With the election season reigning centre stage in Tamil Nadu, Kollywood too has been bit by the bug. In an innovative bid to bolster film promotion, the makers of Ko 2 and 24 have turned to incentives to lure the masses.
While makers of 24 have promised watches to kids who watch the film in the theatres, voters can catch Ko 2 on the big screen for free, on one condition - send them selfies of your inked fingers.
Staying true to its theme, the campaign runs parallel to its storyline. Directed by Sarath Mandava, Ko 2 features Prakash Raj as a chief minister, and Bobby Simha, a disguised television reporter. The campaign asks for the people to send selfies of their inked fingers on Whatsapp along with their voter’s slip on the Election Day, offering couple passes to 500 lucky winners. However the selfies hold well only on the 16th of May, after which entries would not be accepted.
“With the D day nearing, we wanted to encourage 100 per cent voting, in the backdrop of Ko 2 being a political thriller,” says Executive Producer of RS Infotainment (Production company: Ko 2), Aswin Kandasamy, to The News Minute. “It was a way of attracting eye-balls to ensure 100 per cent voting along with a 100 per cent attendance for the film as well,” he continues.
Meanwhile, 24’s campaign gives ‘magic watches’ to children below the age of 8, with the film’s theme revolving around a time-travelling watchmaker.
Though cinema’s relationship with promotional tactics has been time immemorial, Kollywood has taken to social media marketing of late, says Kaushik, a film analyst and a Twitter influencer. “Be it Uttama Villain’s memes for Kamal Hassan before its release or the Vimal starring Anjala’s memes promoting tea stalls, social media promotion is the trend,” he adds.