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Tag: festive season

  • Digital Diwali: Online platforms spread festive cheer

    Digital Diwali: Online platforms spread festive cheer

    NEW DELHI: 2020 has been a difficult and challenging year on many fronts on account of the Covid2019 pandemic. Alongside, it has taught us to value life and treasure every moment spent with our near and dear ones – and Diwali is the perfect time to do so. With the festival of lights and joy upon us, digital platforms across categories have come up with fun and innovative ways to celebrate the occasion with everyone.

    Here's a look at some of the campaigns by digital platforms that advocate following precautions and overcoming adversities through togetherness this Diwali:-

    Mitron

    Mitron is spreading festive cheer with the launch of its Diwali campaign #mitronkidiwali. Users are invited to share their Diwali celebrations on the short video sharing app, by participating in an exciting contest.

    Adding to the festivities, Mitron has also launched catchy in-app music. Titled ‘Happy Diwali Mitron’, the toe-tapping song urges users to enjoy the festivities with family and friends. 

    For the contest, users are invited to upload Diwali celebration videos with festive elements like rangoli, firecrackers, playing cards, Diwali cleaning, sweets, and festive attire. There are six categories for participants to choose from, which will then serve as the theme of the video. These include Miss Phuljadi #diwalidiva (best dressed female), Mr Bomb #diwalihunk (best dressed male), Super Lit Diwali #litdiwali (best Diwali decoration), Jashn-e-Diwali (best Diwali celebration with family/friends) and Mitron ki Diwali (best Diwali video on the app). Content creators can participate in all the categories and create as many videos as they like. Six lucky winners will get to win some amazing prizes.

    Eros Now

    Eros Now, through its #UnlockDilwaliDiwali campaign, is encouraging users to celebrate the festivities with loved ones. While it is important to be mindful of the current circumstances which restrict certain activities, what matters in the end is quality content at affordable prices. Eros Now’s #UnlockDilwaliDiwali campaign is based on the simple premise that people can remain safe and have fun at the same time by spending this special occasion indoors together, binge watching their favourite movies with a helping of their favourite mithai on the side.

    9stacks 

    9stacks, the poker platform, has dealt out the Yeh Diwali Poker Wali campaign, wherein players can simply stay home and connect with their close ones over the voice enabled private table feature on the platform. Through the private table option, users can reserve tables to play with their friends and family anytime during this festive season.

    With the much-awaited festival of Diwali just around the corner, most families are looking forward to spending time with each other in-house as going out and celebrating would not be possible amidst the pandemic. Hence, in such a scenario, the concept of private tables will help users bond with their loved ones as well as break the monotony brought in by the lockdown over the last few months. 9stacks invites everyone to host Poker nights this festive time by gathering around with their loved ones and enjoying a riveting game that is sure to keep them hooked.

    Facebook 

    Facebook has shared a short film underscoring the power of connections, and its brand belief that people can do ‘More Together’ than alone.  

    The film's plot is centered around the spirit of resilience of 28-year-old Pooja and how she helps sustain as many households as possible through the hardships of the pandemic via her dairy venture. The decision to hire more personnel, even when business is slow, comes at a great personal cost. However, the way the plot unfolds showcases the limitless possibilities when people come together.

    Paytm 

    The online wallet brand has launched a film to celebrate the festive spirit. It showcases a strong emotional bond between the family members even if they are separated by distance. It is an extension of the company’s ongoing TV campaign highlighting the seamlessness of Instant Bank to Bank Transfers through the Paytm app.

  • Brands take digital route for Diwali ad campaigns

    Brands take digital route for Diwali ad campaigns

    NEW DELHI- Diwali – the biggest festival that’s celebrated across India. At this time, celebrations are in full swing with everyone decorating their homes, exchanging gifts, indulging in delicacies and sweets, and spreading love and happiness.

    However, the festive season is different this year, due to the Covid2019 pandemic. Though peoples’ spirits remain undampened, the celebrations will be a bit muted. To brighten up the festive mood, brands across categories like FMCGs, consumer durables, smartphones, automobiles, and others have launched ad campaigns, with the message of empathy and spreading joy front and centre.

