Ra One- the Extra-Ordinary Sales Promotion by Srk

RA ONE- The extra-ordinary sales promotion by SRK I've often heard people say, film-making is nothing short of a gamble. And as any gambler will tell you, you've got to gamble huge to triumph huge. Going by this logic, Shah Rukh Khan is The Supreme Gambler of the year. What's at stake, beside the big money invested in RA. ONE of course, is a dream, a vision, an aspiration to make a film which appeals to kids and kids at heart. In short, attempt a film that appeals to the universal audience. At the same time, it ought to raise the bar for Hindi films. Also at stake is SRK's once-unchallenged supremacy as the reigning idol of Bollywood and that elusive thing called reputation. When you invest your repute in your dream project and stick your neck out, you expect nothing short of a mega-success. â€Å"I had a very clear of how we’ll market it. The first clarity was that we won’t have too many images of the film. I didn’t want it to be cluttered. I didn’t want it to be a hero and a heroine and their son. This is a superhero film and we had to introduce that. Whether people like it or not, my marketing thought is if you keep something in front of people for too long, they get used to it. So there was this big fear — when my costume comes out and me with blue eyes, will it be liked? Small considerations like this which you don’t think about while making the film, but when it comes out, people say, â€Å"you know what, your dadhee (beard) isn†t working at all†. SRK The daily promotional strategy of the media savvy Shah Rukh Khan seems to be working when it comes to publicizing his film ‘Ra. One’. He has pushed the film in every way possible – through multiple co-branding deals, in-film plans, promotional tie ups, marketing strategies, gaming and merchandising and much more. The ‘Ra. One’ous appetite of King Khan seems to be insatiable and everyone is being a part of it, whether they understand it or not. The film is thus ending up as the most promoted film till date â€Å"SRK’s strategy is similar to several Hollywood biggies where promotions start several months before release. Typically, big star cast movies and mega-budget releases such as Bodyguard, Singham etc start their marketing around eight weeks before release. But SRK has taken marketing to a whole new level for a Bollywood movie,† says Pritie Jadhav, chief operating officer, P9 Integrated – a division of Percept. The makers of Ra. One are on a marketing blitzkrieg Eros International and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment have brand tie-ups for Ra. One to the tune of Rs. 52 crore of which Rs 12-15 crore has been earmarked for online promotion, an advertising executive involved with the promotion of the movie said on condition of anonymity. Brand tie-ups that the marketing spends of the film have been considerably subsidised. Some of the brands with whom tie-ups have been effected are Sony PlayStation, YouTube, Nerolac, McDonald’s, Western Union Money Transfer, UTV Indiagames, Videocon, Nokia, Coke, ESPN Star Sports and Cinthol. Eros and Red Chillies have recovered part of their huge investment in the film through in-film branding, media endorsements, pre-licensing of cable TV and satellite rights, music and other rights Promotion of the film officially began as early as December 2010 when the first poster was published in all leading news papers across the country. The film's first look was later unveiled by Khan on his Twitter page on January 1, 2011. Several months later, director Anubhav Sinha announced that he would be launching two teaser trailers of the film during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, a prior nine months before the film's actual release date. Ra. One is not a Bollywood film that [the audiences] have seen before. The kind of size and magnitude that the film has requires it to be slowly introduced to the audience and that is the very purpose why we are starting the whole communication so early. â€Å"says Anubhav Sinha The film's first theatrical trailer was released three months later to the p ublic. As a way to promote the theatrical trailer, Khan was accompanied by the director on a five city tour, which included such places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Indore and Ahmedabad. During the same event, a 3600  ft long fan mail collecting audience wishes and messages for the film was also launched. Strategies which have caught the imagination of a population of over a billion Indians * Online Promotions: Approx INR 52crore is the estimated total budget shelled out for Ra. One’s marketing, in which INR 15 crore is for online promotions. Usually Bollywood film promotions only starts eight weeks before release but SRK took it in the Hollywood way, from January of this year with his first appearance in Twitter. Later it was the Facebook Fan page that started off its promotion from March SRK and Google – YouTube announced a partnership deal on mutual benefits basis. An exclusive video was created by Red Chillies (Khan’s production company) and was integrated into the YouTube Channel (Ra. One Youtube Channel). The company launched the official customized Ra. One channel of the film on YouTube(a first for an Indian film) where several song and theatrical promos were released to the public, along with videos of the film's making, events and uncut footage. The channel also hosts games, including the first social game from India, and contests where participants can create promos from clips, music and dialogues of the film. * Merchandise: As a way to promote the film and increase its franchising business, Shahrukh Khan tied up with Seventymm to market a variety of merchandises related to the film. Products included original G. One tee shirts, coffee mugs, wrist bands, watches, mobile pouches, video cameras, as well as many other things. Similar products were also available for purchase on the official G. One online store, which was launched alongside the film's official website. [90% of the 400. 