India is famous as the land of festivals. Because of its rich cultural diversity, every culture has its distinct festival calendar that runs throughout the year. Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Onam, Durga Puja, Baisakhi…the list is endless. Not to mention special holidays like Independence Day, Republic Day, Teacher’s Day, Children’s Day, Gandhi Jayanti, and more; all are celebrated with equal enthusiasm. Throw in a bit of western flavour with occasions like Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, April Fool’s, International Women’s Day, and what you have is a kaleidoscope of festivity.

And social media never misses a chance to stay trendy. Our festive calendar is so jam-packed that we are celebrating something or the other nearly every week. This means brands and their social media teams have to always be on their toes; planning creative campaigns around our myriad festivals, special occasions, and events. What’s more, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing social distancing protocols, brands have had to recalibrate their offline marketing activities and cancel live events. This has meant that most of the marketing budget has been rerouted to digital and social media marketing.

Festival marketing in India has always been somewhat routine and run-of-the-mill with companies doling out massive discounts and freebies to boost sales. It is only recently that brands have realised the power of social media in engaging with their core audience during festivals. It humanises the brand and makes it look authentic and Indian.

Ergo, the focus has been shifted to creating a pre-buzz around festivals, special occasions, and high-voltage events. The best example being the Mauka Mauka campaign designed around the cricket World Cup to drive tribal emotions and conversations.

Understanding The Playbook

Like we said, festival discounts can only move the needle so much, it’s like a quick fix leading to only a temporary high. As a brand, what makes you stand out is relevant, thoughtful content that strikes a chord with the millennial audience that frequents social media. An emotional connection stays longer than the dopamine kick you get from saving a few bucks. Let us take a look at a few innovative social media campaigns by brands:

• Munchilicious: Munchilicious brought in the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with their healthy yet binge-worthy take on the elephant God’s favourite snack – modak. They created a buzz around their granola modak with the #MyGranolaModak social media campaign. They created an informative video on the recipe for the modak. They also organised a #MyGranolaModak challenge where the 3 most delicious granola modaks got awarded and featured in their Instagram Highlight.
• Acko General Insurance: Acko launched an eye-opening digital campaign promoting gender equality on International Women’s Day. It conducted a social experiment challenging the biased stereotype around women being worse drivers than men. The participants were blindfolded and driven around without knowing the driver’s gender. 83% of participants guessed the gender wrong, attributing rash driving to females. This was a great way to raise awareness around gender prejudices and gender-equal society.
• Bajaj Allianz: Bajaj Allianz also had a fresh take on Raksha Bandhan with their #ProtectSeZyaadaSupport campaign. It was borne out of a ‘Life Goals Preparedness’ survey carried out by the insurance giant which revealed that 1 out of 3 women has travelled as one of their life goals. The video, which got a lot of eyeballs on YouTube, conveyed the message that the modern Indian woman is independent and needs support more than protection. This was depicted in the video by the brother covering for her sister, who had gone on a solo trip to Mussoorie on Raksha Bandhan, which she was saving for, for a year.

This goes to show how brands can bring about a positive change in perception and values by coming up with thoughtful and engaging social media campaigns.

Partnering With Influencers

Influencer marketing is fast gaining currency as the most effective conversion channel. Collaborating with the right set of influencers for your product can generate tremendous hype, especially during the festive season. Apple India, widely beloved brand, collaborated with famous comedian Mallika Dua for a positive brand mention for the iPhone XS on Diwali using the hashtag #shotoniphonexsmax.

4 Ways To Promote An Event on Social Media

1. Post a countdown timer sticker on your Instagram Story.
2. Create a Facebook Event page with all the event details.
3. Create a cool branded hashtag and make it a trend.
4. Organise giveaway contests to boost event awareness.

Social media activity sees a spike during the festive season as is apparent from the given Facebook infographic:

Hopefully, these tips and tricks can serve as a useful inspiration to you for creating genuinely memorable social media experiences that bring smiles and festive cheer!

 

Tags: Christmas, Cricket, Diwali, Events, Facebook, Festival, Influencer marketing, Instagram, Social Media, Social Media Marketing