Brand Management

Individual Assignment

Brand Name: Kangana Ranaut

Submitted to: Prof. Rajeev Kamble

Submitted by: Pritam Pandey

Roll No: 2014205

Section: D

“Nobody was my support. You have to support yourself and I think that is the beauty of being a woman.”

Kangana Ranaut

The analogy might be politically incorrect and even reek of sexism but you know a Hindi film heroine has truly

arrived when the audience, critics, and even the trade pundits start calling her a “Khan” at the box office. What

makes comparing Kangana Ranaut’s recent run at the box office with the three Khans more interesting is the fact

that the actress has never worked opposite Aamir, Salman or Shah Rukh. Moreover, Ranaut would be one of the

very few leading ladies in Hindi Cinema is the past two and a half decade who managed to become an A-list

entity without working opposite the Khans or with marquee production houses. Close on the heels of Queen, the

2014 surprise smash hit that cleared any doubts about her box office appeal, Ranaut was almost guaranteed a hit

in the sequel of the film that had catapulted her to the big league, but her double role as Tanuja “Tanu” Trivedi

and Kusum in Tanu Weds Manu Returns has established her as the number one in the field.

Introduction:

Birth Name: Kangana Amardeep Ranaut

Date of Birth: 20 March 1987, Bhambla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Kangana was born in the Hindi-speaking Ranaut family on 20 March 1987 in Bhambla, near Manali, which is in

the Mandi district in the State of Himachal Pradesh, India. Her father's name is Amardeep, who is a businessman

and contractor, her mother, Asha, is a school-teacher. She has two sisters, eldest one is Rangoli, and she has a

brother, Akshit, who is about a year younger than her. Her grandfather was an IAS Officer. Kangana spent her

childhood in Dehra Dun and studied in DAV's High School where she participated in many debates, elocutions,

and was a basket-ball player. She initially intended to become a doctor on the insistence of her parents. However

a failed unit test in chemistry during her twelfth grade led Ranaut to reconsider her career prospects and despite

preparing for the All India Pre Medical Test, she did not turn up for the exam. Determined to find her "space and

freedom", she relocated to Delhi at the age of sixteen. Her decision not to pursue medicine led to constant feuding

with her parents and her father refused to sponsor a pursuit he considered to be aimless.

In Delhi, Ranaut was unsure which career to choose; the Elite Modelling Agency were impressed by her looks

and suggested that she model for them and also tried some theater acting in Delhi and was a member of the Smita

Theater Group under Arvind Gaur. She is also a trained Kathak dancer, and is learning to sing from Amitabh

Chakraborty.

She decided to re-locate to Bombay, and lived in a flat in Yari Road, Versova. Her attempts at acting in Bollywood

movies were unsuccessful. Then during September 2005, she was spotted drinking coffee in a café by Film-maker

Anurag Basu, who approached her, and eventually signed her up for a lead role in 'Gangster' which was released

during the year 2006. Since then Kangana has appeared in a total of twenty two movies, including 'Dhaam Dhoom'

in Tamil.

Brand Personality:

A brand’s personality is formally defined as “a set of human characteristics associated with the name of a product,

service or company”. To find out the brand personality, I did an unstructured field study in IMT Nagpur and

asked student managers about the brand personality of Kangana Ranaut. Following are the response which I got

in the study:

Free-spirited: Kangana is a girl who still smiles when things aren't going too well, taking a positive outlook on

life and trying to make the most of it. The way she handles media, who have mocked her because of her poor

English, is remarkable. As in an interview with Filmfare magazine she says “. I couldn’t even speak proper

English. Mahesh Bhatt used to call me ‘wild flower’. I was always treated well. But I had other problems.

Priyanka Chopra and the other girls have trained in the Miss India contest, so they knew how to handle

themselves. They were well-groomed. I wasn’t. So I couldn’t make most of the opportunities that came my way”

Real and honest: As seen in different interviews, she pours her heart while giving an interview. In a television

interview with Anupama Chopra, she said things that we never expect to hear from anyone who works in the film

industry. She openly talked about her insecurities, her weak moments and she didn’t even shy away from taking

a dig at the supersized egos of men who work in movies.

