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Movie Marketing

GOAT’s marketing efforts rely on Vijay’s popularity and the genre’s mass-y appeal

Vijay’s penultimate film before his foray into politics featured a larger-than-life marketing campaign that milked the star’s popularity. GOAT’s marketing strategy put a sizable capital in promotions worldwide, launching merchandise, posters, and custom accessories.

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Harshal Thakur
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Vijay’s much-awaited time-travel thriller The Greatest of All Time (or GOAT) has made its way to the big screen. Directed by Venkat Prabhu, stars Vijay in dual roles, alongside Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan, Ajmal Ameer, Jayaram, Sneha, Laila, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Vaibhav, Yogi Babu, Premgi Amaren and Yugendran. It follows Gandhi, the former leader of a special anti-terrorist squad, who reconciles with his squad members to address the problems that stemmed from their previous actions.

Made on a budget of INR 400 crore, it is AGS Entertainment’s most expensive film. Announced in May 2023, the film had been greatly anticipated by fans of Vijay. The marketing of the film was a simultaneous endeavour as it kept the anticipatory momentum going. 

The first promotional material for the film was unveiled on 31 December 2023, with the release of the official first-look poster, which also revealed the film’s title. 

This marked the beginning of a series of promotional activities leading up to the film's release.

Months before the film’s release, the song ‘Whistle Podu’ was released which received considerable response.

Following this, a teaser trailer was launched on 22 June 2024, timed to coincide with the 50th birthday celebration of the film’s lead actor, Vijay, making the event a significant milestone for both the actor and his fans.

In terms of further promotional updates, Archana Kalpathi, the film’s creative producer, took to social media on 29 July 2024 to announce that a series of updates would be released starting in August. The first of these updates was related to the film's third single. Despite the anticipation, the announcement posters for the single, released on 1 and 2 August, were met with a largely negative reaction. Fans and the general audience voiced their disapproval, with much of the criticism directed towards Vijay's digitally de-aged appearance in the posters, which many found unnatural.

On 25 August 2024, the film's official merchandise was made available to the public through collaborations with Filmydice, Meesakar, ColourCrafts, and Namma Tribe. This merchandise launch was a major part of the film’s marketing strategy, aimed at boosting fan engagement and providing various memorabilia related to the movie.

The film made headlines for an unprecedented promotional stunt when its poster was launched at an altitude of over 140,000 feet in the sky over Malaysia, marking a historic first in movie marketing. This unique approach was designed to create global buzz and further elevate the film's profile. Just two days later, on 8 August, an IMAX promotional poster was unveiled, officially confirming that the film would be released in IMAX format, enhancing the anticipation for a visually grand cinematic experience.

Considering that there were 29 IMAX screens in India and only 2 in Tamil Nadu, the IMAX release was expected to be a particularly significant event for international viewers compared to those within the domestic market. Following the IMAX release, the makers had also decided to launch the film in EPIQ format, and the film's director, Venkat Prabhu, took to social media to make the official announcement.

The promotions also involved hyperlocal marketing as metro trains across north India were decorated with the film’s posters.

The film achieved another significant milestone by becoming the first South Indian film to have its poster showcased on the prestigious Leicester Square Screen in the UK, further solidifying its global appeal.

Posters of the film were also flown by the Canada VMI team in the sky, jumping from their aircrafts. 

The film's trailer, which debuted on 17 August 2024, shattered records, becoming the most-watched Tamil film trailer within a 24-hour period, amassing 33 million views. In the first hour alone, the trailer garnered 1 million views, and within six hours, it had also gained 1 million likes. This overwhelming response highlighted the strong anticipation surrounding the film. Notably, Vijay's de-aged appearance in the trailer received widespread praise, with viewers noting it as a marked improvement compared to earlier promotional materials. Director Venkat Prabhu later confirmed that the adjustments to Vijay’s appearance were made in response to the feedback from fans. 

Amplifying the efforts on social media, a filter called GOAT filter was launched on Instagram to increase fan engagement.

All in all, the extensive marketing campaign of GOAT spanned months of meticulous step-by-step launch of assets that ramped up excitement in fans, particularly with the massive range of merchandise that featured a range of designs. The film’s marketing relied heavily on its lead star’s popularity across the country making him a suitable focal point to build marketing efforts around.

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