000 stationery items and toys were sold in 15 days and 100. 000 more have been ordered. The makers spent 1. 5 crore on the mold for the G. One action figure. In addition to this, a jewelery line inspired by the symbol of â€Å"Ra. One†,as well as a series of HCL laptops with customized integrated Ra. One skin[59]were also made available to the public. These products are designed in-house by Red Chillies, and have been manufactured in China. By October, 50 products will be sold in more than 3,500 stores and e-commerce sites. Comics: Red Chillies Entertainment collaborated with UTV Indiagames to develop digital comics based on the film's characters. Written by Khan, the comic featured weekly episodes and served as a prequel to the events happening in the movie * Video games: RA. ONE continues to surprise the Indian audience with new innovations on a continued basis. Red Chillies Entertai nment had declared a tie-up with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to build a full cycle game on PlayStation platform. The video game version of the movie will be called ‘RA. ONE–The Game‘ and will be available on PS2 and PS3 (through PSN download). This is a newer direction for Bollywood to create a win-win strategy of both promoting the film as well as create a brand extension strategy for RA. ONE. The film, with its super hero touches, is appropriate to seamlessly use the PlayStation platform and connect with the In youth. * Print adds and billboards: Print ads have been booked in all leading publications while 1,700 billboards will show the superstar in his superhero gear. This by far the largest collaboration in terms of in terms of billboards for any movie . Somthing or the other we read about the movie everday . * â€Å"Bharat Bhraman† Tour: Shahrukh Khan is places for Ra. One. The King Khan has started his bharat bhraman and caught with his fans from Kolkata to Delhi. Shahrukh covered cities like Vadodara, Gujarat; earlier he was in Chennai for ‘Ra. One’ audio launch in Tamil; and he was in the cities Bangalore , Jaipur and Bhopal Vadodara. SRK did a 36-city tour, which will include several foreign destinations, and one of the highlights of these events will be a 3,600-feet-long fan mail collecting audience wishes and messages. Mobile Engagements and application: iPhone / iPad app for the fans, in collaboration with UTV’s Indiagames. To talk about the app – Ra. One is an arcade first-person shooter game where you can play as G. One to shoot bad guys down with their team leader Ra. One. The game comprises of three terrains – Trainyard, London Bridge and Wasteland with a total of 89 levels (called Waves in the game), starting with Wave 1 and unlocking as you complete each level. Movie themes ,songs , games , wallpapers all of which form a part of mobile engagments are easily accessible over the net * Television promotions: Appearances in three major shows (Just Dance , SA RE GA MA PA Lil Champs. Indias Got Talent)in 3 entertainment channels to participating in ‘kaun bangea corerpati’. Interviews and teasers are a constasnt attraction nowdays for the viewers . Televison promotion is playing a big role in promoting the film * Selling movie rights: Even before its release, Ra. One managed to earn a revenue of Rs132 crore simply by giving away the rights of the movie. The brand equity of film star Shahrukh Khan is unparalleled and his presence in the movie gives a huge boost to distributors and companies to get associated with the brand. Star India got the rights for Ra. One at around Rs40 crore. Apart from this, the music rights were bought for Rs15 crore by T-Series. The producers got a whopping Rs77 crore from Eros Entertainment to own the distribution rights of the movie * Release and Premiere: The movie would be released at over 3000 screens in India and over 1000 screens overseas. Apart from this, premieres at international destinations like Dubai, Toronto and London, which have a high popularity for Indian films are on cards. Due to various new marketing strategies adopted by the producers of the movie, Ra. One managed to generate a lot of positive word of mouth. If not for its success, this movie would definitely prove to be a landmark in the Indian film industry for its advertising and marketing strategies. Will promotional overdrive harm ‘RA. One'? They need to remain prepared to face the severe criticism if they fail to live up to the expectation by even a bit, and it will be difficult to match the hype because they have unveiled almost everything about ‘RA. One'. Audience expectations build up with such a high intensity campaign and the risk is that even a small disconnect can boomerang. That’s not the climax the producers would look forward to. The expections are have increased so much that if the film does not fair according to the standards set by the movie then the audience will feel cheated . Nevertheless the first reactions have come in from the trade analyst and they are optimistic about the film. â€Å"Wow! Brilliant! Mesmerising! Leaves u dumbfounded! Blockbuster! Indian cinema bar