Kaun Banega ......................

You said it right. This is about 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' aka KBC.

About the show

Adapted from 'Who wants to be a millionaire', Kaun banega Crorepati, has created its value in the Indian market. It has reached an audience that spans from the rich to the poor, the old to the young and from the self-employed to the unemployed. Launched in the year 2000, 13 years were enough for KBC to establish itself as one of India's favorite reality shows. It appeals to the audience more than any of the other shows because the blend of happiness with a hint of sorrow/ misfortunes in KBC is better than the rest. Of course there is the 'possibility of monetary gains' part to it. The show makes the viewer think that he or she could also be sitting on the 'hot seat' and earn money. Even if they are not on sets, they can still try their luck from home. Contests such as 'ghar baithe jeeto jackpot' increase the probability of a viewer winning some money for themselves. That is a sure-shot way of winning the audience's heart and attention. However, with success comes responsibility and with attention arises the need to live up to expectations. If the same drill was repeated for 6 seasons, only those who make it to the hot seat would be viewing the show. All others would have probably got bored of it. Hence, the makers have always modified the show (however, minutely) to keep things interesting. Be it the change in life-lines or the highest winning amount, they try to bring in something new every season. This trend continues while the current season with a plethora of changes airs on television.

Marketing for the current season

'Seekhna band, toh jeetna band', KBC promotions brought this slogan to us with hilarious experiences of the wedding planner, lawyer and the Policeman. I would say one of the most interesting advertisements of our times. When it comes to the launch of a show, the marketing trends are different from usual. Though the primary aims are still the same (awareness, buzz, generate willingness to buy/ in this case view); the marketing strategy and duration of a campaign are different from a product launch to a show launch. In the recent past, I don't remember any show which had a launch campaign that created so much impact. 

Given Bigg Boss season 7 promotions that are going on, we only see Salman Khan in double role repeating old story over and over again. It is 'swarg ka wow and nark ka aao; sab yahi hai'. This is not as funny as the film 'Judwaa' and the same joke repeated n times does go blatant. 
Therefore, one has to agree that though KBC and Amitabh Bachchan are two big brands coming together, there is enough content to make that combination click. 'Intehaa ho gayi, intezaar ki', Amitabh Bachchan sang this song as a teaser when many rounds of 'KBC 7...coming soon' had already taken place. This too, was an addition to the same. However, I would applaud the mind behind the idea for the teaser. Barely 10 seconds of space and what an impact! Literally out of the box utilization of brand 'Amitabh'. 

Brand Amitabh and KBC

It is difficult to determine whether brand Amitabh facilitated the making of brand KBC or KBC facilitated the re-establishment of brand Amitabh. However, the audience certainly loves this combo and can't get enough of either of the two!

Ads in-line with On-line trade

About the ad

This is about the Flipkart ad that is currently featuring on television. Once again there are kids dressed (and made to behave) as adults. This time, in stead of taking on a couple, family or hospital staff, they mimic our Indian daily news channel. This could be any regular news channel except the stock market types. After every tragic accident, a news story is backed by, or sometimes pulled through, debates on news channels. There are a few people on the panel, almost each of whom would be fighting to get time to talk. These panelists fight more aggressively than the applicants at a B-School group discussion! Keeping this in view, the portrayal of the in-line v/s on-line shopping debate in this format works bang-on!

The 'India wants to know' punch takes a cue from the 'Desh jaan-na chachta hai...' statement which has now become a stereo-type. The ad works wonders for the brand as the cliche news debate is presented in a fresh avtaar. From the housewife's view to the very convincing politician; all roles are depicted effectively and packaged to sell.

From this ad, Flipkart is not only marketing the on-line shopping idea, it is also stating that on-line shopping ==> Buying from Flipkart. This is evident when they say "Ab shopping nahi, Flipkart karo". Well, when the global market research giant, A C Nielsen ranks Flipkart.com as the no. 1 e-tailing site, it seems that the brand has the right to be this ambitious.

About the brand-ing 

Since inception (if I may say so), Flipkart has featured unique ads. They have always managed to stand out from the clutter and while I talk about the above mentioned ad; it seems like the third generation of the Flipkart ads. The first one was the 'no kidding, no worries' set which also brought in lines such as 'the online mega store' and 'shopping ka naya address', second being the 'fashion has a new address' array and the third being 'India wants to know'. 

A brand which started the unique concept of kids as adults portrayal only to position the 'no kidding-no worries' ad-line. Little did we know that they will keep up the trend and give us a better ad each time. It is a format where repetition is interesting. 
The brand managers have also catered to the popular norms related to online shopping.
Whether it is the fear of goods being delivered in time, concerns about originality and warranty on goods or the apprehension in paying money before goods are delivered, Flipkart has addressed them all; in its funny yet make-sense ads. The thing about ordering something after looking at its mere picture, was attacked in the 'Flipkart.com se dada ka naya mobile aaya hai' ad. There are a host of its ads...a rough total of 25. In case you want to get entertained by them, you can watch them here.

About the segment
There is a reason why online stores are advertising aggressively. The online shopping trends in India are still evolving and it is at this stage of evolution that a market witnesses immense growth. Each e-tailer wants to make the best of this growth.
Google reports the upward trend that online shopping in India has seen and that it will continue to witness. According to the Online Shopping Trends in India, 2013 - A Google India Report, the online shopping trends on Google increased by 128%. This is expected to grow further, in 3 digits again. For more detail on these trends, you can view the report here.