    We at Indiantelevision.com have created a list of such campaigns:

    Lifestyle 

    Lifestyle India has launched #DilSeDiwali festive campaign inspired by the joyful feelings that the festival of light ushers in. The campaign takes a leap from 2019, to capture the heart of the celebrations in the context of recent times where everyone is looking forward to dressing up and dispel the gloom by celebrating Diwali in their own unique way.

    This year, there will be many kinds of Diwali celebrations. There will be the ones who will keep the celebrations small and ones who will build on the festive occasion as an opportunity to reach out to their near and dear ones and share the spirit of the festival. Lifestyle’s new campaign considers all these different individual ways of celebrations, encouraging people to spread the brightness and joy in their own way. The campaign consists of two digital films with two-part storytelling, with two different Diwali Celebrations, accentuated by a memorable song. Young, vibrant and engaging, the film delivers the message of “celebrating the way your heart wishes” in a fresh new way.   

    Grofers

    To support local artisans whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by the Covid2019 pandemic, Grofers has enabled local potters to sell their diyas on Grofers. The initiative called Ek Diye Se Do Ghar Roshan (One lamp lights up two homes) encourages consumers to shop for diyas made from local potters during this festive season, which can help lighten up Diwali for more than 200 potters and their families across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. The company will absorb the cost of delivery of the products and also ensure that 100 per cent of the contributions go directly to the potters.

    Mankind Pharma

    This Diwali, Mankind Pharma has come up with a campaign that emphasises on #SpreadingKindness and narrates the message of how kindness resides in all of us, we just have to find it for others.

    The campaign is built on the importance of kindness and helping others in need and aims to encourage people to spread brightness and joy in others’ lives.

    The video campaign reflects the story of a restaurant owner who has always always extended a helping hand to those in need. It then leads to the current situation where his wife is extremely unwell and how it has drained him of all his resources and it pushes him to sell his restaurant to make ends meet and pay for the medical bills. The video ends by showing a young guy who comes to his rescue by buying his restaurant and surprises him by gifting it back to him.

    Tata Motors

    Tata Motors rolled out the ‘Silent Diwali Film’, encouraging viewers to celebrate a silent, safe and pollution-free festival of lights with their loved ones. The video encourages people to protect the environment by opting for an electric mobility solution as a step towards building a sustainable future for India. Highlighting one of the important features of an electric car i.e. curbing noise pollution, this film draws attention to the underlying message – ‘the loudest statement will be the quietest one’.

    The video begins with a young girl giggling at the excitement of lighting a firework. On the contrary, the second scene cuts to the chakras of nature spinning while pots of flowers are exploding into thin air, emphasizing the fact that nature suffers the consequences when human actions such as bursting firecrackers pollute the environment around us. Amidst all the noise showcased in the video, the final scene shows footage of India’s best-selling electric car, the Nexon EV, as it drives quietly with only a soft hum without contributing to any noise to its surroundings. An important point to note in this video is that the sound of the bursting crackers is replaced by the sounds of nature.

    Paytm

    Paytm launched an emotional digital ad film around Diwali celebrations. The film is receiving an overwhelming response due to its real slice-of-life depiction, at a time when many Indians are unable to meet their families or travel this festive season due to the pandemic. 

    This film captures the Indian sentiment around Diwali and how one can share happiness using Paytm with their loved ones, even from a distance. It is an extension of the company’s ongoing TV campaign highlighting the seamlessness of instant bank to bank transfers through the Paytm app. The TV ads had depicted various scenarios, ranging from a wedding ceremony to an everyday situation of a landlord and tenant, striking a chord with millions of Indians. 

    Haier

    In its new digital film #LightUpAHeart, Haier celebrates the life of office people who work closely together but have drifted apart due to remote office and work from home setups. The ad seeks to play a vital role in nurturing office relationships and rekindle Diwali festivities with colleagues who despite efforts are not able to meet and celebrate the festival of lights together this year.

    Through the campaign, the brand highlights how offices become a second home for office goers and how bonds transcend professional ties to become personal.