raisd! Saw portions of RA. . SRK surpasses himself. †- komal Nahata Watched more than an hour of #RaOne. Left me amazed. Technological breakthrough. At par with intl films. A superhero film that’s super! † – Taran Adarsh These reaction about the movie is only going to create a good word of mouth about the film and this will lead to audience booking there tickets Conclusion All said and done u like the promotions or not but u simply cant ignore the movie. Shahrukh Khan along with his team has made us think about the differentiated strategy implemented across the country . The strategy is here to stay . It has layed down a path that will make other filmmakers to think . As far as the box office collection goes it’s a sure short blockbuster. References * Saxena, Manjari (2011-10-24). â€Å"Ra. One: Shah Rukh Khan has another winner†. Gulf News. Retrieved 2011-10-24. * â€Å"SRK concentrates on Ra. One†. Filmfare. 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2010-08-22. * Press Trust of India (2011-10-21). â€Å"SRK turns salesman to sell ‘RA. One' merchandise†. CNN-IBN. Global Broadcast News. Retrieved 2011-10-21. * Ra. One: Exclusive & Authentic Movie Merchandise†. Seventymm. Retrieved 2011-10-20. * Adarsh, Taran (2011-10-21). â€Å"SRK, Eros take ‘Ra. One' to next level†. Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-10-21. * Bhat, Varada (2011-09-19). â€Å"Bollywoods longest promotion†. Business Standard. Retrieved 2011-09-19. * â€Å"Shah Rukh meets fans on Google Plus Hangout for RA. One chat†. CNN-IBN. Global Broadcast News. Retrieved 2011-10-20. * Shinde, Shivani (2011-08-30). â€Å"India's first social game for Ra. One†. Business Standard. Retrieved 2011-08-29. * Baksi, Dibyojyoti (2011-10-14). â€Å"SRK's discovery speaks up about RA. One†. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2011-10-15. * Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (2011-10-13). â€Å"A Minute With: Shah Rukh Khan†. Reuters. Retrieved 2011-10-13. * RA. One's rampage. Prannoy Roy Publications. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2011-10-20. * Joshi, Tushar (2011-10-18). â€Å"RA. One gets an addition†. The Times of India. Retrieved 2011-10-18 * NDTV Correspondent (2011-10-13). â€Å"I am SRK†. NDTV. Prannoy Roy Publications. Retrieved 2011-10-13. * Press Trust of India (2011-10-14). â€Å"Ra. One gets Rs 52-cr promotional push†. CNN-IBN. Global Broadcast News. Retrieved 2011-10-14.

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay

What I will do in this following paper is to discuss two very interesting philosophers, Rene Descartes and Benedictus de Spinoza. I will discuss each philosopher’s perspectives and insights on their most recognized theories and thoughts. I will then evaluate them and then give my opinion on the given topic. By doing this, I will contrast the similarities and differences between the two genius minds. By the end of the paper I will have discarded some ideas and opinions from each of the two and will have my own judgment that consists of thoughts from Spinoza, Descartes and my self put together. Themes On Descartes: Existence of God- Descartes’ View – One of the most famous and debatable theories Descartes had was his proof of the existence of God. He had for steps on the ladder to prove this. 1) Everything including our ideas has a cause. 2) We have an idea of God. 3) Nothing less than God is adequate to be the cause of our idea of God. An lastly 4) Therefore God exists. My View – Considering the fact that Descartes was a rationalist and a very religious man, you can see why he would desperately try to make sense of everything, including God. I believe his proof that he has laid out for us that God exists is false. What Descartes is trying to tell us is that our idea of God comes directly from God himself and that we cannot create something in our minds that we have not already witnessed by our senses. But I believe we can implant the idea of God in our minds without God planting it for us. Since man has been on this planet, we have been evolving. I believe our idea of God is a collection of thoughts and ideas that has evolved. Ideas such as security, peace, direction, order, separating good and evil, questions to our existence, comfort, space, answers to questions no one has. It is all these thoughts, ideas and more put together in our minds overtime that create this all mighty powerful being who knows all and is all that we call God. The U-Turn- Descartes’ View – One of the aspects Descartes strived to find was â€Å"certainty†, searching for absolute foundation. He felt in order to come across certainty; we must first doubt everything we know. To help people comprehend his idea, he created the U-Turn as a visual reference to understand. As we go down the â€Å"U† we first doubt common sense, then we doubt awake/sleep since he believes we can’t distinguish the difference. We continue to go down the â€Å"U† by doubting mathematics because there could be an â€Å"Evil Genius† that tricks us into believing something untrue. At the bottom of this U we reach the point where nothing is certain except one thing according to Descartes, which is our existence. He says â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, which means the only thing we can be certain about is our own existence. He then stops and says if we exist, then there must be a God, and this is where the U takes its turn and moves upwards. He then says if God exists he would not deceive us because he is all loving and caring, therefore we have no reason to doubt mathematics, followed by