Marketing Mix of Colors and 4Ps (Updated 2023)

The Marketing mix of Colors analyses the 4Ps of Colors, including the Product, Price, Place, and Promotions. The Marketing mix of Colors discusses the 7P’s of the service marketing mix. Colors is the leading general entertainment channel and one of the biggest in the television industry.

About Colors TV

• Type: Television Channel.
• Industry: Television industry.
• Founded: July 21, 2008.
• Founder: Rajesh Kamat
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Area served: India and Nepal
• Key people: Sudhanshu Vats (Chairman) and Raj Nayak (CEO)
• Employees: 1000+

Colors Product Strategy

Differentiated content, coupled with disruptive scheduling and peppered with some of the biggest blockbuster Hindi movies, helped them deliver cohesive viewing.

Colors offer customers a diverse product mix that caters to personal preferences and universal appeal to a broad range of audiences.

The new Product Mix of Colors in 2023 is as follows (Source).

1. Drama Serials: Colors TV is renowned for its various drama serials, often focusing on family, relationships, and social issues. These serials are a staple of their programming, attracting everyone with engaging narratives and strong character development.
2. Reality Shows: The channel also offers a range of reality shows, including talent hunts, dance competitions, and adventure-based shows. These programs, such as “Bigg Boss” (the Indian version of “Big Brother”) and “Dance Deewane,” are top-rated and draw significant viewership due to their interactive and entertaining formats.
3. Comedy Shows: Comedy shows, including sketch comedies and stand-up comedy competitions, are a part of Colors TV’s offerings. These shows add variety to the programming and cater to audiences looking for light-hearted entertainment.
4. Game Shows and Quiz Shows: Colors TV includes game and quiz shows in its programming mix. These shows, often featuring celebrities or ordinary people, are designed to engage and entertain a wide range of audiences.
5. Award Shows and Special Events: The channel hosts and broadcasts various awards and special events, celebrating achievements in the entertainment industry. These events typically feature performances by celebrities and are popular among audiences.
6. Mythological and Historical Dramas: Colors TV also broadcasts mythological and historical dramas, which are particularly popular among specific audience segments. These shows are known for their grandeur, storytelling, and cultural significance.
7. News and Current Affairs: While predominantly an entertainment channel, Colors TV occasionally features segments on news and current affairs, particularly in connection with events that significantly impact society.
8. Digital and Online Content: Recognizing the shift towards digital consumption, Colors TV offers its content on online platforms, allowing viewers to stream shows and episodes on-demand.

Colors Pricing Strategy

COLORS gave away Rs 100 crore as a carriage fee (Distribution) for a year to get the best band for its channel. Its budget was much higher than the $ 40-60 crore NDTV Imagine, and 9x reportedly invested in distribution. COLORS exhausted Rs 500 crore in the first year of operation, including a significant sum on programming. It is said to have blown up between Rs 70 crore and Rs 80 crore each on Bigg Boss and KKK.

Colors TV, as a prominent player in the Indian television and entertainment industry, employs a specific brand-nuanced pricing strategy that reflects its market positioning, brand identity, and audience reach. Here’s a detailed look at their approach, crafted with marketing and branding expertise:

