Celebrations are in the air, and you can almost smell the festive season arriving. The arrival of the festive season becomes even more evident as you tune in to ads. A peep into the festive season led us to write this article, because for brands the festive season has already started, in July.
A survey Gender Stereotyping in Advertising conducted by programmatic ad platform Choozle found that 36% of respondents prefer and like brands that break stereotypes and 25% of them are more likely to purchase from those brands. In fact, 60% of respondents agreed that the colour and font of the ads can promote certain gender stereotypes. 75% even agreed that lines and phrasing used in the ads can promote a certain gender stereotype.
This data makes it pretty evident that brands that come across as thought leaders and fearless have a positive impact on the consumers. The festive season is a great time for brands to take a courageous leap of faith and experiment with their creative advertising strategies.
What makes this year’s festive season even more exciting is the comeback of the vibrant festive vibes after two years of subdued celebrations. Hence, advertisers and brands are putting a lot of hope and effort into this year’s festive season. Advertisers and brands are already crafting special ad campaigns across platforms, which is also expected to hit our emotional chords instantly.
So here we have 5 festive ads that were successful in making a mark and creatively tried to take a detour from the stereotypical gender trope.
The Winds of Change in Advertising
One can’t deny the fact that the festive period not only marks the growth of the business side of brands but is also a great opportunity for brands to stand out from their competitors. This phenomenon is pretty evident in the change that we witness in the advertisements that go live during the pre-festive period.
Festive ads give brands an opportunity to take a different approach and come across as fearless and brave and also improve their brand identity in the process. Long gone are the days when brands used to take a generic approach for creating festive ads. The advertisements we see now are beyond fun and frolic, they are thought provoking and challenge the archaic thinking of society.
1. Nykaa (#TuKhoobSaj)
This Nykaa ad campaign #tukhoobsaj came during the year 2021 Diwali and in no time the advertisement grabbed the viewers’ attention. The ad dismantled the conventional way of advertising cosmetics, be it the casting of brown-skinned models to the idea of freedom and independence that comes from one stroke of glittery eye-shadow.
Apart from the fresh concept, the background music and cinematography too were the highlights of the advertisement. The ‘beauty buddy’ Nykaa took a subtle stand to encourage women to not hold themselves back and level up their confidence in the festive season.
2. Cadbury (Not Just a Cadbury Ad Campaign)
Talking of groundbreaking ads, how can we possibly forget the Cadbury Diwali ad featuring Shah Rukh Khan. Cadbury made India’s biggest brand ambassador the endorser for several local and small shops.
The brand used AI to recreate the actor’s face and voice to promote local businesses. Ahead of festive times, Cadbury always comes up with relatable ads that connect instantly with the viewers. Cadbury’s Diwali 2021 campaign took an initiative to promote local stores that were adversely affected by the pandemic. Shah Rukh’s last line ‘Unki Diwali Bhi Meethi Honi Chahiye’ made the ad even more likeable amongst netizens.
3. Amazon (Deliver the love yourself)
One of the common narratives that various brands took up in the last two years was the challenges that people faced during the pandemic. Amazon’s heartwarming Diwali ad celebrated how strangers became as close as family, when the pandemic hit India.
The ad reminds us how little acts of kindness can make a difference in the society. An ad that remains valuable not just for Diwali but a perfect message for everyone to practice the entire year.
4. Amazon Prime (Apno Wali Diwali)
A brand that tries convincing its audience to take a break from their product or service. Does it sound unusual? Well, this is exactly what Amazon Prime did in their last year’s Diwali ad. Prime encouraged people to stay away from their television and phones to go out and celebrate Diwali with their friends and family.
We personally love how an OTT platform motivated people to do away with their ‘binge watching’ and make the most out of Diwali. The ad beautifully ends with ‘Hum kal bhi rahenge, par Diwali nahi’.
5. Vivo (Joy of Homecoming)
Photographs hold a special place in our hearts, they bring back memories and capture the joyous moments. The #JoyOfHomecoming, a short film by Vivo celebrates and cherishes the moments of togetherness. The ad celebrates the joy of coming together and enjoying Diwali through the power of emotions captured in photographs.
The ad has struck the chord with millions of people and hence has made into our list of favourite ads.
Bonus aka Honourable Mention– HP (Umeed ka Diya)
An ad that came in 2018 but is still worth mentioning in our list of emotional and thought provoking ads. What makes the ad even more beautiful is the creativity with which HP mentions their product by advocating local purchases. The ad is certainly emotional and the message stands out even today.
Apart from activating their creative cells, brands are not backing out from tapping into the flawed but persuasive advertising tactics to coax shoppers into spending more in order to save. This includes impulse drivers like last-day offers, special coupons, no-cost EMI, cashback, etc.
In Conclusion
Shajesh Menon, Founder & CEO, Younion, is of the opinion that the pandemic has served as a major driver of change. Covid has drastically changed the consumption patterns of consumers in the industry- they now choose quality over quantity. Hence, it is quite evident that the advertising calendar has advanced for the good, trying to tempt shoppers by using a longer ad window.
Various brands like Bajaj and Ariel have even started conducting surveys to get an insight about their consumers’ behaviour and running ad campaigns regarding the same. Brands like Tanishq, Biba have taken pole positions and questioned the conventional norms regarding how womanhood and gender is portrayed in ads.
Brands generally tend to spend more than 25% of their annual ad spends on festive advertising, and it includes a mix of advertising and marketing promotions. From festive offers to discounts, advertisers are going all set to advertise across channels.
The festive season definitely witnesses a surge in advertising efforts. Several brands make an attempt to drive sales and spread awareness by running ad campaigns that can leverage the festive spirit. While offers and discounts can provide a short-term success, there’s a possibility of getting lost in the plethora of offer-based communication.
Hence, in order to differentiate your brand, is to make an emotional connection that can make your brand more relevant for the crowd. If your brand is successful in making a sentimental intangible connection with the audience they are subconsciously predisposed to the brand even before they step out to shop.
We can conclude by saying that, the Indian ad industry is to bring in a bumper festive season for the audiences post-pandemic. Industry experts are positive that several advertising sectors will touch the pre-pandemic levels and go extra bonanza on sales.
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