Tradition and relationships have played a big role in Indian families, which marketers are using to their benefit to connect with consumers
Childhood memories are etched with family and friend during festivals celebrating the event which most often was some religious do or the other. Looking back I realize the importance of these events for not just religious and spiritual aspects, but the way it brought us all together, the bonhomie and the fun that we had on the pretext of a Dushhera or Teej. Festivals are important to Indians, be it religious such as Diwali, Eid or Christmas or cultural, such as Rakhi or even Valentine’s Day and more. Festivals are important to us because we enjoy celebrating these events which makes us forget our regional and religious differences when sharing traditions and values that makes us all come together and bask in the festivities.
From a time when one lived in a joint family, in colonies where everyone knew everyone else, festivals meant a platform for everyone to congregate, exchange wishes, seek blessings, celebrate with sweets and traditional culinary unique to each event. With nuclear families more the reality now there is also a cultural change amongst a generation that no more necessarily lives in their home towns or states which have distinct identities based on festivals and traditions. Traditional festivals have only spread geographically and it is common to come across Ganapati Puja in Gurgaon as much as it is in say Pune. And with marriages no more being the norm within the same religion or communities, festivals have taken a different meaning with more people discovering traditional festivals.
Celebrations is the root of all festivals and it is to do with the festival itself, say Eid which culminates after 30 days of fasting or Dushera which culminates with good ending the evil, are all valid cause to rejoice and have a good time. All this has led people to spend during festivals, to the extent that many will save through the year only to spend during the festivals. There are many who I come across, will buy jewelry and gold when it is Akshay Trithiya or during Dhanteras. No festival goes without new clothes and some festivals are linked to auspicious big ticket spends such as cars after the navratras or a house. Its almost like an official guilt free sanction to spend money.
Marketers have been quick to realize not just the spending potential of people, but also the business prospects that festivals bring. In fact, the way Archies created cards for every known and not so known occasions, marketers have focused brand communication around festivals. Marketers have realized the value of festivals and see benefits in targeting consumers during festivals because many of these festivals revolve around families; take for instance, the Cabury advertisement that was on air just before rakhi, it imbibed family traditions, yet was contemporary enough to subtly substitute chocolates with sweets for the occasion. The brand managed it’s connect because brands get into people’s lives as they celebrate something close to their hearts. Besides, in a festive mood, people are much more receptive to messages that reflect the emotional aspects of family ties and bonds.
While many marketers continue to offer discounts and exchange offers round festivals, the smart ones have gone beyond the transaction driven promotion and are working hard to build strong brand associations that last a lifetime. They target every member in the family from kids to grandparents and some brands realise the impact of touching the chord by associating with community festivals that provides them with the right target audience. Activities centred on the congregation sites like Diwali melas, Garbha mandals and Ganesh and Durga Puja pandals are the flavour of the season among marketers. Banners and hoardings at pandals and stalls and are initiatives that help brands build a direct emotional rapport with their consumers, which may be a lot better than using conventional branding and advertising medium. The advertising if one notices has one common theme; involve every member of the family.
The next few months are festive season for marketers, including us in the insurance business because some of the festivals consider financial exchange as auspicious and tradition. I don’t mean the card parties that many people enjoy during Diwali, but buying a new car, or a home and making new investments are all part of the Dushera-Diwali-Muhurat trading season. For us the association with festivals, especially community festivals helps immensely; for instance a stall during Durga Puja that attracted many young couples because it offered them counsel on their personal finances and they were the right target to achieve branding and sales. For a brand such as ours, it is crucial to bond with our target audience; it remains etched in their memories and connects well.
In the past insurance advertising always tended to be morbid, but with time people have realized the benefits of focusing on the various occasions when the family is together and the importance of life. You find, communication is more to do with the role of the financial product during one’s lifetime than after it these days. Family values during festivals form a great opportunity for us to stress the importance of insurance.
As long as festivals are there, marketers will use every opportunity to tap into the emotional chord of Indians to emphasise the virtues of their products and services.
