Storyboard | Brands spend over Rs500 crore on advertising in Bengal during Durga Puja

Most brands that consider Bengal as a key market are diverting 10-15% of their annual marketing spends on creating content around Durga Puja, experts say.

Durga Puja has always been about going out, new clothes and shoes, egg rolls and pandal-hopping. Brands, particularly in Bengal, pull out all the stops when it comes to advertising during the festivities. But festive messaging during the second Durga Puja in a post-Covid 19 era has taken a different, pandemic-relevant tone, blending themes of safety and resilience in the mix.

It’s not just the tone of festive communication that has changed, categories of advertisers have also seen significant changes. Among traditional big spenders like Sreeleathers, Boroline, Coca Cola, Berger Paints, Asian Paints and Bata, are brands such as Cred, KFC, regional OTT player Hoichoi, Paytm and many others.

Most brands that consider Bengal as a key market are diverting 10%-15% of their annual marketing spends on creating content around Durga Puja, experts tell Storyboard. But Bengal puts Durga Puja on the advertising itinerary of smaller brands too.

According to an October 2021, British Council report titled ‘Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga Puja’, the total worth of the creative economy around Durga Puja is estimated at Rs 32,377 crore annually, where advertisements account for Rs 504 crore.

Also see: In Pics | 200 years of Bengal Renaissance: Durga puja pandal set up as as a library in West Bengal

Time to celebrate and care  

For Nikita Bansal, executive director, Century Plyboards (India) Ltd – the time around Durga Puja is perfect for communicating a social message. "Our endeavour is to reinforce the faith that our customers have shown in us. During the festive season, people feel comparatively much relaxed and become more receptive towards social messages, hence this is a perfect time to spread happiness and educate consumers about social issues,” she tells Storyboard. Century Plyboards is encouraging organ donation through its Century Heroes 2021 initiative this season.

Given the soaring temperature and humidity in the state and the rush of last minute shoppers, Voltas is trying their best to cool down the crowd, especially millennials, through AR (augmented reality).

Deba Ghoshal, VP and head of marketing, Voltas Limited says that over the years, regional marketing has become crucial for major brands, with festivals like Durga Puja providing a great opportunity to build a strong connection with audiences in the east, and with people slowly and cautiously engaging in celebrations.

“This year, our marketing efforts have been localized. While TV will drive the brand promise; print, radio and digital will drive our Mahotsav Offer campaign. With millennials becoming an important consumer segment, we have been innovating on social media and that led us to the introduction of Durga Pujo AR filter. We've also increased digital budgets on search and social, as people spend more time online to make decisions related to consumer durables,” says Ghoshal.

Eat, drink, pujo

PepsiCo India has designed a special festive pack for the region to add fizz to Durga Puja. Naseeb Puri, senior brand marketing director, flavors, PepsiCo India, says, “Pujo, as we all know, is a time that marks the victory of good over evil, a time for festivities and fresh thinking.” Taking the lead for PepsiCo are 7UP and its mascot Fido Dido. The brand wants to celebrate the vibrant spirit of Bengal. With its limited edition 7UP festive packs, “we’ve tried to capture the Pujo vibe...” says Puri.

While rasgulla and egg roll aren't going anywhere, pizzas, crepes and fried chicken are also becoming an integral part of festive menus in this part of the country.

KFC joined hands with Blink Digital to design a Bengal specific campaign for Durga Puja called 'Swadey Utshobe KFC', which is across Facebook, Instagram, Google local ads, JioSaavn, Amazon, Hotstar and other platforms.

In the run-up to the festival, the communication is centered around the culture of shopping and spotlights how KFC can double the fun during shopping for Durga Puja. “In the second phase, our communication focused on the popular ritual of 'dhunuchi naach' which is not only a beloved tradition during Pujo but always followed by a sumptuous feast. We’ve tried to keep the message both contextual and culturally relevant,” says a Blink Digital spokesperson.

Blend of modern and traditional media  

Bengali OTT player Hoihoi has been focusing aggressively on reach through festive activations. It has literally been painting the city in red, which is the brand colour, and has been heavily advertising for its new shows.

“With so many people out on the streets for five days, it is a brilliant opportunity for brands to grab millions of eyeballs every day. We are trying to create awareness through ATL as well as online activities. Instead of traditional OOH mediums, major on-road visibility is driven through temporary banner stretch clubbed with innovative street side installations which connects directly with the millions of Bengalis thronging the streets of Kolkata during the festive period,” says Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta.

Meanwhile traditional brands have added glamour to Kolkata streets with billboards featuring big stars. Vidya Balan peers from huge Boroline hoardings, Mimi Chakraborty is decked in jewels in ads for Tanishq, and Deepika Padukone features in Asian Paints' billboards all over town.

But the big shift is in digital. According to Sowmya Iyer, founder and CEO, DViO, digital agency partners have also adapted to the new messaging trends around this festive season. “With the whole era of digitization and content creators, brands are interested in creating more experiential and creative content for their campaigns. As a brand's agency partner, we too have come a long way and see this shift to be of great value," says Iyer. For any brand, digital and traditional media have to work hand-in-hand to ensure that the brand is able to maximize the ROI, she adds.

Spirit of collaboration  

This Durga Puja is also about collaborations. Sunlight from the house of HUL has launched an initiative called ‘Sunlight Tantir Rong’, to support Bengal’s local handloom weavers. The initiative will connect 12 traditional local weavers with Kolkata based designer Parama Ghosh for a special collection. The campaign curated by Mindshare brings alive the story of the handloom weavers from West Bengal, their journey, trials, and tribulations through the pandemic, and also the revival of their work through the initiative.

Ajay Mehta, head content partnership and experiential, Mindshare, says, “For an iconic brand like Sunlight being weaved into the local culture of its bastion market is a key to building a stronger connection with its target audience.”

Overall, with positive consumer sentiment and a rapid vaccination drive in place, marketers are expecting a healthy return on their investments around festive communication. The British Council report says the total economic worth of Durga Puja was 2.58% of the GDP of West Bengal in 2019-20 and this year it is expected to grow further.