Time to (un)lock the show?

ADVERTISING: Who wants a hangover? New promos build up Brand SRK.

It came in as an unknown property with an ageing filmstar whose fortunes were not on the rise. But amazingly, it captured the entire nation's imagination and probably changed the way TV was watched.

Then came the sequel with double the people's expectations and the prize money! And did better than the first time. Only the success was cut short by an abrupt ending owing to Amitabh Bachchan's health problems.

Now, a year-and-a-half later, Kaun Banega Crorepati is back with a bang and with the biggest star of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, as its new host.

The first promos of the show recently went on air and ride on the questions one has to face on life's plank, and ends with the tagline "Some questions can change your life".

While Brand Bachchan didn't have too many issues in the second coming of KBC, with Khan it could be a different ball game. No lesser brand than Bachchan himself, Khan is venturing into unknown territory.

The channel officials seem confident about their new host and the host of activities around him. Says Ajay Vidyasagar, executive vice president marketing, STAR India, "With the second phase of the programme, we focused more on Bachchan as the friend. This time it will be more about the programme and how we will take it to a new level."

"Shah Rukh would definitely add a different appeal to the show than Bachchan, and we will focus on these values as well," he adds.

The format of the programme remains the same and the episodes are expected to be spread over four months with a four-times-a-week schedule, in the 9 pm slot.

Interactivity will be the key factor this time around. The mobile and SMS will be the crucial factors for promotional activities. Airtel has already started their KBC questions and will continue.

Another TVC would follow suit soon with a similar storyline but different situations, and then there will be a final ad in which Khan would talk to the audience.

The marketing activities would be rolled in the next week or so including press, on-ground activities, outdoor and other mediums. The ad-spend ratio would consist of 70 per cent for TV and 30 per cent for the rest of the mediums.

While the channel remains tight-lipped about the money spent on promotional activities, it is said that it is definitely higher as compared to the previous two editions.

"I don't expect star to go overboard with promotional activities and it should be a right mix of all mediums," says a Delhi-based media planner. So far, the promos don't have a Bachchan hangover, so it will be interesting to see if the show has any or not!