Percept Picture Company ventures into ‘Horrotainment’

Think horror films in Bollywood and one hears groans of ‘Oh no, not another tacky laughable spook pretender’. India has not been able to match an ‘Exorcist’ or ‘The Omen’ so far. But if Percept Picture Company has its way, those days could be over soon. So confident is it about the horror genre that it has launched a new division for it.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Feb 27, 2009 7:03 AM  | 4 min read
Percept Picture Company ventures into ‘Horrotainment’

For long, romance, action, comedies and family dramas have been the staple of regular Bollywood fare. However, with the advent of the ‘multiplex’ culture and a bold generation of young directors not afraid to experiment, there have been off-beat movies like ‘DevD’, ‘Luck by Chance’, ‘Life… in a Metro’, etc. But when it comes to horror movies, the genre has been languishing in the tacky productions of Ramsay Brothers of yore.

True, there have been gems like an early Ram Gopal Varma film ‘Raat’ and later ones like ‘Bhoot’, ‘Phoonk’, and the hit ‘Raaz’. However, horror movies have mostly scared away the audiences from the theatres, mostly due to poor production standards, or weak story lines or lack of aggressive marketing.

Horror fest

Now, Percept Picture Company (PPC) has stepped into this genre, which is usually not found lucrative by other production houses. In fact, so upbeat is PPC about horror films that it has launched an entire division, christened PPC Horrotainment, dedicated to making, distributing and marketing horror films in India. PPC will be releasing 10 films in this genre at the rate of three films every year.

On why horror, Navin Shah, CEO, Percept Picture Company, explained, “Horror in itself is a very huge genre of the film industry. Bollywood has already created milestones in this segment by producing remarkable movies like ‘Woh Kaun Thi’, ‘Gumnaam’, and many more. However, these movies were not created for all kinds of audiences, but for a selected few. This genre is really lucrative if we produce movies keeping all segments of viewers in our mind.”

Speaking on the creative idea behind launching such segment, Sahilendra Singh, Joint MD, Percept Picture Company, elaborated, “In the sixties, horror was part of mainstream cinema with superhits such as ‘Madhumati’, ‘Woh Kaun Thi’, ‘Mera Saaya’, etc. However, over the years, horror was stuck and classified as B-grade. In 2002, horror made a stunning comeback with the superhit ‘Raaz’. In 2007, horror in Bollywood got a required shot in the arm with Priyadarshan’s blockbuster ‘Bhool Bulaiya’, and with the recent successes of ‘Phoonk’, ‘1920’ and ‘Raaz - 2’, horror in Bollywood is definitely on an upswing.”

After creating masterpieces like ‘Viraasat’ and ‘Hera Pheri’, to name a few, Priyadarshan will be venturing into the world of ghosts, spirits and the unknown with the new film, intriguingly titled ‘Grrr…’, for PPC Horrotainment. On choosing Priyadarshan to direct the first film for the division, Singh said, “Priyadarshan was chosen for our first PPC Horrotainment presentation ‘Grrr…’ as he is known for his intellectual and brilliant movie making techniques and will broaden his versatility by churning his talent in the new genre with Percept Picture Company.”

“We are also in the process of finalising few other directors. At the moment I cannot reveal all the names before they are finalised,” Shah added.

Marketing it right

A 360-degree approach will be adopted to market these films through mediums like online. Web applications would be high on the Percept agenda.

Shah informed, “As far as our marketing plans are concerned, we are approaching in 360-degree arenas. Our plans are to create franchises to merchandise on the lines of Horrortainment. However, for now we are only planning for movies, but going ahead, we will be producing special 2D and 3D digital games along with horror comics. PPC will produce a complete package of this segment.”

He further said, “We have our own advertising agency to suffice all the needs of our communication purposes. We are going through with only PerceptH, which is the ad agency for Percept Picture Company.”

Sound of music and distribution rights

Music has been a major draw for horror movies, take ‘Raaz’ in recent times, for example. Keeping this in mind, PPC would pay special attention to promoting the music as well as music and distribution rights.

On this, Shah said, “Music plays a big role in making any horror movie a big hit. Therefore, we are very conscious of the music rights and distribution of our films. We are planning to distribute our films and the music rights not only in the metro cities, but in the entire Tier I and II belt across the country. We wish to do this as a campaign on the national level.”

As to how much PPC expects to spend on the horror movies, Shah replied, “It depends on the size and structure of the film. On an average, the spends would be in the region of Rs 50-60 crore.”

Perhaps PPC Horrotainment will be able to give the much maligned horror genre the much needed respectability and marketing muscle. We surely will watch their progress with much interest.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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