Spiritual to meaningful connections: What brands gained the most from Maha Kumbh

The Maha Kumbh 2025, held in Prayagraj, was more than just a spiritual congregation – it was a grand spectacle that presented an unparalleled opportunity for brands to connect with an expansive and diverse audience. Drawing over 65 crore devotees across 45 days, the event became a massive platform where brands blended tradition with modern engagement strategies to enhance visibility and build lasting consumer relationships.

Leading brands across categories tapped into the Maha Kumbh’s unique setting to create meaningful consumer experiences. Eveready, DS Group, and ITC stood out with their innovative activations, while other brands such as PepsiCo, Dabur, and Patanjali also marked their presence through strategic on-ground initiatives.

Establishing Brand Presence: Blending Tradition with Innovation

Given the scale of Maha Kumbh, brands ensured their presence through a combination of traditional on-ground activations and digital amplification.

DS Group focused on immersive brand experiences to create lasting consumer connections. “Our key messaging revolved around trust and authenticity, ensuring that our presence resonated with devotees,” shared Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group. The brand leveraged large-scale kiosks, interactive stalls, and digital engagement zones to connect with attendees.

ITC ensured a culturally relevant presence by aligning with the deep-rooted traditions of Maha Kumbh. “The Maha Kumbh is not just a spiritual gathering; it is a melting pot of cultures, traditions, and communities, making it an unparalleled opportunity for brands to forge meaningful connections. Our presence at Maha Kumbh, through initiatives like Bingo! Tedhe Medhe Bhaukaal Lok, is rooted in the idea of connecting with people at an emotional level, celebrating regional culture codes, and offering experiences that resonate deeply,” said Shuvadip Banerjee, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, ITC Ltd. Bingo! Tedhe Medhe engaged over 2 lakh consumers at the event, while Mangaldeep's AR-powered 'Mangaldeep Ka Mangal Kumbh' campaign digitally reached 27 million users.

Eveready took a functional approach, ensuring product relevance for millions attending the event. “With thousands of pilgrims staying in camps and temporary shelters, our flashlights and batteries became essential,” explained Anirban Banerjee, Senior Vice President and SBU Head (batteries and flashlights), Eveready Industries India Ltd. The brand distributed over 500,000 free battery samples and set up charging stations at key congregation points.

Marketing Spends: Smart Budgeting for Maximum Impact

With a massive audience but an equally crowded marketing space, brands had to allocate their budgets strategically to achieve optimal engagement.

DS Group adopted a multi-platform strategy. “We allocated 40% of our budget to on-ground activations, 30% to digital amplification, and the rest across print, radio, and influencer-led campaigns,” said Rajeev Jain. The group partnered with regional influencers to extend its reach among Tier 2 and Tier 3 audiences. ITC focused on experiential marketing. “We wanted consumers to interact directly with our products, so we invested heavily in sampling and on-ground engagement,” shared Shuvadip Banerjee. ITC set up 200+ touchpoints, distributing products like Sunfeast biscuits and Aashirvaad atta-based ready-to-eat items.

Eveready significantly increased its investment for Maha Kumbh 2025. “Our marketing spends for Maha Kumbh 2025 increased by 25-30% compared to 2019. The unprecedented scale of the 45-day spectacle, with approximately 65 crore+ visitors, influenced this decision,” said Anirban Banerjee. Rather than focusing solely on traditional advertising, Eveready prioritized safety-driven brand integration. “We invested in tangible safety initiatives by providing Siren Torches to police personnel, ensuring both practical value to the event’s security operations and meaningful brand visibility. Our spending focused on initiatives that would demonstrate our product’s real-world utility while supporting the crowd management efforts of the Maha Kumbh Police,” he added.

Consumer Engagement: Reaching Tier 1 & Tier 2 Cities

Maha Kumbh attracted a broad spectrum of visitors, with a significant share coming from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Brands had to adapt their engagement strategies to cater to both digital-savvy urban consumers and tradition-bound rural audiences.

DS Group created an AI-powered digital experience allowing attendees to share their Maha Kumbh journey on social media. “We witnessed a 300% increase in digital interactions during the event, with thousands using our AR-powered photo booths,” said Rajeev Jain.

ITC leveraged interactive storytelling. “We organized storytelling corners where visitors could hear about the heritage behind our products and values,” shared Shuvadip Banerjee. The brand also ran a WhatsApp chatbot campaign that generated over 1 million conversations.

Eveready focused on high-utility activations. “We distributed custom-branded flashlight keychains to over 250,000 attendees, ensuring that our brand remained with them even after the event,” said Anirban Banerjee.

Other Brands Leveraging Maha Kumbh 2025

Apart from DS Group, ITC, and Eveready, several other major brands capitalized on Maha Kumbh’s massive reach:

Dabur set up Ayurvedic health camps, offering free check-ups and product sampling of Dabur Chyawanprash and Honey.

HUL activated its water purification brand, Pureit, by installing 100+ free water stations across the event.

Coca-Cola launched a limited-edition Maha Kumbh bottle with traditional motifs and ran a UGC-driven campaign encouraging pilgrims to share their experiences.

Blinkit provided express delivery services for essentials to pilgrims and locals attending the event.

Nestlé set up kiosks offering hot beverages, instant noodles, and nutritional products for attendees.

Swiggy launched a special food delivery service ensuring fresh and hygienic meals were accessible to pilgrims.

Nuvoco ran a campaign promoting eco-friendly construction materials used in temporary shelters and sanitation facilities at the event.