Ramayan knocks Game Of Thrones!
Ramayan on TV – a traditional media, a favorite punching bag for current gen advertisers – high on dose of digital and social media app. The old show on the dying broadcast media – who cares? Well, that’s how an opportunity to reach all target segment, that comes once in a lifetime, was totally missed by the advertisers.
Ramayan has become the most viewed program, shattering the record of globally hyped (and most pirated show), Game of Thrones by a record margin. Roughly, 77 million people watched the grand finale of Ramayan vs. 20 million of GOT.
Many viewers have actually re-watched the finale of Ramayan , which shows the staggering popularity and connect with consumers of all ages. The huge numbers show the quality of the content that built a powerful connection with people of all ages. Or was it the old habit that was reignited when the right hook was presented?
Some watched it for nostalgia, some to show their kids what a good show is all about, and the younger generation should know why the streets were deserted when Ramayan was broadcasted in those golden 80’s.
Marketers, as usual missed this altogether! While IPL is put on hold, the firms ready to spend millions during IPL were totally absent (or clueless) about Ramayan. In fact, it was only Amul that hijacked all the breaks with its bag of ads. Many ads were decade old – shown as classic, like the one where Dara Singh recommends cheese/butter.
The Internet and the social media was abuzz even before the launch of first episode of Ramayan. The lockdown has totally expanded the time people spent on Internet. Each Ramayan episode, character, or event was turned into creative Internet memes that were shared across social media apps. Have a look at these;
Favorite topic: ex-girlfriend
Avenger – Thanos meets Ramayan
A sentiment analysis of tweets “Ramayan” key word shows the sentiment positive and calm.
The lockdown not only increased time spent on digital media, but also the time on TV skyrocketed. While a set of firms are still blindly digital driven – typical response – all, TV is dead. The same mentality lead to missed golden opportunity. Millions watching shows like Ramayan, Shaktiman, Mahabharat – all from the golden era of DD on TV. The audience include all target – all types of social-economic , cities, people of ages and gender. But only Amul made the most of it.