EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The study on “In Film Advertising” has been undertaken as part of a project in lieu of the 5th Semester University exam. It provides an insight into the twin worlds of magic realism – advertising and movies – and seeks to establish a cross-functional link between the two. The study covers the gamut of product placements across movies, TV, books, etc., their benefits and risks and focuses on the various product placements in movies over the years. It details the process of In Film Advertising and evaluates its ethical aspect product as a commonly used, and increasingly resorted to, means of advertising. Today advertising plays a very important role in the growth and survival of many businesses in India and all over the world. However growing competition and need for innovation has given rise to a more creative form of advertising- In Film Advertising. In Film Advertising has been a concept popular in the West for a long time now. However its wide presence in the Indian context is has been relatively new. The project also seeks to understand product placement in the Indian perspective as this means of IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) has gained immense popularity in the past decade and is an important source of financing Hindi movies given the much plagued financial condition of Bollywood and also its growing presence in South Indian commercial cinema. This project also seeks the advantages and disadvantages of In Film Advertising and identifies the impact of the same on the viewer. 1 INTRODUCTION It’s probably the biggest invasion of our times. No! We are not referring to the hostile takeover of planet Earth by a race of alien intruders. We are merely referring to the unmistakable presence of advertising in our lives. With the entry of satellite television into India, we have witnessed a spurt in production and values. Television has never had it so good. With a galaxy of stars descending on it – from Amitabh Bachchan on Kaun Banega Crorepati to Sachin Tendulkar and Aamir Khan endorsing the two colas in the market – TV couldn’t have asked for more! In the last decade or more, competition has spiraled to an extent that forces advertisers to seek new venues to promote their products. It in the wake of this pressure to try and be innovative, that traditional media like the print media and the electronic media are giving to the entry of advertising into film. The following pages of this study will illuminate for you that advertising has had a rather protracted presence in films. However, in the past their presence was veiled. Now, their presence is starker than ever before. Not only are advertisers placing products into celluloid shots, they are also actively producing and distributing films, giving it that spanking new corporate identity. So where does one draw the line between advertising in films and films in advertising? Well, if you were to go by the new Reid and Taylor advertisement, Amitabh Bachchan brings alive the magic of the movies for an apparel. Advertising adorning a different garb, would you say? 2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ADVERTISING The history of advertising dates back to civilization itself. Around 1500 B.C shopkeepers in Athens advertised largely in the form of sign boards. With the rise in craft, economy in Europe and Asia advertisements arrived with rapid pace on the business scene. But these advertisements were crude with little or no sense of marketing. As these advertisements aimed, only at dissemination of information, they lacked creativity to attract a specific class of buyers. Due to appearance of modern market system by the 16th century, buyers and sellers started interacting for exchange of goods on mass scale and this paved the way for advertising becoming a tool of commercial communication. However, in 1712, advertising in England has to suffer due to severe blow from the government by the way of imposing taxes on every published ad. Advertisements then were only track advertisements announcing the arrival of shipment of tea, coffee, cloth etc. Advertising prospered in the early 19th century when the publisher of a newspaper used to sell advertisement space to procure finance for their survival and growth. The concepts of mass production, mass distribution, standardization of products contributed greatly towards of emergence of consumer markets. 3 World War I witnessed advertising grow as a profession and regarded it as a tool for social engineering. It was supposed to mobilize public opinion in favour of war. Product appeals were emphasized less and greater emphasis was laid on fear, hope emotions, insecurity etc. The advent of radio in 1920 marked remarkable development in the industry. Post war years witnessed a growth in prosperity of advertising. The growing popularity of Television as an important media of mass communication and re-creation created this situation and provided the much needed momentum to the advertising business. Today advertising is wide spread all across the world with Germany securing the first place followed by USA. Advertising is now playing a major role in the survival and growth of businesses in India. The history of advertising can be divided into 3 phases: ∅ Phase I (Prior to 15th Century) ∅ Phase II (From 15th Century to 19th Century) ∅ Phase III (From 20th Century) PHASE I 4 This period relates to the pre-printing period. Information rather than persuasion was the objective of early advertising. In those days three forms of advertising was used. A) Trademarks: The artisans used to inscribe their initial on their wares such as pots, wooden tools etc. The purpose was to give a separate identity to their wares. As a reputation of a particular artisan spread by word of mouth, the buyers began to look for a reputed mark before they made their purchases. B) Sign: In those days traders erected commercial signs on prominent rocks along trade lines. C) Town Carriers : The town carriers beat a drum or ring a bell to attract the attention of the public before making announcements. PHASE II This period characterizes an important milestone in the history of advertising and human civilization. Invention of printing press in 1438 by Johan Gutenburg in Germany totally revolutionized communication methods for the whole world. 5 The three forms of advertising during this period are as follows: A) Newspapers: The first newspaper ad was in 1525 that appeared in Germany. B) Magazines: They were first published in early 18th century and they gained recognition as a medium of advertising only after 1870’s. C) Siquis: Handwritten posters were forerunners of modern outdoor advertising. The word ad was then unknown and then the advertising posters were called “Siquis” meaning “if anyone”. PHASE III Two 20th century events added impetus to the growth of advertising, viz. the appearance of Television and the radio on the communication scene. World War-I witnessed the growth of advertising as a profession and regarded it as a tool for social engineering. It was used to mobilize public opinion in favour of the war. Product appeals were emphasized less and greater emphasis was laid on fear, hope, emotions, insecurity etc. The advent of radio in 1920 marked remarkable development in the advertising industry. Post war years witnessed a growth in the prosperity of advertising. The growing prosperity of T.V as an important media of mass communication and recreation created this situation and provided the much needed momentum to the advertising business. 6 TASKS OF ADVERTISING Adverting has become necessary to push the product in the limelight given the present market situation of mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, shorter product life cycles and fierce competition. Although advertisements are inserted for a number of purposes, a few important tasks which advertising performs are as follows: 1) Information : Advertising helps in creating awareness among the end users of the products about its availability, utility, and affordability as also rectify their false impressions and enhance company’s image. 2) Persuasion : Given the fierce competition prevailing in the market, advertising helps in building demand, changing peoples preferences as also establishing superiority of one product over the other. 3) Reminder : Advertisements are used to constantly remind consumers about the availability of the products by being repetitive in nature. 4) Reassurance : Repeated advertisements seek to reassure the consumers that they have made the right choice in purchasing the product and that it will live up to their expectations. 5) Support to company’s sales efforts : Advertising seeks to complement the company’s effort in creating awareness about the product by communicating the messages to larger audience including those inaccessible through other means like visits by the sales representatives. DARKER SIDE OF ADVERTISING 7 As every idea or concept has positive as well as negative aspects, so also is the case with advertising. With the brighter side of advertising there also exist certain disadvantages associated with it which is briefly listed below: Social and Ethical Criticism: 1) Advertising disseminates false, deceptive and misleading information. 2) Stress on insignificant/ negligible differences among products have led to proliferation of brands. 4) Some of the advertisements women models in unacceptable ways, which creates an impression that women are commodities themselves. 6) Advertising leads to a “Demonstration Effect”. Economic Criticisms: 1) Advertising by increasing business concentration through brand loyalty may encourage monopoly market. 2) The cost involved in advertising is passed on to the customers who have to pay a higher price than the actual cost of the product. 3) Fierce competition among manufacturers has resulted in advertising war. This has resulted in misuse of advertising as well as resorting to unethical practices, which are not in the long term interest of the corporate sector.