Sab gets into licensing and merchandising with SABurbia.com Board Game

MUMBAI: Sab is launching a board game SABurbia.com. In order to engage its viewers, Sab already runs the game SABurbia.com on Facebook. This board game is an extension of that.

According to the channel, SABurbia.com is made with the belief that given the right flow, old-fashioned board games are still enjoyable and entertaining in the age of console and online gaming. This game is channel?s attempt to personalise fiction content and provide a chance to the fans to interact with their favourite characters in their characteristic styles.

The main objective was to create a game where the entire family comes together and plays, thus going with the brand belief "Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai!".

Sab business head Anooj Kapoor said, "Consumers now have come to a point where they expect that they will be exposed to various activities of television channels. With this SABburbia.com and its board game we are trying to create more touchpoints for the consumers. The idea is to give the consumer a brand experience in a way that he was not expecting."

Kapoor added that Sab will keep looking at fresh initiatives to engage with existing and prospect consumers. The channel has also planned apps of its various characters. They already have cartoon strips printed in newspaper. But there will be Sab shows? characters who will be talking in their way like popular Tom cat does. The apps will be available for androids and Smartphones.

SABurbia.com has its premise set in the city of SABurbia, which is inhabited by all the popular Sab characters like Jetha, Daya, Taarak Mehta, Gadha Prasad and Chandramukhi Chautala. The city is in search of a Mayor ? one who bonds well with all of them and gains their goodwill. In the game, the players compete to become the Mayor of SABurbia.

Another feature of the game is the introduction of mobile zones. These are "special" zones in the way that when a player lands on them, he has the option of SMSing saburbia to 52525. As a response, he may be rewarded, penalised or given a task. It is like a wheel of fortune with myriad options.

Sab has joined hands with Pegasus International (Indian toy and board game maker, operating with the brand name ?Toy Kraft?) for the manufacturing and distribution of the game.

The game will be available in 42 major cities in leading stores like Landmark, Crossword, Hamleys, Shoppers Stop, Planet M. The cities include key markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, Baroda and Jaipur.

In its initial roll-out, a total of 2000 pieces will be available in stores.

The game will be promoted on television, print and outdoor digital media. Moreover, on-ground activations will also be carried out in malls to generate curiosity and buzz around the product.