Nandana Das
OOH

Dancing to Hrithik's tune

The main objective of the BTL activity was to create maximum buzz about the reality dance show 'Just Dance' prior to its launch on Star Plus, with star attraction Hrithik Roshan grooving with the audience.

In a bid to launch Just Dance, a new dance reality show on Star Plus, featuring Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, the channel conducted a below the line activity (BTL) based on the concept of 'augmented reality', to run on large format LEDs.

In order to interact with mall visitors, the outdoor agency created 8 feet x 15 feet LED screens inside the mall. Persons interested in taking part in the activity were made to stand at a designated spot in front of the LED screen, where a high definition (HD) camera was set up to capture the event and display it as live feed.

Dancing to Hrithik's tune
Dancing to Hrithik's tune
The activity was managed through live vision mixing. Floor media was designed to create anchor points enabling the digital Hrithik to seemingly interact with real people. Thus the participant danced with Roshan appearing right next to him on the left side, who danced his signature steps of the show, encouraging the audience to dance better. Roshan was not there actually, but a software was installed with which Roshan was made to dance with the participants.

In addition to this, there were two gestures of Roshan incorporated in the software. If the participant danced really well, the actor gave a thumbs up, applauded, and complimented the participant, but if the participant did not dance well for some reason, Roshan wished him/her better luck in the future. Video clips of the participants dancing with with Roshan, were given away to be uploaded on social networking sites.

The on-ground activity was managed and conceptualised by 141 Wallstreet, a division of Bates India, and the content software and technology was provided by Xenium Technologies.

Talking about the client's brief, Vijetha Suvarna, business head, activations and rural services, 141 Wallstreet, says, "Just Dance is no ordinary dance reality show. We had to design something which would look special and feel special. The channel specifically asked us not to do normal mall activations and road shows. We researched a bit and came up with this concept and technology, which was well-appreciated by the channel. The star element in the show was of course, Roshan."

The main objective was to create maximum buzz about the show 'Just Dance' prior to its launch, and to create some kind of interaction between Roshan and the audience. "It was a major challenge, since the platform was large and required thorough planning and understanding of the technical aspects of execution," says Suvarna.

According to her, the live, real-life footage blended with the live-action of Hrithik's dance steps, received a terrific response. "Since people want to dance with Hrithik, this innovative concept was well-accepted by mall-goers."

The activity was conducted on June 11 and June 13, a week prior to the launch of the show. It was carried out at malls such as Oberoi Mall, Korum Mall, Inorbit Vashi in Mumbai, DLF Saket in Delhi, Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, Great India Place (GIP) in Noida, and Phoenix Mall in Lucknow.

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