Tu Jhooti Main Makkar: When product placements stole the show

The Ranbir Kapoor-Shraddha Kapoor starrer Tu Jhooti Main Makkar has been receiving a lot of love from critics and audiences alike. The film appeals to the sensibilities of modern-day moviegoers with just a smattering of old-school cliches like the turning-up-at-the-airport-to-stop-the-heroine-from-leaving scene. 

Apart from these tropes, the audiences have also been noticing a parade of various brands that keep showing up in the scenes. Even in the theatres, people cannot help but point out the blatant integrations and are left wondering whether they were force fit or smooth.

The filmmakers also ensured that the audiences didn’t miss the designer brand Manish Malhotra. Even Samsung’s flip phone found significant screen time. 

Discussions about TJMM’s brand integrations moved from movie halls to social media as well.

As a moviegoer, it was quite obvious to this writer that the viewers were conscious of the brand placements and were actively discussing them just as they would do the story. It so seems that the audience is quite cognizant of such practices, especially after movies like Krissh, Yaadein and the more recent Darlings by Netflix.

A reason why brand integrations are better noticed by the audience, according to Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant, and Founder, of Bright Angles Consulting, is sheer curiosity.

At the movies,"...the boundaries between reality and fantasy are blurring and people like to see what their favourite characters are donning,” Sampath points out. Viewers tend to dimensionalize the lives and contexts of characters, she states, “It comes more natural that we will pay attention to the brands that they use, the restaurants they visit, the flights they take and much more.”

What’s in it for brands?

Some may say that placements are more effective than commercials since audience takes better notice of them and is led more willingly into seeing them. Research says that weaving the products into the narrative of the film helps the viewers to develop positive sentiments towards the brands. It’s a sneaky technique employed by marketers to bypass “ad blindness” or the tendency to ignore advertisements and billboards.

Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting, points out an interesting detail that explains why: “Most people tend to tune out advertising when they know beforehand that it’s advertising unless, of course, it’s of specific relevance to them. This is why when the brand comes integrated into the content, it gets noticed and remembered because it bypasses the screen that viewers reflexively erect in their minds to block out clutter.”

“Brands understand that they get natural recall versus spending a huge sum to hire top endorsers and then even more money to air the ad on ad breaks,” adds Sampath. In the age of social media and influencer marketing, we are also naturally primed to notice all forms of endorsement, she says.

Alls well as long as the placements are done organically and covertly. The method can backfire if they are forcefit. With audiences growing more heedful of product placements, it will be interesting to see how films and brands can step up their brand integration game.