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<ul><li>Durga Puja in <keyword id="6357783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="west-bengal" source="Orion">West Bengal</keyword> is synonymous with fun, enthusiasm and power.</li><li>This year, brands celebrated <keyword id="445934" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maa-durga" source="Orion">Maa Durga</keyword>’s power, resilience by paying a tribute to Indian women.</li><li>Here are a few campaigns that caught our attention.</li></ul><keyword id="48284" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="navratri" source="Orion">Navratri</keyword> and Durga Puja is one of India’s widely celebrated festivals, especially in West Bengal. Millions of people visit Kolkata every year to attend the four-day festival which celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is that time of the year when every part of West Bengal is decked up, consumers are filled with optimism and joy. Pandal hopping, gorging on foods, <keyword id="3105575" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dhunuchi-naach" source="Orion">Dhunuchi Naach</keyword> (dance with the incense burner) are some of the inseparable moments associated with Durga Puja. This is when the entire local community and tourists come together and celebrate the festival with enthusiasm. Dussehra is followed by Kali Puja/Diwali/Laxmi Puja and Bhai Dooj. It is during Navratri and Diwali that consumers shop a lot and spruce up their houses to welcome Maa Durga. The purchase of household durables, cars, bikes, home renovations, capital expenditures in businesses also see a hike during this period. In keeping with the festive spirit, brands left no stone unturned to celebrate Maa Durga during the nine auspicious days of Navratri. Along with beautiful campaigns celebrating the goddess, we also came across a few brands that have come up with limited edition packaging to become a part of the festivities. Brands also use this opportunity to start a conversation around gender equality. They point out how the irony of celebrating <keyword id="87480" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nari-shakti" source="Orion">Nari Shakti</keyword> and female power for the nine days of Navratri is very stark. As the country bids adieu to Maa Durga tomorrow, for this year, we take a look at how the festival was celebrated in the brandverse. Here are a few campaigns that stood out: Elegant Steel <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Shoppers Stop <div type="Youtube" id="L_toOIXnuJI" title="Shera Sajer Shera Stop | Pujo 2021 | Shoppers Stop" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L_toOIXnuJI/mqdefault.jpg"></div> ITC Aashirvaad <div type="Youtube" id="5lpFle-skcs" title="Eta Amar Maa" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5lpFle-skcs/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Joy Personal care <div type="Youtube" id="Z-Ixcs4WkL8" title="Pujo 2021 - Joy Beautiful by Nature | Mimi Chakraborty | Joy Personal Care" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z-Ixcs4WkL8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Tata Tea Gold's new packaging <div type="Youtube" id="AjFo4axK7jg" title="Durga Pujo with Tata Tea Gold Special Edition Festive Packs" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AjFo4axK7jg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> 7UP <div type="Youtube" id="owe2SzTk1c0" title="7UP and Fido is here with some fresh dhak beats!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/owe2SzTk1c0/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Navratri 2021: Here’s how brands celebrated the spirit of Navratri across India

<ul><li>With low spirits still looming around for many, people are unsure how to enjoy the Pujo celebrations or go pandal hopping this year.</li><li>Brands united to encourage people to come together while adhering to safety norms and paid a tribute to the positivity and strength of the human spirit as we all want to step out of dark times and emerge victorious and bright like Maa Durga.</li></ul>It’s that time of the year when West Bengal turns into one grand carnival, <keyword id="6357908" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-puja">Durga Puja</keyword>, in normal times is as much about the fun and food as it is about the fervour of welcoming Durga into our homes and lives. Intricately woven into the cultural fabric of West Bengal, the festivities spread cheer across, turning its cities into a beautiful dreamland of joy and togetherness. While this year is different, brands haven't shied away from celebrating this grand festival. Along with beautiful campaigns celebrating the goddess, we also came across a few brands that have come up with limited edition packaging to become a part of the festivities. Here are a few campaigns and product and packaging innovations that stood out: Tata Tea Tanishq <div type="Youtube" id="tPec4SJPFBM" title="Tanishq presents Aparajita - Ekotai Shundor, Ekotai Shokti!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tPec4SJPFBM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <keyword id="106317" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Asian-Paints">Asian Paints</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="VuDs2-8VgkM" title="Asian Paints Sharad Shamman ‘Dugga Elo Ghawrey’" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VuDs2-8VgkM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Joy Personal Care <div type="Youtube" id="xytF80lvSV8" title="Dugga Elo (দুগ্গা এল)| Priyanka Sarkar | Akriti Kakar | Ajay S | Baba Yadav | Joy Personal Care |SVF" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xytF80lvSV8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Welspun <div type="Youtube" id="4J4ZbS3gbUk" title="Celebrate the Magic of Reversible | This Durga Puja #ChaloPaltai | Welspun 2in1 Reversible Bed sheet" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4J4ZbS3gbUk/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Shoppers Stop <div type="Youtube" id="tl9qEgRs4tY" title="Ami Alo | Pujo 2020" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tl9qEgRs4tY/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Big FM <div type="Youtube" id="u_KnfZFZFgw" title="Big Mahalaya | Mahalaya ki nayi dhun | Swagatalakshmi | 92.7 Big FM | Durga Pujo" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u_KnfZFZFgw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <keyword id="874458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword> <div type="Youtube" id="a6zcmYEmFWI" title="Ekdol Bondhu | Xiaomi | Rupam Islam | Pujo 2019" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a6zcmYEmFWI/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

