Marketing Ganga

Author: Shabbir Chunawalla

  • Fashion Icons

    Fashion has two aspects — the look, and the people behind the look. The designer initiates the process, but the ramp model translates it into concrete form. These are the marketing brains but the endorsement by celebrities moves the masses. A creation stitched by a mundane tailor in a dingy room attracts huge prices in swanky boutiques. Fashion is written by the fashion and style icons — the rock stars, sports persons, designers, politicians, supermodels, film stars, fashion photographers and choreographers.

    The influential people in society create and set fashion trends. Giorgio Armani signature works wonders. Shane Warne endorses Nike. People tend to make a statement by what they wear. It is a fashion statement. It is a way of life. It is a life style. Fashion either keeps pace or moves ahead of the pack. Fashion lends credence to the world of celebrities. Sylvester Stallone runs a chain of restaurants. Michael Jackson was an inspiration for many. Di Caprio and Madonna are a class by themselves. Elton John has created a special look for himself. Spice Girls spawned a fresh look. What Man Mohan Singh wore was important to millions.People in public life have to take extra efforts to preserve and protect their appearance. Kennedy and Jacqueline were a glamorous couple. Lady Diana was a very special fashion icon.She remains alive both in life and death. Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy is acknowledged in India. The Nehru cap and jacket were identified with freedom. Rajiv Gandhi represented the aspirations of the middle class. These people’s life style influences us. Some fashion icons live in ivory towers. Their life style is luxurious, but it cannot be emulated. The celebrities in the film world have more influence on society in India. Some are positive influences, and some negative. Cinema costumes and style have a wide following. These are the trend-setters. Cinema and fashion go hand in hand. Animation movies spawn fashion. Music channels on TV and popular soap operas also influence fashion. The VJs also are fashion icons. Fashion surrounds us, and has entered our sub-conscious.

  • Evolution of Fashion

    Fashion cannot be considered in isolation. It keeps pace with the evolution of society. The contemporary fashion owes a lot to  ‘couture’ which is a French word for dressmaking. Fashion was just an indulgence to begin with. It grew into a fad. Later that transformed into a trend. Today, ultimately it is a multi-billion dollar industry. In the early 1920s , women began competing with men for clothing. Coco Chanel broke the stereotypical feminine conventions. The idea was to look good, different and daring. Way back in 1850, Levi Strauss, a German was inspired by tent material used by workers to introduce a heavy cotton cloth called Denim to make tough trousers to be used by miners. The colour was a special blue indigo. In 1873, he added patented copper rivets to strengthen the trousers further which sagged because of the weight of the heavy mining tools, and gold metal. This is the story of the birth of the blue jeans. The story has spilled over the 20th and 21st century. It has become the hallmark of casual dressing. The 1950s and the 1960s  witnessed party spirit with rock-n-roll music. The Beatles were the fashion ambassadors. The hippie look appeared on the scene Elvis Prisley was worshipped. Satin jeans of Mick Jagger were popular. Music makers symbolised revival of life which was sedated in previous decades. In the 1960s, we saw jackets, jive and jewellery. Leatherwear and Harley Davidson were becoming common. The floral prints of shirts were sighted. There were suede boots, sandals and soft slippers. The trousers were tight fitting. They flared at the hem. The forehead carried bandanas.The clothes and music together screamed freedom and open-door policy. In the 1970s, drugs and disco dominated the scene. The role model was John Travolta dressed in flared trousers, boots and flamboyant shirt with a jacket. Women were dressed in ultra-liberated clothes. In India Zeenat smoked away all the seriousness in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The clothes had broad collars and matching ties. There were high heels and platform soles. The trousers were unisex. There were brief skirts or skirts of exotic material, fabric and colours. The jeans broke away from tradition. In the 1980s, there was an over dose of clothes and accessories. It was a time of gymming and work outs. The fashion industry came of age. Armani, YSL, Calvin Klein, Pierre Cardin, Ralph Lauren  were big names in fashion. Italy, France and the US were driven by fashion. Issey Miyake entered the hallowed fashion portals by default. India imitated the West. Sportswear came into vogue, e.g. Reebok, Nike and Adidas. Casual wear followed suit. Sneakers and trainers were favoured as footwear with jeans in casual wear. The clothes wear supposed to fit to a T, as people wanted to flaunt their sculpted anatomies. In the 1990s, creativity was allowed full play. There were unisex clothes and loud accessories. The nail polish colours and lipstick colours were bizzare. There was accessorisation for male folk too, e.g. ear rings. These no longer indicated sexual preferences, but made just a fashion statement.There was liberal use of trinkets, beads, pearls and others to adorn never thought of parts of human body. The accessories were branded for the first time. The 1990s synthesized all that was happening in the past. People chose the best from the past. The millennium is the new beginning. It has blend of natural cotton and synthetic latex. There are jeans and lehenga choli. There are kurtis of various colours and design. Women wear short fluorescent coloured tops. The garments are tight fitting. The colours of the body are emphasised.

