MUMBAI: This sure is a first of sorts when a film company involved in the movie exhibition business has engaged a professional advertising agency. In a multi agency pitch involving Bates, Percept and Contract Advertising, Shringar Cinemas Pvt. Ltd, the exhibition division of Shringar Films has signed Contract Advertising to handle its creative and media responsibilities. According to Shringar Cinemas director Shravan Shroff the account is pegged at Rs 40 million. The contract comes into effect from the first week of June.
 

 
Apart from interesting creatives for the company, what gave Contract the edge over the others was that they understood the movie business well and were total movie buffs.

Announcing the decision, Shroff said, "Contract Advertising has had a successful history in partnering businesses from relatively new industries and we are very happy to be working with them as we take the Fame brand to bigger heights. Entertainment is a serious business today and the era of marketing cinema halls through posters has gone. Today a multiplex is a brand, and thus we believe, there is a need of a professional advertising agency who can communicate our core values to our consumers."

Speaking to indiantelevision.com about the need for Shringar Cinema to hire an agency for itself, the company's head of marketing and sales Deepak Netram said, "We require advertising that will most effectively address our audience. We wanted someone who understands the idiosyncrasies of the movie business and can connect with the audience. Since we are not the run-of-mill kind of multiplex, we wanted someone who could partner us in communicating the same."

Shringar Cinemas under the leadership of Shroff launched the first ever state-of art five screen multiplex of Mumbai-Fame Adlabs. Presently the company is working towards expanding its operations with launches in Surat, Nasik and Kolkata and two new multiplexes in Mumbai (Malad and Kandivali) by the end of 2004.

Contract Advertising Mumbai head and senior VP Rajiv Sabnis said, "We were very impressed with the vision of the management of the Fame brand and felt that in the long run, they will have a dominant national presence and hence the need to build a differentiated brand in the business of entertainment. This is the reason that Contract decided to pursue a partnership with Shringar Cinemas."

In tune with the Company's motto of providing "Best in Entertainment with World- class Service", Shringar Cinemas has aligned the organisation, its people, processes and infrastructure to the needs of the patrons.