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Tag: Durga Puja

  • Durga Puja: Advertisers optimistic as demand returns

    Durga Puja: Advertisers optimistic as demand returns

    MUMBAI: By now it’s evident that the Covid2019 pandemic is not going away anytime soon. After spiralling caseloads – ravaged the economy, and played spoilsport with travel plans – scary ol' Corona seems to be on the wane in time for the festive season, though it’s too early to celebrate outright. But with the markets rallying and consumer sentiments surging, brands and advertisers are sniffing the air hopefully, even as they tread with caution. 

    Every year, several categories like FMCGs, apparel, auto, e-commerce and consumer durables become the biggest spenders during the Durga Puja-Diwali stretch. The query their marketing teams puts up is not ‘how much?’ but ‘why not?’ This time around, the question is: how brands plan to advertise in the year of Corona.

    However, the Tata group owned fashion and lifestyle chain Westside has braced to make the most out of the circumstances. The brand’s ‘What’s Your Festive’ campaign focuses on all the products, right from clothing, cosmetics, footwear to  home décor. For the campaign, Westside has created four festive installations, each of which spans 15 seconds in which viewers can catch a glimpse of everything that it offers.

    Westside customer head Umashan Naidoo explained, “The films are directed by the very talented Devang Desai and the cast consists of Westside employees, customers and designers from the ethnic wear brand. After all, who better to advocate style and share the joy of their products but the creators themselves? We believe that these are real people with the aspirations of the brand at heart.”

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    The films are meant to uplift spirits and have nothing to do with hard selling, said Naidoo, adding in an aside that the sparkling diyas featured in the video are part of a CSR project started in 2003 by Simone Naval Tata herself.

    As the options for big outdoor displays and activities are limited, brands are shifting to the digital space to keep their connect with customers alive. For instance, Fortune the Adani Wilmar group's Fortune brand has been running a digital campaign called Pet Pujo for the last three years to engage consumers. The brand’s media & strategy head Sanjay Adesara said: “This year, we have given it a twist keeping the current Covid situation in mind. From the last 3-4 years, we were doing a separate digital activity outside. This year also we are keeping it digital.”

    Adesara also shared that the trends in the West Bengal market during the pre-Puja period are similar to last year’s: there’s been no dip in additional grocery buying and shopping for clothes and personal care products.

    Kolkata is a major market for RSH Global-owned Joy Personal Care. CMO Poulomi Roy is of the view that from November onwards, things are going to pick-up in the northern part of the country, especially before Diwali. The skincare maker has launched a new campaign ahead of Durga Puja in West Bengal. As part of the campaign, the brand released the peppy, upbeat music video Dugga Elo featuring ten popular Bengali celebrities which captures vivid moments that highlight the vibe of pujo. Intended to create a festive mood and keep the spirit alive, the campaign song will be played out on television, radio, OTT platform and social media platforms of SVF Brands.

    Observing that while the personal care segment such as hand wash, soap, sunscreen segments had gone down during the initial phase of the lockdown, Roy said one category that witnessed a boost was luxury products.

    “People have stayed back at home and instead of spending outside, they have actively been indulging and taking care of themselves by using  personal care  products,” she added. The disruption that happened at the outset of the pandemic affected the company's supply chain but as things are getting back to normal, the demand is steadily returning.

    Experts echoed the sentiment, saying consumer demand has definitely picked up in the past 15 days. Experimental and cross-shopping is on the rise, especially for categories such as cosmetics, lingerie and home décor. They project that brands which have the best style, value, availability, and experience will surely witness growth.

    Tata CLiQ CMO Kishore Mardikar noted that since people are still on guard against contracting the virus, there’s been a lull in out-of-doors puja activity, especially shopping. Instead, they’ve switched to online to purchase their discretionary needs along with daily essentials. Broadly, there’s been an accelerated digital adoption this year,  with increased exploration and buying in all the categories including fashion and electronics.

    Looking to capitalise on this shift, the primary focus of Tata CLiQ is on audiences that have higher intent/consideration to purchase and thereby engage with them to catapult traffic to the platform. The company's marketing plan during the season is positioned around the theme of gifting.

    “This year our focus is to drive transactional efficiencies and hence our marketing choices are dictated mainly by digital media complimented with engagements via our social platforms,” Mardikar added.

