Surprises give a bigger kick to audiences than pre-release announcements. Mahesh Babu -Rajamouli’s Varanasi and Prabhas – Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit have done the same regarding promotions.
In Tollywood, there is usually a trend where multiple pre-release updates are shared for a single announcement. With this, team members hype the content heavily before its release. At the same time, leaks surface with minute details.
Because of all this, when the actual content is finally released, it often fails to surprise or stun the audience. Even if the content is decent, people start feeling that so much pre-hype was unnecessary, which eventually turns into negativity.
Recently, Spirit and Varanasi updates came as surprises, without any prior announcements. There were no leaks and no pre-updates. The announcements arrived suddenly and managed to surprise and impress the audience.
Audiences clearly like this kind of approach. The industry needs to change its promotional strategy according to the audience’s mindset, so that the content is received more positively.
