Photo credit: iphonedigital.
There is a reason why Apple, the world’s most valuable company, chose Bollywood and cricket during Tim Cook’s first ever visit to India this week.
And there are lessons in Cook’s schmoozing for all brands that are trying to market their newly launched product – there are no bigger forces than Bollywood and cricket in this country of 1.25 billion people.
Cook met a gamut of Bollywood stars, including the like of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
The celebs, who are hungry for big bang endorsement deals, also had a reason to meet the Apple CEO.
4 reasons Bollywood matters
1. Brand recall: Brands such as Lenovo, Nokia, Samsung, and India’s own Micromax have paid millions of dollars to Bollywood stars such as Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, and Farhan Akhtar to market their products and add some pizazz to their brands.
In one shot, Apple used the entire top gamut of Bollywood stars to tweet about Tim Cook’s visit to India.
2. Language matters: Bollywood appeals to about 800 million people in India who can either understand or speak Hindi.
A tweet or a photo with a host of big Bollywood superstars is likely to get your brand front page or prime time coverage in media – and thus instant recognition.
3. Indian viewership: A small glimpse of your brand during a commercial break of a popular film is likely to bring it to the attention of millions.
About 2.6 billion Bollywood tickets were sold in 2014, making it the most watched cinema on the planet. Hollywood sold about 1.4 billion tickets worldwide the same year.
4. International appeal: Bollywood reaches far beyond India. If you ever wish to launch your product in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, or Africa, an association with a Bollywood superstar will give it instant recognition.
Ubiquitous cricket
Cook out-zucks Zuck
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