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Win couple tickets to Ghajini. Also get a chance to get your hair cut by Aamir Khan himself. For participating, call *****. Charges Rs * per min

Thats exactly what the message read. And anyone who owns a cell phone can make no pretenses at bewilderment. Messages like these are not new to any of us. However, what might vary is our reaction to such messages. While some may jump with delight and make that call immediately, others will promptly punch the delete button without even bothering to read the whole message.

And this is the reaction that a whole lot of players are busy observing, analyzing, and trying to optimize upon. We are talking about mobile marketing, and more specifically marketing movies through mobile.

Two notable factors about India need to be revisited before we delve more on the topic. First is the absolute entertainment crazy nation that we are, and the second is that we are a mobile-savvy nation all set to traverse miles in that regard. And the coming together of these two was not only inevitable but was also sure to bring about some fireworks. Well, so its happening and definitely not without the fireworks.

The Origin
Mobile movie marketing isnt a new concept in our country. However, its only a couple of years since it has gained momentum and has risen to become one of the primary mediums for film promotion. It all started around seven years back when Reliance first used the mobile medium to promote the movie Armaan.

The movie mobile marketing business primarily revolves around the idea that there is a lot of intersection between the mobile users and movie goers. And unlike a lot of other VAS applications and services this one isnt only for the high end customers.

Its all about generating excitement about the movie using the content on the mobile. And the target customer is anyone who owns a mobile and watches movies. Thats how Krishna Durbha, head, applications, solutions and content group, Reliance Communications puts it.

Durbha notes that mobile has its own well defined space in the movie ecosystem now. However, mobile is still only a means to an end and not the end in itself. This is because while a mobile promotion can generate considerable interest in a movie, it cant lead to an immediate, on the spot transaction. This basically brings quantitative results of mobile marketing under the scanner, since mobile doesnt translate into an immediate revenue stream for the advertisers.

No one doubts the role the little device in every pocket can play, though. A study by TheRazor; UK has found that mobile marketing campaigns are three times more effective than direct marketing in eliciting response. Better devices and more bandwidth among other things will move the mobile from being a luxury item to being ubiquitous.

Doing it Differently
Film promoters and marketers are not only taking mobile rather seriously, but are also going innovative in the mob-zone. The accent is on the mobile marketing space and its not just one accent!

Notes Dr Subho Ray, president, Internet and Mobile Association of India, Mobile marketing is going to be one of the most prominent trends in 2009. This is because everyone has realized the potential of the medium. And the film industry is not oblivious of the possibilities that the mobile holds. They are thus coming out with newer ways to tap this medium and make a difference to what we call the buying behavior.

Consider this: Dhoom2 was almost completely marketed on mobile. From smashing Hrithik wallpapers to capitalizing on Aishwaryas new look, it left no stone unturned. In fact Reliance calls it one of the biggest successes of the mobile marketing space. Then there are the extremely out-of-the-box ideas that been converted into out-of-the-mobile marketing practices. Reliance Communications, for example, now has campaigns through mobile, and based on certain contests gives winners the opportunity to interact with the film stars in their Web worlds through the use of videoconferencing facilities.

Similarly, movie videos/previews on mobile have gained immense popularity. Almost all movie promos are available on mobiles now. Reliance is going one step ahead in this regard by making the whole movie available on mobile. Durbha explains that Reliance has always concentrated on the video part more because it made more sense for them. We have a CDMA network which came with more bandwidth. That made things easier for us and videos are a big marketing tool, he says.

Adds Viraj Malik, MD, Percept Knorigin (digital advertising arm of Percept), In 2009, video ads will be the most popular form of advertising as more and more brands are willing to put video ads.

BK Modis Spice Televentures Company, HotSpot has recently announced the launch of Movie Card which would enable mobile phone users to watch the latest bollywood flicks on the 320x240 pixel screen. These movies can be played on all mobile handsets with an SD card slot and supports both movie compression formatsMp4 and 3GP. The present repertoire of movies offered includes Bollywood hits like Namaste London, Om Shanti Om, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Omkara and Devdas.

In 2009, video ads would be the most popular form of advertising

A Different Tune
According to an Airtel spokesperson, ring tones are the most popular promotion tools for any movie these days. The digital music market is big. The licenses involve a huge amount of money, he says. In the current scenario digital music (ring tones, caller back ring tones, dialer tones, etc) is the primary and most significant revenue drivers for any film. Whether the movie works or not, half the job is done if the digital music part is well received.

Traditionally, the value chain of music on mobile works like thismusic labels get the music licensing rights for a particular movie, so they are the topmost link in the chain. Everyone deals with them. They then sell the rights to various digital music players as per commercial agreement (these include pure play companies in the mobility landscape like Mauj, Hungama, etc). These players usually have tie ups with the operators who market the music for them.

However, like in the whole mobility setup, there are overlaps here as well. There are times when the music labels have direct tie ups with the operators or operators approach them directly. Similarly, the pure play players might have individual content revolving around the movie music. Whatever said and done, nothing changes the fact that we all love bollywood music and now our mobiles are doing the humming for us.

Movie mobile marketing is certainly going to get bigger in the coming year. According to Shantanu K Dash, CEO, MosPay, Revenue sharing models are set to change soon. There are some big names entering the market and pure play players will become more visible now. Mobile marketing is going to play a big role.

And as far as movies go, marketing has gone beyond the bollywood biggies. The likes of Mauj Mobile are big in the regional movie space. Reliance is also fairly active. So movie marketing is getting regional, local and bigger. The next most prominent trends, according to industry experts is going to be mobile movie ticketing. So punch your phone keys and book a seat for the great mobile-movie romance. There are no intermissions in this one.

Mehak Chawla
mehakc@cybermedia.co.in

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