Many emotions are used in advertising and branded material to engage customers. One of them is fear. Fear has been utilised by brands as an effective communication technique. PVR-INOX Ltd, India’s largest theatre chain, has been employing effective marketing strategies to promote Horror films.
The promotion began with a post on PVR Cinema’s Instagram page asking fans to see the last installment of the Insidious film series alone in the theatre.The contest generated a tremendous amount of interest and participation. At the end of the week, a winner was picked by a random drawing. Vicky, the winner, was then invited to attend Insidious: The Last Key alone in the opulent PVR Inox theatre.
The covert cameras recorded what happened in the hall. Vicky was terrified and his mind was going wild. Vicky made it to the exit just as the movie concluded. Vicky walks into the theatre like a celebrity in the film, directed by Titus Upputuru. He strides into the theatre wearing sunglasses and chewing gum, looking every bit the winner that he was. He enters the dark auditorium after purchasing his favourite caramelised popcorn and a cool drink.
After this the movie begins. Initially Vicky watches the movie with great ease. However as the movie starts he starts getting frightened by the scenes. He feels very eerie and weirded out. The scary scenes take a toll on this mental health and then the service staff arrives with his order. He gets a hot dog and sees a red apparition behind him. He feels like someone is caressing his neck. This spooks him out and he looks behind only to see no one there.
Finally he ran away as he thought that the spookiness was getting to him. So he ran back to his car. As son as he sits in his car he realizes that something is wrong with it as well. The films end with the line ‘Enter the darkness, if you dare’
Speaking about the campaign, the Director of the film, Titus Upputuru said, “It is one thing to watch a horror film on a small screen at home. It is quite another to watch it on a big screen, alone! It was great fun shooting the film. The task was not just to capture the protagonist’s feelings and emotions but to manifest what was going on in his mind. That was the big challenge. There were several elements that we used to create the atmosphere of fear. The colors, the mirrors, the lonely top shots, the red apparition, the creepy hands, the sounds, and the edit, all went into making the experience both real and surreal.”
As per Shony Panjikaran – General Manager & Head, Sony Pictures Releasing International, India said, “We embarked on a thrilling journey with PVR INOX, creating a captivating tale to unveil the final chapter of Insidious. This horror-filled promotion explores the consequences when one dares to venture into the chilling world of fear, alone at a cinema. From an Instagram contest that sparked an overwhelming response, Vicky emerged as the brave victor who stepped into the darkness, only to have his senses tested to the limit. Insidious: The Red Door delivers an unforgettable cinematic experience which needs to be witnessed on the big screen, like the grandest screens at PVR INOX.
The campaign was very well received and the marketing tactics show well PVR-INOX knows its audience.