boAt wanted to avoid the usual deal-centric approach this festive season: Vedansh Kumar

This time of the year marks one of the most crucial periods for businesses. Consumer sentiment is at its highest, and spending patterns reflect the festive spirit. From offers and discounts to large-scale campaigns and personalized engagement, brands explore every avenue to stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. The rise of digital marketing and the increasing role of e-commerce has also intensified the focus on omnichannel strategies, ensuring that consumers are met with consistent messaging across both online and offline platforms.

Adgully’s special annual column, FESTIVE MOOD, delves deep into the intricacies of these marketing activities, offering a holistic perspective on the trends that define this season. From ad spend projections to consumer behaviour analyses, the column covers all aspects of the festive landscape. It highlights how brands are planning to position themselves; what marketing strategies are being adopted, and how consumer sentiment is shaping the promotional and communication tactics being deployed.

In an engaging conversation with Adgully, Vedansh Kumar, Head of Brand Marketing, boAt, shares his perspectives on the evolving advertising landscape and strategic trends this festive season. Observing a strong consumer sentiment buoyed by increased online spending and a favourable market environment, Kumar highlights how boAt has shifted its focus to meet these demands. Moving beyond a deal-centric approach, boAt has leaned into omnichannel strategies, data-driven personalization, and innovative campaign formats like gamification and emotional storytelling. Kumar also discusses the resurgence of print media and the importance of a well-integrated platform approach to amplify the brand's festive impact.

What are your observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year?

This festive season, we’ve observed that consumers tend to save throughout the year with the intention of purchasing the best products during this period. Their focus isn’t on finding deals, but on acquiring high-quality items that reflect a desire to upgrade their lifestyle. As a result, our strategy was aligned with this insight, aiming to increase the contribution of higher-priced and more premium SKUs to meet consumer demand for premium experiences and products.

What forms the core of your festive marketing strategy this year?

We wanted to avoid the usual deal-centric approach with a festive look and feel. Instead, we focused on the insight that consumers save throughout the year to buy high-quality products at the best price during the festive season. With this in mind, our goal was to offer them a real opportunity to upgrade by providing genuinely great products that align with their expectations, rather than just relying on promotional tactics.

Could you tell us about your campaign strategy for the festive season?

Our campaign strategy was multifaceted. On offline channels, our primary focus was on establishing Nirvana as a premium series. On digital platforms, the goal was to spotlight our hero boAt products that had been developed throughout the year. We also strategically launched new products under the Boat brand just before the festive season to build hype. Additionally, we partnered with quick commerce players for co-branded campaigns.

The campaigns were carefully phased to align with the various sales events across multiple e-commerce platforms. Each platform had a highly optimized and tailored strategy to ensure maximum return, rather than relying on a single, uniform approach. This allowed us to leverage the unique strengths of each channel for optimal impact.

What is your marketing/ advertising budget for the festive season in 2024? What percentage increase (or decrease) is it compared to the previous year?

While we can’t disclose specific budget figures, we can share that our overall media spending for the festive season in 2024 remained consistent with last year. However, we did allocate more resources towards sponsorships, particularly for major sales events, as part of our strategy to enhance visibility and engagement during key moments. This allowed us to maintain a strong presence without significantly increasing our media investment.

Given the increasing fragmentation of media consumption, how are you allocating festive ad budgets across different platforms?

Our budget is primarily allocated towards sponsorships, search, and display advertising on e-commerce platforms. A significant portion is also dedicated to digital platforms like Google, Meta, and programmatic channels. Finally, the remaining budget is invested in ATL efforts, including print advertising, to ensure a well-rounded marketing approach.