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Baahubali movie has been one of the most awaited and expensive movies running successfully all across. The extraordinary buzz & hype led Baahubali to be a tsunami at the box-office on the first day of its release.
A few interesting facts about the movie Baahubali:
- Baahubali is the most expensive movie ever produced in the Indian subcontinent
- In a few action sequences, stunt choreographer Peter Hein had to control more than 2000 men and elephants
- To build the 20-acre kingdom for the film, 1000 workers worked extensively for 200 days
- A new language called Kiliki was exclusively created for the film by writer Madhan Karky
- One of the waterfall scenes of the film, also seen in the trailer, took close to two months of overall shooting time of the film
There is a lot more to know; but the purpose here is to take this resource as an incredible book to learn several, marketing, leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, etc. lessons.
It is not always a compulsion to attend classroom sessions to grasp this tactical info. Movies like Baahubali are enough to make you learn it. You need to put in efforts & resources; build mystery, meet individuals’ expectations, become an innovative leader, know how to launch your product to get desired response, etc. are the key points.
Here, in this case study, an attempt has been made to showcase what should be the right strategy to market a product on a worldwide level; create buzz around a product and use social media to create demands get pulled.
The Digital Marketing Supremacy
[pullquote align=”normal”]“Baahubali is a great example of the power of digital marketing. In the last two years since the release of the first part, the film was in the collective memory of people. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter played a big part in this. Startups and business enterprises can take a leaf out of Baahubali’s marketing strategy to tap into the immense potential of digital marketing space,” says Sangeetha Abhishek, co-founder of Chennai-based digital marketing firm CGD Creative. [/pullquote]
The production house, Arka Mediaworks, managed to keep the buzz alive for so long. The 25-member marketing team at Arka Connect has been working on the project right from 2013.
The team worked vigorously to build its online presence and generate interest around the film from the beginning. The team focused on several ground events, like college functions, comic-con in many cities in India, to engage with the audience and through social media.
Today, Baahubali has over 366K likes on the Facebook page, 266K followers on Twitter, 521K subscribers on YouTube, 395K follower on Instagram and still increasing day by day.
Marketing Strategy Baahubali
It was quite simple:
- Plenty of groundwork to reach out to different segments of the audience and engage them
- Intensify everything on Social Media
The strategy to promote Baahubali: The Beginning, the movie itself became the trailer for Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
“Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali?” – had an immense recall value and it kept popping up every now and then, even in discussions beyond the film.
The marketing team kept looking for new ideas and running relentless campaigns. Considering that Baahubali has a huge presence on social media, even before the film was ready for release, endeavors speak volumes about how the team managed to create a huge fan base, which became desperate to watch the film.
Mark your calendars, only 4 days left for this exhilarating experience of a lifetime to hit cinemas near you! #Baahubali2 #April28 pic.twitter.com/Oi6Lf8FdHV
— Dharma Productions (@DharmaMovies) April 24, 2017
What it teaches you?
Let’s explore few lessons worth consideration:
#1 Have some secrets to get revealed later on
The marketing team could very well understand the importance of creating pre-release excitement as well as reminding the audience about the unrevealed part of the story.
Baahubali 2’s publicity campaign revolved around the theme of ‘Why did Kattappa killed Baahubali?’
In a way, it was one of the reasons why people collected to theaters. There was a genuine desire to know the answer.
Takeaway
We usually overlook this aspect in many of our strategy and input. So through this, it is high time for us to reconsider whatever strategy we design in advance. And the story doesn’t end here.
And the ‘Why’ of Baahubali 2 was also its USP. The question ensured that there was enough curiosity among people when it came to awaiting Baahubali 2’s release.
#2 Know who can do it
In the movie, it is shown that when it comes to the selection of King and all cast was organized and well-matched. To build the 20-acre kingdom for the film, 1000 workers worked extensively for 200 days. And, the decision of appointing a king is done based on performance in the competition and it is the correct decision for the kingdom.
Takeaway
The success of your business relies heavily on making a correct decision in terms of choosing individuals & their responsibilities. Also, keep your employees satisfied and happy. When they are satisfied; they end up giving you more; give them work as per their expertise, area of interest and feat.
And, you should always take an evaluation of an employee based on performance without any bias. It will directly impact their work and ultimately on the growth of your business.
#3 People should trust you
For any South Indian filmmaker, to enter in North Indian market has been risky business. Except for the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam and Priyadarshan — very few South Indian directors and actors have made their mark in Bollywood.
SS Rajamouli was a recent player to the list when his 2012 film Makkhi (Eega in Telugu) caught a lot of attention, though it didn’t quite do well at the box-office.
But Makkhi was Rajamouli’s ticket to become a noted figure in Bollywood and soon, the success of Baahubali: The Beginning in 2015 changed everything.
Takeaway
It’s all about building credibility if you are stepping into a new market. It takes years of hard work and patience to make inroads in a different area and Baahubali 2 team has shown how to do that.
#4 Every step counts towards success
With Baahubali-1 success, it is clear that they are not money making out of this huge marketing campaigns. The marketing was done in a way –
- The proper hype gets created by word of mouth before the release
- Generating additional revenue
- The audience were reminded at times about the incomplete climax of part-1 and to recollecting their memories
Takeaway
Marketers have strategic plans encompassing their each & every move. Not all the moves will earn you money or success but it will bring you closer towards success.
#5 Lack of resources gives you opportunity to think differently
During the attack on the kingdom of Kuntala, ‘Amarendra Baahubali’ had enemies in great force, but he attacked enemies at unguarded spots using animals, fire and water.
With efficacy, he was able to shoot three arrows together. Later to enter Mahismati palace, ‘Mahendra Baahubali’ used trees to enable entry along with his soldiers.
Takeaway
Some of the biggest innovations happen when leaders face lack of resources and think out-of-the-box strategies. They connect the ideas from various fields, apply to their situation and beat resourceful giants.
#6 A big no to unrealistic promises
When Bhallaladeva shared his feelings for Devasena with Sivagami, she being unaware that Baahubali was in love with Devasena and without knowing whether Devasena would accept the proposal, promised Bhallaladeva, Devasena’s hand in marriage.
This unrealistic promise by Sivagami to Ballaladeva created the foundation of misunderstandings between Sivagami and Baahubali.
Takeaway
When a leader is not able to fulfill promises, his or her reputation gets affected as people learn that they cannot count on the leader’s promises. It is better to set appropriate expectations rather than making unrealistic promises.
Conclusion
Over 80% of marketers have already use social media marketing to boost their sales and gain better brand identity. There is no doubt in business groups that digital marketing has taken centre-stage.
Business enterprises have expanded their focus from YouTube, Facebook, and also tapped into newer platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp.
And, hope these above- mentioned valuable business lessons from Baahubali Movie will help you to get success in business.
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