This Raksha Bandhan, #Deliver_The_Love
This Durga Puja, #You_Are_The_Celebration
This Diwali, #Aap_Kise_Khush_Karoge?
If the hashtags made you smile, their commercials were successful. If they had the slightest impact on your Durga Puja wardrobe and choice of chocolates, the campaigns left an indelible impression. The brands did not sell their products, they sold a story, they conveyed an emotion.
As India ushers in the rich blend of culture, brands look forward to the myriads of festivities to tap in to the enormous customer base. The festivals do not just embellish religiosity and emotions, but also amalgamate a host of marketing and branding opportunities. Brands are not solely limited to banners and pamphlets to make themselves visible. The festive campaign in itself has become an event of monthlong preparation, planning and ideation to launch the perfect story that would attract maximum eyeballs and hitch to the myriads of emotions associated with the celebrations- nostalgia, homecoming and togetherness.
Togetherness and Unity Amidst Diversity
Of Festivals, Brands & Branding
Appealing to the fashion frenzy generation, fashion brands find within Durgotsav, the biggest festival of Bengalis', the charm to hook shoppers. Back in 2019, while Sonata drilled home the Puja planning and awaiting the approach of the Goddess in the coming year with watches, Pantaloons highlighted the feminine power with #Pujo_Rockstars. The ambitious girl, with the upbeat music, was sure to resonate with the minds of the high-spirited shoppers.
As the pandemic took a toll on consumer behaviour, brands recreated their narrative magic in line with the struggle that loomed around, but with a hint of optimism. At a time when mankind at large was desperate to pin on hope, and when Kolkata looked dull due to dim lights of Durga Puja, Tanishq instilled the sense of confidence with its “Ekotai Shundor, Ekotai Shokti”- Unity is beauty, Unity is strength. The commercial urged viewers to be strong, follow COVID protocols and defeat the disease akin to the way the Goddess triumphed over Mahishasura.
Pantaloons launched a campaign featuring delivery of gifts to doctors, COVID volunteers, police and all those who relentlessly served the community when the nation was struggling to keep up with the raging pandemic. The brand appealed to every individual with its iconic hashtag This Pujo, You are the Celebration.
Brands tap into the emotional strings of the human minds, and the perception of festivals as togetherness and reunion become the ingredients for their heart touching commercials. Surf Excel decides to celebrate Holi with its iconic #RangAchheHai, at times by spreading the message of unity beyond religious barriers, and at others by using colours as the emotional bridge between people during a raging pandemic. As India gets illuminated with Diwali lights and sky lanterns, stellar story telling strategy too guides the light for branding. #NotJustACadburyAd became the brand’s masterstroke in ingraining the name in the minds of millennials. The Bollywood star urging the consumers to support local retail stores post pandemic resonated well with a society fresh out of a pandemic, while personalisation and the incorporation of local store names based on the viewer’s pin code undoubtedly made the ad one of the best in recent times!
To celebrate the sweet brother sister rivalry and friendship, Raksha Bandhan serves as the sweet spot for many brands to create heart warming advertisements that address a larger audience. Cadbury’s ad featuring a sister tying Rakhi on her brother’s prosthetic hand aced their mission of “Kuch Achha Ho Jaye” with #MyFirstRakhi. Another multinational, an ecommerce site, Amazon featured a brother appreciating the salty kheer made by his sister. His dire attempt in trying to hide his sister’s mistake became the most precious gift- and such gifts do not come wrapped in boxes.
Tugging at your Heartstrings- The Psychology of Marketing
Deep Dive into the 4 P’s
The festivals witness most brands bringing out their marketing genius to ensure their products find a place in the carts of all shoppers.
Product- What are festivals after all if they do not revive ethnicity? The fashion maestros like Pantaloons featured a host of traditional attire and ornaments to deck up for the biggest Bengali festival of the year. Cadbury chocolates seem to have evolved as the perfect addition to “meetha moments” over the years.
Price- While brands like Pantaloons initially optimised their pricing strategy to attract middle and high-class consumers, they are now reaching out to the other segments as well for expansion. Others like Tanishq enjoy an association of prestige and status symbol, and charge a premium price for their high end, unique jewellery, keeping the brand exclusive to upper-class population, who are willing to pay more value to exceptionality, while some like Amazon boasts of Delivering Love at special Raksha Bandhan discounts.
The festive season discounts, however, significantly draw customers and impact their spending habits.
Place- Apart from the offline retail outlets and distribution network to attract ideal customers, brands have taken the digital leap and established strong presence through online websites. When your consumers adapt, the brand should do too to keep up with the pace.
Promotion- What all these brands garnered through the innovative campaigns, was the collective emotions of millennials and nostalgia of the older generation. The gargantuan apparel and ornament retail brands and ecommerce sites like Amazon, and even chocolate brands like Cadbury had the perfect marketing mix coupled with festive sentiments to make their presence unrivalled. Even as the pandemic changed the dynamics of the storyline, emphasising on concepts of unity, hygiene and supporting craftsmen and COVID volunteers, the campaigns managed to strike the chords of the consumers.
Festivals & The Marketing Mix
Steeped in emotions, festive charm and heritage, the plethora of festivals in India offers the platter that brands use to connect to consumers. Appeal to their emotions, initiate a conversation, and let them speak for your brand!
Felt connected to the content throughout.
Great work !