Managerial

Communication 2
Section E - Group 9
0361/58 Mayank Medhavi
0362/58 Divya Singh
0363/58 Debayan Ganguly
0365/58 Yash Jherwal
Premise
● Getflix launches a new show based on George Orwell’s 1984, where ruler big brother
controls people's life
● The show is a modernised and contextualised adaptation for the Indian audience
● The show criticises totalitarianism, mass surveillance and violations of freedom of
speech among other themes
● The first episode of the show is a runaway hit breaking all records of previous
premieres on Getflix
Impact on Getflix
● Free Publicity, word of mouth promotions
● More safe bets: Team increases due diligence before launching new shows
● Revenue Increase: Number of subscribers increased, more demand can increase
prices, focus on strategies to retain new subscribers
● Ratings: Negative impact on platform ratings due to protests
● Controversy: Nationwide protests, online trolling, and threats to team
● Trigger to regulatory authorities to bring OTT under its ambit
Analysing the Argument
Applying proairetic code:
Cause: 2023 Q4 - Getflix launches the first episode of the 1984 George Orwell’s
adaptation in India
Effect: Due to election being near, this show created controversy and chaos. This bad
publicity increased revenue and reach but ratings went down and Getflix teams were
threatened
Assumption: The show was seen as a political commentary. Considering the general
elections are round the corner, the current ruling party feels that the show creates a
negative image about them while the opposition adds more fuel to the fire
Analysing The Argument
Semantic Code: Through this show, the director, who
champions artistic freedom, wants to challenge the current
state of India where freedom of speech is curbed on grounds of
sedition and anti-national sentiments

Cultural Code: References to Hitler’s autocratic rule or the

Big-Boss Show, where every action is monitored and penalized
if not found according to set protocols
Controversy
1.Padmavati is a Hindi film to court serious controversy as some right-wing groups felt that the film
misrepresents history and thus tarnishes the reputation of certain communities in Rajasthan. A bounty was also
put on the director and the lead actress, who portrays the historical queen Padmavati in the film. The film was
scheduled for release in December 2017.

2.PM Narendra Modi- The timing, the kind of publicity and the content make it look like nothing but a
propaganda film. Of course, a film made on Narendra Modi will be backed by BJP leaders. That's the reason
we saw leaders like Devendra Fadnavis and Nitin Gadkari launch different posters and trailers. Seems like
every time a BJP leader agreed to be a part of a press event to back this film, new posters and trailers were
made for photo ops. On May 23, the day of the Lok Sabha results, the publicity team sent out posters which
said Aa Raha Hai Dobara PM Narendra Modi - Ab Koi Rok Nahi Sakta.
Recommended Strategy
Why?
Company Vision and Values: The company wants to
give freedom to their artists to express their thoughts.
They want to give platform to diverse thinking and
creativity. Succumbing to pressure from these
protests will set up a bad precedence for future
releases.
Recommended Strategy
Course of Action:
● Issuing a public statement to apologise if they hurt any sentiment unknowingly
● Assurance to have needed due diligence before further release of episodes
● Release of future episodes after elections

Stakeholder management: Steps must be taken to ensure all stakeholders like government, protesters/trollers
and the company employee are satisfied.

Government: Dialogue with govt. to manage protest and making them involved in further release process

Protesters/ trollers: Public statement to reach them directly. PR activities by the company to negate this
negative publicity

Employees: Ensuring safety of employees, increase mental health awareness, approach police and security
services to ensure no mishaps happen.
THANK
YOU!