    Vivo

    Vivo India released a heart-warming campaign #SmileWalaDiya to celebrate the festival of Diwali. Based on Vivo India’s brand proposition of ‘Delight Every Moment’, the ad captures the nuances of the prevailing situation; the difficulty and stress that our dear ones have been facing in one of the toughest years of history. Through the #SmileWalaDiya campaign, the brand reminds us that one thing we can easily do amidst adversities is spreading smile and delight.

    Through a thought-provoking video film, Vivo depicts the excitement of Diwali, the expectations a child has juxtaposed against the pressures faced by his father in the current backdrop of struggling businesses and tightened purse strings. Then, his other friends come together, surprise him, and cheer him up by undertaking cute, innocent acts like only children can. The film is a beautiful reflection of how, by just going the extra mile, we can all spread joy and delight every moment of our friends and family.

  • Dalmia Cement asks consumers to consider ‘Apni Personal Space’

    Dalmia Cement asks consumers to consider ‘Apni Personal Space’

    MUMBAI: As people stayed home for months on end to counter the spread of the Coronavirus, it has indelibly changed them in a few ways. With this idea in mind, Dalmia Cement has launched a digital campaign Apni Personal Space which takes a look at consumers’ lives during the Covid2019-induced lockdown.

    Through two digital films, the campaign focuses on the lives of two couples, and how they envision living together with the challenges and joys of being at home for a prolonged period. The main insight, “It is not just about staying together, but staying together happily” drives the narrative forward.

    Dalmia Cement (Bharat) executive director- marketing Pramesh Arya said, “The last few months have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. During our field teams’ outreach efforts, we learnt consumers around the country have already been thinking about how to make their homes future ready. All of us are thinking about our quality of life in a new manner today, and Dalmia Cement’s promise of ‘Future Today’ will help consumers take this thought forward in their home building journey.”

    Kreativ Street, the brand’s digital agency which conceptualized the campaign, CEO and co-founder Neeraj Sancheti said, “With more and more people working from home, the need for personal space is a real thing now. It not just affects work but also everyone’s mental peace. Based on this insight, we crafted these two films to start the conversation around the need for their own space.”

    Over the lockdown period, and the various Unlock phases, the brand has offered a complete suite of services to consumers virtually, helping continue and start construction at a time when labour shortage, local lockdowns and other challenges have impacted home building. With the lockdown easing, construction is rapidly picking pace in regions with low infection rates. Increasing availability of labour in most markets has also helped.

    The campaign is live on YouTube, Facebook and other digital channels, and the brand is also rolling out a comprehensive influencer marketing strategy to increase engagement. Consumers will be asked to share their own #ApniPersonalSpace stories through the campaign website and the brand’s social media channels as they make plans for their future homes. 

  • 3700+ advertisers active on television in Diwali week

    3700+ advertisers active on television in Diwali week

    NEW DELHI: As the ongoing festive season hits a crescendo this Saturday with Diwali, ad volumes on television are witnessing a steady rise. However, in terms of revenues, the industry is still struggling and money in the bank might clock at less than 10-15 per cent of what 2019 achieved, industry insiders have projected. 

    Wavemaker India managing partner Mansi Datta said that the advertising industry has seen demand rising and an almost comeback to similar ad volume levels to last year Diwali. “Festive period of Diwali has seen marketers hoping for a recovery in demand generation. This time frame was also quite a tempting one for advertisers with the presence of the high octane IPL, an equally fiery political scenario with Bihar elections, along with interesting reality format shows. TV, which has registered the quickest recovery, is witnessing demand levels similar to pre-Covid levels.”

    OMD Mudramax EVP and principal partner Navin Kathuria shared a similar overview as he elaborated that the early trends for Diwali point to inventories on television filling up fast. And these are only expected to grow as the festival draws closer. 

    The Media Ant co-founder Samir Chaudhary revealed that the advertiser count for Diwali week is 3700+ on television alone. 

    As per Kathuria, most of the festive categories are active on TV – e-commerce (Amazon, Flipkart, Pepperfry etc), cars, paints, white goods, apparel, retail, a few BFSI subcategories, footwear, and kitchen appliances. “This is in addition to the new emerging categories like edtech, online gaming, hand sanitizers etc. Of course, the regular or non-festive categories of FMCG, personal care, cosmetics, online food delivery, banking, OTC pharma products etc are present, as always,” he added. 