    Even after Covid and government-mandated guidelines to check it, brands have improvised, adapted and are desperately trying to overcome all the challenges. Will they get to have the last laugh? Or will the Calcutta High Court's direction to make all pujo pandals in the state 'no-entry zones' prove to be their undoing?

    MediaCom chief growth officer Soumak Banik paints a not-so-rosy picture of the situation. “When you talk about Durga Puja or event festivities, the maximum of the money goes on ground. This time that is itself cut down, taking a huge hit. Even if the entire outdoor budget is lesser, it will impact advertising fundamentals at the end of the day,” he said.

    The festive season is an auspicious time in terms of sales for businesses across the board and marketers leverage this opportunity with promotions galore. This year, the festivities may be subdued and the volume of ads may be low, but brands are not down and out for the count. They're trying to reach out to customers in new ways and formats.

    “There is cautious optimism in the air. Brands are planning activities and are expecting offtakes to happen,” summed up Havas Media Group MD India Mohit Joshi.

  • COLORS Bangla announces windmill of fresh content this Durga Puja

    COLORS Bangla announces windmill of fresh content this Durga Puja

    MUMBAI: The auspicious occasion of Durga Puja is not just a festival, but a celebration of life. While this year, in the new normal, Pujo will be different, what will not change is the zest for Durga Pujo amongst Bengalis. Keeping in mind the five days of festivity, COLORS Bangla is all set to treat its viewers with two special festive programs, starting 22 October to 26 October 2020.

    Sree Sree Sarodiya Durga Pujo which will air at 10 a.m. will provide viewers with a spiritual experience by giving an essence of the various rituals associated with Pujo while the evening show Golpe Gaane Pujor Adda which will air at 5 p.m., will be an “adda” with singers and actors entertaining the viewers with popular music and memories. Presented by Hellman’s Mayonnaise and Powered by Brooke Bond Red Label, both these shows aim at celebrating the fervor of Durga Puja.

    Colors Bangla business head Rahul Chakravarti said, “At COLORS Bangla, we have always believed in redefining the entertainment quotient with innovative and meaningful content. For Bengalis, Durga Puja stirs different feelings, emotions and memories. Since Pujo will be different this year due to the ongoing pandemic, we thought of bringing the festive mood at home for our viewers by lining up programs with the best names in the industry. In addition to this, we have a special movie line up in store for the movie lovers. In our effort to provide wholesome entertainment, we are delighted to have on-boarded advertisers across categories. Further, keeping in mind the new normal, we have also launched a Durga Puja campaign to encourage our viewers to celebrate this Pujo responsibly.”

    The morning program hosted by popular anchor Rini Ghosh will dwell on the lore of Pujo and the mythos of Maa Durga, bringing alive the divinity and the richness of the rituals and traditions associated with the festival. Durga Pujo celebrations are incomplete without those long Adda sessions which give an adrenaline rush like no other. Keeping this in mind the evening program hosted by popular singer Jojo will be a musical chat show with popular celebrities from Bengal. The star-studded evening will have Ronita, Souptik, Aneek, Haimanti Shukla, Surojit, Abhishek Dutta and Rupankar Bagchi to name a few.

    The entertainment doesn’t stop here. Keeping in mind the movie lovers and the channel’s wide repertoire of 200+ Bangla titles; Colors Bangla has dedicated each day of the Pujo to a superstar. From Saptami being dedicated to fans of Jeet to Ashtami being dedicated to Mithun Chakrabarty, special movies of superstars will be showcased.

    Colors Bangla has launched a Durga Puja campaign which urges everyone to celebrate this Pujo responsibly in this “new normal”. The Pujo campaign dwells on the fact that the divine mother will be welcomed with usual devotion minus the revelry of Durgotsav. With discussions on various rituals, traditions to adda, music associated with Pujo, Colors Bangla plans to evoke nostalgia and provide wholesome entertainment.

  • Will OOH industry see a revival during Durga Puja?

    Will OOH industry see a revival during Durga Puja?

    KOLKATA: Even with Dashami a week away, the city of Kolkata lacks lustre. The usual crowd of revellers who throng the streets, flitting from one pujo marquee to another, is significantly smaller. There are fewer lights, fewer billboards, and fewer hoardings. Although, the number of pandals has not reduced but the anticipated footfall is expected to go down especially with the latest Calcutta high court order. All of them are strictly adhering to the West Bengal government’s guidelines to check community transmission of Covid2019.

