The Great Festive Opportunity: Refreshing the regional marketing narrative

Festivals are a prime time for brands to connect with consumers on an emotional level. Leveraging regional insights and creating culturally resonant campaigns can significantly enhance brand visibility and consumer engagement. The panel discussion on ‘Great Festive Opportunity: Refreshing the Marketing Narrative’ at the second edition of Adgully’s CMOs’ Charcha - Kolkata Chapter 2024, held on June 14, saw industry experts sharing their strategies and experiences in successfully navigating the festive marketing landscape.

The session was chaired by Promita Saha, Vice President of Karukrit, and the panelists included:

• Arindam Biswas, VP - Brand & Strategic Partnership at SVF
• Parneet Purewal, Senior Manager, Consumer Activation at ITC Limited
• Souvik Misra, Co-Founder and Director at SoS Ideas
• Subhodeep Roy, National Head of Sales (GT) at Dabur

Promita Saha opened the session by highlighting the importance of understanding the critical nuances that make festive campaigns successful. She emphasized, “Festivals have certain very critical nuances, and brands which can catch on to those nuances versus a very mass kind of communication are the ones which, I guess, stay with the target audience.” Saha underscored that while reach is a typical KPI for campaigns, the ability to resonate on a cultural level is what truly makes a campaign memorable and effective.

Arindam Biswas highlighted the importance of the festive period for releasing prized content, especially through platforms like Hoichoi. He shared an example of a recent Sprite campaign that leveraged SVF’s content. The campaign featured a regional celebrity and integrated seamlessly with the festival spirit. Biswas emphasized, “For us, the festive period is the prime period. We combine entertainment with brand messaging to engage consumers effectively. Our campaigns aim to provide the right set of combinations to brands, reaching out to millions of Bengali people worldwide.”

Parneet Purewal discussed ITC’s approach to festive marketing through storytelling and consumer activation. She shared a campaign for Ashirwad Atta during Durga Puja, which highlighted the brand’s connection with the community. “We created a pandal within the Bagh Bazaar pandal, replacing the traditional Durga idol with images of women from Kolkata, celebrating their strength and spirit. It received a lot of appreciation and demonstrated our deep understanding of the festival’s core,” Purewal shared.

Subhodeep Roy spoke about Dabur’s strategy to balance national messaging with regional insights. He emphasized the importance of innovation in visibility tools during festivals. “Our challenge is to marry the national messaging with regional insights without altering the brand’s core. We aim to build brand love and trust through various routes, including outdoor, digital, and influencer campaigns,” Roy stated. He cited the “Bhalo Mishti” campaign during Durga Puja, where Dabur Honey collaborated with a local sweet shop to promote healthy sweets, combining digital amplification and on-ground activation.

Souvik Misra discussed the evolution of festive advertising and the importance of understanding regional mindsets. He provided examples of long-term properties created for brands like Anandabazar Patrika and Asian Paints. “Identifying the right stories and creating a regional connect is key. For instance, we developed the ‘Heroes’ campaign for Century Ply, honouring behind-the-scenes workers during Durga Puja. Such initiatives resonate deeply with local audiences,” Misra elaborated.

The panel concluded that festivals offer a unique opportunity for brands to connect with consumers on a deeper level. By understanding and leveraging regional nuances, brands can create campaigns that not only drive reach, but also foster emotional connections and brand loyalty. The insights shared by the panelists underscore the critical role of cultural relevance and innovative strategies in festive marketing.

These are edited excerpts. For the complete panel discussion, please watch below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1o6L6NINbs