Mktg - India;Religious TV serials go to temples for ads

Jigisha Doshi

Posters of serials like Jay Hanuman, Satya Saibaba, adorn many city temples’ premises

AHMEDABAD: Religious TV serials’ promoters are now using temples for promoting their serials. Finding their target audience in temple goers, posters of different serials like Jai Hanuman, Satya Saibaba and Shanidev have been placed at different temples to promote them. Marketing and promotion have spread like a spider’s web in society and temples, too, have not been spared.

The Hanuman temple near IIM, the Shiv temple on University Road, Khodiyar temple near Ashram Road, Amabaji temple in Jivaraj Park and all the Shani temples in the city have been zeroed in for promotional activities.

While some priests are not averse to the idea and see it as a different way of promoting spirituality, others would like to maintain the traditional piety of the temples.

“I immediately removed the posters,” says Bharat Raval, responsible for the upkeep of the Kashi Vishwanath Mahadev Mandir on the University Road. “Here it’s a free promotion, otherwise the Municipality would tax them. My point is simple - they should give something to temple in return.”

Some do not care for money and give a green signal for religious serials’ posters. “Sony Television approached me for their serial Jai Hanuman. I did not charge them anything, and even they didn’t offer.” says Kanubhai Maharaj, a priest at the Khodiyar Temple on Ashram Road, near Mt Carmel School.

Communication experts are endorsing the innovative idea, as smart marketing is definitely about meeting targets at minimum cost. “It is not unethical as religious serials have a non-commercial aspect too,” says Gautam Jain, a faculty member of MICA. Anjali Jani, a devotee from Satellite area, says, “Advertisements do impact. My daughter now wants to see that particular serial whose poster she has seen at the temple.”