Award Season Marketing

At the beginning of each New Year, regular scheduled programming is replaced by award shows and then re-runs of the award shows.  In the last decade alone, we have seen dozens of award show franchises crop up and each seems like a version of the other, so which award show matters the most?

Is it all rigged? Is the glass half full? Is there even a glass?

Even if we put aside the cynical thought ‘its all rigged’ and really try to look at the various brands of award shows in a fair manner, there is really no way to tell one apart from another.

Tale as old as 1954

Along with the National Film Awards, the Filmfare Awards date back to 1954 and these are two of the longest-running award shows in the country. In spite of this, each year the Filmfare Awards look like a whole different franchise, even the iconic ‘black lady’ statue isn’t consistent in appearance.

I think for audiences and nominees alike, this much inconsistency can dilute the charm of the ceremony and also distract from the real focus- the films.

But it seems as though each award brand follows a similar pattern- the show opens with red carpet coverage of who-wore-what that takes over the ‘explore’ page on Instagram and the pages of newspapers (Interestingly the fashion critique is usually focused on the female attendees with the exception of Ranveer Singh) and days before the award ceremony is telecasted, there is a complete breakdown of who the best-dressed person at the event was.

Red carpet fashion is a great place for designers and especially young brands to establish themselves so it’s understandable that there is a lot of coverage on the looks leading to the event but it sometimes put the actual nominations on the back seat.

Wait, how are the winners chosen?

The National Film Awards decide winners after a panel of government-appointed specialists puts a vote. The other award shows are a combination of audiences and critics alike, but there is little transparency on this procedure. It can’t be coincidental that the winners of the awards are usually the people that also happen to be in attendance.

The mild sexism

Almost all Award shows start with a host duo (usually male) in tailored suits and tailored scripts kicking off the night with lighthearted jokes. This is not necessarily the sexist part, but as the night progresses and the awards are handed out, there are so many older male CEO’s and VP’s escorted onto the stage alongside slender young actresses to announce nominees and hand out awards that it is almost uncomfortable to watch. Is it possible that maybe one day we can have a female duo open and host the shows? Is it also possible that women CEO’s and VP’s can be escorted on stage by some strapping young men to hand out the awards? Is there an alternate reality where this happens?

SponCon

Sponsorship isn’t exclusive to Indian award shows, but nowhere else are audiences whacked over their heads with marketing taglines as much. As a child, I often wondered how the Golden Globes and Academy Awards remained unchanged year after year, but the IFFA, Golden Globes, Filmfare, Zee Cine Awards and seem to be titled something different each year.

The title of the award show always begins thus:  standard soap brand presents the (insert name here) awards powered by some scooter brand in association with a bag of rice co-powered by a certain type of hair oil. It’s almost like listening to an audiobook that you got as a present from a co-worker who secretly hates you.

Further, each time the show returns from a commercial break the host absolutely must reiterate this title/ short story in full. As an adult, I firmly believe that if I am made to hear a brand name over ten times in the duration of a three-hour award show, then that is a brand that doesn’t deserve to be purchased.

Celebrating what counts

Indian films are so distinct and powerful, and all the people that work in the industry deserve a fair and equal stage to be celebrated but somewhere in the haze of firework fueled dances and loud sponsored content that recognition is lost.

Hopefully, in the years to come, we can focus a little more on the screen and let go a little bit of the silver plated taglines to celebrate what really counts.