ourselves (body/mind) and lastly we can then be certain about the physical world, no need to doubt it. My View – I find this to be an interesting concept that Descartes has formulated in his mind, one that is most definitely worth thinking about and taking into consideration. But in my point of view, there is a break in his chain. From the moment he mentions we doubt being awake and asleep is where I think his U-Turn collapses. Descartes says we can not distinguish the difference between the two, but that’s only true to a certain point. As humans we have logic, common sense and we are aware of most of the knowledge we obtain. We know that we live a life every day and that we need rest every night; and we know that sleeping is a form of rest which sometimes includes bizarre, twisted, chaotic scenarios which we call dreams or nightmares. The argument he made on this segment of his U-Turn concept was only half true. He was right on the fact that we can not distinguish the difference when in a dream state but wrong on the idea that same goes for when we are awake. As human begins we may not be able to have any reasoning, logic or understand the fact that we are dreaming but when we are not dreaming we can logically know we are awake and be able to know the difference between awake/sleep which means we don’t have to doubt common sense or mathematics anymore. If this is the case then Descartes U-Turn theory is wrong and the idea that the only thing we can be â€Å"certain† about is our own existence is false. Themes On Spinoza: Conception of God- Spinoza’s’ View – Spinoza went on a whole different direction when it came to God. Up to his point in time most people believed in a transcendent God, this meant that they believed in a personal God that was all loving, caring and would not deceive us human beings. People would prey to this personal God for various things like comfort and security, but Spinoza had his own belief. His conception was quite different from that of anyone else. His conception of God was non-personal (Non- Transcendent) and was the totality of everything that is immanent. He explained that our infinite Universe is one that has no outside and is also one big web where everything in it is connected. What he is basically trying to say is that God=Nature, God is the totality of everything that is. My View – Spinoza’s conception of God is quite absurd. There may or may not be a God but if there is, it is definitely not the totality of everything that is. The meaning of God is a higher supreme being that would have a higher consciousness than humans. There is a difference between nature and God. I feel nature is more on the lines of what he is trying to say but uses the word â€Å"God†. God can not be everything that is because then that would mean we are part of the make up of God and that is absurd. How can everything in the universe that has no conception of God be a part of God? His thoughts and ideas on this subject don’t add up in the end and don’t seem like an acceptable solution to the questions revolving around â€Å"God†. Ethics: On Interconnected Self- Spinoza’s’ View – Spinoza said that freedom of choice is an illusion and that everything that happens is part of a necessary order witch is completely rational. My View – If freedom of choice is an illusion and everything is already set to happen before it occurs†¦then why are we making choices in the first place? I believe we do have freedom of choice and that we set our own destiny. Everything will be set but is not set yet. We must make choices and decisions to get to where we want to or do not want to. This can be compared to a video game, the programmer and the player. The programmer sets al these scenarios, levels, obstacles, directions and gives the gamer various choices to make. The player goes through these obstacles, and makes choices where many possibilities are presented to him/her. Ultimately the game will finish one way or the other with the choices that the player makes. All these various different possibilities were laid out (each which had its own outcome) but the player made the decision to get to where he/she is now. Overall Comparison: After taking in everything these two philosophers have presented and evaluating their ideas, I have come up with my own thoughts. I believe Descartes had a much more reasonable and acceptable point of view than Spinoza. Descartes thoughts and concepts were easier to understand and coupe with. I disagree a lot with both of the two but my mind has a greater understanding of Descartes perspective. Spinoza was so special in his own way because of his unique ideas but his concepts on God and ethics seemed to far fetch. Descartes seemed to be on a perfect track until he took a couple things too far like God, trying to prove his existence. If we are to gain knowledge through sense experience then technically we have no knowledge of God, jus a compound of thoughts and ideas to create such a being. Overall I like Descartes philosophical way of thinking more than any other philosopher and feel we can learn a lot from him including helping ourselves to think in a more abstract philosophical manner. Sources Of Information: 1) A History of Western Philosophy : Hobbes to Hume (Second Edition) 2) individual. utoronto. ca/mtlin/god. pdf 3) www. utm. edu/research/iep/s/spinoza. htm 4) http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/Mind/17th. html 5) www. trincoll. edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/descartes. html 6) www. connect. net/ron/descartes. html.