    Despite ad inventories filling up fast and advertiser sentiment turning upbeat even for categories which were otherwise muted during the pandemic-induced lockdown, television is still staggering in contrast to last year. 

    Both Chaudhary and Kathuria pointed out that while it is difficult to peg an exact number to compare, it is going to be difficult for TV ad revenues to pass the preceding year’s count. Kathuria, however, mentioned that it might be possible that the medium might come close to last year’s number. 

    An industry veteran, though, stated that it will be surprising if the numbers come close to 90 per cent of what was witnessed in 2019. 

    The industry is showing great positivity towards out-of-home advertising too, which has started picking up after a quarter of complete silence. 

    Datta elaborated, “OOH is seeing interesting trends with mobility reports showing the movement of people increasing away from home, into shopping areas, especially in upcountry cities. In urban centres, premium locations like airports have also shown a bounce-back of traffic levels. All this and more, has seen a lot of clients revaluating their interest in OOH solutions.” 

    One medium that is still struggling to achieve its pre-Covid glory is print. “Though advertising has increased as compared to the normal months, it is nowhere close to what it should be in the festive period. We are not witnessing multiple jackets, full-page ads, flaps etc which is a norm for publications during Diwali season. This year, though Diwali advertising is seen on print, the clutter is much lower compared to the last few years,” Kathuria noted. 

    Even though print has gained momentum during the last several weeks, in the end the advertising decision-making is led by efficiencies, pointed out Datta. “Hard-working formats are being preferred over big-sized impact formats. We have seen the demand for impactful formats like jackets going down. Our analysis shows that there’s been almost a 60 per cent plus drop in jackets consumption over last year’s Diwali.” 

    As has been the trend for most of the year, industry experts maintained that digital was again the most preferred choice for advertisers in Diwali season as well. Unlike other mediums, the platform is witnessing a better recovery and double-digit growth due to the benefits like real-time measurement and conversion tracking. 

    WATConsult VP – operations (west and south) Manika Juneja explained, “There is a noticeable difference between 2019 and 2020 festive planning & implementation which is primarily driven by consumer behaviour. There has been a surge in the first-time online shoppers from non-primary markets and the ways of offline and online shopping have evolved with propositions like scheduled in-store pickups, contactless delivery, online consultation and more. Brands which hadn’t considered the digital medium earlier are now hopping on the bandwagon at a faster pace for discoverability and consideration. There is a digital touchpoint everywhere for putting consumers’ mind at ease and providing them with an added experience to build trust and generate repeat visits.”

    She continued, “ROI-driven campaigns have now taken precedence and garnered the largest chunk of spends on digital. By its nature, e-commerce as a medium, has been the biggest driver of sales for brands in the new normal. Majority of the brands are strengthening their digital infrastructure to reach out to a larger consumer base. The IPL and festive overlap coupled with a 360-degree shift in consumer content consumption has given an added advantage to OTT platforms along with social and digital media this season.” 

    1702 Digital co-founder Mihir Joshi shared that the agency has witnessed DTC brands increase their spends on branding during the festive season, with as much as a 70 per cent uptick in the number of campaigns being fielded. “We’ve been witnessing an increase in performance marketing spends with our DTC clients. Brands are also coming to terms with this Covid-dominated year and realising that Diwali is the most positive peak of consumer sentiments that we are going to have. Hence, they are not getting cold feet to spend big on digital platforms.”

  • How CarDekho is zooming ahead amid Covid2019 pandemic

    How CarDekho is zooming ahead amid Covid2019 pandemic

    NEW DELHI: CarDekho, the flagship site of GirnarSoft, is considered a leader in digitising the auto ecosystem in India. It works directly with more than eight car and motorcycle manufacturers, and accounts for 15-30 per cent of their combined annual sales.

    While the Covid2019 pandemic may have brought the auto industry to a halt, CarDekho in the interim has witnessed a tremendous surge in customer traffic on its website and app. As per Comscore data, the brand has moved up from 13M UU in July to 15M UU in August, which indicates that customers are depending on personal mobility more than ever before.

