SRK goes all out to make Ra.One hit

The makers of 'Ra.One' are on a marketing blitzkrieg, innovatively promoting their upcoming film on all possible platforms besides collaborating with over 25 brands, popularising its superhero characters while pushing for its merchandise on a vast scale to grab eyeballs and recover the huge investment ahead of its release on Diwali.

Considering that Shahrukh Khan has ventured into an unfamiliar genre of super hero flicks, which has not received much appreciation from Indian public, the superstar is going all out to create awareness and interest in the genre. Shahrukh kicked off the promotions of 'Ra.One' by releasing the first look of the film on Twitter in January this year, this was followed by ten second trailer of the film during World Cup match in the month of March.

The first theatrical trailer of 'Ra.One' was released three months later during a five city tour and a 3600 ft long fan mail was collected with messages from audiences. In early September, SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment launched viral marketing campaign for promoting the film more effectively in the online arena.

"Overall marketing idea is of Shahrukh. Considering the movie is first of its kind being made in India, extraordinary promotions were required. The idea is to create buzz about the movie," Shailja Gupta, Digital & Merchandising head of Red Chillies, told PTI.

An official customised 'Ra.One' channel was launched on YouTube, a first for an Indian film, where audiences can see theatrical promos, songs, events, uncut footage, videos of 'Ra.One' premiere and red carpet events. Western Union, a leader in global payment services to launch a global campaign, joined hands with Red Chillies for international promotions. Through this, Shahrukh is looking to target Indian families settled abroad.