Big CBS Prime kicks off marketing campaign on-ground

Big CBS Networks' new television channel releases an outdoor balloon TV in high activity areas, showing promos of its primetime shows.

Big CBS Prime, Big CBS Networks’ English general entertainment channel has kicked off a series of marketing initiatives aimed at customer engagement in order to give them the channel experience.

Two 13-feet huge inflated balloons have been placed in high-footfall malls, one in Mumbai and one in Delhi each. The aim is to draw the attention of walk-in customers. Exciting promos of different shows telecast on Big CBS Prime will be shown on this balloon TV. Its key prime time shows such as NCIS, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Survivor, Bellator and The Late Show with David Letterman are being promoted through these screens.

BIG CBS Networks is an equal joint venture between Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) and CBS Studios International. The JV will see the launch of three English Entertainment Channels marking not just RBNL's, but the Reliance ADA Group's entry into the television broadcasting space and CBS Corporation entry into India.

Discussing the customer engagement initiative, Anand Chakravarthy, senior vice-president, marketing, Reliance Broadcast Network tells afaqs!, "Since we are a television station, the best form of promotion is to get people to see the shows and its promos. Hence, we were looking for an innovative way to make this happen. By placing a huge, 13-feet balloon in the centre of a high-activity area we intend attracting many eyeballs that we aim to gain for the channel."

The balloon TVs will be rotated to other centres across India as well, ensuring the maximum impact of this innovative media. This is a long term property that the channel will own and will be utilised over a period of six months. Chakravarthy adds that this is a first of the many innovative activities that we have planned for this year. In a bid to stand out, the channel, apart from using mass media vehicles to build reach, will also innovatively use the traditional media. In order for viewers to actually get a feel of the show, an extra thrust will be given to on-ground promotions across the country.

To create interest and word-of-mouth buzz for Big CBS Prime, several on-ground mall interactions with audiences have been planned, of which a few have been rolled out already. "At malls across cities, we created customised on-ground activities around Big CBS Prime's key shows such as NCIS, Bellator and Survivor. These activities used a series of interactive games to engage audiences in order to give them a relevant experience of the show."

The themed channels are being targeted at India's fast-growing, upwardly mobile population and will be branded BIG CBS Prime, a premium English general entertainment channel, BIG CBS Spark, first international youth entertainment channel and BIG CBS Love, first ever international women's entertainment channel. The channels will offer audiences immediate access to authentic and current CBS programmes, including some of the most popular television programmes in the world. The channels will be made available across a network of digital and analog distribution platforms.