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Quick wit drives Sab's new show-centric ad campaign

By HETAL ADESARA
Indiantelevision.com Team

(29 October 2005 8:00 pm)

MUMBAI: "Aap shaadi-shuda hai?".... "Nahi meri shakal hi aisi hai."

"Taxi meter chalta hai kya?"..... "Kyon, meter pe baith ke jaoge?"

"Mera naam Geeta hai".... "To main tum PE haath rakh doon?"

These lines are a part of the teaser campaign that Sony Entertainment Television's "light" general entertainment channel (GEC) Sab has unleashed for its new stand up comedy show Lo Kal-lo Baat.




The erstwhile comedy channel - Sab TV will be born in a new avtaar on 7 November and Lo Kal-lo Baat will be the driver show of the channel in the 8:30 pm slot.

The show-centric campaign for the new look Sab rolled out this week with teaser hoardings across the country. Since the channel has been repositioned as a "light" GEC that will be targeting the Hindi heartland; the campaign will be rolled out in the smaller towns and cities as well. Close to 15+ cities including metros and mini metros have been covered.

Speaking on the campaign and idea behind it, Sab marketing head Ajay Modgil says, "Our campaign for the new Sab will drive on the channel's shows. The new show Lo Kal-lo Baat, is a unique one and we are confident that the market is ready for something like this. The campaign is not just about being funny but it essentially revolves around quick wit."

"The idea was to create intrigue and curiosity around the show and that's what the teaser campaign has managed to do. Most campaigns for television shows are centered around the faces of the show but this one is not and that's where it is clutter breaking," adds Modgil.

Apart from outdoor ads; print, internet and radio ads have also been rolled out. The four week campaign will be unveiled in phases. While the first week saw the teaser hoardings, the second week will have the logo of the new Sab on the hoardings. Also, promotional activity will increase in the second and third weeks of November.

"When the Sab logo will be unveiled next week on the hoardings, it will have the common man talking even more about why the Sab logo was looking like the Sony one. This will become another talking point and build another level of curiosity," said Modgil.

Lateral thinking is a major component of the campaign, which has witty and spontaneous gigs. Twelve different hoardings will be unleashed during the course of the campaign.

Also, one minute promos will go on air from 3 November not only on the SET Network channels but also in multiplexes across the country. Sab branding will also be visible in malls to ensure eyeballs from a captive audience.

'Shekhar Kapur told me to remain an actor' Television, theatre, films, acting, scriptwriting, direction. Saurabh Shukla is taking it step by step

Ronjita Kulkarni Satya had a very predictable storyline. What made it special were the characters," says Saurabh Shukla, actor-associate writer of the Ram Gopal Varma blockbuster. He intends to repeat the trick in his directorial debut, Mudda. "There are not too many stories. The treatment is what is different. A man and a woman can either fall in love or hate each other. Most probably, they will love in love. But the way they meet, what they talk etc will always be new because people are different." Saurabh, who always focuses on characters and people either in his scripts or film, was awed by Hollywood's A Beautiful Mind. "When I saw the film, it was like a slap on my face. I thought why didn't I think of this story before?" he says, about the Russell Crowe film.

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The now well-known Gopi (of his debut television serial, Karan Razdan's Tehkikat), and Kallu Mama (in Satya), Saurabh wanted to direct films since childhood. He and his friends even saved money at school to make a film using a still camera. Later, someone suggested that theatre would take him closer to making a film. It was only after he joined theatre that Saurabh realised how different the two mediums were. He went on to become a theatre actor, playwright and director. Three of his plays (Uljhan, Maruti and Tandav) were even selected for national festivals. Saurabh's directorial venture starring Arya Babbar, Prashant Narayanan, Dali Aruwalia and Rajat Kapoor, has two angles: a love triangle and a power equation. Troubled by city life, Rajat Kapoor shifts to a village. "The story is very traditional," Saurabh explains. "It's not that it has never been told before. But the way it has been told is fresh. My film focuses on the characters."