1. Advertising Revenue Model: The primary revenue stream for Colors TV comes from advertising. The pricing for ad slots is strategically set based on the program’s popularity, viewership ratings, time slots, and target audience demographics. Prime-time shows with high viewership command premium advertising rates.
2. Subscription Revenue: Colors TV is part of various cable and satellite TV packages. The pricing strategy here involves bundling with other channels offered by Viacom18 or within larger channel packages. The subscription fees are shared with cable and satellite operators, with pricing often based on the channel’s viewership and popularity.
3. Dynamic Pricing for Special Broadcasts: For special events like award shows or highly anticipated reality show finals, Colors TV may adopt dynamic pricing strategies for advertisements, charging a premium due to the higher viewership and engagement these events typically attract.
4. Partnerships and Sponsorships: Strategic partnerships and sponsorships for specific shows or segments allow Colors TV to generate additional revenue. Pricing for these deals is based on the extent of brand integration, the popularity of the show, and the potential reach among target audiences.
5. Online and Digital Platforms: With the rise of digital media, Colors TV offers its content on OTT platforms like Voot. The pricing strategy for digital content includes a freemium model where essential content is free. Still, premium content (like early access to episodes or exclusive web series) is behind a paywall.
6. Syndication and Licensing Fees: Colors TV generates revenue by syndicating its popular shows to other networks and platforms, both domestically and internationally. Pricing for syndication rights is based on the show’s popularity, demand, and the reach of the purchasing platform.

By employing this multifaceted pricing strategy, Colors TV effectively monetizes its diverse content portfolio of top brands, ensuring revenue generation across various channels and brands while catering to a broad audience base.

Colors Place Strategy

The distribution set-up of COLORS is solid. For example, It has reached local cable operators to persuade consumers to air their channel. This strategy helped them because a huge chunk of the Indian population still does not have DTH facilities, and they depend on the local cable operators.

Colors TV’s place strategy, focusing on how and where its content is distributed and accessed by viewers and consumers, is integral to its success in the competitive entertainment industry. Here’s an overview:

1. National Cable and Satellite Television: Colors TV is widely available across India through cable and satellite TV services. This widespread distribution ensures that the channel reaches most Indian television-viewing audiences, spanning urban and rural areas.
2. International Availability: Recognizing the global Indian diaspora, Colors TV extends its reach internationally, available through satellite and cable providers in countries with significant Indian populations, including the USA, UK, Canada, and the Middle East.
3. Digital and Online Platforms: To cater to the growing digital audience, Colors TV offers its content on digital platforms, notably its in-house OTT platform Voot, as well as other popular streaming services. This allows for on-demand viewing and caters to the younger, internet-savvy audience.
4. Strategic Time Slot Allocation: Colors TV strategically schedules program timings to maximize viewership. Popular shows are in prime time, while other segments are placed in time slots that target specific audience demographics, like daytime slots for home viewers.
5. Partnerships and Syndication: The channel engages in content syndication, sharing its popular shows with other networks and platforms in India and internationally. This extends its reach and taps into audiences who may not have direct access to Colors TV through their cable or satellite providers.

Colors Promotion Strategy

For the launch, COLORS undertook an innovative marketing strategy and promotions targeting a Hindi-speaking audience in 90 Indian cities. It used media such as TV, radio, print, websites, mobile phones, mobiles, movie theaters, and outdoors for marketing materials promoting the channel. It used NETWORK 18’s news channels to promote initially. The channel currently has 200 or 280 advertisers who advertise on the GEC.

1) Hoardings: 1300 and launched roadshows across the country.

2) Painted with COLORS: 3000 yellow taxis in Mumbai and 2000 auto rickshaws in small towns, local trains, and school buses.

3) TV: 65000 ad spots are booked on TV while 15 million SMS were sent across all telecom operators.

4) Corporate Marketing Activities: Helpers and counter-guys wear COLORS logos on T-shirts at Big Bazaar stores. The McDonald’s logo was on the tray mat at McDonald’s.

1ST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: COLORS rolled out an integrated campaign to mark the completion of one year on 21st July 2009. Leading up to the ‘birthday week,’ the “Thank You India” campaign engaged with viewers at various touch-points.
The Colors tied up with print majors such as the Times Group, Hindustan Times, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, Hari Bhoomi, Lokmat, Sandesh, Hindustan, Baartman, Raj Express and Assomiya Pratidin to run the ‘Thank You India”.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: COLORS has partnered with an NGO, ‘iDiscoveri,’ to provide quality education to 10,000 children from low-income households.

Some Recent Video ads and Print ads of Colors are:

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