    In a one-to-one discussion, CarDekho CMO Gaurav Mehta explained that when the pandemic struck, the business was disrupted badly, resulting in zero car sales in the months of April and May. This, however, didn’t mean the company sat around twiddling its thumbs, rather it tackled the problem at hand with a two-pronged approach. “We worked on two factors, first to work with dealers and provide them with health insurance. Second, to introduce home inspection so that customers don’t come to CarDekho Gaadi stores owing to the safety concerns,” he said.

    Due to Covid2019, personal mobility has seen a boost; customers are looking to buy their own vehicle because of the virus risk. He explained, “In June we started to see traffic coming back. We used to be around 36-37 million unique users on a monthly basis in March. In April, it went down to 18 million. In May, it bounced back to 27 million. By June we recovered and went back to the normal traffic. Compared to September, the number now is 51 million unique users on a monthly basis.”

    The reason behind the spike, claimed Mehta, is many new users coming online to shop for cars and motorcycles. In fact, even users from tier-2 & tier-3 markets are searching for the latest motorcycle. “The segments that have recovered faster than the others is used cars in the two to four lakh range. Meanwhile, entry-level hatchback segment in the two-five lakh range in new cars is also doing well. The two-wheeler section has recovered to 80-85 per cent.”

    Further breaking down these traffic figures, he said that 15 per cent of the site traffic comes from the website whereas 85 per cent comes from mobile platform. In mobiles also, 50-66 per cent comes from website and 30-35 per cent comes from apps.

    The brand is also expanding in a big way. It recently launched its online insurance portal InsuranceDekho.com offering services in motor and health insurance. Apart from this, CarDekho has decided to open 50 offline stores in the country within the next six months given the rising demand for used cars. The firm is working on franchise models and the cars sold through these stores will be certified by the company and a warranty will also be provided.

    Asked about how the brand utilises its marketing budget across different mediums, Mehta said traditionally, the business has relied on publishing editorial content on a daily basis. Content marketing is something the automobile platform does all year round, with SEO being a core part of it. After this, the focus is on paid marketing. “Eventually, we started focusing on brand marketing and working on different ideas of campaigns to reach people. We are seeing the results also; due to the campaign execution the new users went up by 90 per cent and 110 percent respectively for CarDekho and BikeDekho.”

    The company is also dabbling in advertising on TV, though with limited scope and targeted campaigns. “They’re not like a huge campaign where you take up big properties like IPL. We invest in the media mix and then study to understand which medium drives the most amount of growth for us. We are very specific on brand investments because we invest in areas that work for the business. The performance marketing has gone down a lot and brand content marketing is something that we have found very good success in and we're trying to be more aggressive on that,” elaborated Mehta.

    CarDekho recently announced its latest campaign for CarDekho Gaadi Store under the theme Karo India Forward, Karo Gaadi Forward with brand ambassadors Rahul Dravid and Mahesh Babu. The campaign highlights how easy it is to sell a used car, sitting at your home, office, or anywhere. It further stresses the thought of moving ahead in life despite all odds created by the pandemic.

    In a similar fashion, Mehta projects the ongoing festive season will help the auto industry overcome the tribulations of the last few months. “Car segments like used car, entry-level and two-wheelers will perform well. The financial health of the country is improving gradually. With the fact that personal mobility would be there, I think the festive season will be better than what was forecasted a few months back. Looking at the traffic on the site, it will be a good Diwali for the automobile sector. However, manufacturers are still facing production and supply chain issues, which is holding up the industry somewhat.”

    Over the years, the brand has proved itself a bankable property, having raised funds from marquee investors like Sequoia India, Hillhouse Capital (formerly known as Google Capital), HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Times Internet, Trifecta, and Ratan Tata. And from here on out too, CarDekho hopes to keep zooming ahead, a few bumps in the road notwithstanding.

  • Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali collaborate with WORD for Diwali

    Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali collaborate with WORD for Diwali

    MUMBAI: Influencer marketing company WORD has released a special collaborative feature with television celebrities and power couple Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali for its Diwali edition of #5MinutesofFame blog series. #5MinutesofFame is a spotlight corner on WORD’s blog page, wherein the company aims to showcase stories of brilliant creators while connecting audiences to their favourite influencers.

