#Anushka shetty#Baahubali 2#Baahubali 2 the conclusion#Baahubali box office#Baahubali success#Bahubali 2: the conclusion#Bahubali box office#Bahubali-2#Kattappa#Prabhas#Rana daggubati#Shobu yarlaggada#Ss rajamouli
SS Rajamouli’s Bahubali 2: The Conclusion (also spelled as Baahubali) has grossed over 1000 crore to reach 1047 crore worldwide in first 10 days & still going very strong at box office. The Hindi version of bahubali went past 500 Crore mark.Bahubali 2 had a grand release in around 9000 screens worldwide which helped it amass the numbers. It’s the first movie in recent years to earn the tag of a ‘national film’. While there are a lot of lessons for movie industry here are seven lessons that Businesses could learn from Bahubali 2’s success.
1.Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy is a marketing theory from the book written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.Based on a study of 150 strategies spanning more than a hundred years and thirty industries, this theory argues that companies can succeed not by battling competitors, but rather by creating ″blue oceans″ of uncontested market space. They assert that these strategic moves create a leap in value for the company, its buyers, and its employees while unlocking new demand and making the competition irrelevant.
This is what Rajamouli did with bahubali. Mythological stories were done before in smaller scale but didn’t have much success at box office. He took a basic mythological story, had a long term vision & made it up on a large scale which very few filmmakers in India could think of. Bahubali did what many movie makers couldn’t dream of? It created stunning visuals, breathtaking stunts & masterpiece which killed competition
2. Reason to Buy: -Why should your customer buy you?
Most of the prepublicity of Bahubali 2’s revolved around the theme of ‘Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?’. This was a Buzz generated by rajamouli in first part & this ensured that there was enough curiosity among people when it came to Bahubali 2’s release. In a way, it was one of the major reasons why people flocked to theaters. This “Why” was the USP of the movie
To put it in perspective, it’s a question that every Brand manager & CEO should answer first about their product. Why should your customer buy you and not competition & this brings basic theories of brand positioning? Does it have a strong emotional undercurrent which will hold the story together, beyond all the charisma of the lead actors? The ‘Why’ of Bahubali 2 was also its USP.
3. Good Product creates good WOM
Good Product is what the brand manager should aim for. If the product is bad, no matter what amount of marketing you put in, it will fall flat
In the case of Movies, no has been able to decipher what actually convinces someone to watch a film. Is it trailer, actor, or director? All actors or filmmakers leaves out no chance to reach out to their audience and push their movie through various mediums including TV shows. Many times the publicity blitzkrieg doesn’t quite get the desired results.
Hype can’t be created, just like video can’t be made ‘viral’. It just happens and gains momentum, it takes a life of its own. In Pre-publicity phase, the makers of Bahubali 2 talked about challenges of the project and effort each member of the team had put in. Since people were already aware & happy with first part of the film franchise, the extensive marketing campaign for the film across the country, along with news of biggest ever release for any film, raised people’s curiosity. It was finally the content of movie which pulled in people
4. For Entry into New Markets, credibility & patience is a must
Very few South Indian filmmakers and actors have made their mark in Hindi which is considered a different & alien market. SS Rajamouli was a recent addition to the list in 2012 when his film Makkhi (Eega in Telugu) caught a lot of attention, although it didn’t perform well at the box-office. But Makkhi was Rajamouli’s vehicle to become a noted figure in Bollywood and soon, the Bahubali: The Beginning came in 2015 & it changed everything
When you venture into a new market, you need to build credibility & need to have the patience to wait for results. There are no quick fixes here. Success of bahubali 2 has proved the same
5. Controlling Budgets is key to successful product launches
Actor’s remuneration forms a large chunk of the film’s budget. And higher the budget, more is the price at which it is sold to distributors which also increases the risk factor. Although Bahubali series had a budget of nearly Rs 450 crores, they worked it out differently. Rajamouli and Prabhas settled for a monthly salary throughout the making of the film to ensure that most of the budget was spent on production.Despite its huge budget; the makers ensured that they made a good profit even before the film released through the selling of movie rights. More Money was put into production & finally, that leads to better customer experience & delight
Budget control is a critical part of new product launches. Always ensure the right amount of R&D goes in & it leads to a better product. A poor product cannot be saved by a heightened TV Spend or digital Blitz
6. Brand storytelling must have Universal appeal
Bahubali broke all regional and cultural barriers to become a national film. In the past, most directors and actors make films which cater to the audiences in a certain region or language. Given the Indian obsession with mythology and folklore, bahubali had a universal appeal in Indians around the world. No Matter which language it was dubbed Hindi or Malayalam, the film worked like magic.
When Brands tell stories to the customer, they need to make sure the theme has a connect with the mainstream audience & broad universal appeal. Also, brands need to build on the previously acquired knowledge of the customer
7. Unique & Differentiated Marketing strategies to build brand awareness & equity
In today’s age when actors & directors rush to each TV show & live events to promote their movies. Bahubali team played it differently.Very Little from the film was revealed to the public during making or promotions, except the trailer and a 30-second promo of the ‘Sahore Baahubali’ song.This ensured audience curiosity & hype which gripped the nation before release.
Since there was a 2 year gap between the 2 releases, Bahubali 1 was rerun in some screens to serve as a reminder of the franchise to the customer & buildup to the launch.They had a tie up with INOX where the customer who sees Bahubali part-1 in INOX would get a link on their mobile on 24th of April where they can pre-book the tickets ahead of the general crowd. This ensured win-win for both INOX & Bahubali.