Madison acquires TeamWorks; ventures into in-film advertising

Madison Communications has its eyes set on in-film advertising and marketing of films and music. The media agency acquired a new firm TeamWorks fp&e to gain an entry into this nebulous, but growing industry.

With a share capital of Rs 1 crore, TeamWorks, brainchild of Darshana Goradia (ex-Sony TV) and Sooraj Bhalla (executive producer of Hindi film Sharaarat), is going to operate under the name of Madison Teamworks fp&e (acronym: MATES). MATES will be the seventh specialised unit of Madison; other units being Creative, Media, Outdoor, Rural, PR and Retail

TeamWorks currently has business worth Rs 3 crore and services some 14 clients that include LML, Frito Lays, Reebok and Castrol. Currently, TeamWorks is working on several films including AB Corp's Virudh, Creative Eye's Aabra-ka-Daabra, Entertainment One's Waqt, and several film projects from Ram Gopal Varma's film production unit, The Factory.

In-film advertising, as a low cost alternative to conventional media, is gaining grounds with marketers. And, that explains Madison's business rationale for the acquisition.

Underscoring the reasons for why setting up MATES makes business sense, Sam Balsara, chairman & managing director, Madison Communication, says, "We and our clients are constantly looking for newer ways to reach the consumer in an impact-full manner and with the least costs. The high cost of conventional media, accompanied by the growing clutter, has made in-film advertising an exciting and viable opportunity."

Another encouragement for in-film advertising industry comes the producers' willingness to explore avenues for recovering the monies invested in lavish productions. "Producers, who are also constantly under pressure of making lavish productions, are now more open to commercial exploitation of their properties. In keeping with the Madison philosophy, we will offer a highly specialised expert service in this area in a completely transparent manner, which should be welcome by both clients and film producers," assures Balsara.

Balsara is confident about the success of the latest venture. "Considering the fact that most of the A category films in India are extensions of life and lifestyles, there is always room for relevant brands to be absorbed in the script. Hence, the opportunities are vast. Normally, for in-film advertising, brands operate on communication platforms such as presence, utility, benefits and values. Besides, what is also very important, for any brand placement is 'relevance'. The storyline, script, actors and the primary target group of the film has to be relevant to the brand."

Some of the recent examples of relevant in-film advertisements include Shah Rukh Khan wearing Levis jeans with Reebok shoes and having a cup of coffee at Café Coffee Day, or biting into a pizza at Pizza Hut. All of these happened in the film Main Hoon Naa, courtesy TeamWorks.

Consider another example of the agency's work in the film Kyun Ho Gaya Naa. Here, the lead actor Vivek Oberoi is shown as a rally enthusiast and hence, his introduction in the film is wearing an Overall with Lancer, Castrol, Ceat and Cafe Coffee Day logos.

The extensive rally sequence saw Vivek zooming ahead in an interestingly designed (with all the above mentioned brand LOGO'S) Mitsubishi Lancer Car, with a pit-stop where the Ceat Radials were changed & Castrol GTX Magnatec was poured into the winner's car with close shots of the product pack and the logos. Even the graphics were shown, much like ESPN's actual rally coverage, with the clients Logo appearing on the screen.

"So, if you see the Big B jogging in the morning wearing Reebok sneakers, or Sanjay Dutt working in a garage which recommends Castrol GTX (all in films, of course), you will know which agency was at work," Balsara quips.

This is not all. The company is planning on rendering its services in the area of film promotions and marketing as well.

Says Darshana Goradia, who will head MATES, "I am sure that advertiser spends in this area are going to grow by leaps and bounds in the near future. Our joint venture with Madison enables us to operate on a wider canvas and with adequate resources to get a good share of this market."

Most Madison units have achieved substantial growth in recent times with many new business acquisitions such as BenQ, Bajaj Capital, Marico, McDonald's and Airtel.

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