The show, which launches on September 16, is being promoted with a host of marketing campaigns including extensive use of on-ground and digital while using regular mediums as well
Sohini Sen | Delhi | September 9, 2013
Arjun and Draupadi in Mahabharat
Star Plus announced the launch of its much awaited mega show - a retelling of the classic Indian epic of Mahabharat. Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Swastik Production, Mahabharat will go on air on September 16, 2013. The show will be telecast Monday to Friday in the 8.30 PM primetime slot.
The show will be replacing Star's Ek hazaaron mein meri behna hai' in the 8.30 PM slot. Mahabharat will be a half-hour show consisting of a fixed 128 episodes.
Nikhil Madhok
"The story of Mahabharata has been told and retold several times over. But if you see, the current generation of under twenty-fives, that is, those who had not grown up watching Mahabharat on Sunday mornings, would probably not know about the complexity and enormity of the story. By bringing the story into our lives again, we want the younger generation to learn the saga and the history," said Nikhil Madhok, Vice-President - Marketing at Star India.
"Star Plus is a storyteller to the nation. Mahabharata, though an epic, is not so well known in its details because, one, it is complex. It is not linear, it has many characters and similarly many viewpoints. Again, it is difficult to pass it down from generation to generation through storytelling. Thus, we will be telling the story, but unlike the classic retelling of the story through the eyes of samay' or time, this time it would be from Lord Krishna's viewpoint. As such, Krishna would not just tell us the story of the great epic but also pose questions to us which we must ponder on later," added Madhok.
The show has been in the making for three years. This is the reason why Star feels that the research has been thorough. Author Devdutt Pattanaik has helped with creative inputs while Salim Khan has helped Mihir Bhuta with dialogues. Oscar winning designer Bhanu Athaiya, music directors Ajay-Atul, action director Ram Shetty are also part of the show. What remains to be seen is whether the audience, especially the younger generation, is interested in epic themed shows which blur history and fiction in the storytelling.
The magnum opus is a big bet for Star - and they are not leaving any stone unturned to promote the show. The main marketing strategy is of disruption - to shake up people and get their attention.
On-ground:
Star has created Mahabharat themed museums across 7-8 cities. These museums will showcase an array of weapons and jewellery used by characters in the show. The museums, set up in major malls for two consecutive weekends, will also have a 3D virtual tour of the set. Continuous screening of the making of Mahabharat' would also be shown near these museums. There will also be Glasstrons - something like a sci-fi glass - on the screen on which viewers would be able to see content linked to the show.
To make sure that the show reaches not only the urban mass but also the Tier 1 and 2 cities and towns, the same museum has been converted to a Mahabharat Museum on Wheels' that will have LED installed canter vans travelling throughout the country. There will also be a temple activation programme for Lord Krishna, who is the narrator of the story.
The major target audience for the show is the younger generation, especially those who haven't watched BR Chopra's Mahabharat on DD. To connect with this generation, Star Plus will travel to colleges across various cities and install a virtual wardrobe there. The youngsters can then see themselves on TV screens dressed as any of the characters from the show. Star will use the Kinect Mirror technology for this leg of the promotion.
Though the channel is not ready to disclose anything right now, more activities are planned for the next six months - each time a special turn of events takes place in the show.
Online and social media:
Mobile has not been ignored by the channel to promote the show. The channel will introduce a high engagement app which will allow users to listen to Mahabharat shlokas, take part in daily contests, pose with different weapons and jewellery from the show and even go through the entire family tree of the Mahabharat characters.
On social media sites, most shows or channels already have a page. Mahabharat will be no different. However, the Star Plus marketing team has taken things a step further by creating a page for each of the major characters of the show. This way, when a viewer relates to a person from the saga, it becomes easier to connect with him as well.
While, there will be uploads on YouTube of specific content from the show - like the making of Mahabharat - full episodes will not be uploaded for virtual or online viewing yet. This will also prove to the viewers that the show is valuable and premium, hopes Star.
Radio, TV, print & Outdoor:
The traditional mediums have not been overlooked. While print will see a major disruptive campaign breaking out on the day of the launch, radio ads have already gone on air. The ads talk about the show and also about the Mahabharat museums in different cities.
On television, five character centric TVCs have been created including one each on Draupadi, Krishna, Shakuni and Arjun, which are already on air. The teasers were launched four months in advance. These are being shown through the Star Network as well as 25 other channels. Again, the making of Mahabharat is being shown during primetime on Star as well. The Making' features interviews with the key crew from the show that includes personalities like Bhanu Athaiya, Rajit Kapur, Omung Kumar, Mihir Bhuta, Thomas Xavier, etc., apart from exclusive behind the scenes clips from the show.
The outdoor campaign for the show will cover around 100 cities across the country. It includes innovations like a life-size mannequin of Arjun firing an arrow at a fish rotating on a motor above him. There will also be one of Shakuni - not as the scheming uncle but the brother who wants to avenge his sister's humiliation - with his dice. These will be in place of posters.