    The latest feature with Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali is a five-minute read where they get candid about their Diwali plans, Mahhi's instant connect with Cadbury which reminds her of the festive mood and tips to make interesting festive content. Jay talks about his all-time favourite actors, message for brands looking for influencer collaborations and many more fascinating conversations pieces.

    WORD & Alchemy Group COO Dharika Merchant said, “With Diwali just round the corner, the celebratory spirits of the audience are really high and owing to the current situation, they are consuming festive content like never before. They love to engage with their favourite celebrities and get inspiration on what to do especially during the festivities. Diwali also happens to be a time when families are even closer together and what better opportunity than this occasion, to collaborate with television’s favourite celebrity family and power duo – Mahhi Vij & Jay Bhanushali. Basis our insights, we know that the audience greatly resonates with them. So, we brought them onboard for the Diwali edition of #5MinutesofFame to get them closer to their followers.”

    Mahhi Vij & Jay Bhanushali commented, “Diwali is our favourite festival because it means celebrations, positivity and lots of light. In the spirit of this festive occasion, we are excited to have collaborated with WORD for their Diwali edition of #5MinutesofFame blog series.”

    They further added, “This year, we encourage you all to stay at home and prioritize the health of your family and yourself. Stay safe and say no to crackers! We wish you a happy Diwali.”

    Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali have collaborated on some interesting campaigns with WORD in the recent past. This Diwali feature comes just in time for the festive season.

  • Tanishq goes big this festive season

    Tanishq goes big this festive season

    MUMBAI: The ongoing festive season is a welcome respite that everyone has been looking forward to. To truly celebrate the spirit of festivals we have seen some beautiful campaigns by leading brands. Leading the ad bandwagon post lockdown is Tanishq with another gem – the Ekatvam campaign – inspired by the theme of ‘Oneness’, a confluence of India’s finest art forms, intricately knitted into their festive collection.

    Tanishq and Laqshya Media Group executed a 10 city campaign – Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, and Patna. 

    Launched on the 16th of October, the OOH campaign is a part of brands 360-degree campaign for the new festive collection and will be displayed for a month. It encompasses an area of 1,52,000 sq ft of OOH media has been utilized to create maximum impact and reach the target audience. Catching imagery and iconic large format sites have been selected to ensure the highest visibility. Other mediums like bus shelters, metro pillars, etc. have been used as well to ensure wider coverage and frequency. Media at congregation points, nodal points, main jewelry markets, and arterial road of each of the cities were identified to ensure the best reach for Tanishq’s target group. 

    Titan Company Limited  VP category, marketing & retail Tanishq  Arun Narayan said, “The past six months have made us realize a few things through the selfless acts of our people across the country and our own experiences dealing with many challenges of these times. “Oneness" is a key essence of humanity and it is paramount to come together as one, to help each other rebuild and prevail over these challenges. We are celebrating and expressing this through the brand and collection thought of "Ekatvam". The new, exciting collection is a confluence of various art forms from around the country featuring the artistry of our nation’s best karigars across craft centers bringing alive the central thought of the 'beauty of oneness'. Importantly, this collection we believe will help strongly rebuild the livelihoods of our jewelry Karigars across India and illuminate their homes this Diwali"

    Laqshya Media Group CEO Atul Shrivastava said, “Tanishq as a brand has always believed in the power of OOH media to reach the consumers. It is not only their Target Audience, but even the advertising industry looks forward to Taniqshq advertisements and campaigns. With the different phases of Unlock, traffic is almost 80 per cent of the pre-Covid era. This aligned with the festival season and customers coming back to markets. It is just the right time to reach consumers through OOH. Tanishq is upholding the beauty of unity and bringing to us the exquisite handwork of the Karigars of India. We at Laqshya are very proud to bring this campaign to everyone through our carefully and scientifically-planned OOH media campaign that had used extensive databases and metrics from Laqshya Media’s proprietary platform called SHARP. The Laqshya team has always executed this campaign brilliantly despite restrictions of limited lockdown and safety issues related to Covid. It is definitely one of the most visible and attractive campaigns.” 

