Why marketers need to prevent fatigue from marring the festive bounce-back

It is turning out to be a perpetual season of sales in India. Gone are the days when one had to wait for the traditional festive period of Dussehra-Durga Puja-Diwali to catch some good bargains, discounts, combo-offers, scratch cards assuring some prize or the other and a plethora of contests. A trip – or several trips – to the market place was a done deal as families undertook the annual ritual of getting some new stuff for homes, bought new clothes and personal gadgets, as well as bought gifts for friends and families.

All that has changed, especially in the post-pandemic era. For two years, all festivities were either curbed or were low key affairs. And in these two years, entire consumer sentiments have changed. A volatile market, rising inflation, job uncertainty have made people wary about making big ticket purchases. The changed consumer is making planned purchases, doing a sharper comparative analysis and is watching his wallet as far as impulse purchases are concerned.

Moreover, e-commerce platforms have been spoiling the consumers by holding some sale programme or the other, making it seem like a perpetual sale season in the country. The pandemic period saw the entire country switch to online buying, thus becoming familiar with the convenience and savings benefits offered by the e-commerce platforms. The public who were hitherto sceptical of buying online also made a successful transition.

Therefore, brands, marketers and agencies have their work cut out for them as everyone fights to get a headstart for the festive season in 2022. After two years of Covid-muted festivities, 2022 will see the first full-fledged festive season with no restrictions. True, Covid cases are on the rise again across the country, with now the first case of Monkey Pox being detected in India, but the Indian consumer is upbeat and the indications are already seen in the first half of the year – with the markets observing revenge shopping and revenge travelling.

Both 2020 and 2021 had seen the Indian Premier League tournament coinciding with the festive season in India. This saw added advertiser presence as they set to make the most of leveraging the premier T-20 cricket as well as the festive season. However, that did not translate into a strong consumer buying performance as Covid kept the crowds away.

Now, as a large section of the population has been vaccinated against the virus and with a relatively milder Fourth Wave, people are more confident of venturing into crowded markets. With the government announcing free booster doses for people 18 years and above from today (July 15, 2022) for the next 75 years, this will offer an additional level of protection to the people against Covid.

The festive expansion

Over the years, India has seen an expansion in the traditional festive season. What was traditionally limited to the Dussehra-Durga Puja-Diwali period in October-November, have now expanded on both ends of the spectrum. While on the one hand, the festive season now begins from August 15, Independence Day, followed by Raksha Bandhan and Onam, the period also stretches beyond Diwali to encompass Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as Lohri/ Magh Bihu/ Makar Sankranti, leading on to Holi.

In between, there are several occasion-based marketing initiatives around Eid, Akshay Tritiya, Teej, Dhanteras, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, as well as regional festivals.

For marketers, this has given rise to additional opportunities as well as challenges to tap the different occasions. What is needed today is a perennial festive strategy and a sharp understanding of the regional and cultural nuances. Also, a well-thought out media plan, which will make use of the available in the most effective ways to maximise reach and connect. Here, the market and TG are very spread out – from metro and urban markets to Tier, 2, 3, 4 and rural markets. Use of regional languages is also a must to tap the consumer sentiments better.

When reaching out to the consumers in Tier, 2, 3, 4 and rural markets, mediums like OOH, local print publications and TV channels can offer better ROI, than a Digital-only strategy, as compared to targeting the Urban/ metro-centric consumers. Thus, the planning has to be on a multiple level.

India is a land of festivals and today, these have turned into lucrative marketing opportunities. But proper strategy is required to avoid an overkill and prevent a fatigue factor from setting in for too many sale seasons.