Spider-Man 2: Big-time marketing and promotions on the cards

Spidey will be swinging across big screens across India on July 23. And, Columbia TriStar Films of India has lined up a huge marketing and promotions exercise -- fuelling the excitement and curiosity for the blockbuster, Spider-Man 2.

To this end, the company has adopted a 360-degree approach in marketing and communication -- targeting viewers through print (entertainment pages of newspapers), television (trailers/TVCs), Internet (microsites), in-theatre promotions (contests, freebies, giveaways), outdoor and PR.

According to Vikramjit Roy, head of publicity and acquisitions, Columbia TriStar Films of India, the overall strategy is to go "wide" and target people of different age groups and denominations, who speak in different languages.

"The appeal of the movie cuts across demographics," he says. "From children to young adults to working men and women..... everybody loves Spider-Man."

Television, according to Roy, is the mainline medium for promotion with trailers/advertising spots running in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu.

An interesting tie-up in the print sector, he says, is the one with Twinkle Comics, where a page, puzzle or game will be devoted to the "friendly neighbourhood web slinger". "This only serves to heighten curiosity for the movie, which is just round the corner," he says.

Incidentally, big-screen trailer campaigns for Spider-Man 2 began as early as six months ago in India, when the first trailer was launched in the US.

The company has also tied up with notable brands such as Mirinda, Kellogg's, Airtel, Sony Erickson and Sony Electronics, who are keen to ride on the popularity of brand Spider-Man, says Roy.

"Mirinda, for instance, will have 15 lakh specially marked PET bottles that consumers can purchase and exchange for Spider-Man movie merchandise."

Airtel will have special downloads, wallpapers, screensavers and games revolving around Spider-Man. Kellogg's -- whose association with the property is its first-ever movie tie-up spanning 180 countries world over -- will launch a special branded Spider-Man cereal, apart from having on-pack promos with its Chocos and Cornflake-flavoured cereals.

Kellogg's will also associate with Columbia in a joint school programme, which aims to reach out to 2.5-lakh students across 500 Indian schools.

Sony Erickson, meanwhile, will launch four models of Spider-Man 2 mobile phones with branded wallpaper featuring the webbed hero; two of these phones will have special Spider-Man games as well.

Sony Electronics, on the other hand, will leverage the Spider-Man 2 property to promote its digital camera called Cybershot at its Sony World retail outlets.

"These partners will heavily promote their initiatives in print, television and via on-ground activities such as road shows, as in the case of Sony Erickson," says Roy. "Apart from pushing up sales of individual products, these initiatives will also increase visibility and awareness of the movie."

On the distribution front, the company will release over 250 prints of the movie in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu to capitalise on viewership. Last year, the company had played the movie at about 3,000 centres in the country, and the aim this year too, says Roy, is to make the sequel available to as many people as possible. "Don't forget that Spider-Man is a very popular hero," he says.

Indeed, the importance of the Indian market for distributors, promoters and publishers of the Spider-Man brand can be gauged from the fact that Marvel Comics (which publishes the adventures of the web slinger) and its Indian publishing licensee Gotham Entertainment Group are set to bring out a desi version of Spider-Man called Pavitr Prabhakar.

Sony Music, a sister concern of Columbia TriStar, will feature a Hindi number Na Jaane Kyun by Pakistani group Strings in its Spider-Man music album. The album, consisting of a total of 16 tracks, will be released in India on July 7. © 2004 agencyfaqs!