    During Puja, these pandals turn into a hub of outdoor and on-ground activities. Brands try to leverage every corner of the pandals to create a visual impact and making their presence felt starting from the overhead gates to pillars, stage, stalls, and other parts of the pandals. Several brands release new campaigns, initiatives and products during this time and leverage the massive footfall at the pandals for sampling of its products.

    Clearly, business isn’t booming for out-of-home (OOH) industry in the market as it traditionally does during the festive season.

    Vibgyor managing director Ankur Kalra says brands are spending very cautiously for out-of-home activities, even during Durga Puja. Although they have started spending some amount on TV and digital but on-ground reality is different this year. According to him, all of the brands have deferred their marketing spends to 2021. He has noticed a 75 per cent reduction from all the reputed brands in on-ground activities especially.

    Ad spends on on-ground activities are moving to virtual modes. Since there are fears of crowd gatherings despite restrictions, one bad incident could lead to a PR disaster, adds Kalra. In overall OOH, if the brands were spending Rs 100, the spending has gone down to less than Rs 40 this year.

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    R W Promotions owner Venkatesh Srinivasan echoes Kalra’s bent of mind, saying as brands want to maintain safety standards, they have several questions in mind such as: which are the containment zones, which parts of the city are safe for activations. However, he is more sanguine of a revival. His view is that spends on outdoor are slowly coming back and should go up more during Durga Puja since the government is also supporting celebrations with safety standards.

    He goes on to add that outdoor activations are key, despite digital campaigns. In his view, many people are still not comfortable seeing a product in digital ads and buying it later.

    Moreover, coming off the downturn of the last seven months, the market is considerably more enthusiastic right now with the onset of festive season. FMCGs and automobiles are currently the top spenders in outdoor campaigns, followed by consumer durables and mobile manufacturers. Other than that, beauty brands are spending but very less. Overall, marketing spends could take a 50-60 per cent dip in terms of outdoor and 70-80 per cent in on-ground activation.

    Another executive who is extremely gung-ho about the revival of the outdoors is Laqshya media group CEO Atul Shrivastava. Says he: "The spirit of Calcuttans during Durga Puja is indomitable. The festive spirit started late, but with the government’s go-ahead for puja pandals, everyone has become quite enthused. Keeping in mind the precautionary measures, people are out on the roads and market areas are seeing a healthy flow of customers. As per data generated through Sharp, Laqshya’s in-house measurement tool, traffic in Kolkata is currently 89-92 per cent of normal times. So, we see that situations are coming back to normal, aided by the festive season."

    According to him, most brands have come up with communications catering to the sentiments of Notun Pujo. He adds that no brand wants to miss the opportunity to advertise during Durga Pujo in Kolkata. Even in the current situation, many brands in the jewellery, textiles, retail, garments, footwear, automobile sectors are spending their pent-up OOH budgets. FMCG brands are also advertising, especially for sanitising products.  In addition to that, OTT platforms and entertainment channels have stepped into OOH media to promote new shows and programs. Although clients are not spending 100 per cent as compared to last year, current spends stand at 60-65 per cent.

    While Shrivastava speaks about entertainment brands, the biggest Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi has undertaken an outdoor campaign this year too. The brand’s campaign for Durga Puja speaks of situations which everyone is facing daily due to the ongoing pandemic and how Hoichoi can make them feel better with its vast offering of personalized entertainment, Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta shares.

    The entire campaign has been replicated on the out-of-home format also. The streaming platform has erected temporary banners all over the city during pujo days. A mix of 600 banners and 100 big facades have been used for this promotional activity.

    However, just three days ahead of the festival, the Calcutta High Court passed a verdict declaring Durga Puja pandals to be no-entry zones for visitors. Only organisers will be allowed inside the pandals, limiting the number to 25 for big pandals and 15 for the smaller ones. The order can negatively impact the brands that were supposed to finalise outdoor spends this week.

    For larger pujo committees which rely largely on corporate sponsorships, this slump in ad spend is a worrisome turn of events. Ekdalia Evergreen, which is among the top draws every year, has seen nearly a 50 per cent drop in sponsors, club secretary Gautam Mukherjee says. Usually, 60 per cent of the expenditure is covered by sponsorships every year but the number has gone down to 10 per cent this year.

    Another mid-budget puja committee, Telengabagan, has witnessed the same trend. Amrit Shaw, a puja committee member, says that the usual sponsors have also backed out leading to more than 50 per cent decline in sponsorships. Among the few brands which have come on-bard, he names Coca Cola, ITC, Kwality Walls.

