Netflix’s ‘Navarasa’ juices up the Burj Khalifa 

The marketing efforts for ‘Navarasa’, Netflix’s Tamil-language anthology, reached a peak when its trailer lit up the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Creativeland Asia conceptualized and created the campaign.

“Based on nine ‘rasas’ or human emotions - anger, compassion, courage, disgust, fear, laughter, love, peace and wonder - ‘Navarasa’ is the coming together of the spectacular creative community of Tamil cinema. It marks a larger than life cultural moment for the entertainment industry in India,” said the streaming giant in a press note on its website.

The television series, created by director Mani Ratnam, dropped on Netflix on August 6, 2021.

Advertising on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai remains one of the most effective ways to create reach, considering how many folks watch the tower lit up with these videos online. The ‘Navarasa’ video has racked up over million views within a week of its upload (August 6).

As per business magazine ‘Arabian Business’, the starting rate for a three-minute display on the face of the tower is (UAE Dirham) AED 250,000 during weekdays from 8-10 p.m. and rises to AED 350,000 over weekends.

If you are interested in two three-minute promotions between 8 and 10 p.m. on any night, you’ll need to shell out AED 500,000. Pay AED 1 million and “you can get five three minute impressions any night between 7 and midnight.”

As per ‘Arabian Business’, MullenLowe MENA handles this media duty and the “content must be submitted four weeks before the promotion goes live, in order to be approved by Burj Khalifa’s owner Emaar Properties.”

Top names such as Disney (‘Avengers Infinity War’), Warner Brothers (‘Wonder Woman 1984’ and ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’), Samsung (Galaxy S9) and Emirates have advertised on the skyscraper.

The tower made headlines in India when it wished Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan for his birthday, and when it promoted Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep’s film ‘Vikrant Rona’.

Last month, Netflix opened a Twitter account dedicated to South Indian movies. Named ‘Netflix India South’, the account didn’t have a smooth release because people felt the move was unnecessary.

Cover image credit: @PrateekJhajhar1/Twitter