Drug Trafficking in the UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Drug Trafficking in the UAE - Essay Example The United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s fastest growing economies as well as tourist destinations. Recently, the attraction of this region to international drug syndicates has heightened awareness by UAE authorities in addressing this danger. This brief paper shall highlight the drug trafficking problem that threatens the federation, and the measures that have been adopted within the past decade to ensure the region’s security. Concepts that will be discussed involve: drug trafficking, which includes the sales, distribution, possession with intent to distribute or sell, manufacturing, and smuggling of controlled substances (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn); drug abuse, which involves taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect; drug possession, or the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one’s possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise; and narcotics, which are d rugs that produce numbness or stupor, and are often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain; extensive use can lead to addiction. Developments in the drug trafficking problem The UAE has been lauded by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the UN organization that monitors anti-drug activities worldwide, for the efforts made by the federation to fight drug abuse and trafficking. Evidence of these have been documented by news articles in the media, some of the more recent and more remarkable of which are presented here: 1.The Emirati Navy, Coast Guards, and other maritime coalition forces operating in the Gulf cooperated through information exchange and maritime coalition, in the seizure of nearly 30 tonnes of hashish at sea in just four months.

1.Examine the organisational context of your organisation, Essay

1.Examine the organisational context of your organisation, particularly its stakeholders and organisational culture. What are the key issues which enable and c - Essay Example Pepsi Inc’s overÐ °ll mission is to increÐ °se its shÐ °reholders investment. It does so by offering quÐ °lity products thÐ °t Ð °re sÐ °fe, wholesome, economicÐ °lly efficient Ð °nd environmentÐ °lly sound. It requires Ð °n orgÐ °nizÐ °tion Ð °nd working environment thÐ °t Ð °ttrÐ °cts the best people, fully develops Ð °nd chÐ °llenges their tÐ °lents, encourÐ °ges free Ð °nd spirited collÐ °borÐ °tion Ð °nd mÐ °intÐ °ins the highest stÐ °ndÐ °rds of integrity. Stakeholders are generally defined as any individuals or organizations who have the ability to directly or indirectly affect or are affected by the operations of a program. (WÐ °nous, Reichers, MÐ °lik, 2004) In Pepsi Inc there are two main distinctions concerning the type of stakeholder: internal and external. Internal stakeholders are typically all employees, and might include specific groups such as agency managers; program managers; front-line supervisors; direct-service employees; subject matter experts or occupational specialists; and evaluation, planning, and budgeting staff. External stakeholders are individuals or groups outside the organization that regularly exercise actions that can promote, inhibit, or change the operations of the organization. Types of external stakeholders who might participate include: elected officials, interest groups, union representatives, the media, customers, and citizens. Powerful externÐ °l stÐ °keholders Ð °re cÐ °pÐ °ble of dominÐ ° ting Ð °n orgÐ °nisÐ °tion’s strÐ °tegy. It is importÐ °nt to Ð °scertÐ °in eÐ °ch stÐ °keholder’s level of interest concerning the orgÐ °nisÐ °tionÐ °l purposes Ð °nd strÐ °tegic choices, Ð °nd the level of power they yield. Implementing Ð ° stÐ °keholder mÐ °pping mÐ °trix provides Ð °n insight into this, which in turn fÐ °cilitÐ °tes the understÐ °nding of Pepsi Inc’s politicÐ °l priorities. Pepsi Inc brÐ °nd nÐ °mes Ð °re Ð °mong the best-known Ð °nd most respected in the world. Some of the Pepsi Inc brÐ °nd nÐ °mes Ð °re 100 yeÐ °rs old, but the corporÐ °tion is relÐ °tively

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

Report - Essay Example According to the Oxy Chemical case, the message is important to top management cadre, employees, and also the public in general. The integration of drug test policy in the organization will help the organization achieve its desired goals and objectives without any setbacks resulting from employee health and safety within the workplace. Drug use and abuse of substance has a negative effect on employees’ performance. As a result, it is imperative for the organization to carry out various intervention strategies and procedures that will curb the problem. According to President Morgan, employees’ drug test in the organization will have a positive impact on employees’ production capacity and promote corporate social responsibility. Morgan argued that alienation of workers from the organization does not solve the entire issue of drug use and substance. Therefore, initiating a procedure through which employees undertake drug testing will help the society, resulting into a positive corporate image (USDL 3). Drug use and abuse of substance can only be mitigated through correction and improvement procedures among employees in order to increase production capacity. Drug testing regulations and laws vary from one country to the other. The implementation of drug testing policies among employees is necessary in some large organizations that have high sensitive jobs. Some governments may prohibit or allow drug test policies for employees in the workplace. For instance, Indian does not have a particular law that prohibits or encourage employees to carry out drug testing. Therefore, the organization is left with the sole responsibility to determine whether to perform drug testing. The Oxy Chemical plant President proposed drug testing among employees aimed at rectifying and improving health standards within the workplace.

