Relying on the film’s eerie premise, Shaitaan’s marketing delved into on ground initiatives with innovative methods. Using a formulaic approach on social media, the marketing team capitalised on horror-infused creatives to drive intrigue–with some help from the organic traffic generated through the on-screen return of Jyothika and R. Madhavan together.
The Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, and Jyothika starrer Shaitaan has hit theatres across India. This psychological horror film has tried to send shivers down spines with its chilling marketing campaign. The focus has been on building suspense and unease, rather than relying on splashy action sequences or songs.
The Vikas Bahl directorial Shaitaan features the story of a cheerful family that embarks on a vacation to a remote village, where they cross paths with a mysterious individual posing as their benefactor. However, his intentions are far from benevolent as he employs dark magic to manipulate and terrorize them. As the family becomes aware of the imminent peril, they must unite to fend off the malevolent forces and secure their survival amidst the eerie surroundings.
To capitalise on the film’s premise, the marketing team employed a restricted yet innovative approach. Apart from conventional on-ground activities and social media engagement, the marketing team devised a few novel approaches to promoting the film. Here is how it all came about:
Pop-up OOH:
The marketing team, in collaboration with Panorama Studios, came up with an interesting way of leveraging OOH. They unveiled pop up hoardings. A first-of-its-kind for movies, and it did the trick in giving the audience a glimpse into the eerie vibe of Shaitaan.
The use of social media in Shaitaan’s marketing was significant–although the number of social media posts seemed to be consciously moderated. Devgn Films and Jio Studios revealed the movie’s release date with a spooky poster on January 19. Subsequently, new posters were shared on social media with the teaser released on January 25, to significant buzz.
Taking the momentum ahead in a calculated manner, the song ‘Khushiyaan Bator Lo’ was unveiled, with its teaser being shared on social media prior to its release.
The trailer of Shaitaan was released on February 22, two weeks before the movie’s release. The trailer created intrigue among audiences and started trending on X (Twitter) at #1. Within four days of its release, the trailer garnered 55+ million views across all platforms.
The movie also received some organic traffic vis-a-vis R. Madhavan, who completed 25 years in Indian cinema. Along with that, the return of Jyothika and Madhavan together on-screen generated buzz among fans.
Shaitaan collaborated with PVR cinemas to connect with the audience on-ground. Shaitaan-themed setups were unveiled across PVR cinema halls. These consisted of props used in the movie to create intrigue and eeriness among the audience.
The movie’s cast made several public appearances to create awareness about the movie among people.
The trailer launch of Shaitaan took place in Mumbai with the event being attended by the entire cast, who engaged in a thorough conversation about the film and interacted with the media.
Overall, Shaitaan's movie marketing strategy was a mix of innovation and novel approaches--particularly in the offline initiatives--and some old tricks from the marketing book.
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