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Movie Marketing

Call Me Bae’s marketing traces Mumbai through Bae’s lens

Following the spoiled princess gone rogue in Ananya Pandey, Call Me Bae’s marketing strategy relies on social media influencers to help the character navigate the nuances of Mumbai. Leveraging Pandey’s persona, the series’ promotional efforts highlight its themes and narrative to engage viewers.

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Harshal Thakur
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Ananya Pandey makes her OTT debut with a character that might just be the least distinct from the actor. The caveat? She is stripped off her privileges and has to make a living for herself without her family name. 

While rich-bashing content has been gaining popularity in the western world for quite some time, it’s relatively new in India and Call Me Bae seems to be an attempt to give audiences the rich-to-rags experience of seeing a rich person having to live an ordinary person’s life–at least that is how the series is being touted to be like. 

Scheduled to premiere on September 6, the series is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment and features Pandey in the role of the eponymous Bella ‘Bae’ Chowdhury alongside an ensemble cast that includes Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra and Mini Mathur. 

To market the series, Prime Video India embraced a social-first approach, in keeping with the series’ themes and setting. 

Way before the series’ production, it was officially announced and promoted by Prime Video India with a video featuring Varun Dhawan and Ananya Pandey describing Call Me Bae. 

Prime Video India officially revealed the series’ release date along with its poster on May 27, revealing the first look of Pandey as Bae.

After more than two months, Pandey was photographed unveiling custom installations from the series in the form luggages called ‘Bae’s Baggage’.

In the subsequent week, a video was released by Prime Video India featuring Karan Johar and Pandey conversing about her OTT debut and the character she would play.

The following week, posters were released revealing other actors from the series and the characters they play.

In what might be considered an unusual move for a web series, a song featuring Pandey and her love interest in the series was released.

The song was further leveraged in the series’ marketing on social media, being incorporated into promotional reels to drive engagement.

Another song from the series was released titled ‘Churaaiyaan’ akin to the marketing of movies.

Ananya Pandey’s social media presence and following of more than 25 million was put to good use to engage her fans. She shared reels and videos about the series keeping the marketing momentum going.

A major promotional effort undertaken by the makers of Call Me Bae and Prime Video India was the use of influencer marketing. Pandey collaborated with several influencers, particularly those from Mumbai, who were depicted helping Bae navigate the nuances of living in Mumbai and sparking humour along the way. These included RJ Mahvash, Viraj Ghelani, Apoorva aka The Rebel Kid, Sakshi Shivdasani, and Karan Sonawane.

Pandey’s wardrobe from the series’ was heavily publicised and displayed across social media as well as offline.

Call Me Bae’s marketing mix included offline events wherein Pandey flaunted her outfits as Bella and the cast interacted with media.

Outdoor promotions remained a significant part as well as billboards and OOH ads were installed at prominent places in major cities. 

Ananya Pandey also rode a metro train in Mumbai to promote the series while the train was covered with the series’ posters. 

The cast of Call Me Bae also engaged in interviews to discuss the series at length and share stories about its making.

Prime Video India’s extensive, social-first marketing campaign, featuring early announcements, influencer collaborations, music releases, and extensive social media engagement leveraging Pandey’s popularity, tried to capture the series’ essence in the process. Offline promotions, including metro rides and outdoor advertisements, complement the digital strategy. The series, aiming to bring back the ‘chick flick’ genre, premieres on September 6.

marketing strategy influencers promotions Call Me Bae Ananya Pandey