Festive season this year to see rise in marketing investments from brands

In India, festivals are not merely occasions for celebration, they are grand spectacles of culture and tradition. These moments also stand as the pinnacle opportunities for brands and marketers aiming to engage with a diverse audience. The festive season represents a golden opportunity for brands to bask in the spotlight. It commences with Onam and Raksha Bandhan and culminates in a season of core festivities, including Ganpati, Navratri, Dussehra, Durga Puja, and Diwali, and extending to the Christmas/ New Year period.

Brands eagerly anticipate this period because from August to December, there is a significantly positive sentiment among consumers. During these months, brands make the most of this auspicious period. These five months are particularly crucial for various categories, such as Fast-Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG), automobiles, gold, real estate, and many others, as traditional buying behavior still prevails, with consumers preferring to make purchases during these auspicious days.

According to YouGov data for this year, there has been an increase in spending propensity compared to last year (94.45 in 2022), indicating a similar level of enthusiasm among consumers.

Jolene Fernandes Solanki, COO, Madison Media Ultra, noted, “Like every year, this year also we will see a rise in marketing investments during this period. Brands should make use of this tactical intervention in a strategic way by being relevant to the consumer with the most apt communication. All media will help reach the consumer, but it’s the way you communicate with the consumer that will bring in that delta difference.”

 “We have been growing at a high double-digit premium to market (57% in CYQ1) and are looking to grow even faster in the festive period, by more than doubling YoY. The primary areas driving growth for us this festive will be 5G and premium,” stated Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing, Motorola- Asia Pacific. The mobile phone brand will be focussing on its two recent launches – the Moto G84 5G and Moto G54 5G.

Shivam Ranjan further said, “We are also witnessing premiumisation in the Indian smartphone market, and this trend will further accelerate this festive season by improving affordability for the consumer through No cost EMIs, Instant discounts/ cashbacks, exchange deals and more. At Motorola, we aim to grow our premium share by almost 4X YoY, driven by our highly popular devices from the Motorola Edge and Razr franchises – including the Motorola Edge 40, which has been hailed as the best phone in India under 30K, plus the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and Razr 40 – which have disrupted the Indian foldable smartphone market by bringing the most advanced foldable experience to consumers at disruptive price points.”

Mohit Khattar, CEO, Graviss Foods, which has ice-cream brands – Baskin Robbins, Kwality Ice Cream, The Brooklyn Creamery, and Swiss Dairy – in its portfolio, commented, “The festive season is seen as a time where they like to indulge – not just in local favourites, but also the very best that may be available from around the world. It’s seen as a time to be merry; to enjoy and to indulge. To coincide with the festive season, this year too, Baskin Robbins will be introducing a slew of new innovation-led products – both in terms of new exotic flavour introductions as well as new dessert concepts. In fact, we have something new and exciting for all kinds of diverse palates that we will be unveiling soon. We will be creating awareness about all our new launches through social and digital platforms and of course through in-parlour and in-market activations.”

Speaking about some key trends and growth expected from this year’s festive season, Khattar said, “The season with Raksha Bandhan has begun well. While it may be too early to say this, I expect it to be another strong season for us with a growth of around 20% over the same period last year.”