Stealth PeeaaR.

May be it is my hyper-cynical self at its alarming best or may be these are the best kept secrets.. but I believe that a lot of luxury marketing-communication is happening in the name of what is seems to be programming content or news stories.
Be it VV Chopra gifting a super-expensive car to A Bachchan or the top actor-presenter wearing a maxi-exclusive designer label while hosting a TV show.
No matter what the product category is, but these stealth PR/Promotion moves are a very efficient way to create an awareness and association splash, a splash that people do not just ‘like to listen to’ but ‘believe in’ just as much.

These splashes might not be necessarily targeted to the old rich in India but they sure are the best way to reach out to the new rich who are eager to make a luxury statement and be known for it (new rich= ‘we pay to be on TV/pages of newspaper’).

So whether it is ‘I drive the same model of car that Mr. Chopra chose for Mr. Bachchan’ or ‘for my son’s wedding I am gifting the same brand of suit-length, to all the men invited, that that Mr. Khan is seen wearing when he hands over those big denomination cheques to the starry eyed contestants in KBC-3’, these publicity/PR/promotion stunts work exceedingly well.

The key is to keep them totally stealth (like in the VV Chopra gifting situation) or partially under cover (like the scrolling suit-length brand in the program credits).

Happy Marketing!