How brands are riding on the festive buzz to build a connect

With Diwali just around the corner, brands are no leaving no stone unturned when it comes to campaigns.

Leading brands like Alpenliebe, Surf Excel, Reliance Trends and Dark Fantasy have come up with some engaging ad campaigns where they not only appeal to consumers but also invite for user-generated content. These campaigns have been creating quite a buzz around the festive mood.

We spoke to brands about how important festive season campaigns are and how are they successful in grabbing eyeballs.
Speaking to exchange4media, Rohit Kapoor – Director, Marketing Operations, Perfetti Van Melle India, said: “The festive season in India is a perfect occasion for celebrations for both brands and people alike. For brands, it is an opportunity to leverage the festival sentiment to build a connect with consumers and drive business as consumers indulge far more for themselves, family and friends during this period.”

“With several conversations taking place around the festive season on social media every year, it is also a perfect opportunity to create effective campaigns that connect with their target audience by incorporating a mix of authenticity and individuality,” he added.

With regards to Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly which reached around 2 million views from the day of its launch (October 9), Kapoor said: “With an aim to drive in-home consumption and bring the brand positioning of “enabler of Family Fun” alive, we launched the “Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly recipe campaign” in partnership with celebrity chefs like Amrita Raichand, Shipra Khanna, Saransh Goila and Meghna. The response has been very encouraging and it’s a delight to see consumers actually trying out recipes at home using Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly as a key ingredient and sharing their family pictures with the recipes. India’s festival calendar provides a perfect opportunity to connect with our consumers to play a more meaningful role in their lives. We leveraged this opportunity to plan mini campaigns taking the recipe route around Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja inviting consumers to share festival recipes and get a chance to win gifts. We received hundreds of entries every month apart from more than 10 million views.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdKBOjVeWI

According to Sidharth Singh, Co-founder, CupShup top e-commerce brands claim to have shipped 35 to 40 million units of items cumulatively during the festive period. “Festival season in our country is not just another yahoo event, it's a family affair, be it at home or at work; you celebrate it with your dear and near. That being said, every brand's festive campaign recipe is a mix of those very emotions that the festive season brings. In today's world, your audience is on a platform where wildfire can grab attention faster than your organic marketing. Brands have come to leverage those platforms to position them as unique and trustworthy - e-commerce is an excellent example.”

Singh also emphasized that the definition of need, want and desire has changed today, and a consumer's needs and wants are never-ending. “We all wait eagerly for festive offers and that is what we want today - attractive offerings. The other important factor is the buying capacity of customers that has grown over the years. But in our country, festive bonuses is a key factor why people spend more during that season, it goes into expense rather than being savings.”

Asked how brands are successful in targeting the audience by inviting user-generated content, Singh cited examples of Zomato, Swiggy, Uber and McDonald’s for user-generated content. “They say content is the king of marketing, then user-generated content is the gold that a king wears. A brand's audience loves the brand for many reasons, content is one of those many. Customers love attention and nothing bring more attention than putting them in a brand's spotlight because, for them, engagement has more value than a simple communication.”

Commenting on similar lines, Ashavaree Das, Chair and Professor at the Applied Media Division at the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, spoke of Coke’s celebration of Diwali. “When something is trending, going viral or simply in the news, you can use these topical events to bring new traffic to your social networks. You can customise this to cater to Diwali events. Not only does one create user-generated content and appease the customer by featuring them in stories but it helps to build a loyal fan base by driving home the point of allowing the audience to remain connected to tradition through the brand. Coke is one of the best brands to highlight this. They have run a very effective hashtag - #shareacoke, and extended it to kindle that Diwali spirit.”

Talking about how important festive season campaigns are for brands, Sachin Dhanawade, COO - Retail and Real Estate Growel’s 101 Mall said: “Since festive season falls in Q3, it is the most crucial quarter which defines profitability for retailers. Festive campaigns help in brand recall and breaking the clutter. At Growel’s 101, this Diwali we have launched the ‘Festival of Delights’ wherein shoppers stand a chance to win gold worth Rs 3 lakh.”

Touching on how successful are brands in targeting the audience by inviting user-generated content, Dhanawade said, "In this digital age, it is essential to create social salience for any brand. User-generated content not only drives engagement but builds trust and loyalty in a brand. This festive season we have launched a plethora of activities and competitions to increase engagement and attract footfalls. The ‘Festival of Delights’ campaign has been amplified through Print, OOH, Direct Mailers, SMS, Social Media Marketing, Blogger Engagements and in-mall communication."

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