Background
Based on the popular novel by Humayan Ahmed, Debi – Misir Ali Prothombar garnered a lot of attention, putting this very important part of bangla literature under the microscope. Produced by Jaya Ahsan and directed by Anam Biswas, it was one of the most anticipated movies in recent years.
While Misir Ali was trying to solve his own complicated mysteries, we wanted to figure out how to pull off the most successful marketing campaign in Bangladeshi film history. The objective was simple: build enough hype and excitement to bring the audience to cinema halls.
Description
We knew from the start that promoting a film of this scale is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We mapped out the journey of a moviegoer and wanted Debi to be present across all the touchpoints.
Multiple mediums consisting of Digital, PR, traditional and offline marketing were carefully crafted to develop the marketing mix. We wanted our strategic approach to be sound, just what a methodical character like Misir Ali deserved. The whole campaign was aligned with the core message, “Bepar ta bojha dorkar”, keeping the sense of mystery and curiosity alive along the way.
The Facebook page was our hub and cornerstone for all our activities along with the official website.
The character teasers and the final trailer for the movie received millions of views each across multiple platforms. Following the release of the hit songs, the tiktok challenge and poster design contest were launched. To maximize the hype, we had hundreds of celebrities across various industries promoting the movie. During the whole campaign there were various trivias, quizzes, character introduction posts, countdowns and behind the scene videos.
During this whole period, Debi was heavily featured on newspapers, magazines, talk shows, radio shows and online portals on a 360 degree spectrum.
Debi cast with the team went to various cinema halls, universities and locations across the country. Jaya Ahsan and Chanchal Chowdhury appeared on Maasranga TV as newsreaders.
Debi partnered up with Bishwo Rang to launch a line of clothes and organized the Debi Model Hunt fashion show. Debi also partnered up with Meril and Ispahani. As for other publicity stunts, Jaya Ahsan and Sabnam Faria sold tickets for the movie in cinema halls. A magician vanished Jaya Ahsan at a surprise public magic show.
The direct results came in the way of Debi being the most hyped movie in recent history in Bangladesh. It reached millions of people across the world and the engagement was constantly higher than any traditional campaign due to the interest of the people. It was the key topic of discussion not only for cinephiles, but also for the general public.
It had a huge opening in halls and Debi was dubbed the most commercially successful movie of 2018 in the Bangladeshi cinema lore. Creating milestones in marketing a film along the way.
Project Overview AV
Key Visuals
