Watching Sourav Ganguly audition as a police officer for Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, a political and action drama that dropped last month, was both amusing and a reminder of the growing importance of marketing in the entertainment industry. With a surfeit of shows and films competing for viewers’ attention, promotion has become as crucial as production.
How else can you explain Netflix India’s decision to transform the Howrah Mail into a moving art installation between Mumbai and Howrah or to bring Kolkata’s iconic yellow taxis to the streets of India’s financial capital, strategically positioning them at some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks?
Last year, the video-streaming giant launched a marketing blitz for The Archies, an Indian adaptation of the beloved comic, partnering with a litany of brands including Starbucks, WhatsApp, Tinder, boAt, and Vistara.
afaqs! spoke to Netflix India to better understand its approach to promoting its own productions. Below are the excerpts from an edited conversation with the chief marketing officer, Srivats TS.
How do the IPs storylines and narratives influence the marketing strategies around them?
With each storyline, we aim to bring out something distinct and immersive. We tailor the marketing strategy to reflect the unique identity of every title on Netflix.
For instance, with Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, we’ve focused heavily on the system vs cop conflict to bring out the powerful campaign positioning of 'to fix the system, break the system'. This was built on the intense action narrative of the show and the depth of its characters.
We crafted a campaign that mirrored the gripping structure of the show, ensuring that the marketing echoed the show’s core themes and gave the audience the right reasons to come on service to watch it.
To further root the story in Bengal while amplifying its national appeal, we brought in none other than the Bengal Tiger himself—Sourav Ganguly. His presence wasn’t just star power; it symbolised a powerful connection between his iconic cricket persona and the show’s high-stakes drama, making the campaign feel personal, rooted and larger than life.
When the show's promos were initially released, some audiences mistook it for a regional show. How did you establish it as a national show?
That happened primarily because of the setting and tonality. But for us, that was never a limitation; it was the strength. We knew we had a gripping, high-stakes story that, while rooted in Bengal, had all the makings of a title that would be loved across the country and also appeal to a global audience.
Throughout the campaign, it was crucial to adopt a tailored approach for the show's two distinct audiences, national and Bengali-speaking viewers. The various 360-degree marketing elements of the campaign focused on the drama and intensity of the show through hyperlocal and customised tactics across the country.
A few other initiatives for Khakhee: The Bengal Chapter
How do Netflix's promotional strategies differ for commercial films like Nadaaniyaan vs IPs like Khakee: The Bengal Chapter or Dabba Cartel?
Our promotional strategies are never one-size-fits-all—they’re deeply tailored to the story we’re telling and the fandom we want to build for the title. Essentially, we don’t just market genres—we market emotions, tone and intent.
Every campaign is crafted to reflect the heart of the story and the audience it’s meant for. The core difference lies in the approach. While pre-launch leans more towards building anticipation, post-launch tends to reflect a lot of what audiences are talking about and maximise conversation.
Typically, film campaigns tend to lean a little more pre-launch, while series campaigns tend to be more post-launch oriented.
Srivats TS, VP - Marketing, Netflix India
With so much competition from other OTTs who are also focusing on original shows, what is Netflix's underlying marketing strategy for original vs acquired content?
At Netflix, we’re deeply committed to building and fuelling fandom across our slate. Our approach is centred around understanding the audience, the emotional core of the story, and finding ways to spark cultural conversation.
We want every story to find its audience and every campaign to be a stepping stone to deeper engagement. Typically for a Netflix film or series, we invest in world-building to create anticipation for, and conversation around, the title. Whereas for licensed titles, we tap into the existing awareness and conversation, and therefore communicate that audiences can find it on Netflix.
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