  • Insurance Cover for Films

    There are three major areas of insurance cover for films — production, errors and omissions and distribution.

    Production insurance covers all the risks related to the production or shooting of the film.This includes fire, injury or death of a lead cast, abandonment of the project, loss of negatives etc. If a hero performs all the stunts by himself, the risk of getting injured is more. In the shooting of My Name is Khan, shooting in LA could not be done on account of the snowfall. Such an eventuality is covered by insurance.The production insurance cost is linked to the cost of production, say 0.5 to 2 per cent of the Cost of Production.The cost is more for the new entrants, say 2 to 3 per cent.

    Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance covers the claims arising from defamation, libel,title infringement and copyright infringement. There are cases by writers, musicians, lyricists of copyright violations on the eve of the release. Sometimes some people find a potion of the film objectionable. E&O will cover anything related to the content of the film.

    Distribution cover starts from a week before the release of the film to usually 60 days after its release.It covers any eventuality that does not allow natural business release of a film to take place.As swine flu scare caused the closure of malls and multiplexes, UTV’s Kaminey was adversely affected.This is an eventuality that is covered by distribution insurance.

    Formerly there were vanilla policies covering anything. These days the policies are customized.The policy is designrd by the insurance broker.

  • Reality Shows

    Reality TV shows are based on real people in real situations, presented as entertainment. People do get interested in such shows as they are interactive. KBC, the quiz show was a big draw. And its versions still continue. Then we had Bigg Boss in 2006. Its several seasons have been broadcast. It was a dose voyeurism.There are singing and dance contest shows like  Nach Baliye, Jhalak Dikhla Ja and Indian Idol. Viewers identify with the drama unfolding right in their homes. There are reality shows based on adventure and laughter. Reality shows hire celebrity hosts, and are high budget affairs. Antakshari was India’s first brush with reality shows ( 1993 ). It lasted for 600 episodes. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Indian Idol f0llowed.

    The Earliest Reality Show

    Allen Funt’s Candid Camera, American TV (1948 ) is the world’s first reality show, based on a 1947-radio show called Candid Microphone. It involved unscripted situations with unsuspecting people responding to pranks. They were caught on camera.

  • Film Posters

    Posters of films are the promotional material. They are now mostly printed on vinyl. Even film hoardings are no longer painted. The top poster people in Mumbai are Atmanand of Studio Link, Rahul Nanda of H-One , Chudasama of Marching and Ms Sucharita Sengupta of Glamour Design Studio. Some good posters attributed to Atmaram are 1942-A Love Story, Khuda Gawah and Ghulam. Chudasama’s best posters are Om Shanti Om and Lakshya. Nanda’s best are Black, Devdas and Gupt. Sengupta’s good posters are Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho N Ho and Rang De Basanti. Some of the best posters in film industry are those of Mother India, Sawariya, Pyaasa, Guide and Sholay. Special photo-shoots are arranged for the posters, but sometimes the stills are given and posters are designed from them. Posters introduce a film and draw viewers to the box-office. Posters are the first visuals for everyone. The audience gets a feel of the film’s concept.

