Mofam rolls out fund partner for brands looking for in-movie product placements

Mofam, a financial services company, has announced the launch of Bfund. The company labels Bfund as 'a partner for brands to convert their recurring expense for in-movie product placements into a returnable investment'. 

 

Brands currently are charged by the movie to make when they're looking for in-movie placement. Bfund takes funds from brands only in the first year and rotates it multiple times over a five-year tenure. Bfund helps identify movie projects, brand slots within scripts and creative leverage in feature films across the industry.

 

The initiative has been started by Raja Peter, a marketing, media and procurement veteran and Sumit Mody, ex-head, Private Equity at Essel Finance. 

 

Peter said, “Marketers the world over look to maximise brand awareness at lowest cost; Bfund is that vehicle for cinema in India. Bfund will work closely with brands to ensure a brand is ensconced within a choice movies and genres. Our initiative will help deliver deeper brand integration across multiple movies at significantly lower CPM in this critical medium of popular culture.”

 

Mody added, “Bfund will primarily make equity investment in Bollywood movies across development stages including where most producers rely on high cost unstructured financing to get things started. We feel that by lowering the unit economics for in-movie product placement without changing the absolute amount going to the movie producers, Bfund is a win-win proposition delivering incremental financial and media value to both the brands and the movie producers.”

 

Bfund has collaborated with GroupM’s Mindshare as a strategic partner. According to a statement, Mindshare clients will get access to product placement in theatrical releases at a lower cost. 

 

CVL Srinivas, country manager, WPP India and CEO, GroupM South Asia, said, "Product placement in theatrical releases represents an increasingly valuable way for brands to reach targeted consumers. By creating a mechanism for marketers to collaborate with film producers at early development stages in film making, innovative and impactful brand integrations can be conceived and developed.”

 

Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, added, “Cinema is a uniquely immersive medium and represents an opportunity for a brand to get noticed with undivided attention. We are excited to deliver to our clients a real competitive advantage in this medium.”

 

Bfund is targeting Rs 120 Crores fund size for Bollywood movies and another Rs 80 Crore fund for Tollywood movies. Bfund expects to start deployment from both fund by next quarter.