GroupM report: Marketing spends on Indian films reaches Rs 606 crore

The second edition of the Showbiz Report by GroupM ESP reveals that marketing spends around Indian films reached Rs 606 crore in 2018.

 

Of the Rs 606 crore, television marketing claimed 47 per cent (Rs 285 crore). Digital marketing spends for films was at Rs 170 crore (28 per cent). Print contributed seven per cent and outdoor six per cent.  

 

 

The year saw 1,087 films release of which 823 were regional. While the total number of films released during the year increased, Bollywood films released in the year were lesser compared to 2017 (down to 118 from 134).

 

English films preferred cricket as an advertising genre wherein they spent around 11 per cent of their marketing spends as compared to 3 per cent by their Hindi counterparts on the sport. 

 

Vinit Karnik, business head, ESP Properties, said, “Be it the advent of digital fuelling the propensity of content consumption or the rise of content over celebrated star cast, be it Bollywood stars wanting a bite of the digital pie orthe investments by the brands, be it the change in the marketing mix of production houses or the growth of new digital celebrities – 2018 in hindsight has been nothing short of revolutionary.”

 

Estimated media spend by OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, Zee5, Sony LIV, Voot, Eros Now and ALTBalaji grew at 207 per cent from 2017 to 2018.

 

Celebrity endorsement too increased in 2018 to reach close to the Rs. 1,000 crore milestone. The top 10 celebrities’ endorsement value grew by 20 per cent over 2017 to reach Rs. 605 crore.

 

Akshay Kumar was the top earner at Rs 100 crore. Ranveer Singh was second at Rs 84 crore, followed by Deepika Padukone at Rs 75 crore. Amitabh Bachchan (Rs 74 crore), Alia Bhatt (Rs 68 crore), Shahrukh Khan (Rs 56 crore), Varun Dhawan (Rs 48 crore), Salman Khan (Rs 40 crore), Kareena Kapoor Khan (Rs 32 crore) and Katrina Kaif (Rs 30 crore) completed the top 10.

 

The year also saw the 'power couple' baton being passed on from Virushka (Virat Kohli and Anusha Sharma) to DeepVeer (Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh).

 

Karnik added, “Celebrities and fashion have a permanent bond which is not likely to fade away anytime soon. They will remain the fashion icons that the Indian youth looks up to. Sellable content, brands exploring marketing opportunities beyond feature films and new species of celebrity influencers brewing the social space are some of the key trends to look out for this year for taking entertainment to the next level. Influencer game will become stronger with brands increasingly swaying towards them, vying for direct reach with their loyal follower bases as part of their renewed brand strategies.’’