Rani Mukerji's 'Mardaani' emerges a winner at the BO and in the digital arena

Yash Raj Films' latest offering 'Mardaani', which stars Rani Mukerji and Tahir Raj Bhasin in pivotal roles, has wowed everyone since the day of its release. The realistic action sequences, superb performances and a tight script has made 'Mardaani' one of the best cop films to come out in recent times.

The story, which revolved around a tough-as-nails Crime Branch cop (played by Rani), out to trace and apprehend the kingpin of a child trafficking racket, was appreciated not only by Bollywood celebs but also NGOs working for the rights of children as well as officials of the Police Department, who praised the film for its realistic portrayal of police officers. Like with every movie, YRF had gone out of its way to promote the film through innovative digital campaigns.

Digital innovations and out of the box strategies for marketing and promoting their films have always been a core strength of Yash Raj Films. For 'Mardaani', which has wowed everyone with its realistic and gritty content, the production house has broken new ground on the digital space with some very interesting strategies.

The first initiative utilized a popular mobile application, which was a Brand Engagement and reward platform offering mobile users the opportunity to view Ads and earn points for re-charge minutes on an Opt-in basis. What this means is that every time a caller with the app in his mobile phone dials a number to make a call, a pop-up appears on the mobile screen before the call is connected, asking the caller to choose between a free minute sponsored call by Mardaani or to call directly. If the caller chose the former option, the promo plays out seamlessly. This serves a dual purpose resulting in a win-win situation for all.

The second initiative used HTML5 functionality, a first by any Bollywood film for a unique combination of Multiple Interaction Points into one unified Mobile ad unit. Direct engagement with the consumer in his/her very personal mobile space, the scope of interaction and the level of engagement achieved was tremendous.

The third innovation utilized the reach of a popular social networking platform on mobile. Here, users engaged with special rich media banners of the film which showcased the key video units and offered multiple hot spots for engagement thereby exponentially increasing the impact and efficacy of the campaign vis a vis other conventional platforms of advertising.

Mr. Alnoor Merchant - Director of Epigram Digital Media Pvt.Ltd which handles the digital campaigns for the production house says "The mobile space in India is growing at a rapid pace. Today mobile has not just become a means of communication but an extension of the user's personal space for engagement and interaction. Leveraging the power of this platform for a promotional strategy is a must in the current times. With Mardaani, we have explored a couple of really innovative activities engaging users on mobile with the film communication. "