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Saurabh says he chose a village as the backdrop because the power in the villages is on your face. "One cannot voice one's opinions openly because word travels very fast, putting you in trouble instantly," he says. "People hide much more in villages. The powered handful is not modest about their power, so the violence is higher there. One has the freedom of speech to talk against them among friends in the city. It is because of the sheer size of the city." Surprisingly, the lead in the film Arya Babbar is not the regular hero, romancing the woman or fighting against evil. He plays the son of a powerful Zamindar and feels he has the right to do anything. But Saurabh insists that he does not play a negative character. "I never treat people as negative or positive, so I would not like to say that about Arya's character. Their acts can be negative but they are not negative themselves. I never take sides in a film. Arya's character is very complex, not that of a villain." He cites the animated Hollywood film, The Beauty And The Beast. "In the beginning, you are scared of the beast, but as the film progresses, you start liking and sympathising with him." Besides, as the love triangle goes, Dali and Prashant are in love, while Arya loves Dali. Saurabh has tremendous confidence in his lead actor. The fact that Arya's debut film, Ab Ki Baras bombed at the box-office does not bother him. "I selected Arya because he fits the role perfectly. He has given a tremendous performance. I had seen him in an interview. Then I went to Rajji (Babbar) and narrated the script to him. I know Ab Ki Baras did not do well, but that's not a problem. A film does not do well due to a combination of factors, not a single factor." Saurabh claims that he chose his cast based purely on the script. "There are two ways of choosing a cast. Either one must have saleability in the cast or go according to the script. My producer (Ravi Mavani) had enough faith in me and he let me choose my actors according to the script." Incidentally, he has never assisted a director before. "I never sat in my makeup room during films," he says. "I would hover around the director or cameramen and ask questions." Saurabh, who has penned such scripts as Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Kareeb and Satya says he borrowed a lot from his college days in Delhi for Mudda. "I saw a lot of politics there. I haven't made this film based on one incident but on various incidents in my life in Delhi." Mudda, which means issue, is not a serious film. It's a feel-good, happy film. The music by Jeet Pritam (Shahara of Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai) is traditional, yet contemporary. "I could not use instruments like the saxophone, as it would not gel well with the traditional feel of the film," explains Saurabh. "But at the same time, I did not want the same old traditional music, as it would make the film 'small'. So we've used a lot of 'world music'. It doesn't sound out of place. It has ethnic, folk and trance blended well." The film, which is shot entirely in Maharashtra, is slated for release April 2003. The actor-director was, incidentally, in the professional wing of the National School of Drama, when filmmaker Shekhar Kapur noticed him. Kapur was so impressed that he created a role for Saurabh in Bandit Queen. "That was a big achievement for me!" Saurabh smiles proudly. "I told Shekhar then that I want to become a director. He laughed and told me to remain an actor." Later, Kapur cast Saurabh in Tehkikat. He directed the first episode and later, producer Karan Razdan directed the rest. As an actor, Saurabh has experimented with many roles: bad character in Abbas-Mastan's Badshah, a kind-hearted friend in Subhash Ghai's Taal, a cold-blooded killer in Rahul Rawail's Arjun Pandit, a stressed businessman in Mahesh Bhatt's Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan and a kind Sardar in Mahesh Bhatt's Zakhm. But he admits that there really is not much to choose from. He will next be seen in Sudhir Mishra's Vapsi (which is also written by him), South director Teja's Tusshar Kapoor starrer and a television serial Josh which will be aired on Star Plus in April 2003.

He is also busy with his directorial ventures. Besides Mudda, he is making a thriller produced by Shabnam Kapoor and Jaaneman Jaan Le Tu.

Sony's SAB-SET Purvita Chatterjee

Will SAB's relaunch help Sony create a niche in the general entertainment space and broaden its television audience?