    While there is derring-do spirit amongst some players, others seem worried. Hopefully, goddess Durga, will come to their and West Bengal's rescue and smile benevolently on her worshipping followers. And there will be no looking back thereafter. 

  • Bangla channels pin high hopes on Durga Puja

    Bangla channels pin high hopes on Durga Puja

    MUMBAI: Durga Puja, that time of the year when an entire city descends into wholesome chaos. The fervour sets in days ahead, and during the five-day celebration the streets are teeming as revellers go pandal-hopping, bhog sampling, throng anondo mela (fun fair), indulge in shopping sprees, and a dozen other fun-filled activities. But due to Covid2019, pujo festivities are a lot more toned down this year, with the risk of public gatherings looming large on people’s minds.

    With the outlook that folks will stay at home rather than jostle with crowds, Bangla entertainment channels have taken up an aggressive stance programming-wise to maximise viewership and ad revenue during the pujo period.

    How Bangla channels are wooing viewers

    Sony Aath is trying to dial up the celebrations with a slew of fresh programming. As part of Sunday Funday, the most popular slot on the channel, it will air special Durga Puja-themed episodes of hit family shows – Gopal Bhar, Nut Boltu and NIX. With the recent premiere of new show Baalveer during this festive season, the channel’s also lined up six Honey Bunny movies. A Sony Pictures Networks India Sony Aath and English cluster business head Tushar Shah said, “We are witnessing tremendous interest from the advertisers and a few of them, including Cadbury and Colgate, have already signed up.”

    Colors Bangla, too, has a treat in store for its viewers. “There will be a special morning programme titled Sree Sree Sarodiya Durga Pujo. It will provide the audience with a spiritual experience by giving an essence of the various rituals associated with pujo. Evening show Golpe Gaane Pujor Adda is a show with singers and actors entertaining our viewers with popular music and memories. Both the shows are presented by Hellman’s Mayonnaise and powered by Brooke Bond,” said Colors Bangla business head Rahul Chakravarti.

     

     

    This year a lot of devotees will be offering pujo “virtually”, a trend that had started a few years ago, wherein viewers could do darshan and pushpanjali and get pronami too. TV and digital channels can broadcast these events and let worshippers enjoy the festivities from the safety of their homes. Bangla celebrities and influencers are also being roped in to familiarise their fans with the concept of virtual celebrations along with AR/VR darshans from their apps.

    Zee Bangla and Zee Bangla Cinema cluster business head Samrat Ghosh notes that the broadcast industry has pinned its hopes on advertisers. The festival holds immense potential for all stakeholders, especially in the eastern states of West Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Bihar where the arrival of Mother Goddess Durga is celebrated with a lot of pomp and gaiety.

     

     

    Ghosh said, "The viewership is definitely soaring high and the ad-ex market has also started picking up. I am hopeful that during the festive season advertisers will also help us to revive the ad-ex market. Apart from the usual categories that advertise, we will see a lot of automobile, consumer durable brands doing promotions. The local retail brands are also reviving and have started advertising." He is optimistic about the retail market bouncing back in terms of ad spends.

    Apart from special programming on the small screen, Durga Puja is always associated with big ticket movie releases. Keeping movie lovers in mind, Colors Bangla is tapping into its wide repertoire of 200+ Bangla titles and dedicated each day of pujo to a superstar. From Saptami being devoted to fans of Jeet to Ashtami being Mithun Chakrabarty’s day, special movies of superstars will be showcased on the channel.

    Brands & advertisers shift focus to safety

    With market sentiments improving over the last few months, brands have started coming up with new and dynamic ways to connect with consumers. Advertisers across categories are looking forward to pujo. Wavemaker India managing partner Mansi Datta sees this as a wonderful opportunity for brands to capitalize on buyers’ upbeat sentiments and resonate with them. Durga Puja, traditionally a good time for channels to increase their ad revenues, will help them to make up for losses incurred during the pandemic period.

    “This is the time of year for ‘NEW’… Children are told to wait for pujo to get new things. People splurge and indulge. Retail sector claims that for West Bengal, 30-45 per cent of annual sales happen during Durga Puja. This is the reason pujo period marks the highest media activity,” said Datta.

