Mere Dad Ki Maruti

How do you successfully market a new car from the largest manufacturer of cars in India even though it doesn’t require any marketing?  I mean to say, the car is good enough and packed with a good amount of features and comes with the trust that this organization gets to the table.  But you still need to market it? If you do, this is how you do it.

First, get a bunch of losers to ensure that the name of the movie itself has your organization featured prominently.  So “Mere Dad Ki Maruti” is a fabulous start.  If it makes you look like using DOGMA (Desperate Attention Grabbing Measures and Actions) so what.  You are paying money for it.  May as well flaunt it.

 

Then you ensure that the lead character’s father buys a new brand that you have launched in the market (read Ertiga) to gift his to be son in law on wedding day.  Ensure that the name Ertiga is screwed beyond belief under the pretext of ensuring that the local flavor is not missed out on.  So Artika, Artiga, Ertika etc. are all perfectly acceptable.

 

Further, run contests all across the country side promoting the movie in a manner that seems you look more desperate.  The ad should show a desperate kid who has just lost his dad’s Maruti Ertiga and wants help to find it.  A few Ertiga’s are distributed at no cost to ensure that the excitement reaches a frenzy.

 

To play the lead roles (money is a premium so it has to be stretched) pick a couple of kids who are just about average in terms of acting talent.  Call them Smeer (read Sameer – played by Saqib Saleem) and Gattu (because his parents hated him – Prabal Punjabi) and send them to Pan Jab University.

 

You need some girls who are willing to flaunt what they have.  An MTV VJ looking for a break and willing to act for free would be ideal.  So you have Jasleen aka Jazz Lin (Rhea Chakraborthy).  The MTV VJ angle is just to keep that slight doubt that no casting couch is involved. Ensure that she speaks Punglish words such as kiyar (care), anter (enter) and swiyar (swear).

 

For the item number do something different.  Ask the hero’s sister (whose wedding it is) to dance on the day before her wedding to a song that is otherwise very catchy.  Ensure that the woman revitalizes your belief on the casting couch.  Give her some raunchy steps which is of course normal in a Punjabi wedding.  No?

 

Lastly, ensure that the hero’s father is someone who can act well and therefore balances out the movie on the whole.  Use Bhangra songs like there is no tomorrow.  There should of course be a distinct section showing a salesman making a complete ass of himself trying to hard sell the car in English. The pretext this time should be comedy.

 

That will create a potion that the current brainless audience should lap up like no tomorrow.  Ertiga will have Top of Mind Recall.  Marketing will say “Job well done”.  The sales team and the top management will scratch their heads trying to figure out why sales haven’t improved (for all you know, I may eat my words – this country never ceases to surprise me).  4 on 10 for the movie. On the campaign, I will reserve my rating.

 

Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmdQysLHeLU