After a heavy downpour of rain in the early monsoon months of June and July, August brings a fresh tone of vibrant energy as it marks the beginning of the festive season. Indians, in particular, and festivals are a match made in heaven. Emotions are at an all-time high during the festive season and it is the right time for brands and companies alike to put their best foot (read advertisement!) forward.

Given the country’s rich heritage and culture, there are numerous occasions for celebration since the demographic is so diversified. It is during the festive season that we witness brands putting out creative advertisements to capitalize on the emotion-driven economy and have more customers on board. 

This synergy of festivals and advertising has been around for ages. We’ll walk you through how brands can effectively position their advertisement campaigns to make the most out of the festive season. 

1. Culture-centric society

India, as we all know and are proud of, is known for its diversity. So much so that a local dialect changes every 20 Kms. In fact, one can also witness people of various ethnicities and social backgrounds residing together. Naturally, there is an evident amalgamation of culture which translates into every celebratory occasion. It doesn’t really matter what background you come from, you’ll end up celebrating and sending warm wishes at every single festival. 

Festivals unite people of various cultures. For brands, it is an opportunity to build awareness and recognition across cultures and societies. Hence, advertisement campaigns designed around festivals prove to be more successful in promoting your product/service. 

2. Timing is important for advertisements

Have you ever noticed how advertisements for Moti soap only appear during the Diwali season and not otherwise? The product is pertinent to the Diwali rituals and its usage during this time is at its peak. Similarly, you’ll also find Cadbury Celebrations‘  advertisements during Raksha Bandhan and Diwali. 

Festivals like Akshay Tritiya are culturally considered auspicious occasions to purchase gold. It is no surprise that you will witness some jewelry company advertising their unique design for gold coins during this time frame.

It is imperative for a brand to recognize the resonance of a festival with its product/service in order to increase the potential of market penetration. Once your brand becomes synonymous with a festival, sales will increase exponentially during that time frame. 

3. Large internet user base

After Jio revolutionized the internet space in the country, the internet user base has risen significantly courtesy of the affordable internet plans offered by the telecom companies. India is ranked fifth out of 233 countries in terms of providing the cheapest mobile data to users. According to the survey report ‘The Worldwide Mobile Data Pricing 2022,’ India ranks in the top five with the average cost of 1GB of mobile data at $0.17, as much of India’s population relies on mobile data to get online. 

Traditional advertisements have taken a back seat primarily because of the prominence of the internet. Thus, online advertisements, especially during festivals, make more sense in terms of reaching out to your audience. Almost every app on your phone displays product advertisements. When your online feed is full of such advertisements, you are bound to click on those – be it out of curiosity or need. 

4. Shift towards online purchases

The festive season is often the time to splurge.  It is customarily the time when most people look to make major purchases because the time is considered auspicious. Since most of us are actively engaged in online shopping these days, we often come across big deals and discounts during the festive season. 

Brands know that you have the capital to make big purchases during the festivals. For them, it is about striking the iron while it is hot. Running advertisements and promotional campaigns whilst offering lucrative discounts is a pivotal move for any brand during the festive season. For starters, you are onboarding customers at a lower price point which makes it easier for the customer to try out your product/service. Once the customer develops a taste for it, orders will come in irrespective of the discounts because you’ve managed to satisfy a purpose with your product/service. 

Marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon have encashed the festive season discounts to a point where people exclusively wait for such offers to buy what they need and want. In a way, you are building brand loyalty through the combined effort of festival advertisement and discounts. 

To summarise, festivals affect advertising on a positive note. It creates a window for brands to mark their presence and build a strong brand identity. All you have to do is tailor your storytelling to the festival that has the most synergy with your brand. That is precisely how you’ll end up with more traffic and lead generation for your business. Antriksh Global can help you create alluring advertisements and boost your sales. Reach out to us for a free brand consultation.