Two and Half Girlfriend; a marketing gimmick or literary work??

Three weeks ago, I saw the below ad on front page of ‘The Times of India.’ It was the launch ad of a book; ‘Two and Half Girlfriend' by India's well-known author Chetan Bhagat.

Being an ad guy, first I'd tried to assess it in terms of layout, color, message and overall appeal. And it’d managed to pass the creativity-test with flying colours. Then I'd tried to find out the strategy behind the FRONT PAGE ad. But before I discuss all that, I would really want you to go through the summary of this book.

  

“Madhav is a Bihari boy with big dreams who falls in love with the beautiful Riya, rich lass from Delhi. There are some fundamental differences between the two. Madhav’s English isn’t all that great, but Riya speaks the best English. Madhav wants Riya to be his girlfriend but Riya disagrees. She wants them to be just friends but he definitely wants more. Riya finally comes up with a suggestion, a compromise – she agrees to become his half-girlfriend! Chetan Bhagat presents a simple and beautiful love story that will move you with all the nuances of a modern-day relationship. It also inspires you to realize your individual dreams.”

Frankly, the summary seems lame and I’m not so sure if this story will entice readers and can truly produce any interest (subjective). I doubt, if it is more than ‘a boy meets a girl’ story. But I can surely say that the writer, publishing house and eCommerce partner must have seen a lot of potential in this not-so-exciting story.  

As indicated, it’s a love story of a Bihari boy and a rich girl from Delhi. A boy from Bihar as the central character / protagonist doesn't seem so convincing to me atleast. So why would anybody write such a book? Let us ponder over some of the reasons:

·        Recently, Flipkart has raised funds worth $1 billion and became the eCommerce giant of India. Inorder to sustain their leadership position, they would definitely exploit such available opportunities. And therefore I think, they have bought exclusive rights to sell ‘Two and Half Girlfriend.'

·        With the Indian eCommerce giant on your side, nothing can go wrong and therefore the writer and publisher both are sure about the higher ROI.

·        In India, eCommerce trend is catching up fast. Thus, playing the ‘exclusivity’ card, it has become far easier to sell anything and everything. And I’m sure the 'front page ad' would have inspired so many budding writers and publishing houses to create enough hype through an AD on the front page with a tag saying, 'PREORDER NOW!'

·        Readers who haven't yet tasted Mills and Boons, Sidney Sheldon, Harry Potter and possibly, Jeffery Archer are well aware of Mr. Bhagat and his bequest. He knows his audience well. 

·        Lastly, the publication house might have failed to tap Bihar (3rd largest population with 73% literacy rate) market and that’s why the writer has come up with a strange book (I over expected). And this is sure to create ripples among the readers. 

Whatever be the objective, but I truly feel that Mr. Bhagat is responsible for ‘the resurrected era’ where Ramu and Shyamu have been atleast reading English books…Thank you Mr. Bhagat!