Promotions are needed to some extent. I mean you just cannot release the trailer and leave it like that then people will forget it even it is good. So promotions have to be minimal but effective. I think doing some TV appearances is the best bet (but dont go to every damn show) as compared to appearances in malls/colleges.
I dont think Neerja is a great example of promotion as IMO it was the trailer which worked for it. Attaching it to Dilwale was a good idea as lots of people who otherwise dont catch up with film promotions online got to see it and liked it.
The other promotions they did around Neerja really didnt penetrate much and was restricted to Sonam fans and people really interested in the film and were following it online. Ofcourse they didnt let people forget its releasing and that was enough for it I suppose. Like I said they promoted a bit on TV and it was enough.
Gangajal looked really bad from the word go. Its obvious PC signed it to boast about a packed date diary. It never had nothing going for it and it was a backup plan in case Quantico didnt work.
I think Fitoor promotions were overdone with the focus on Katrina's breakup. Likewise for Phantom the focus was on Saif's statements. This shows the producers didnt have too much to talk about as far as the film was concerned.
1