Socially Responsible: Kangana turns down a fairness cream ad deal worth Rs. 2 crore. She has several reasons

to not endorse a fairness cream brand. The actress does not like the way such ads are presented, and thinks that

such ads do hurt the confidence of darker people, especially women. Kangana also told that her sister, too is a

little dark, so endorsing a fairness cream would mean insulting her own sister and the rest of the community who

aren't fair. As a public figure, the actress does not want to promote a wrong message and hamper the youth's

mind-set hence no matter how much she's paid for it, she will not jump on the bandwagon with a fairness cream

deal.

Eccentric: Kangana believes in taking unconventional role to challenge herself. As she believes that she still has

to learn a lot in acting. Whether it’s her clothing style or her stand on various issues, she chooses a different path.

Versatile: A quick look at her filmography would reveal the versatile nature of her craft. In her less-than-a-

decade-long career, Kangana has done various roles. How she managed to avoid being typecast as a drunken,

traumatised, drugged-up heroine post her debut film Gangster and a subsequent award-winning role in Fashion,

is the stuff of film legend.

Influential: Kangana changed the way men viewed women-oriented movies and also influenced many people,

who dream to get a break in Bollywood. Kangana Ranaut's life is testament to perseverance. Of how a girl with

no Bollywood background, purely on merit and gumption went from playing moll in Anurag Basu's Gangster to

being the eponymous Queen in a film that grossed Rs 100 crore.

Straightforward: Kangana is not afraid to say what she wants to say. In an interview she trashes Sonam Kapoor

for calling “people who act are ugly”. In another interview spunky and straightforward, Kangana says,"I am an

honest person. And I also realise that many people dislike me for being so." Like these they are many examples

where she displays this characteristics.

Brand Positioning:

Kangana is not an art-house material according to cinema standards. The fact that she has effected change staying

within the mainstream format says it all. She has made commercial Bollywood realise that for a woman to be

sexy and appealing on screen, she needn't be imagined as mere glam prop to the hero. Kangana has not only

impacted the Indian cinema through overwhelming box office collection but has triggered the imagination of a

host of directors hungering to create out - off- the box entertainment. She is among few of the heroines right now

for whom specific roles are being written. Old timers would find a reflection of Rekha in Kangana. Like Rekha,

Kangana define a parallel superstardom among contemporaries. Traditionally, Rekha was never deemed number

one. That slot was reserved for Hema Malini in the seventies and Sridevi in the eighties. Yet she managed to find

a slot for herself that seemed more exclusive than the reigning queen.

After the release of the film Queen and after getting the Best Actress National Award for her role in Queen people

perception of her as an actress had changed. She has been given the title of “Queen of Bollywood”. Ranaut is one

charmer who has only evolved as an actress, taking up different roles each time that were challenging enough to

be used as stepping stones to build a strong career path for herself. She did not hesitate once while playing a drug

addict fashion model in the film fashion, an alcoholic in 'gangster' and arm candy in 'rascals', and she sure has

left a mark on the industry with films like 'queen' and 'tanu weds manu' series giving us an insight into her bold

and experimental nature.

What makes Kangana Ranaut unique is mostly her choice of unusual films. She pushes the boundaries of what

constitutes beauty. Can be both odd looking and modelesque. According to her first and foremost is an artist and

then an entertainer. Kangana has successfully changed her positioning from an actor who can easily play

psychotic roles to a versatile actor. In total it could be said that Kangana represents versatility, boldness, rawness

and honesty.

