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The new music and comedy channel Mastiii, from Sri Adhikari Brothers, takes on the content playing on general entertainment channels
The new channel from Sri Adhikari Brothers, Mastiii, which promises a blend of music and comedy, has a rather comic take on the existing shows on general entertainment channels (GECs). The channel has launched a multimedia campaign which takes a dig at the content currently dished out on GECs.
"There are too much reality and tear-jerker shows in the market. Mastiii was born out of the idea that there is a need for change and viewers want to laugh," says Markand Adhikari, vice-chairperson and managing director, SAB Group.
One of the TVCs is a spoof on the genre of fiction shows currently on air. The TVC starts with the title of the serial, called ‘Mera Pati Ab Nahi Raha’. The scene opens with the shot of a dead body and people mourning around it. The scene then moves forward to Episode 50, where people are still mourning and the widow is shown crying, not willing to accept the death of her husband. In Episode 100, it's still the same mourning scene.
The TVC is a spoof on the long running soaps which have dragging storylines. Another TVC makes a dig at stunt reality shows.
Talking about the campaign idea, Shoumitra Rai Choudhuri, national creative director, Madison Creative, says, "We as well as the team at Mastiii had similar views on the current programming on other channels. Hence, we thought that challenging the content on these channels would be a refreshing thing to do."
Besides, since the channel has strong comedy elements, he says that communicating the launch in a funny way was imperative.
Hitesh Nathani, associate vice-president, marketing, Mastiii is quick to point out that the campaign is not a take on the general entertainment channels. "It's a satire on the kind of content being played on other channels," he adds.
One of the outdoor ads has an image of a man on a skateboard (much like the ad for a popular stunt reality show on a leading channel), which is crossed in red paint. The copy beside it says, 'Bahut Hue Faltu Stunts'. The channel has spent close to Rs 5 crore on the television and outdoor campaign being carried out across all the metros.