  • This Diwali, Lay’s features quirky questions on its packets to engage with customers

    This Diwali, Lay’s features quirky questions on its packets to engage with customers

    NEW DELHI:  Adding joy and cheer to the upcoming festive season, Lay’s, one of India’s leading potato chip brands, unveiled a fun and quirky #LaysKhol campaign. As part of this campaign, 18 special limited-edition Lay’s Kholo packs featuring an intriguing question on each pack with a quirky answer given inside the pack have been shared with celebrities, influencers, and friends of Lay’s.

    The festive campaign comes at the back of recent PepsiCo India and Airtel announcement of the special initiative to offer up to 2GB of free data for the customers. The first phase of the #LaysKhol campaign featured popular cricketers including Virender Sehwag donning his special Baba Sehwag Avatar, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Brett Lee, Harbhajan Singh, and Rahul Tewatia. In the four-part video series, cricketers engaged in fun, quirky and laughter-inducing dialogues that not only engaged the cricket fans but also drove conversations in a clutter-breaking way.  

    PepsiCo India senior director and category head – foods Dilen Gandhi said, “During the festive season, consumers seek entertaining and light-hearted content. Building on this insight, our new campaign #LaysKhol features a unique brand association with popular cricketers, celebrities, and budding influencers, who are seen creating engaging and enjoyable content. Through the multi-channel campaign, our objective is to target brand fans, drive engagement, and deepen regional penetration. We’re confident that FAN’s of LAY’S will like the LAY’S Kholo pack memento crafted to add a little more fun and make their experience special.”

    The activity has so far received an overwhelming response from the netizens and has garnered significant mileage for the brand with more than 1600 organic posts and stories leading to over 3.58 million engagement on social media.

  • Lifestyle retailers ride on festive cheer, but will it last?

    Lifestyle retailers ride on festive cheer, but will it last?

    NEW DELHI: Businesses across varied sectors are trying their best to beat the lockdown blues altogether after months of economic slowdown. Apparel and lifestyle retailers have some cause for cheer as the sector is showing signs of revival. The players are banking on the festive season to revive their sales further.

    In August, lifestyle retailers reported almost 20 per cent growth, the best since outlets reopened in June after months of lockdown.

    Retailers say that the business has started picking up over the past few weeks, and now with Diwali and the wedding season around the corner, it will help brands to perform better as compared to the lockdown period. However, companies believe that it will take around six months at least for the business to be back on the actual sales and revenue figures.

    Consumer demand registered an uptick on the occasion of Navratri and Durga Puja but so far, the average ticket size is small.

    Cantabil Retail India Ltd director Deepak Bansal said the brand is expecting around 40 per cent growth compared to the previous months. “We anticipate achieving 75 per cent of what we achieved vis-à-vis last year. With the new merchandise and festive offers, we are hopeful it will act as a pull factor for the customers and the season will prove to be good for the whole industry.”

    He shared that to achieve the same growth figures as last year will take time, and not to expect the market to function at pre-pandemic levels before the next financial year.

    TCNS Clothing Co Ltd head – marketing Aarti Ahuja agreed that there has been a revival of demand for festive products such as ethnic dresses, accessories, and attires. Consumer trends may not match the demand created by festivals in normal times but the growing sale of festive products is reviving the sector and displaying high inclination of buying festive products, she added.

    Havas Media managing partner- North & West India Uday Mohan was of the view that the lockdown has resulted in pent-up demand. A lot of discretionary spends on travel/holidays/eating out have been cut down, so all these savings should be pumped towards retail spends especially with a plethora of deals available.

    By contrast, Spykar CEO Sanjay Vakharia doesn’t perceive the current situation to be sustainable. “Festive period would be comparatively good, and that will lead us into the end of season months. Post that will be the real test and what turns the business will depend on a lot of variables.”

    It was an unprecedented crisis for the retail sector when stores were shut for months during the lockdown, but the unlock phase has its share of challenges too. Now, customers are preferring to shop online instead of stepping out. The situation has driven companies to focus on the e-commerce model.

    Bansal explained while offline sales have bounced back in the second quarter and look stable for Tier 2 and 3 cities, the customer in Tier 1 cities are still more comfortable ordering online. “We have been working towards strengthening our digital channel. We have forayed into the online market space recently, so this would be the first festive season we would be available online and are expecting good traction in the number of sales".

