Last Year we did a highly popular piece on 7 Ways Marketing Can Make Diwali Bigger. Of course, with an 80% Hindu Population, the best offers are made available during Hindu Festivals. However, the future belongs to the Millenials, the ones that grew up watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S and identify with Christmas and Thanksgiving just as much as they identify with Holi and Diwali. Therefore, they do a lot of festive season marketing for nearly all festivals.
What does this say about the “Now Generation”? Are they a bunch of wannabe Americans or a generation of truly global citizens, enthusiastic about accommodating the world in their lives. Over the last five years, Halloween as a festival has gained popularity in India. As far as Christmas is concerned, it has been a part of India’s cultural fabric much before the Colonials came in.
This continuous celebration, puts India in a unique position, allowing ample amount of opportunities for Marketers. Remember, India doesn’t stop celebrating from Durga Puja to Holi. We have a ton of religious festivals and the wedding season kicks in somewhere in-between. This heavy-duty celebration sometimes makes marketers feel like deer caught in headlights. Thus, here are 7 tips to make your festive season marketing strategy:
Early Bird, Attracts the Customer
Start creating a strategy at least 3 months in advance. Most global organizations have the outline of a uniform global marketing strategy, which is tweaked according to the context of the market. However, as a Marketer, always have another, more context-specific plan ready, align this plan with the larger global strategy.
If you are a start-up, innovate. Keep a close eye on the competition, analyse their campaign strategies for previous years and then launch your strategy, highlighting your USP.
Out-Innovate Your Competition
It is not necessary to think out of the box to out-innovate your competition; sometimes peeking inside the box could also do you good. In fact, for a generation which is struggling with an identity crisis, the most appealing approach would be to generate a sense of belongingness. A great example of such an approach is Jabong’s #YouAreTheFestival campaign. No online clothing site had offered something this unique when Jabong launched its campaign. This is an apt portrayal of the generation which is taking charge of the world.
Sprinkle Some Nostalgia
Nostalgia has returned to the Indian Market- big time. A great example of this is Manyavar. Virat Kohli in one of these ads reminisces about his childhood. The storyline strikes a chord with most youngsters, it is relatable. In fact, the entire #PehnoApniPehchaan encourages the customers to merge the two worlds they live in, to merge the best of tradition with the best of modern thought.
Involve the Customers:
eBay India in 2016 launched a Christmas image and campaign called #SantaWithoutAClause. eBay asked its customers to come up with reasons for why they need things. The brand encouraged customers to be creative while creating their list of why should they have a product. eBay promised that they will gift the product to some select customers without any clause. This campaign became hugely popular in social media, especially Twitter. It intensified Ebay’s engagement with its customers.
OmniChannel Experience
Creating a seamless, omnichannel experience for your customer, maybe the differentiating factor in the coming festive seasons. In a market where each brand is offering similar products in price, features and quality, a great customer experience becomes the USP for a brand. Good examples of such brands would be Pepperfry. The brand opened its concept studio, Studio Pepperfy to offer an offline experience of its range of products to its ever busy millennial clients. Interior designers at such studios are equipped with detailed knowledge of Pepperfry’s products and can walk the customer through different designs of rooms.
