“Sony SAB was among the first Hindi GECs to deliver happiness during the lockdown”

Sony SAB’s strategy of presenting light-hearted and hopeful stories narrated in a refreshing way has paid off for the channel, which replaced Colors to climb up to the third spot on pay platforms in Week 44, garnering weekly impressions of 563,399(000).

Sony SAB’s new show, ‘Kaatelal & Sons’, which went on air from November 16, 2020, is a fascinating tale of two sisters who challenge societal norms and face hardships head-on. Inspired by a real story, the show will take viewers through the bustling streets of Rohtak to narrate a heartening tale about ‘un-gendering’ one’s dreams.

Also read:  Sony SAB set to challenge gender stereotypes with its latest campaign

In the run-up to the show’s launch, Sony SAB rolled out a campaign around the thought – ‘Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota’. The campaign saw a 360-degree integrated marketing outreach through print, digital, outdoor, a strategic promotional plan with Paytm and Big Bazaar. A strong digital plan is in place to promote the show and a focused influencer outreach to spotlight the innovative music video – ‘Khol Dimaag Ka Shutter’.

In conversation with Adgully, Vaishali Sharma, Head - Marketing & Communications, Sony SAB, sheds more light on the thought behind this campaign, newly launched show ‘Kaatelal & Sons’, the promotional strategy, Sony SAB’s content strategy in the new normal and more.

Also read:

BARC Wk 44: Sony SAB claims No. 3 on pay platforms

Sony SAB’s new show inspires people with Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahin Hota

Sony SAB set to challenge gender stereotypes with its latest campaign

What is the thought behind the campaign?

Through ‘Kaatelal & Sons’ as well as this campaign, we want to encourage people to think beyond personal limitations and believe that dreams know no gender. We want to encourage people to look beyond stereotypes and break away from what is acceptable to truly be able to achieve their own potential.

We think there is a need to look at life and content in a hopeful and progressive manner. Through the campaign, we are aiming to spread the message that it’s the work that speaks for itself and it is equally accessible for both men and women today. We want to encourage people to go beyond the limitations of gender and work more freely, think more creatively and pursue their dreams.

How did you decide to approach this campaign through a music video?

Music is Sony SAB’s way of reaching people’s hearts and making a point in a fun, relevant, and a relatable fashion. Music is in the DNA of this country, and the response that the video has received already is the true testament of the same. What makes us happier is it is not just the video that’s becoming viral, but the message too has landed well with the audience, which is a significant indicator of the success of any campaign.

What is the concept of the show ‘Kaatelal & Sons’?

Sony SAB as a brand is a progressive and hopeful brand and we are continuously trying to bring stories that can add value to people’s lives and ‘Kaatelal & Sons’ is one such story. Inspired by a real story, ‘Kaatelal & Sons’ will narrate a heartening tale about ‘un-gendering’ your dreams. It brings forth the story of two sisters, Garima and Susheela, who aim to inspire people with a simple thought – ‘Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota’.

What is the key essence of this campaign?

The objective of the campaign is to help bring alive the concept of the show and as a TV channel generate engagement and conversation around such a powerful subject among the audiences. The campaign is built on engaging with our audiences to tap this conversation. The whole concept has been built around ‘Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota’ and we even used #UngenderYourDreams for the more extensive campaign. We are doing many things digitally as well to engage people, whether it is through conversation generation by asking the audience their views or being reflective of current society in terms of a video experiment. The ‘Khol Dimaag Ka Shutter’ video and song has massively helped us generate these conversations. We have seen an overwhelming response in the social media space, where many people are resonating with ‘Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota’.

What are your promotional strategies for the upcoming shows and the current shows?

Given the fact that we’ve been through a challenging time in this pandemic, many patterns of how to reach viewers have changed tremendously, and some mediums have enhanced more than the other. We already have the biggest reach in our own space with our own channel. In addition to that, we have been exploring other mediums, with a greater focus on digital medium going forward. The objective will always be to drive visibility and create buzz along with driving mass engagement.

How has the channel been performing in the post lockdown period? What is the new content that you have come up with during this time?

One of the things that we have witnessed in the last one year, particularly in these unprecedented times, is that our viewers are drawn to the content that we have been doing because it is light-hearted and hopeful and tells stories in a really refreshing way. Our content is consumed much more in these times because there is a need to actually look at the world in a much more hopeful way. Entertainment on television is the perfect place to provide that opportunity.

Sony SAB was amongst the first Hindi general entertainment channels to adapt to the viewership patterns of the television audience and deliver ‘happiness’ to our audience during the lockdown. We have stayed true to that and as a result of which we continue to grow and expand during these times.

Sony SAB is known for its sitcoms, are you looking for new genres as well now?

We will always consider exploring stories and exploring new ways of telling stories. However, the value of the brand and our endeavour to be a progressive brand will always be an underlining factor and will determine how far we will explore other genres.