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As they say, one's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things, and no one can understand this sentiment better than Shaheer Sheikh. Hailing from a modest family in Kashmir, Shaheer has taken the road less traveled and is currently preparing to don probably the biggest role of his lifetime.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, September 10, 2013 /India PRwire/ -- Shaheer Sheikh prepares for Star Plus' Mahabarat as Arjun As they say, one's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things, and no one can understand this sentiment better than Shaheer Sheikh. Hailing from a modest family in Kashmir, Shaheer has taken the road less traveled and is currently preparing to don probably the biggest role of his lifetime. Shaheer will be seen as 'Arjun' in Star Plus' magnum opus 'Mahabharat' that is soon to hit the tube. One of the most inspirational characters from the epic, Arjun, the name depicts strength, victory and more important purity. Realizing the weight of this colossal dream, Shaheer explains, "I always wanted to play a character of a warrior prince.
There is something majestic about holding a sword. So when I was approached for the role I was completely game." But this was not a cake walk for Shaheer! As they say there is No Pain, No Gain, Shaheer had to adopt more obedience into his lifestyle, cut down on his outings and food habits to follow a strict regime and a way of life. All of this and much more was put in action... in order to not just look the part but live like Arjun and showcase inherent characteristics of a peerless warrior. He had to work on his physique, over all composure, develop focus on tasks. In order to not over expose himself and look the part, Shaheer chose to not take up any other role and deviate from his main goal. For over a year he declined offers that came his way to locked himself up at home to prepare for Arjun. We have heard film stars do this when they prepare for films... this just says that television and our stars are matching every step leaving no stone unturned to wow the audience! Atta boy!
When we see the Mahabharat, we observe incredible weapons that were very powerful in magnitude frequently used in the war. The accessories used in the era were grand, elegant and with utmost detailing. The charm which these accessories carried was absolutely unbeatable.
Star Plus is all set to take viewers back to Treta Yuga' with its upcoming show Mahabharat. The epic is back on the small screen after a huge gap.
The idea behind launching the show now is to connect the younger audience with the saga.
Talking to exchange4media about the USP of the show, Nikhil Madhok, Sr. Vice President, Marketing, STAR India said, "This time we are narrating the show with Krishna's point of view and engaging the youth in large numbers with different activities."
He added, "We are promoting the show on the STAR Network, along with 25 other channels. There will also be different creative print ads in regional and national language newspaper."
The show will premiere on September 16 and will air Monday to Friday at 8.30PM.
In addition to Fortune Oil and Ghadi Detergent, about 7 - 8 other brands have associated with the show. It will have 128 episodes and will be produced by Swastik Productions.
Combining modern technology with intense story-telling, Mahabharat aims to cultivate young audiences.
The first of a set of launch innovations is a special piece of programming content - Making of Mahabharat, which aims to stir up viewer imagination with a glimpse of the ambitious scale of the project.
To bring Mahabharat alive in cities across India, the channel has set up a series of innovative on-ground activation initiatives. One of them being a Mahabharat Museum; set up in malls in major cities, it will showcase selected weaponry, jewelry and finery worn or used by the characters in the show. The museum will also take the viewers on a 3D virtual tour of Mahabharat's grand set.
To reach out to viewers deep in the small towns of India, the museum has also been converted into a Mahabharat Museum on Wheels' that will have LED installed canter vans traveling throughout the country.
With an objective of targeting the youth who are less familiar with the story and characters, the channel has introduced an interactive virtual wardrobe in colleges using Kinect Mirror technology. This allows youngsters a chance to virtually dress up like some of the popular characters from Mahabharat and instantly upload their images on social platforms. Additionally, the channel has deployed promoters at youth hangouts, to give them an opportunity of viewing visuals from the show with the help of Glasstrons. These special glasses will give patrons an on-the-go audio-visual experience of the Mahabharat sets, promos and other content.
The channel will also introduce a mobile app that will allow users to listen to Mahabharat shlokas, take part in daily contests, pose with different weapons and jewelry from the show and even go through the entire family tree of the Mahabharat characters.
The outdoor campaign for the show will cover 100 cities. It will include innovations such as a life-size mannequin of Arjun firing an arrow at a fish rotating on a motor above him.
Madhok said, "Disruption was the key thought around our campaign. That's what you will see in every medium we have used to promote the show. Starting with the set of the differentiated character promos that are getting attention, we positioned Shakuni not as a scheming old uncle but as a brother who loved his sister Gandhari so much that he dedicated his life to taking revenge on Hastinapur for the injustice meted out to her."
"The campaign is deep and extensive going all the way from metros to LC 1 towns. While there is a lot of action around the launch, we also have some exciting ideas lined up post the launch of the show," he concluded.
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