    There’s a marked shift in consumer patterns too, and in response, brands have also adapted their seasonal messaging to showcase and promote hygiene, safety and social distancing – while remembering to have a jolly good time, of course.

    For instance, the state government has issued a 17 point guideline, with most Durga Puja associations following it strictly and even deploying more safety features. In keeping with these measures, Colors Bangla has launched a special campaign urging viewers to adhere to social distancing norms. Chakravarti shares: “While our faces may be masked, our hearts will be filled with joy and our eyes will reflect our happiness. This is a message that we are amplifying through our special pujo campaign.”

    State of the market during pujo 2020

    Estimating the size of the Durga Puja economy has mostly been a fraught prospect, although a 2013 Assocham report pegged it at Rs 25,000 crore, growing at about 35 per cent CAGR. The report projected its size to be Rs 40,000 crore by 2015. If that figure were to be extrapolated to 2018 and 2019, the size would be at Rs 1.12 lakh crore and Rs 1.5 lakh crore respectively. As per the estimate, the pujo economy contributes a little over 10 per cent to West Bengal’s GDP.

    Sujata Dwibedy, trading director for Dentsu International’s Amplifi India group, observes: “If we add up the Puja economy of Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand – which also celebrate the festival with equal fervour, if not more splendour – the economy of each of the states get a contribution of about 7-10 per cent to the their GDP during Puja. However, 2020 is an exception and the growth will dip extensively because all the outdoor activities, pandals, melas and markets – where traditionally a huge amount of spending takes place – would be restricted.”

    She further adds though there was a huge drop in consumption of products in the April-May-June quarter, from July onwards many businesses are back to last year’s levels. Brands diversified and started producing health and hygiene-related products and survived. Media consumption was high, but advertising spends dropped and businesses other than a few categories saw a huge dip.

    Traditionally, multinational brands across industry verticals rode on the Puja sentiment through a mix of above-the-line and on-ground activation. “Since this year, the on-ground activations and pandal related events might not be possible, brands should think of innovative ways of reaching out to the consumers. Food, garments and household purchases are the themes of this festival. So, tying up with the food techs, e-commerce and gifting companies could be innovatively used,” suggests Dwibedy.

    The duration of Durga Puja to Diwali (or Kali pujo) is a jackpot for brands and consumers. Moreover, advertisers are using every medium to attract eyeballs – from newspapers, billboards, bus/local trains, activations to OTT, social, search of locations, food-spots and pandals in digital. It is a great time for payment apps and BFSI to focus on electronic payments and making things lucrative as well as simpler.

  • Headline Asian Paints brings Goddess Durga home with its new film

    Headline Asian Paints brings Goddess Durga home with its new film

    NEW DELHI: With Durga Puja right around the corner, Asian Paints Sharad Shamman has launched its new film ‘Dugga Elo Ghawrey’ – Maa Durga is coming home.

    As authorities issue new guidelines and restrictions every day and people are advised to follow social distancing and other precautions (with good reason), the gaiety and dazzle of the festival seems to have dimmed. But through its new campaign, Asian Paints wants to send the message that though things may be different, the essence of pujo and the devotees’ feelings about it will always endure.  

    ‘Dugga Elo Ghawrey’, is a story of little Mini’s pujo surprise. The film opens with a despondent little girl, ruing the fact that she won’t get to enjoy the customary pandal hopping and other pujo delights. But her family members feel differently about it. They take it upon themselves to transform their home into a vibrant pujo pandal, complete with carnival games, snacks and sparkling laughter. As for the homecoming of the Goddess, the little girl discovers Durga Maa on her living room wall. Her mother paints the Goddess with Asian Paints wall colours, thereby bringing a new kind of celebration to light.

    The melodious background score in the film has been created by renowned band Lakkhichhara.

    In keeping with tradition, Asian Paints will be honouring the three best pujas or Shreshtho Pujas that inspire and are innovative this year too. It includes one pandal each for discovery of the year (Bauchorer Bismoy), innovative excellence (Nobo Nakshi), and best idol maker (best Pratima Shilpi).

    Asian Paints and Durga Puja have a shared association since 1985, said MD and CEO Amit Syngle said, “This year when people thought sharadiya (the autumnal season of celebration) will look and feel different, we launched a new film to reinstate the fact that with Asian Paints Sharad Shamman, pujo is wherever you are. Just as elaborate decorations enhance the beauty of a pandal, Asian Paints adds life and colour to homes and celebrations,” he added.

    Ogilvy ECD Sujoy Roy said, "As a brand of colours, Asian Paints has brought Goddess Durga home in a way that is as unconventional as it is relatable."

  • Wunderman Thompson conceptualizes campaign to urge all Bengali daughters to return home & join in the celebrations this Durga Puja

    Wunderman Thompson conceptualizes campaign to urge all Bengali daughters to return home & join in the celebrations this Durga Puja

    MUMBAI: Durga Puja brings not just a Devi or Ma, but a daughter, back to her home and so did the campaign conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson for The Times of India (TOI). The second round of Phire Esho, TOI’s award winning campaign, celebrated the intense Bengali urge to be back home for Pujo, by raising the heart-warming call, “Ma Aaschen. Tumi Kothae?” (Durga Ma is coming home. Where are you?) Especially calling out to every daughter of Kolkata, the real Devis, without whom, Durga Puja remained incomplete.

    The campaign created by Wunderman Thompson is an evocative image of daughters getting off planes, trains and buses – every regular mode of transport, seemingly regular girls, but with Ma Durga’s ten arms forming behind her (with the arms of co-passengers behind her). Hitting the point home that in every daughter, resides the spitting image of Ma Durga, without whom there can be no Puja. This image and the rally cry of “Ma Aaschen. Tumi Kothae?” ran central to the campaign, activated across print, radio, digital and outdoor.

    Print advertising rolled out in Kolkata and Outside Kolkata ignited the need to go back home to Kolkata among Bengalis across the country. For those not from Kolkata, it created intrigue as to what the whole deal was about. The ads had influencers and regular folks (Bongs and Non-Bongs alike) sharing on twitter, on blogs on Whatsapp. https://twitter.com/beastoftraal/status/1174152562204803072?s=12

    TOI invited readers to write letters to their daughters on phireyeshokolkata.com.  Select letters were featured in TOI and were awarded tickets to come home. This enabled the homecoming of 15-year-old Sammohana, who flew home from Chennai to Kolkata for Durga Puja after 11 long years, her first time ever on an aircraft (image attached).

    The emotional Phirey Esho film, about the anticipation of a daughter’s homecoming for Pujo, featuring notable dancer Tanusree Shankar,and actors Ritabhari Charaborty and Paoli Dam, drew many a tear and many a repost. The film, directed and edited by Pritha Chakraborty and with a background score by Prabuddha Banerjee, crossed 4.5 million views in less than a week from its launch, reaching more than 15 million people, recorded engagements of over 600000 from women from more than 20 different countries. Notable people from the city, RJ MiR, Anupam Roy, Riddhi Sen, Srijit Mukerji shared the film from their handles.

    Every Bengali can smell Pujo coming in the air. A print innovation in The Times of India Kolkata on the morning of 24th September brought this Pujo feeling to every home and doorstep, with a newspaper, scented with Sandalwood with a Kashphool (a wild flower from the soil of Bengal whose blossoming signifies the arrival of Maa Durga) inserted within the sheets.

    The heartstrings got no rest, the newspaper of the day further carried a letter from notable writer Shankar, to his daughter, to come home for the Puja.

    Thousands of such letters flooded our pages, to complete Ma’s homecoming with the Homecoming of the city’s daughters. Mr. Harshavardhan Neotia of Bengal Ambuja wrote a letter to his sister and famous authors Mani Shankar and Shrishendu Mukhopadhay also penned their letters.  

    Times of India Brand Director Sanjeev Bhargava spoke about the campaign, saying, “While being India’s favorite newspaper for the best curated and validated news, TOI works hard to create a local connect with its readers in each city it serves. “Maa Aaschen Tumi Kothae, Phire Esho Kolkata” is created for Durga Puja to strengthen our connect with readers, especially women who are an important cohort for us.”

    Joy Chauhan, SVP & Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson said, “Phirey Esho to start with roused emotions in Kolkata by reviving pride in the city. This leg of the campaign revived the love. Not just because it comes from a fantastic insight; all good work does. But because in the context of women movements around the world, it’s a positive reminder of the power of women. Where better to start that movement but in the intellectual capital of India!”

    Pinaki Bhattacharya, SVP & National Planning Director, Wunderman Thompson celebrated the campaign and what it created, saying, “Times of India is not just a newspaper; it’s a cultural brand. It’s a brand that has woven itself into the cultural fabric of its readers. The evocative Phirey Esho campaign further draws from the cultural cache of Durga Pujas. It brings alive the yearning of every Bengali – the ones who are in Kolkata want their loved ones to come back home and join in the celebrations and the ones who live away want to return home for the Pujas. And keeping in mind the significance of Durga Pujas- that it is Maa Durga in the daughter’s avatar who is visiting her paternal home- the brand urges all daughters who are living away from home to come back home during the Pujas.”

  • Soha Ali Khan joins ‘House of Pataudi’, as brand ambassador; Stars in new campaign for Durga Puja with brother Saif

    Soha Ali Khan joins ‘House of Pataudi’, as brand ambassador; Stars in new campaign for Durga Puja with brother Saif

    MUMBAI: ‘House of Pataudi’, the ethnic wear brand, co-owned by Myntra, Saif Ali Khan and Exceed Entertainment, announces Bollywood actor Soha Ali Khan, as its brand ambassador. Soha will helm all major campaigns across media platforms and is slated to appear in her first campaign for the brand, set to go live during Durga Puja.

    As a brand that exemplifies the royalty and grandeur of the rich Pataudi heritage through its unique designs and craftsmanship, the association with Soha, a member of the Pataudi family herself, is set to further accentuate this position. Born and raised in the family of Nawab’s, Soha naturally embodies the grace and majesty of her family’s legacy, making her the de facto feminine face of the brand. ‘House of Pataudi’ offers a wide range of ethnic wear for women, including, Lehenga & Blouse, Kurtas, Embroidered and Woven design Dupattas, among others.  In less than a year of its launch, ‘House of Pataudi’ is among the top three men’s ethnic wear brands on Myntra and is now looking at strengthening and scaling the women’s ethnic wear line. 

    The campaign brings the Pataudi siblings, Saif and Soha together to promote the brand, where they are seen celebrating Durga Puja.

  • JSW Cement launches Durga Puja campaigns with a social focus

    JSW Cement launches Durga Puja campaigns with a social focus

    MUMBAI: JSW Cement, India’s leading producer of green cement and part of the US$ 14 billion JSW Group, launched a campaign to celebrate Durga Puja with a difference. The Company has unveiled Durgatinashini and Sanhati initiatives as part of this year’s Durga Puja campaign. 

    1. The first initiative, Durgatinashini will be a roadshow with an unfinished Durga idol that shall travel different parts of Bengal and talk about the advent of Puja. The campaign will culminate with a full decorated idol which shall be contributed to a destitute village in the Sunderbans of South 24 Parganas to help the poor villagers to celebrate Puja.

    2. The second initiative is “Sanhati” means Solidarity. Every year several hundred/thousand Crore is spent during Durga Puja mostly on decoration, pandals, food and festivity. JSW takes up a different kind of initiative wherein JSW would be promoting and rewarding those Puja committees who have contributed for social cause like water conservation, education for the poor, providing medical facilities in terms of health check-up, cleanliness drive, fighting against dengue, generating vocational training for the women and needy etc. to name a few.

    Speaking about the initiative. Mr. Gautam Mukhopadhyay, Regional Head of East – JSW Cement said, “At JSW Cement, we take conscious steps to support and empower communities, reducing social and economic inequalities. Festivals like Durga Puja give us an opportunity to connect with our customers to do something more meaningful in addition to the festive celebrations. Both these initiatives are an attempt by JSW Cement to raise awareness about various social causes and add to the festive cheer in the local communities.”

  • Asian Paints launches campaign for durga puja

    Asian Paints launches campaign for durga puja

    MUMBAI: Way back in 1985, Asian Paints started supporting Durga Puja in Kolkata as it gave them an opportunity to connect with the audience of Kolkata at an emotional level.

    It was done under the banner of ‘Asian Paints Sharad Shamman’, which over years has grown in terms of its stature and scale. Over the years, while felicitating 3 best pujas of the year, they now also felicitate one pandal each for Discovery of the Year (Bauchorer Bismoy), Innovative Excellence (Nobo Nakshi), and Best Idol Maker (Best Pratima Shilpi).

    Today, it is the most coveted award that Durga Puja clubs and committees vie for in Kolkata that brings in glory for their neighbourhood and a sense of pride by this felicitation.

    While over years, Asian Paints Sharad Shamman has been connecting with the people in Kolkata through the on-ground activity and media support, the challenge now is different. How do we connect with the Bengali youth, who are spread far and wide, make the importance of Durga Puja relevant to them.

