Ganpati Bappa Moraya! roared Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi. Sanedo! Sanedo! urged the crowd to the live band playing for Dandiya Ras in Ahmedabad. Shubho Pujo! wishes rang like music as folks greeted each other during the rhythmic playing of the dhak (drum) in the Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata. Pongalo Pongal squealed the little girl in Coimbatore as her family gathered around the earthen milk pot to celebrate Pongal. The faint melody of “Veero Kudiye Karwada” reverberated on the terraces of Ludhiana as married women hummed together on Karwa Chauth.
1.8 billion people, 8 religions (discounting the sub religious sects), over 330 million Gods, 500 + festivals, around 8000 cities and towns – the permutations and combinations can last a millenia!
Festivals in India are celebrated – nationally, regionally, locally, hyper locally, familialy. The calendarization basis could be – solar, lunar, Hindu lunisolar or simply Gregorian. The purposes varying from – honorification of a deity, an agricultural cycle, religious tale, local event. The processes professing choices – mass congregation of devotees, intimate family feasts, place of worship event, dancing, singing, buying new clothes, decorating the home, purchasing land, homes, cars, jewellery, sourcing specific ingredients to craft family honored recipes, distribution of sweets, exchange of gifts, asking for forgiveness from brethren harmed, seeking protection from the Gods above.
The festive bedrock in India presents itself as a holy playground for brands – mind boggling festive marketing moments replete with emotions, manifestations, and reflections! Paradoxically a duality -a blessing and a curse. Why, one might one wonder?
Because it boils down to the astuteness of the Marketer. Who is the brand targeting? What does the brand represent? Does it fit in with the cultural nuance? What aspiration does it fulfill? Is there an opportunity to elevate the customer experience? Is the brand relevant for this festive moment, at this place, for the consumer, in this manner?
For an international/national brand the conundrum is grave, the astakes much higher! One, making the right choice of festivals to be associated with, Two, getting the content down to the pat – perfectly. There will be forgiveness even if the choice of festivity were erroneous but there are literally no comebacks from flawed communication! Third, all this draws from deep consumer ethnographic understanding – the raison d’etre of the said festival, the folklores associated with it, the belief systems surrounding it, the values derived from it, the feelings it elicits, the rituals it creates, the halo effect sanctifying its existence, the kinship or the one upmanship statuses perhaps?
So, how well does the Marketer really “know” the how, the what, the where and the why? The marketer is acutely aware that the consumer’s purse strings loosen freely during these moments. The Marketer also knows that “budgets” will be sanctioned via free will by the penny-pinching CFO as the expected “ROI” from this festive fervor is a multiplier effect. It’s a double-edged sword – the marketer needs to develop the muscle to wield it well – make correct festive calendar, decide between national and regional campaigns, create an SOP on social – how the brand will come through during festive season, make clear media choices – .e.g. Ganesha mandaps (think Coca Cola!), Durga pandals (Think Eno!), Christmas mall installations (Think Michael Kors!), Ram Leela play sponsorship ( think local sweet shop!), crafting OTT plug-ins (Think Zee!), utilizing outdoor (Think Ikea!), SEO content (think Swiggy!), curating looks in-app (think Myntra!), roping in local influencers (think Amazon!)
The decision matrix is complex and demands clarity of thought, reason, and method. There is an unsaid, underlying reason to this – a festival like prayer or religion or sexuality or identity or salary or age or weight or thoughts is highly, deeply, truly personal. It transcends into a very private sanctum that’s fiercely guarded by the individual or the cohort of individuals who are the gate keepers to upholding its sanctity. And therefore, the marketer must tread with great caution, high awareness, and evolved curiosity to assimilate the true meaning of the fête and craft evocative narratives stemming from profound insights which truly embody the sagaciousness of its spirit. The brand must stay humble and never try to rise above the festival – that’s blasphemy! It must stir emotions, saliently weave stories while sensitively driving the brand into the festive moniker’s inner consciousness – effortlessly and decorously.
This identification of the hallowed pairing of the festivals especially the hyperlocal one with the brand is a one-time investment of time, and effort that if gotten right is like a match made in heaven – guaranteed to yield the highest impact for the minimal investment. Over time, the brand becomes part of the “tongue” of the festival and that association is the most powerful one of all as it will create a connect so deep, so powerful, forging customer loyalty for life. That’s the greatest blessing of all time!
So, my dear fellow marketers – I leave you with one simple thought this festive season – don’t make the mistake of giving in to your FOMOs, do what is right by your customer, their festival, and your brand, make those tough choices and experience the bliss of JOMO.
Happy Festivities!
