The hype machine of 'Aynabaji'

Aynabaji is going to receive 8 awards at the  National Film Awards today, a huge honour for Amitabh Reza Chowdhury and Co. The awards include Best Director, Best Actor (Chanchal Chowdhury), Best Screenwriter (Anam Biswas and Gawsul Alam) among others. However, an aspect of the film which often goes as the 'unsung' hero is its marketing. We provide you an inside scoop as to how the groundbreaking film was marketed. 

Arguably the first film to adopt a global marketing trend, Aynabaji, skipped the orthodox Bangladeshi method of mass-produced posters and bolded dialogues. The team hit the 'home run' of a staggering 154 million impressions at $0.01 Cost Per Mile, an industry lowest.

The marketing and PR team integrated the promotion plan into 6 weeks. With the target audience in mind, songs were released with lyrical videos in order to engage them in what they called 'love week'. The announcement and engagement campaign were making their way into the minds of viewers along with the stellar musical tracks. Small snippets from the film further piqued their interest.

The 360 degree technique of promoting products saw an interactive week where spectators were encouraged to take part in contests and flash mobs. By the end of the 6-week campaign, the audience were already on the edge of their seats.

Facebook was also a focal point of Aynabaji's marketing. An event was created with a follower rate of 100,000. The poster, trailer and songs soon became viral prior to the release. The audience expressed a keen interest in watching the movie by sharing the content, and tagging their friends to do the same.

The marketers also went out of their way to conduct an anti-piracy campaign, the very first to be held in Bangladesh. A 'guess the release date' contest was held, along with the use of terms such as Velkibaaji, Ei Shohor Amar, Ayna saw an increasing amount of popularity among young viewers.

Morever, even though Aynabaji was illegally uploaded in some places, the support from the law and general people alike was outstanding. As the curtain dropped, Aynabaji had been publicized in 634 newspaper articles, 14 magazines and 90 times on television. The film made its presence felt in international film festivals including the Cannes, Mannheim, IFFI and more. The various accolades, that it has received ever since, however, are trumped by the love and adoration that the audience has given Aynabaji.