DT Cinemas helps Kites fly higher

The cinema chain has kicked off a kite making contest for kids

While the judgment and reviews on the much talked about and highly awaited Hritik Roshan and Barbara Mori starrer Kites are still coming in, the movie is being promoted innovatively across platforms.

DT Cinemas, a wholly owned subsidiary of the DLF Group, has created a large 30ftX20ft kite that hangs in its mall complex at Vasant Kunj in Delhi, attracting eyeballs of passersby and creating a buzz around the new film.

The cinema and mall chain has also organised an innovative kite making contest to engage children, justifying it by claiming 'why should adults have all the fun!'. While the movie doesn't target kids, an innovative contest draws them in.

Anant Verma, director and business head, DT Cinemas, tells afaqs!, "Since the summer vacations are going on, kids are out and about with their parents. So we organised a contest for kids where they can come in and design their own kites in our malls. We provide them with all the material and they have to use their creativity."

The 'Make your own innovative Kites contest' kicked off on May 20 and will go on for about a week. The most innovative kite will win a special day at DT in the following week, along with free tickets and a special serving.

For the record, DT Cinemas started its first Multiplex at DLF City Centre in Gurgaon in March 2003 and currently has 26 operational screens spread across six locations in Delhi (Vasant Kunj, Saket and Shalimar Bagh), Gurgaon (Mega Mall and City Centre) and Chandigarh, with seating capacity of more than 5,300 seats. The multiplex chain plans to expand to cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa, Ludhiana and Noida as well.

While in-cinema promotions are not new, the ideas used by cinema owners and producers to promote the films are definitely interesting. For example, to promote 3 Idiots in cinemas, the popular red, blue and green 'backside' seats that people could sit on were placed in waiting areas. Many even took pictures of these seats. Ghajini, which is famous for its marketing tactics, had the staff of a multiplex chain sport similar buzz haircuts as Aamir Khan did in the movie.

While the verdicts on the popularity of these movies are discussed and debated, the innovative marketing ideas have helped them generate a buzz and draw in the audiences and subsequently, rake in the moolah. No wonder, then, that huge sums are spent on such innovations.

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