A New Year's Eve IP in six weeks
The question
How do you launch a brand-new New Year’s Eve IP against Sunburn, Enchanted Valley Carnival and VH1 Supersonic, in six weeks?
The answer
Sell the hustle. Partner with people who back a startup, and spend on reach, not overheads.
The brief
Route 999 was a new New Year’s Eve IP from Mama Shakuni, a young startup, with event company RED Letters. In a month and a half we had to create the brand mark and collaterals, run promotions online and offline, build sponsor and marketing pitches, negotiate with artists and vendors, and drive ticket sales.
The approach
Partners who share the story
We approached sponsors, artists and vendors who related to the entrepreneurial story, and pitched on that. Many signed on pro bono or on barter, which kept costs down.
Borrowed sales muscle
We brought in established event sales executives and agencies like RED Letters, offering better margins so they sold for us rather than our competitors.
Promoted where the crowd was
The event was cross-promoted at college festivals and bars, with a pre-party at the Playboy Club Mumbai featuring Miss Faith to build buzz.
Captured for the aftermovie
A team of 10 filmmakers documented the making, the highlights and the feel of the night.
What I did
As producer and creative director I created the key visuals and event collaterals, led the 10-person film team and produced the aftermovie.
See the full project ↗Results
What made it work
- A headline line-upNucleya headlined, with Ritviz and Anish Sood (Anyasa), then on the rise.
- Hustle as the pitchBarter and pro-bono deals let a new IP compete with the biggest names.
- A lasting case studyRoute 999 became a principal case study for the marketing agency and the production company involved.
