We grew the category, as is becoming of a true leader: Vaishali Sharma

Sony Max 2 turns one. Young and agile, the channel claims to be the fastest growing channel and takes the credit for rejuvenating the category as well. Vaishali Sharma, Sr. Vice President – Marketing & Communications, Sony MAX & MAX2 says, “Our USP is bringing alive the magic of films from 1960s to early 2000s. This genre of Hindi cinema was ready to be explored but nobody did anything about it.  Our positioning is simple, we show timeless cinema. As you know, kuch filmo ka jadu kabhi kam nahi hota.”

Talking about the channel’s vision, Sharma adds, “We would keep this heritage alive and make every effort to keep it fresh, new and exciting for the audience. We have grown in keeping with this policy and the response has been overwhelming. We have not only revitalized this category but for now we are also leaders in this space.”

Marketing right:

The channel adopted a three pronged marketing strategy to increase sampling and stickiness of the channel in the launch phase.  It first created awareness through mass media, secondly, intrigued them by using promos at the right time. And last and most important, it engaged involved and enticed users to be part of these films. It conducted ground experiential program called Film, Family aur Fun across 60 cities in three states. Sharma informs, “We did interesting activities involving full families to garner audience attention through contests like dancing and singing etc. Hindi movie watching on television is largely a family event. We had more than 3000 families participating in this event,” she adds, “Interestingly, there are more women who watch our channel than any other movie channel.”

The channel also actively used radio in the initial stages to develop interest in the channel. “We selected top two to three key radio channels. We built excitement and got people tuned into this channel by creating trivia with music and engagement. It was done in 3-4 states as well as in Mumbai and Delhi. The activity brought us a lot of traction,” she says.

Research matters:

Channel refuses to slow down and has been conducting extensive research to understand what the audiences love to consume and how do they perceive their brand. She explains, “Research is an ongoing process and we conduct studies every six months to year. We began to understand viewer even better once we started actively engaging with them on social media platforms.”

Going social helps:

Sony Max2 launched its presence on Facebook and twitter by making people advocates of its kind of cinema. It started trending with #bringbackgoodmovies. In a short span of three days it launched the next leg with hashtag #isupportgoodmovies. It is an ongoing exercise and channel claims to have gained a lot of traction due to it.

Packaged just right:

The channel has not only focused on product and promotions but also packaging, Outcome of that is peripheral programming that keeps the users engaged. Sharma gives a couple of interesting examples, “We have built peripheral programming, for instance, ‘Sitaare’. It is a comic book format, very contemporary in its form and approach. It is not using images but just about sketching them up. It is about legends like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri, Sridevi. 1 or 2 minute capsule gives an insight into how they became who they are.  Next we have ‘Take 2’ which is trivia based filler. So much goes behind the making of these great films and that is what we show in take 2. For instance take Kal ho naa Ho and Anand. We kind of tell people where an inspiration could come from, or where is the commonality between two films.”

Milestones:

As for the milestones in the year one, Sharma states these would be great positioning of the channel, catapulting the reach leading to rapid growth and third the kind of engagement managed for the channel. She says, “We did not only grow ourselves but managed to grow the entire category, which clearly indicates that we brought newer audiences to the genre. That for me is what a true market leader is.””

On the agenda now:

As for the future roadmap, the channel intends to continue to ‘engage, experience, drive awareness’. Sharma says, “Experiential is going to be the key thing in driving the channel growth. It is an integrated event which you keep taking to the newer market. Even if people are aware of these films, it is important to remind them and tempt them to experience the magic again. Overall as a team we believe in setting benchmark, pushing creativity and to do newer things which are very evident in the way the audience is responding to us.”

Adgully.com wishes Sony Max2 a very happy birthday. May it continue to enthral audiences with many more beautiful movies!

zeba@adgully.com