How Brand Marketers Are Engaging With Consumers This Uttarayan

Here comes one of the key festivals of 2014, the Uttarayan or the Makar Sankranti, and several brand marketers have launched interesting campaigns to leverage the festive occasion. When you take a closer look at these campaigns, you realise that different brands have different objectives – a few are eyeing an increase in sales via discounts and bonus packs; some companies are trying to socialise their products and key messages with consumers; a few are strengthening their brand equity and others are focused on enhancing customer experience. Another interesting observation is – all types of brands (local, national and multinational) are running campaigns across different media platforms. But the clear choice is the social media, followed by the print, radio and the OOH. Gujarat emerges as the leading market for promotions, followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, NCR and others.

ICICI Bank is one of the major national advertisers during this festive season, promoting its Tab Banking to facilitate new account opening from the comfort of your home or office. The bank has been advertising in newspapers, on the Internet and on billboards placed at strategic locations. The visual on the creative shows a diligent executive helping his customer open a bank account while the customer is enjoying the Uttarayan festival. The ad copy outlines a consumer-centric message with the help of a heading and a brand-centric message with the help of a sub-heading. The body copy explains a bit more about Tab Banking and provides a call-to-action. The brand positioning statement has been reinforced in the closing line. Overall, all the elements look finely blended!

Another print advertisement that recently appeared in Ahmedabad Times is that of Vodafone India. The company is promoting its 3G dongle as the one that offers fastest download @ 21.2 Mbps and encouraging consumers to download their favourite movies. The creative uses a kite that has Bollywood stars on it. Although the visual element is not as well blended as in the previous ad, Vodafone has managed to address the Uttarayan spirit. A local eye care brand, R Kumar Opticians, has also positioned the sunglasses as an essential safety accessory while flying kites.

Dell India has announced 100% cashback for lucky winners who purchase a Dell Inspiron 11 this Sankranti. The company is primarily running its campaigns in the print media and on the Internet. Several other smaller and local brands have also announced limited period offers to lure customers.

Finally, a leading radio station, Radio Mirchi (Ahmedabad), has come up with a social initiative to protect two-wheeler riders from the brutal patang manjha (thread) by distributing free life-saving neck safety belts in various parts of the city. In an interview, Sumit Aggarwal, cluster head of Radio Mirchi in Gujarat, said, “In addition to bringing entertainment to the Amdavadis, we intend to evolve as a responsible media company and this activity is a step in that direction.” The campaign has received good response and commuters have been queuing up to collect the safety belts. This initiative by Radio Mirchi is presented by CIMS Hospital, in association with Sanghi Cement, The Grand Bhagwati and Boulevard9 Luxury Resort & Spa.

So while you enjoy the KaiPoChe cheers around and while you are busy admiring your kites flying high, brand marketers are holding the firki and giving dheel to the kite.

About the author: Ami Shah is the co-founder and creative director of IntelliAssist. You can contact her on Twitter | LinkedIn | ami@intelliassist.in