WITH the re-launch of SAB TV as a general entertainment channel, SET has decided to expand its bouquet in the television space and reach out to a different target audience — the heartland of India. The comedy channel, belonging to Sri Adhikari Brothers, was acquired by SET earlier this year for Rs 57 crore. Kunal Dasgupta, SET's CEO, declared, "Sony Entertainment's vision is to have another channel among the top three general entertainment channels in the country. After its acquisition, SAB will complement Sony Network's offerings and broaden its television audience." Brave words apart, it may take a while for SAB to differentiate itself. Says Anupriya Acharya, President, TME (The Media Edge), "It is a wise decision for Sony to acquire the SAB brand as media is getting fragmented, and being a media company, it makes sense to add more share with an additional channel. But one wonders how viewers would see it differently, as, beyond a certain point, it is difficult to have a sharp positioning for a general entertainment channel." Says Pradeep Iyengar, Vice-President (West & South), Carat Media Services India Ltd, "Just how different can a general entertainment channel get? Sony must have realised that all future deals will be multimedia deals from the media owners and an additional channel adds to its power." Besides, SET Max's and Sony's programming overlaps and unless its third channel is a clear differentiator, having SAB is not going to be a great option, say media planners. Cannibalisation is also an impending threat, but N. P. Singh, Chief Operating Officer, SET, says, "SAB complements the total network. There is distinction based on demographics and the age of the viewers. SAB will have programmes targeted at viewers in the 25-35 years age group living in the small metros which comprise the heartland of India." So, while Sony has been perceived as a women- and family-focused channel, SAB TV will be skewed towards men in the Hindi heartland. In fact, the SAB brand had reached saturation point in the comedy genre and the channel's revenues had been dipping after five years of being on air. Adds Singh, "The viewership had declined and revenues were not growing. We changed it to a free-to-air channel from a pay channel and brought it under the One Alliance bouquet. As each of our channels is sold on its own strength, SAB too will have to stand on its own feet. As a conscious strategy, we will not be pitching it with the rest of the bouquet." SAB came into Sony's bouquet with certain advantages. It had got its own niche with a non-metro focus with adequate distribution and had its share of loyal male viewers who preferred such comedy shows. Vikas Bahl, Senior Vice-President and Business Head, SAB, claims: "Since SAB was already operating in the niche segment, it has done a good job of building its brand over the years. It is now time to leverage its equity, which is that of a light-hearted channel. We will make sure the programmes and the brand move in the same direction. After all, most general entertainment channels do not propagate a brand stance and are open to just about any kind of programming. We will ensure that the brand and the content have synergies as we go along." Besides, segmenting the audience will also help SAB in attracting advertisers looking out to reach a particular target audience. "Light comedy as a genre attracts males and there is still no national brand on television that reaches the heartland of India, except local channels. SAB will provide a platform for advertisers who are specifically looking at this particular market," says Bahl. With Airtel sponsoring its newly launched LoKal'lo Baat show, there are expectations of the revenues getting healthier. Says Rohit Gupta, Executive Vice-President, ad sales and revenue management, SET, "We are expecting revenue growth between 20 and 25 per cent as with every new show, we are getting new sponsors." So, while a decision has been taken to change the channel's positioning with a tilt towards general programming, comedy will continue to dominate. As Singh says, "Humour will still be central to SAB's programming but with broader horizons, stretching into other genres to get a wider audience. However, our daily soaps will not be what you see today. They will have a more positive and optimistic approach. Our philosophy will be to offer programmes which bring smiles to the faces of our audiences comprising the heartland of India." The channel's baseline is 'All smiles, no tears.' There are no plans yet to change it. Euro RSCG, the agency handling the SET account, is already on the job of creating a new personality for the channel and does not want to tinker with the baseline. Says Suman Srivastava, President, Euro RSCG, "All media brands need to be differentiated on personality rather than content. We would be attempting to create a distinct personality for the SAB brand." Meanwhile, SAB is creating fresh programming to signify the change in personality. The new 'improved' SAB started with a new prime-time special - Lo Kal'lo Baat — an improvised comedy show which requires its participants to be spontaneous, witty and creative and enact skits impromptu. Its other recent prime time show, a daily soap, Maahi Ve, is an emotional saga of family relationships and rediscovering the joy of getting back to one's roots. The soap captures the rustic ethos of North India, its traditions, culture and values. Certain old shows will be repositioned. For instance, Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai will have a new anchor in Rageshwari, while Wah Wah, based on comic poets, will be repositioned as a 'classy and glamorous' show. It move out of the studio and involve a live audience. Meenakshi Madhvani, Managing Partner of media audit firm Spatial Access Solutions, believes the repositioning of SAB TV may work for a couple of reasons: "The general entertainment channels may be declining, but they still demand a higher rate than other genres do, and usually account for the largest percentage share of a brand's media investment. The perception of a channel acquired by Sony Entertainment and the re-launch with a fresh positioning will help SAB get at least one-time/trial viewers, if packaged and marketed well." "It could be a general entertainment channel for the masses and leave Sony free to woo the upper SECs which are currently watching more Star Plus and Star One," she says. Besides, Star's addition of Star One to its bouquet is also seen as a threat to the general entertainment channels. Says a media observer, "Star One is already catching up with Zee and Sony and now SAB will also be expected to compete with it." The climbing TRPs of Star One with the popularity of its shows such as Nach Baliye has been threatening the viewership of the other channels. Says Carat's Iyengar, "One never knows which show is going to click. SAB is probably Sony's answer to Star One." But Madhvani is confident of SAB's success, now that it is under Sony's fold. "There is no doubt that Sony has one of the best-designed promotional campaigns. If the strategy and programming is distinct, it could definitely succeed. Sony has had a somewhat mixed ability to increase revenue realisation per 10 seconds on its higher rated shows. For a keen observer of media, this will be an interesting experience," she says.

Meanwhile, SET is all set to invest in its new SAB brand. "We will be making substantial investments for the next two years and the channel will be in an investment mode," says SET COO Singh. Bringing in new offerings and audiences should help SAB establish its place in the welter of general entertainment channels.