    This campaign brought in one of the most popular Bengali music bands, Lakkhichhara, to create a song that would capture the entire mythology and celebration of Durga Puja in their own unique style. To enrich this content piece further, many more art forms like Baul singing, Pattachitra, etc. were brought together to create an output that is both very captivating to listen to and watch.

    This main music video launch has been supported by a set of pre-launch and post-launch videos that have kept the conversation rolling daily, and simultaneously, heightened the audience’s interest level high.

    Asian Paints GM for brands Jaideep Kanse mentions, “Asian Paints has always believed in celebrating creativity and art. It was with this intent that Asian Paints Sharad Shamman was initiated and now over 34 years of this we feel the love and respect of the people every time we are in Kolkata during Pujo. We are extremely proud to associate with Lakkhichara and bring out a fusion song that mixes traditional art forms like Pattachitra and Baul along with regional rock, truly #DurgaPujoRocks.”

    Ogilvy Mumbai group creative head George Kovoor says, “#DurgaPujoRocks is a unique form of storytelling, combining traditional performing arts with modern rock music to create a piece of content that engages a generation of youth who are getting detached from the traditions and rituals of Durga Pujo. They are going to see Pujo in a way they have never seen before.”

  • Greenply redefines ‘Sarbojanin’ this Durga Puja

    Greenply redefines ‘Sarbojanin’ this Durga Puja

    MUMBAI: Greenply Foundation wants the Kolkatans to sit back and take notice of its thought-provoking initiative this Durga Puja season aimed to make the celebrations accessible for all.
    Over the years, with the evolution of lifestyle, we have witnessed the transformation of the way Durga Puja is celebrated in Calcutta. While generations have amalgamated themselves into the revelries in whichever form it has been offered to them, the question which however arises is ‘Has the festival been able to make room for all over the years?’ Greenply wishes to bring forth a different perspective.

    The festival of Durga Puja that set forth in Calcutta sometime between the 16th and 17th centuries has gone on to become an integral part of a Bengali’s ethnic identity. Initially a property confined to the mighty and affluent zamindars of the state, with the conception of the ‘Sarbojanin’ puja it became an affair to be rejoiced by the common people as well. Sarbojanin was coined by blending two words which individually stand for “for all” (Sarbo) and “people” (Jan) respectively. The nomenclature signifies that the festival is an all-inclusive affair that people from all backgrounds should be able to take part in. But has the concept been justified?
    In a video spanning two very insightful minutes, Greenply takes the viewfinder around the city and captures what might be an eye opener for Durga Puja committees in and around Kolkata, irrespective of the grandeur it commands. The video features four citizens who may have been deprived of going out and soaking in the festivities due to physical limitations. While some are seen recollecting their younger days when they were not bound by limitations, some mention that since they are differently-abled, they have only ever been able to take part in Durga Puja through their television sets.

    These statements are followed by a message from Greenply which says that they have come up with the idea of a simple ramp made of plywood that will make the pandals a little more accessible, a little more wheelchair friendly. The structure which will be known as The Green Ramp will start its success journey by making the pandal of Badamtala Ashar Sangha a wheelchair-friendly pandal
    Further, to encourage more Pujo committees to follow in their footsteps, Greenply is inviting them to upload pictures of their pandals on social media (Facebook and Instagram) with the message: ‘Name of the Puja’ needs a ramp accompanied by the hashtag #pujoforall. Greenply will promptly send their plywood to build a ramp for their pandal. Pujo committees which have already planned the construction of ramps can upload a photo of their premises with the message: ‘Name of Puja’ has a ramp, accompanied by #pujoforall. Based on the information, a map with Ramp-enabled pujos will be published as a Social Media post by Greenply.
    This will help people who’ve been unable to visit pandals discover Pujos they can have access to for a hassle-free pandal hopping experience.

    Greenply AVP and head of marketing Kamal K Mishra says, “This flip side of the festival has moved Greenply to turn things around for the people who share a similar fate with the ones we have featured in the video. Greenply aspires to be much ahead of ‘No. 1 plywood manufacturing company’. We have had our ways of giving back to the community over the years. This was the least we could do considering the sentiments of the residents of Kolkata towards the festival. I am certain that pandals across the city will share our empathy and compassion towards the cause. Hopefully, they will welcome this initiative and take it ahead for years to come.”