Riordan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Riordan - Essay Example The decrease in profits is due to poor inventory control and lack of effectiveness in the manufacturing process. Besides, Riordan has a goal of reaching a $50 million revenue mark in the next two years it will take the best and most up-to-date software available to ensure the inventory is properly kept and improve the manufacturing process. Improving the manufacturing process can enhance product quality, reduce manufacturing costs, and increase efficiency. The best way to improve the manufacturing process is to automate the inventory system. Currently, the system in place is as follows. Firstly, the raw materials are removed out of inventory. The manufacturing staff then completes an inventory worksheet that indicates the type of materials removed from the inventory and informs the inventory clerk, who enters the information into the inventory system. Next, the manufacturing process begins. The manufacturing team completes the form throughout the manufacturing process. Lastly, when the finished goods have been completed, the inventory clerk is given the inventory for the final product and enters it into the system. (Riordan Manufacturing, Virtual Organization, 2004) A more accurate and efficient way to input inventory is to install a computer at each station

Marriage in Reformed China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage in Reformed China - Essay Example In China, marriage reform began in 1949. Women’s rights were a personal interest of Mao Zedong's, and a common issue amongst intellectuals. Up until this time arranged or forced marriages, concubinage and the inability to get a divorce influenced the lives of many women. Chairman Mao enacted the New Marriage Law of 1950 which marked a radical change from existing patriarchal Chinese marriage traditions. Through the marriage law of 1950, everybody in China was given freedom to choose his or her partner in marriage. However, meeting potential mates especially in the countryside was not easy, hence low chances of getting a marriage partner (Niida, 2010, p.2). There was limited privacy for courtship and in the villages, flirting or close conversation between unmarried women and men was not allowed. Parents usually proposed or chose matches for their daughters and sons. This was because, even with the new law, marriages were between families rather than just between individuals. So cial classes Social class refers to grouping of people based on their economic status. In China social class was one of determining factors in 1950’s .This is because marriage was taken to be an affair of the two marrying parties and their parents at such a time. Moreover, it was expectation of the society that the two marrying parties came from the same class in terms of social status. In a situation in which the two matches came from different social classes it was expected that the groom’s family was of a higher status as compared to bride’s status. The New Marriage Law, enacted by Mao himself, removed previous restrictions on marriage such as kin prohibitions, in order to further the notion of â€Å"Free-choice Marriage.† Now individuals were free to marry based on their own preference and not the opinion of others, race, social status, occupation or property (Croll, 1981). Furthermore, a significant change was seen in marriages in the1960’s si nce inherited wealth which was a significant figure was eliminated. This occurred because prior to the law, marriages were often a political or financial alignment between two families, designed to further the interests of both. The changes in law meant that people of varied social classes could marry one another. However, was still expected that the groom should be of a higher social class than the bride. Eventually new criteria for the ideal marriage partner were often socially created based on political consciousness, although relationships and marriages were still sometimes formed on other ideas. Zhitong dahoe or a political and ideological agreement became a sought after quality in potential relationships. Many magazines and periodicals of the time began supporting the idea that one’s spouse should share similar political views, attitude towards work, style of life and quality of thinking. Such philosophies paved the way for what anthropologists call heterogamous marriag es between people of varying professions like laborers and educated professionals (Croll, 1981). Marriage choice and the establishment of alliances have been attributed to problems of stratification and socio-economic differentiation in China for years. Anthropologists and social theorists differenciate between closed marriage systems that suggest a spouse be chosen from one or more designated socio-economic categories and open marriage system that allow almost much anything except for incestuous relationships (Watson,