    Generally 10 per cent of a film’s budget is kept aside for publicity. Poster designing accounts for barely two per cent. An average film’s posters may cost between Rs. 5-Rs. 10 lakh.

  • Luxury Bags

    Accessories are prized possessions these days. Versace was not doing so well after the demise of its founder Gianni, but came back on the scene due to the success of its bags. Louis  Vuitton is a part of the massive LVMH conglomerate, but its bags account for a large chunk of  its sales. Gucci’s Bottega Veneta generate huge profits. Bags are produced in one size which fits all. That may be the reason that makes them attractive for fashion houses. They are profitable products — they sell 12 to 14 times their manufacturing costs. Bags can be used by people of all nationalities.They can be sold anywhere. Many luxury bags are hand-crafted by skillful artisans. These days they use computer design and mass produce them. Some still follow the hand-craft tradition,  e.g. Hermes family.Luxury bags have long waiting lists. Fashion editors recommend a few contemporary bags every season. It is thrilling to carry an instantly recognizable designer product. It is difficult to understand what the rich women try to prove by splashing these bags. According to Vir Sanghvi, maybe designer garments do not suit all type of women. But bags can be used by any woman, whether in shape or out of shape. Besides, bags are good items of gifting. The big labels may make clothes but the profits come from bags.

  • Luxury Brands

    Mystique of Luxury

    Luxury brands by their very nature are exclusive. This exclusivity extends the mystique. Luxury has to be limited edition. Mass production would make it common place.

    Balancing

    According to Vir Saghvi, the challenge is to balance the demand for luxury from a tiny minority of Indians with the demand for basic living standards of the majority.

    Adaptation

    Louis Vuitton bags Bvlgari watches may have been I India for years but as their demand increases in view of India’s changing economy, their sales would go up if they are adapted to the local needs. Any foreign luxury brand must adapt to Indian tastes. Italian designer Giorgio Armani’s famous Armani brand has recently included a sherwani in its latest collection. Feraagamo is making footwear studded with traditional Indian jewellery. Luxury was formerly American, then Western and now globalized.

  • Producers of Films

    Producers can be an individual or a group of individuals. It could be a production house. It could be a big corporate entity with varied business interests.As they produce a film, they have to meet the production expenses. This is called financing a film. They bring the finance from either overseas or domestic market.Finance so sourced from the organised market is economical as it is available at competitive rates, say 3 to 4 per cent.Even a bank is approached to part finance or full finance a project.The borrowed finance is supplemented by own internal resources.The project can be co-financed by several presenters.There are private individuals who also come forward to finance a project. An individual producer can approach a coroporate.The distributors also can pay advances to the reputed producers. A few scenes shot are shown to them as preview screening.They can advance 50-60 per cent finance to keep the production going.

    The project starts as a script which is translated into a screenplay detailing shooting schedules, casting and dates.All this is a part of pre-production work.After the film is shot by employing a director who directs the cast, the film is ready for post production work of dubbing and editing.From the negatives, a print is made.

    In previous years, films were produced by studios such as Bombay Talkies, Prabhat, Minerva Moivitone, RK, Navketan and Filmistan. These days there is prolific production of feature films. Along with these, we have production of TV serials, reality shows, music, videos and ad films. There are corporates who have entered into film production. However, many become produccers on individual basis, earning the nickname ‘simple producers ‘. They are responsible for more than 50 per cent production of films. Many of these producers do not go beyond one film. There are no training facilities for producers. They learn on the job. The starting point is the ability to invest. The venture could be a partnership. It may so happen that the cost overruns leaves behind a few partners whereas others sever the partnership relationship.Producers introduce their own finance plus the borrowed finance either from financiers or the institutions like banks. The firm that produces the film must register itself with the producers association IMPaa. there are regional associations where a regional film producer registers himself.

