TV146;s Promo Panic

He8217;s right. On the roads, the Internet and mobile phones, in shops, cinemas and cafes. It8217;s everywhere. For the record, the promotion budgets have gone up 14 to 15 per cent each year. 8220;Five years ago, channels would spend between Rs 5 and Rs 10 lakh to promote a programme. Today, some top-end programme costs reach close to Rs 1 crore,8221; says Paritosh Joshi, president of sales and distribution, Star. Ten-second slots on an entertainment channel would cost the advertiser between Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh in 2000, today figures in the region of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

When Sony8217;s wannabe Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa had to make a debut, the pre-show publicity had swamped viewers in its bid to pip Nach Baliye 2 that was to start two weeks later. A little more than a month before the due date, Sony Entertainment Television8217;s marketing and communication department caught viewers, not just on TV, but in malls with on-the-spot dance challenges, in multiplexes as they came out to buy popcorn during Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, on radio between the latest chartbusters and with interviews, preview print articles, on bus-stop shades, on local trains and as desktop downloads on msn.com.

They call it surround marketing. 8220;You hit the viewer 360 degrees. It8217;s the way you have to do it today. With general entertainment channel viewership being so fragmented and competitive, channels have had to intensify their outreach,8221; says Nina Jaipuria, senior vice-president, marketing and communication, SET.

Ask Krishnendu Sen who runs an advertising hoarding company called Katha Mediatix and owns about 300 billboards across the country. 8220;The electronic media is the number one client today, followed by mobile companies, financial institutions and clothing brands,8221; he says.

Sen has had SaharaOne as a client for almost eight years and when they do book, on a monthly basis, they take up about 200 of his hoardings. In Mumbai, depending on location and size, a hoarding can cost Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh per month. Nach Baliye 2 currently sports its participants on 200 hoardings in Mumbai alone. Now, do the math on that.

And if you still vow not to look up when you walk, they will reach you on your cellphone. On Nach Baliye, mobile users can win on-the-set visits through contests and can also download behind-the-scenes clips of the show. And if you missed what happened on Kasauti Zindangi Kay, SMS and get the bits you skipped. 8220;Within the industry, a minimum of five per cent of publicity budgets is spent on creating mobile campaigns,8221; says Viren Popli, senior vice-president, Star Interactive.

As a five-month-old channel, SaharaOne8217;s Filmy needs everything to underline its presence. So they hit upon an online game, Filmy Stock Exchange, where participants trade in mock stocks of Bollywood actors and exchange points earned for gifts. Actor Arshad Warsi aka Circuit has been roped in as brand ambassador.

And guess what, even Doordarshan is getting aggressive, pulling off shows which don8217;t yield a TRP of six within 13 episodes. With its daily, Om Namaho Venkateshaya, slated to begin this month, Eight to ten per cent of the production cost of the serial will be kept aside for hoarding and newspaper ads. 8220;Publicity has become essential to beating TV competition, and even we can8217;t ignore it,8221; says Mukesh Sharma, director DD, Mumbai.

Publicity is not always in exchange for money. 8220;There8217;s also a lot of barter that goes on,8221; says Tarun Mehra, senior vice-president, marketing, ZEE TV. 8220;You can tag a game show with a coffee chain, have a film award event. That8217;s what worked for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. For a year, we worked through the Internet, malls, multiplexes, press and radio.8221;

RATE CARD

Planning a mega tv show? prepare to spend big bucks on

Hoardings Rental Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh a month

Press conferences Rs 5 to 7 lakh minimum

Mobile campaigns Keep aside at least 5 per cent of your budget

Film personality Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore