Netflix introduces the world of 'Guns and Gulaabs' with Times of India ad

Acclaimed Indian screenwriters and directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, have cultivated a cult following due to their cinematic classics, Go Goa Gone, Shor in the City and Stree. The duo’s latest OTT show comes with a bang, as Netflix puts its marketing machinery behind the promotion of their new series Guns & Gulaabs. 

Featuring Rajkumar Rao and Dulquer Salmaan in the lead roles, the show mixes tales of nostalgic romance with the crime scene prevalent in the 90s. The series boasts a visually captivating essence, a facet that Netflix has strategically capitalised on in its promotional endeavours.

The show’s promotional campaign took centre stage with a creative, jointly designed by studio Hey Doode and Creativeland Asia, gracing the front cover of Times of India’s August 19 newspaper. The ad placement came a day after the show started streaming on the platform.

Anirudh Kadav, co-founder and art director, Hey Doodle, shared a brief video description of the process of designing the map. 

The two-page creative prominently features the four central characters that drive the show's narrative. They are placed on a map depicting the fictitious locales of Gulaabganj and Sherpur, where the struggles between the characters unfold. 

The graphical elements surrounding each character intricately tie into the thematic essence of their respective stories, further connecting them with the narrative arcs of other characters through the fictional map.

Other characters of the story make an appearance on the map, presenting them with pictorial representations of their individual character arcs, dialogues, or mere mentions of their names. Along with these graphics, there are QR codes littered throughout the map. The QR codes redirect to short videos on Netflix’s YouTube channel. These videos offer insights into character backgrounds to enrich the viewer's engagement with the series.