A Cracker of a Tie-Up!

They say in the advertising game, it's one of the more crucial things to find the right medium to focus on your target group. But sometimes, things work out so naturally that you think the product and the medium were meant for each other.

'Ilaya Thazhapathi' Vijay's latest blockbuster (yeah, it was certified a blockbuster even before release) opened for Diwali and is aptly titled 'Sivakasi'. Standard Fireworks of the 'real' Sivakasi fame smelt a golden opportunity in this and a major sponsorship tie-up happened. As a result, images like this one now form an irritatingly recurring theme in Chennai's landscape, be it on hoardings, wall posters, firework-stalls, the works. It's such a ubiquitous sight that even the actual purpose behind the campaign is blurring. It's hard to make out if Vijay is a brand ambassador for Standard Fireworks now or if it's still only the movie which is being promoted. Which should work out just fine for both the film producers and especially the fireworks company, what with the anti-fireworks campaign gaining momentum nowadays.

A sure sign of a winning marketing strategy is when you have copy-cats jumping into the fray. No surprise then, that Anil Fireworks seems to have teamed up with the producers to help promote their movie, 'Sandakozhi'. But like most copy-cat moves, I cant see this one working. For one, this is a nondescript movie at best, as compared to Vijay's numero uno status, and more importantly, there isn't any common Diwali link connecting the product and the movie. Which is why I see Standard Fireworks' 'Sivakasi' working even better than Tata Indicom's 'Chandramukhi' or Reliance's 'Sachein' did.

A bit off-track, but as an ardent anti-Vijay fan, I would love to see this movie flop, my sympathies to Standard. I refuse to accept that the Tamil audience do not have a better taste in films than to cheer on a pretender doing for the zillion+1 th time what he's done for a zillion times already. But I guess the chances of my wish coming true are comparable to India beating Sri Lanka 7-0!...hmm, but I wonder what the odds are on that one now?

Best Wishes to all for a Happy Diwali!!