
Integration of so-
cial media into
the website. Face-
book/Twitter used
to connect mass audiences. Mobile friendly websites
(wap) connects with the users on the go. He was Us-
ing data-mining in similar fashion as used for prod-
ucts/brands to identify as the possible prospects and
then worked towards securing their votes. Though he
avoided telemarketing as people usually don’t like
it (his competitor McCain used it). For incumbents,
the relationship between spending great quantities
on advertising and winning the campaign had very
little effect. But for the challengers like Obama, there
was a strong positive relationship between spending
levels and vote shares. Advertisers (political parties)
must make voters aware of their candidate or issue’s
existence and provide compelling reasons why a cer-
tain market should “buy” it.
Some of the components of such advertising are:
Branding
It provides a recog-
nizable set of attrib-
utes to the product
or company like Sen-
ator John McCain of
Arizona sought to
brand himself as a “maverick” politician, one who is
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 10
May 2013

13. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine11
his own man and not beholden to special interests.
Similarly, the Republican Party has traditionally
branded itself as a political organization that cham-
pions moral values, such as equality and loyalty.
Narrative
It tries to explain candidates
or issues in terms of a story. In
keeping with the branding of its
“product,” a political organiza-
tion may choose to help explain
its benefits through the use of
simple narration. Example, during his presidential
campaign, Barack Obama spoke of his background
as the son of a Kenyan man and an American woman
and a community organization, a narrative meant to
convey his humble beginning and his affinity for the
common man.
Targeting
Select the audience based on
certain characteristics (demo-
graphic, geographic, age group
etc.)
Attributes
A skilful political marketer is able to make the stakes
of an election very clear to the voters, as doing so
can convince them to support or oppose a particular
policy or
candidate. He should be able to make the POD’s
(Points of Differences) very clear to the prospects.
Conclusion:
Exposure is just as important to political candidates
Exposure is just as important to political candidates
as it is to corporate brands. You can brand your can-
didacy by first creating a well-communicated plat-
form and summing it up with a tagline that defines
your campaign. Develop a logo and identity, and
achieve visibility by marketing on multiple fronts.
Print postcards, brochures, business cards, posters,
door hangers, banners and yard signs. A successful
political campaign wins the hearts of a broad range
of voters through a carefully crafted marketing strat-
egy. In contemporary world, many voters do not take
the initiative to actively research and compare politi-
cal candidates. That means that when Election Day
comes, ballots are cast according to how well each
candidate’s campaign was able to permeate the eve-
ryday grind and deliver a clear and compelling mes-
sage to voters.
Submitted by:
VIPUL ARUN
IIM Rohtak
PGP 1st year
May 2013

14. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 12
Importance of Marketing in Politics
The man responsible for deriving the concept of
Marketing would not have expected such a crea-
tive and innovative application of this concept in
the real world. Use of marketing techniques in the
field of politics is certainly an out of the box applica-
tion of this concept. As we all know that politics and
power go hand in hand. Therefore in order to make
their way up the political ladder, politicians have
been widely using marketing as a primary weapon
in their arsenal, in various campaigns to counter the
opposing forces and to attain an advantage over the
competing parties. Many political pundits are hir-
ing multitude of marketing wizards so that they can
aggregate an army of professionals to work for their
cause.
Carrying out election campaigns is considered to
be one of the most expensive as well as comprehen-
sive marketing exercise. The general elections held
in 2009 were deemed to be the most expensive elec-
tions in the political history of India. Both parties,
Congress and BJP shelled out huge sums of money
and the major chunk of this spending went towards
various marketing activities.
Marketing activities in politics is very similar to
marketing of general products and services. We can
easily draw a wide line of similarity between vot-
ers voting for a candidate and a consumer buying
a product. In the political arena, candidates express
themselves as a product, use different methodolo-
gies to publicize their policy, take a stand on various
social and economic issues, and make important de-
cisions regarding the means to advertise themselves
while taking into account the promotional mix and
conducting market research. Thus, one cannot deny
the fact that there is a plethora of opportunity to ap-
ply various marketing concepts in this new interest-
ing domain i.e. politics.
Truly speaking, marketing may be one of the most
essential factors that may decide the fate of politics
in almost every country for the next 5 to 10 years. Po-
litical parties as well as their respective candidates
need to consider various micro and macro market-
ing opportunities which can help them to market
themselves in a better way and gain an edge over the
rivals. The various techniques which political parties
adopt include Advertising and Promotional events,
Publicity stunts, Exit polls, Women power in politics,
Cyberspace democracy, electronic government and
Strategic lobbying.
Frequently used concept of marketing in politics:
Social network: With the rapid propagation of soial
May 2013

15. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine13
networking sites, companies have started using it as
a platform to promote their products and services.
But the story does not end here. Politicians have also
started to take as much advantage of this as they can
in order to promote their candidature. The vote of
an individual does not make any difference but the
vote of a group of individuals can certainly make a
lot of difference. Hence the concept of application of
politics in social media can actually help the politi-
cians to gain a competitive advantage over the other
candidate. In fact in a contemporary world like this
every political party, be it- BJP, Congress, SP, BSP
etc., has a presence on social networking platforms.
In fact most of the leaders of political parties spread
their ideas, opinion and views on various national
and international issues by means of their Facebook
and Twitter accounts so as to reach out to the masses
in an economical and easy manner.
Brand Image:
Brand of a product plays a vital role in determining
whether the customer will buy the product or not.
This is because of the fact that it is the brand that is
cemented inside the mind of the consumer and will
affect the buying habits of the consumer in a big way.
Same is the case with politics. Most of the people do
not vote based on
the qualities and
achievements
of the candidate
but based on
the fact that to
which party he
belongs. This has
happened many
times in Indian
election history. Some of the instances include 7th,
8th, 9th, 10th Lok Sabha elections. However, the
vice-versa is also true in most of the instances. So,
in short, we can say that it is both brand name and
party name that help in determining the proportion
of success of a campaign.
Money:
Money plays an important role in determining the re-
sults of an election particularly in India where most
of the voters reside in rural areas. These people are
ignoramus in nature and can easily fall for monetary
benefits. The power of money, both before and after
the election, is so enormous that it can change the
whole political scenario and determine the success
May 2013

16. quotient of a candidate in the political arena. In fact
money and politics go hand in hand because we all
know that no activity can be brought to its logical
conclusion without money.
Political advertising:
Political advertising is a key concept which provides
a platform to all the political parties to express their
opinion on the current social and economic condi-
tions of the country. Through political advertising
various parties can expand their domain by reaching
out to much larger number of voters. Radio, newspa-
pers, TV and Internet are some of the key interfaces
through which parties can reach out to the masses
using political advertising. These ads are designed
by specialized advertising agencies. One of the fa-
mous political advertising wars was evident in the
year 2009 between the likes of “Jai Ho” and “Bhay
Ho”. Similarly in 2004 we had the concept of “India
Shining”. Gone are the days when only traditional
media was used as the primary tool for political ad-
vertising. Now the war is head on.
A very new and innovative concept of marketing
was used in last year’s U.S. election campaign for
President Barack Obama. The concept named as
Neuromarketing which included behavioural sci-
ence and customer persuasion techniques was used
which in the end became the real differentiating fac-
tor between the two contenders. A group called as
“COBS” for “consortium of behavioural scientists”
was one of the important parts of Obama’s market-
ing strategy and it helped in a realistic segmentation
of the people around the country so as to approach
them accordingly. This concept was unnoticed for a
long time but in reality it was one of the major rea-
sons behind the successful presidential campaign of
Barack Obama.
Practically speaking, application of marketing in
politics involves a huge pile of concepts and theo-
ries which can be narrowed down to the marketing
of various goods, commodities, services in profit and
non-profit organization. It is imperative to give mar-
keting orientation to politics so as to attain effective
utilization of resources which would in turn help not
only to achieve immediate success but success in fu-
ture also. In fact if we look around the world, there
are many examples which justify the use of market-
ing in politics. Many leaders like President Barack
Obama, PM David Cameroon, and Chancellor Ange-
lia Merkel have been dependent upon the extensive
usage of various marketing tools in order to build
up their brand image. In India many political lead-
ers like Gujarat Chief minister Mr. Narendra Modi,
Bihar Chief minister Mr. Nitish Kumar and Con-
gress spearhead Mr. Rahul Gandhi have relied upon
various marketing concepts and have used different
marketing strategies to send across their message to
the public at large. In fact marketing has become a
necessary and sufficient condition to have an undis-
puted advantage over the competing candidate.
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 14
May 2013

17. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine15
Usage of proper means of marketing allows the can-
didate to stand at the vantage position in the elec-
tion. In fact the success rate of the candidate almost
doubles if he/she portrays himself/herself in a better
way through the use of marketing concepts like So-
cial marketing, advertising, brand image, spreading
ideas etc.
So to conclude, I would just like to end with a quote
made by Mr. Sid Bernstien, legendary American Music
Producer and Promoter.
“Of course you sell a candidate for political office the
same way you sell soap or sealing wax or whatever; be-
cause, when you get right down to it, that’s the only way
anything is sold.”
Submitted by:
Kshitij Yadav
Narsee Monjee institute of Management
Studies, Bangalore
May 2013

18. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 16
What is common between the movies Dabangg, Da-
bangg 2, Mere Dad ki Maruti, James Bond, Castaway,
Hangover 2, Son of Sardar, Golmaal 2 & 3, Masti, Kya
Cool Hain Hum, Dil Bole Hadippa, etc. ?
Answer: A simple and effective concept called brand
placement or now popularly known as “Blockbuster
branding”.
When Munni sang about Zandu in the 2010 block-
buster Dabangg, the endorsement that the balm got
was unintended. The song Fevicol Se in Dabangg 2
and the upcoming movie Mere Dad Ki Maruti are
part of a plan. The concept is now out of closet as
far as India is concerned. The transition has come
a full circle. From the prominent ad banners of Pan
Parag on college stages to subtle product place-
ments like Red Label tea on breakfast tables to cut-
out of a brand into which a car is crashed. Does this
mean that the concept has moved from subtlety to all
pomp and show?
Whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood, the best
brands seem to respect forced and paid placements
over the spontaneous and un-paid. Fevicol Se in Da-
bangg 2 looks as forced as forced can be. There is so
much discomfort in the lyrics and in the meaning of
it.
However, the current scenario is such that brands are
trying to improve upon their image by cutting the
clutter and getting noticed, increase visibility and
increase recall of the brand.
There have been brand placements in Bollywood as
early as 1940s. The inclusion of brands during those
Product And Brand Placement
In Movies
May 2013

19. days was an unconscious effort. Today, the concepts
of marketing have undergone enormous changes.
Apart from vanilla advertising through TV, news-
papers, magazines, radio, it is also about engaging
customers on every platform and making the brand
relatable through different media mix.
So, how does product placement work in Bollywood?
What are the various types of placements adopted in
movies?
Silent visual:
The brand is just shown silently in a scene and not
spoken of in the movie. Air India in the famous Nam-
ak Halal movie is one such example.
Interactive visual placement:
Interaction with the product or brand is shown in the
scene. Entry of Aisha in the movie in a Volkswagen
Beetle is one such example.
Interactive verbal placement:
The product or brand is mentioned in a dialogue.
Hrithik asking for Bournvita in Koi Mil Gaya is one
such example.
Interactive visual + verbal:
Interaction of the product or brand with the main star
is seen and also expressed in the form of a dialogue.
Jackie Shroff drinks Coca Cola and talks about its
attributes.
Interactive visual + thematic:
Product or brand is integrated with the theme of the
scene. Fight scene in Chak De takes place in McDon-
alds.
Interactive visual + audio thematic:
Tune/music associated with the brand can be ob-
served in the scene. Tune of Nerolac paints in Vir-
uddh is one such example.
Interactive visual + verbal + thematic:
Brand or product interacts with the plot of the mov-
ie or the scene and the name is also taken and the
product is also displayed. Role of Spykar Jeans in
Namaste London.
The benefits of product or brand placement can go
well beyond on-screen exposure if placed appropri-
ately. The promotion of the brand association with
the movie can be done both through the internal and
external promotional campaign. These days, produc-
tion houses are taking cognizance of this fact. If a
company does in-film placement of its products,
then it is creating promotional tie-in opportunities
and the movie also provides further visibility op-
tions through the number of TV broadcasts it will
receive in future, and its availability through VCDs/
DVDs playback.
The main concern lies in how the viewers perceive
these in-film placements. The in-film brand integra-
tion should be like a natural flow in the movie to have
greater effectiveness. When subtly and seamlessly
SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPCMARKezine17
May 2013

20. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC MARKezine 18
integrated into the context of the script, it tends to
have a positive impact on the viewers. The men-
tion of Fevicol in recent movies like Son of Sardar,
Golmaal 2 & 3, Masti, Kya Cool Hain Hum, Dil Bole
Hadippa, etc is not only subtle but absolutely in sync
with the content. However, when the brand/product
placed is not in sync with the storyline, it provokes
a negative response from the viewers. They feel the
advertisement was too apparent and it loses its es-
sence. Fevicol Se from Dabangg 2 has created a neg-
ative impact.
With the growth of professionalism in Indian cinema
and the growing need for less cluttered communica-
tion channels, there is a vast opportunity for product
placements to emerge as a strong vehicle to commu-
nicate to the huge film-viewing population in India.
As the evolution of our movies continues, we will see
more and more brands putting their bets on in-film
placements.
Submitted by:
Sugandha Sinha
Shobhit Birla
International Management Institute, New
Delhi
May 2013

21. SCHOOL of INSPIRED LEADERSHIPC
We want to hear from you!
markezine@soilindia.net
May 2013