★ When Kota met Salman Khan !

Suresh Kavirayani, TNN | May 21, 2013

What happens when a villain cum comedian meets a hero in real life? They bond as friends! This is what happened when mana Kota Srinivasa Rao met Salman Khan while shooting an ad film in Mumbai. Kota is the one among the few Telugu actors who appeared in Hindi films — Rakta Charitra, Sarkar, Darling, etc — and is quite known in Bollywood circles.

Kota, who had gone to Mumbai for the shoot, said, “The scene is hilarious and I am playing the part of a villain.” The actor gushes that Salman praised his acting skills. “He told me he had watched Gabbar Singh and even appreciated my singing abilities,” laughs the actor. “He also praised the antakshari scene in the film,” says Kota, who sang a few lines in a song from Gabbar Singh.

TOI

★ What does it take to stop Sallu in his tracks?

May 20, 2013 

Our lensman Raju Shelar spotted Salman Khan shooting for an advertisement at Kamalistan Studio on Monday. Wearing khaki trousers and a white shirt, the actor was riding a bike under the blazing midday sun and a motley bunch of angry character actors wielding assorted weapons —hand pumps, frying pans, pedestal fans, megaphones, trumpets - were hot on his heels. But Salman played it cool and escaped without a scratch. It seems it is impossible to contain Salman, no matter how hard you try.

Mumbai Mirror

★ Fevicol benefits most from association with Dabangg2 !

Colgate Active Salt and Suzuki Hayate were at second and third number respectively…

Gaurav Laghate / Mumbai Jan 29, 2013

Salman Khan’s Dabangg2 may not have created the same magic as the the original Dabangg did in 2010, but three out of the 12 brands have benefited by associating with the sequel.

In an independent study conducted by media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media, Fevicol leads the list of at least 12 brands that tied up with the blockbuster. Colgate Active Salt and Suzuki Hayate were at second and third number respectively.

However, most other brands that associated with the film have not benefited from the association, with no significant recall in the study conducted in the week after the release of the film, Ormax Media’s report said.

These include brands like Thums Up, Gillette, Dixcy Scott and Fastrack, among others.

Fevicol evidently benefited from the usage of the brand name in the item number Fevicol Se, featuring Kareena Kapoor with Salman Khan. Colgate Active Salt ran a contest called the ‘Colgate Active Salt Dabangg 2 Challenge’, with Sonakshi Sinha featuring in the ad. Suzuki Hayate, a brand endorsed by Salman Khan anyway, almost ran a multimedia contest, with bikes as prizes.

Incidentally, despite these associations, Revital emerged as the brand with the strongest association with Khan. Revital didn’t have any co-branded ads for Dabangg 2, but their consistent brand endorsement by Khan over the last few months has ensured that it benefits from any event of the star, including a film release like Dabangg 2.

Shailesh Kapoor, CEO – Ormax Media, said, “Upto 15-20 brands tie up with big films, but only about 3-4 actually derive any real value out of the association. We had conducted a similar study when Ra.One released, and now plan to conduct such researches for big releases at regular intervals. Using such research, brands can benefit from learnings derived from associations of various kinds, and use these learnings as an input into their own film associations.”

business standard

★ Suzuki Hayate rides on Dabangg 2 !

December 07, 2012

The brand will give away 15 motorbikes and a chance to meet actor Salman Khan. It has planned print, television and on ground activities.

Suzuki Motorcycle has tied up with upcoming movie Dabangg2 to launch its new campaign, ‘Dabangg2 Dumdaar, Hayate Shaandar’. Apart from print ads and on-ground activities, Suzuki is will also run a contest where 15 people, who have bought the 112.8 cc Suzuki Hayate bikes in December, will get it free. And five of the 15 winners will get a chance to meet Dabangg2 star Salman Khan. The winners will be chosen through a random computerised draw.

The campaign will further cash in on the existing television commercial, which features Dabangg’s protagonist Chulbul Pandey, played by Khan. The commercial shows clips from the movie, in which Khan is shown riding the bike. The commercial was instrumental in popularising the tagline - Suzuki Hayate, yuhi nahi chalate.

Anu Anamika, national head, marketing, Suzuki Motorcycles, explains that Suzuki Hayate, from its launch in May, 2012, has derived its persona from the movie’s Chulbul Pandey avatar of being a tough, dependable and robust motorcycle. “So, it made sense to be part of Dabangg2’s promotion.,” she says. In fact, Khan’s association with the brand has yielded phenomenal results, especially in high brand recall.

The print ads of the campaign will be released a week before the movie’s launch, on December 21, in national as well as regional papers in key marketSuzuki has also tied up with PVR Cinema and single screen theatres to display the bike.

Suzuki Hayate dealers - roughly 200 in the earmarked regions - will create a buzz about the campaign by engaging in below the line (BTL) activities such as banners, demo vans showcasing the bike and test drives. “More than sales, we are counting on numbers. This is not a festive season, we don’t have great expectations on sales. But what’s important is brand association and recall,” explains Anamika. While Suzuki refused to divulge the campaign budget, the amount is said to be substantial.

Suzuki Hayate’s creative duties are handled by R K Swamy BBDO, while Brandserve takes care of its media planning and buying services. Magnon Solutions looks after its digital mandate.

afaqs