    Ahuja also chimed that the brand is witnessing a rise in footfall as the year progresses, however, there is a growing trend of people leveraging both online and offline channels to purchase products.

    In order to boost sales, retailers have been offering heavy discounts of up to 60 per cent. Future Group, for example, is running discount offers of up to 60 per cent on apparels through third-party online sales, including Amazon India, and also offline via its own retail chains such as Big Bazaar and fbb.

    Considering most of the sales take place in this period, brands do extensive promotion and stress a lot on the marketing channels to leverage it. All the major brands have started launching campaigns, promoting products through the ATL and BTL modes.

    Ahuja shared that over the years, TCNS clothing has been exploring all mediums of advertising including print, outdoor, TV as well as OTT to reach the TG. However, the outbreak of the pandemic has disrupted the way media and content is being consumed. “We are evolving with the TG and focusing on changing trends in the ‘new normal’ by creating personalised communication for both online and offline consumers while bridging the gap. All costs are being challenged from a zero-based budgeting principle.”

    She further mentioned that various initiatives like hyper-local pop-up stores and virtual store visits are being experimented with. "The brand is exploring influencer marketing in a more structured and sustained manner. In terms of leveraging other media channels, it would depend largely on how the current situation evolves soon".

    Cantabil this year is focusing more on personalized communications for both offline and online consumers channels through SMS campaigns, influencer engagements, or strategic digital campaigns, in order to maintain connect with the target audience

    Biba MD Siddharth Bindra said that brands are planning innovative and creative ideas in terms of marketing to cope up with the current situation, with the maximum spend being on digital. “We, too, have changed our strategy and are adapting to the new. We are engaging with our existing consumers through our CRM tool and are very active online to keep our audiences abreast with what is new at Biba.”

    “From an overall perspective, TV and digital are the two lead mediums. For retail, specifically print (newspapers) continues to be the focus option. IPL and news are the key genres on TV where the bulk of advertising has been focused on,” Mohan concluded.

  • This Diwali, Ferrero Rocher promises to #MakeTheMomentPerfect

    This Diwali, Ferrero Rocher promises to #MakeTheMomentPerfect

    MUMBAI: In the run-up to Diwali, Ferrero Rocher Moments is all set to make every moment perfect with its #MakeTheMomentPerfect campaign. 

    With an integrated marketing campaign led by television, the TVC aims to bring alive the perfect moments that we cherish with our family and friends during Diwali. The campaign builds on the importance of choosing that perfect gift for the special people in your life and making it a memorable festival of lights for them. The film ends by positioning Ferrero Rocher Moments as a gift that not only brings extra sparkle to the festivities but also makes the moments perfect.  

    #MakeTheMomentPerfect is a 360-degree campaign that will be leveraged across platforms, including TV, digital and on-ground activations. The campaign will also be integrated with digital and social media channels.  

    Additionally, Ferrero Rocher Moments will be creating unique experience for its consumers through festive in-store visibility, shopper activations, digital and social media engagement. For in-store consumer engagement, the company has installed elegant display units in modern trade and traditional trade stores across the country.  

    Ferrero Rocher Moments comes in an easy-to-share premium gifting pack and is crafted to make the brand relevant not only during key festivals but also to celebrate everyday moments. Further, by providing affordable premium gifting options, the brand aims to provide an inexpensive, yet luxury offering to consumers.

    A Ferrero Rocher spokesperson said, “Ferrero Rocher is one of the most gifted brands during key festivals, like Diwali, and our effort this year has been to expand our gifting portfolio to provide a quality offering, that is inspired by the taste of Ferrero Rocher. Ferrero Rocher Moments comes at an affordable price and offers great taste and enjoyment. Our integrated marketing launch campaign is innovatively designed to create precious and unforgettable moments for consumers by making their every moment perfect, this festive season.” 

    Priced at Rs 175 for an all-year-round pack of 12 and Rs 349 for a festive pack of 24, Ferrero Rocher Moments is available across India in more than one lakh stores. Additionally, consumers will be able to buy Ferrero Rocher Moments on various e-commerce platforms as well.