    The producer has to appoint an Executive Producer and sets up a Unit manned by full-time and part time members. A producer must be aware of the different aspects of the film making process and the challenges in the changing environment. There should be understanding of the medium. The first consideration is the choice of the story or plot. Then comes the screenplay. Later comes the casting. The shooting involves cinematography and art director. There are choreographers, lyricists and music directors. Even before the story is selected, we have to appoint a director, and assess his competence. A producer takes interest from the concepts to commissioning of the whole project. A movie is a business as well as a medium. Both these components must be balanced.

  • Begum Para — Actress Par Excellence

    Begum Para was a yester years actress. She had an attractive figure and a cute face. She wore masculine attires. Her well-shaped nose and a mole on her chin were easily noticable. On X’mas day of 1926, she was born in a Punjabi family, and was one of the ten siblings. Her father was a sessions judge. She spent her childhood at Jhelum. Her schooling was at Aligarh and Delhi. She came to Mumbai for her college education at her sister-in-law’s, Pratima Gupta’s place but her life look a turn here. In pre-independence day India, Pratima was a well-known actress. She had acted in Kunwara Baap of Kishor Shahu and Namastey of Kardar. Begum Para was also fond of acting. She held the apron strings of her sister-in-law to enter the film industry. She debuted in Chand (1944 ) of Prabhat. The music duo Hansalal-Bhagatlal also debuted in this movi. Chand celebrated a silver jubilee. Pratima later took to direction and directed Begum Para in Chhamiya ( 1945 ). It was based on Pygmalion of George Bernard Shaw. She was a small-time con woman in the first half, and a mod woman in the second half. Her conquettish acting was very well received. Later, Begum Para acted in Sohni Mohiwal ( 1946 ), Mehandi ( 1947 ), Nilkamal ( 1947 ), Shahnaaz ( 1948 ), Suhag Raat ( 1948 ). Mehandi was a Muslim-Social story. Begum Para was a companion of Nargis in this movie. She erred in accepting character roles in Nilkamal and Suhag Raat. She was then stereotyped. She acted in Shalimar ( 1946 ) as Mumtaz Mahal. The movie was not released for 8 years. It was a flop when it was ultimately released. Then came the Partition of India. Some of her movies like Zanzeer, Suhagi never saw the light of the day. Pagley produced and directed by Pratima Das Gupta was released in 1951 at the then Kamal theatre, now renamed as Alankar. She also acted with Ajit in Meherbani. She then started to act in B-Grade movies like Dada, Ustad Pedro and Dara. In theses movies, her co-star was Sheikh Mukhtar. Ustad Pedro has music by C. Ramachandra. Dara’s music was composed by Mohammed Shafi. Begum Para’s last two movies were noticeable — Pehli Jhalak where she had a cameo role and Budhapa Abhi Kuch Door Hai. She acted as a refree in a wrestling ring in this movie. In Naya Ghar she was a friend of the herion, Gita Bali.

    She was a good sportsperson apart from being an actor. She was good at basket ball, base ball and badminton. She was fond of reading. Her favourite authors were Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw. She was married to Nasir Khan, half brother of Dilip Kumar. Nasir died all of a sudden. She had to take care of the kids single-handedly. She wanted someone from the family to enter the film industry. Ayub Khan ultimately got a role in Mashuk. She was very happy then, and was present at the Muhurat shot. Even Dilip Kumar came to bless Ayub. She was not seen for 18 long years thereafter. She acted in Saawariya at the instance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose father always told young Bhansali about Begum Para, a beautiful actor par excellence. She expired in December 2008.

  • Innovations — the Key to Growth

    Vijay Govindrajan, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth and Chief Innovation Consultant GE puts India’s economic history into three periods  — pre-1990, from 1990 to 2008 and post-2008. In pre-1990 India, Indian companies operated in protective licensing regime, and made profits in spite of being inefficient. Post-1990, Indian companies grew on account of their efficiency in competitive environment. Post-2008, the efficiency based period is over. Henceforth, innovation will be the key to unlocking growth in India.