Pathaan: How Epigamia and Emaar Properties are enjoying the spotlight

I love sugar-free yogurt, says Shah Rukh Khan as he and Deepika Padukone plan a heist in their recently released much-awaited blockbluster film Pathaan. This one line by Shah Rukh has, arguably, created more buzz for dairy brand Epigamia than any marketing strategy would ever have. Same is the case with Emaar Properties. The actor has a big fan following in Dubai and so an association with the film for a scene in the country was an opportunity not to be missed for the real estate company.While Shah Rukh was shown relishing Epigamia for nearly 40 seconds, Emaar Properties has been featured during a fight scene in the spy thriller flick.

Brand integration has always been an interesting channel for brands to make a mark in the audience minds who watch their favourite stars in the theatres with undivided attention.

In Pathaan’s case, feels Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and Angel Investor, the association will create an impactful recall value for the two brands in the minds of consumers. "A very positive rub-off happens to the brand when it has associated itself with a movie that has stars like Shah Rukh, Deepika, Salman and John. It will be a lasting product in the consumer's mind. Such associations bring a lot of value for the brands as consumers have an active mind while watching movies in theatres."

Sharing how such associations help brands, Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant and Managing Partner, Bright Angles Consulting, explained, "Today people are noticing product placement and people talk about it. People are aware and that also helps brands to get into conversation into a larger cultural context. There is some degree of awareness that is getting generated at a much more value for money preposition than taking the celebrity themselves, signing up a contract. So it’s a very cost-effective way to leverage upon."

She added, “The integration can be done in a way that it can get the brand into pop culture. One great example is ‘Munni badnaam hui’ song that used the name of Jhandu Balm.

So as Pathaan goes on to have a dream run at the box office with a collection of Rs 700 crore so far and with people standing in queues to catch the spy thriller, we are sure the two brands are enjoying the spotlight and their share of fame.

Talking about advertisers’ interest in the movie, Rajender Singh Jyala, Chief Programming Officer - INOX Leisure Ltd, said, “The release of Pathaan is not only drawing audiences to the big screen, but also a significant number of advertisers are looking to tap upon the hype around the movie. We are witnessing a renewed rigour among the advertisers, which is only getting better with the release of this film. The entire country is looking forward to this much anticipated release, which is an absolutely encouraging sign, not only for the cinemas, but also for the entire film industry. The way the Bollywood craze has come back to life, augurs well for us, and we are sure that the content line-up in the near future would sustain this hysteria."

Meanwhile, talking about how the film is being loved by all, Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Ltd., said, “While we had a phenomenal opening of Pathaan with advances of close to 5 lakh admissions for the first long weekend. We expect the film to surpass this figure in the first day of the release itself. The movie has a national appeal, including south India where it is being dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. Post the pandemic, this is the first original Hindi movie that has generated such a good response. Dubbed Hindi versions of regional movies have been doing well though.”

“While regional movies performed exceptionally well post-pandemic, the underperformance of Hindi films due to multiple factors did impact the industry-level collections.  The trend is likely to change with a robust pipeline of Hindi Movies in 2023. Keeping in mind the buzz index and the star cast of the mega-blockbuster movie, brands have shown appreciable interest to advertise. Tent pole movies like this will certainly give an upswing to cinema advertising in the next fiscal to reach pre-pandemic levels,” he added.

Devang Sampat, CEO of Cinépolis India, echoed the sentiment. “Pathaan is being received extremely well by audiences. We have seen record advance bookings and the first reviews are quite positive. We have had a number of big Bollywood hits this year, starting with The Kashmir Files and then the likes of Brahamastra, Bhool Bhulaiya 2, Drishyam 2 among others. Having said that, this movie is expected to create new benchmarks for the industry.”