USP of the brand:

A reviewer for Rediff.com described her as a "director's actress" who is susceptible to both "shine and crumble

under the right/wrong guidance". Anand L Rai (the director of Tanu Weds Manu) says that Ranaut actively

pursues roles in which she can "work in her own space and not become a mere prop in the male-dominated

Bollywood”. Kangana has had her share of controversies but she prefers to keep it light all the time. She is subtle

and seems submissive but in reality she is a force that works at her own pace. She may not be intense outwardly

but performer in her is intensely active. Her theatre background and early initiation into films (camera acting)

makes her a perfect combo. She has the spontaneity that goes well with theatrics and also displays those quick

micro-emotions that work so well before the camera.

Brand Association:

Ranaut seems to have somewhat altered her strategy. She is choosing scripts where female protagonists lead such

as Queen, Revolver Rani and Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Her brand equity has gone up as audience see her capable

of delivering a good solo performance and are ready to bet their weekend theatre budget on her.

This is what exactly a brand needs from a celebrity endorser; capable of creating conversations and be a talk of

the town. And Ranaut seems to have all this and more. Known for her psychotic roles (Fashion, Gangster, Raaz,

Who Lamhe, Metro), Ranaut has had her share of success and failures. While Queen, Krrish 3, Tanu weds Manu,

Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Shootout At Wadala got a good response, others like Revolver Rani, I Love NY,

Rascals and Double Dhamaal did not do well at the Box Office.

Brands have mostly kept away from her barring a few such as Tanishq (in past), Levi's (in past), Emami

(Boroplus), Lawman PG3, Himachal Pradesh Tourism, Myntra, Liva, Askme and others because of her

inconsistent career graph. Till before Queen, she did not have much notice-ability. Because of Queen, she got

noticed for the first time as a serious contender to be a top heroine. Kangana has clearly emerged as a winner to

shoulder ROI of a film both with Tanu weds Manu returns and her past release being Queen. But it will take an

intelligent marketer and a highly creative agency partner to generate propositions with a celebrity like Kangana.

Huge opportunities are there but very few organizations will put the brand proposition in an interesting context

with brand, Kangana. She addresses a niche. And intelligent investors (whether brand or producers) will optimize

that niche instead of going mass.

It is true that Kangana Ranaut has had a very small list of brand endorsements, but I believe that different brands

are closely monitoring her success and will be definitely considering her. Radical fashion brands, unconventional

jewellery designers, contraceptives, online players (challenger brands) will find Kangana to be a better fit.

Brand Competitor Analysis:

Undoubtedly, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif are brand champions in India. Both these actors are at the peak

of their career, and they both command brands in their kitty and audiences at the theatre. Ranaut is natural and

convincing, while with the other two there is a plastic and unreal attached to which the audience cannot relate.

Be it from a small or big town, a woman can relate to Ranuat but not Katrina because the latter is the perfect

example of the Bollywood actresses who look good on screen but most of it is unreal. Kangana has not become

that eye candy or the arm candy, but is looking to lead from the front, which is liked by the audience.

Recommendation:

Based on the analysis of current positioning of Kangana Ranaut following steps must be taken to further

strengthen it.

Mass popularity takes time to build. Just one or two films cannot do that. Kangana must keep choosing

scripts where female protagonists lead such as Queen, Revolver Rani and Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

These films not only tests her acting skills but also provide her enough space on screen, which is crucial

for the growth of any actor.

Association with social organizations which supports women empowerment and child safety will create

a more positive and influential image of Kangana

Audiences forgive a flop here and there, but they do not like consistency in this domain. Kangana should

avoid the consistency and not repeat the same mistake she did by choosing films like Fashion, Gangster,

Raaz, Who Lamhe and Metro in a row.

Kangana Ranaut is not active on social media, so I would suggest her to mark her presence on social

media platforms to connect and communicate with her appreciators directly.

Reference:

www.dailyo.in

www.imdb.com

www.indiatoday.intoday.in

www.movies.ndtv.com

www.firstpost.com

www.filmfare.com

www.dnaindia.com

www.businessofcinema.com

www.missmalini.com

www.india.com

www.businessinsider.in