400+ brands and counting: Bigg Boss 17 promises to continue its legacy as a brand builder

‘Bigg Boss’, a show one can’t ignore, whether you watch it or not, it has secured an immense following across all age groups. While some criticise it for its controversial nature, there’s no denying its pervasive popularity. The show’s intricate dynamics and its contestants’ actions have seamlessly infiltrated daily discussions, from becoming the go-to water cooler conversation to being the talk of the town.

On air for the past 16 years, as the show is enters its 17th year, Adgully speaks with  Pavithra KR, Revenue Head, COLORS, Viacom18, to know what Viacom18’s strategy is for this year’s ‘Bigg Boss’; What new can the audience expect; How ‘Bigg Boss’ has become the talk of the town, and much more…

When asked about ‘Bigg Boss’ advertising strategy, Pavithra said, “We are all about customisation. To say that there is a particular advertising strategy on ‘Bigg Boss’ is to cut the show too short.”

She further added, “For every brand that actually comes in, we have a solution for each and every product’s life stage. In that sense, I think it’s not really a strategy; it’s a partnership defined by what a brand wants to achieve. If you are looking at reaching out to a particular segment of the country, then we have a solution for that. We design and customise packages based on what your needs are. ‘Bigg Boss’ lends itself beautifully for brand engagement, for in-show integration, for innovation, and you can get your product placed inside the house. It’s got a presence across 107 episodes, cutting through the entire festive period. It’s also the time when brands want to really be on television and on digital, because it’s, what we call, peak seasons for them. In that sense, there is not really a one-size-fits-all strategy, we have a customised solution for each and every brand that comes to Bigg Boss.”

With JioCinema coming into the mix, ‘Bigg Boss’ as a show and as a platform, has skyrocketed. As it is not behind the paywall, everybody and anybody, whether they have a subscription or not, can watch ‘Bigg Boss’ either on television or on JioCinema.

On this, Pavithra noted, “When we actually go into the market with ‘Bigg Boss’, we become platform fluid. Because whatever solution we provide, it cuts across platforms. Today, a solution could sit on television, it could have engagement on OTT, it could have some legs on social media, it could also have an on ground presence at the point of sale of the product or at the merchandise outlet or any such thing. This time, thanks to JioCinema, our combined reach will go up to 350-400 million. That’s what we are targeting. I think the reach is what ‘Bigg Boss’ really brings to the table. This year is going to really sort of blow up, if I may say so, from what we did in the previous seasons to this year, you'll see that quantum jump.”

Brand integration in ‘Bigg Boss’ has evolved into a strategic marketing phenomenon, seamlessly blending entertainment with product promotion, on this, Pavithra remarked, “We need to make brands a part of the narrative. We don’t want to bring brands to you in a way which becomes a nuisance to the viewers, you don’t want it to be in your face, hence the integrations are very organic.”

She added, “We find a place which is a natural fit. For example, if it’s a personal care product, the natural fit is the washroom area. If you have a food product, the natural fitment is the kitchen area, anything else, then we sort of find space in the garden area. There is easy product consumption that can be shown because it’s a house. You can show the usage of oil, you can show the usage of a beverage, whatever it is, it is all very organic. Every brand is beautifully stitched into the house and it becomes a part of the house. It is not a forced placement. We don’t do any forced things, and whatever we do, we do intelligent plugs.”

With a track record of hosting a staggering 400 brands over the past three years, ‘Bigg Boss’ has proven to be a strategic goldmine for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge. Pavithra highlighted, “In a year, you have brands keeping money aside for their launches, either on IPL or on ‘Bigg Boss’. Out of all the ways brands engage on ‘Bigg Boss’, one is, product launches. A lot of launches happen on ‘Bigg Boss’, a lot of brand awareness happens on ‘Bigg Boss’, and a lot of consideration as well. When I say consideration, for example, people knew about My Glamm. They were at a stage where there was brand awareness for My Glamm. At the same time, they wanted to get considered over other brands in the same domain, so what we did is, we built a makeup corner in the house and got the contestants to use their product and talk about the product week on week, we reiterated that habit formation that we do, we built an entire solution for them that catered to that. In that sense, I think there’s a great pull for brands, where ‘Bigg Boss’ is concerned. Over the last three years, we’ve had 400 brands on ‘Big Boss’, with spot buys, integrations innovations, passive placements, active integrations, and this year, we’re confident that this number will only go up.”

“Last year, was a phenomenal success. I think we had the best finale ever. With ratings of 5.1, it was one of the best finales that any non-fiction show has delivered, it was a raging success. Based on the success of that, we’ve got that many more enquiries this year. We are very hopeful for a very successful season. One is because of the past performance of the show, and the other, of course, is the fact that this year we’re bringing it to Jio Cinema without a paywall,” Pavithra signed off.