This year, Durga Puja campaigns are all about the celebration of resilience

<ul><li>House of Pataudi’, an ethnic wear brand, is co-owned by Myntra, <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword> and Exceed Entertainment.</li><li>The film emphasizes the joy of celebrating festive traditions with loved ones and is set in the auspicious occasion of <keyword id="6357908" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-puja">Durga Puja</keyword>. </li></ul>Ahead of the <keyword id="10055257" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="big-fashion-festival">Big Fashion Festival</keyword>, Myntra has released a campaign featuring brother-sister duo, Saif and <keyword id="6356056" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="soha-ali-khan">Soha Ali Khan</keyword> tugging at the heartstrings as they pay tribute to one of the most awaited festivals, Durga Pujo, an occasion to celebrate over a period of 5 days, with lip-smacking food and memorable moments with family. The brand film, a part of the campaign, aptly re-creates the present scenario, with countless families celebrating the festive season through video calls, thereby striking an emotional chord with the audience, while underscoring the value of the right attire to enhance any festive celebration and make moments special. The campaign is set to run from 3rd October, to 22nd October, with Myntra well poised to leverage its leadership position in the occasion-wear category among shoppers, ahead of the festive season. The protagonists in the ad-film, Saif and Soha, actively exemplify the richness of the House of Pataudi collection with their presence, embellished in grace and elegance. The film emphasizes the joy of celebrating festive traditions with loved ones and is set in the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja. It opens with Saif, who is on a video call with Soha, cooking the quintessential Bengali Bhoger Khichdi. Though satisfied with his meal, he cannot shake off the feeling of missing a key ingredient. The brother-sister duo debate over what it could be, before Saif reveals it by opening the Myntra app on his phone. Soha soon receives and then unwraps a Myntra box to get pleasantly surprised by a gorgeous ‘House of Pataudi’ dress. Realizing it was Saif who sent the gift, Soha is quick to show off her elegance in the ‘House of Pataudi’ Salwar. Saif, himself draped in a luxurious ‘House of Pataudi’ Kurta, was missing the ethnic touch that comes with such occasions during the festive season and the film closes out with the siblings sharing a light-hearted moment. A voiceover at the end encourages all viewers to try something new this Durga Puja <div type="Youtube" id="iaIgocW2nSM" title="Joy. Laughter. Delicious food. And festive style, with Myntra!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iaIgocW2nSM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Speaking on the occasion, Harish Narayanan, Head of Marketing, Myntra, said, “Our Durga Pujo campaign will establish a deeper connection with the audience while emphasizing the role of Myntra in life’s special moments, specifically during this festive season. While social celebrations and gatherings may be rare, people in the country who have been in the confines of their homes are looking for basking in festive cheer and celebrating the festival in style, looking their best. As always, Saif brings a great degree of charm and depth to the ‘House of Pataudi’ brand, while Soha strongly complements that with her elegance and feminine touch.” Commenting on the brand campaign, Saif Ali Khan, said “I take great pride in elevating and upholding the rich and varied traditions of our great country and the Pataudi and Tagore heritage. Durga Puja and all other cultural aspects of Bengal always sing to my heart as it reminds me of family and tradition. Given any situation, people have to hold their families closer than ever, and I am certain our film will connect with people across India at a deeper level.” Speaking on the brand campaign, Afsar Zaidi- Founder and Enabler, Exceed Entertainment, said “With the Pujo film, Myntra through its House of Pataudi film, kickstarts the festive spirit in a year that has been so challenging. While this year, celebrations have taken a new form, family bond and togetherness have been redefined and that’s what the film continues to offer.” With the goal of reaching and engaging a wider audiences across India, the campaign will be run through a diversified media mix, which includes digital and social media channels, as well as running ads on TV ahead of the festive season. As a part of Myntra’s efforts to drive higher brand relevance with a diversified, market-contextual approach to its campaigns, this campaign will be run focusing on the East markets.

Saif Ali Khan's House of Pataudi and Myntra launch their Durga Pujo campaign

<ul><li>While Durga Puja/Navratri is here, this year, the festivites are subdued.</li><li>Brands are therefore excercising caution in where and how much they spend in the next few days.</li><li>However, things are gradually improving and there are signs of recovery, experts tell us.</li></ul><keyword id="6357908" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-puja">Durga Puja</keyword> or <keyword id="48284" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="navratri">Navratri</keyword> is one of the biggest festivals in India and every year the festival is marked by marketers pouring in big monies during the nine days of festivity. Actually the festival is so big in states like West Bengal that streets of cities like Kolkata usually become one big advertising canvas. However, things are different this year. With coronavirus still going nowhere, people are cautious. While every year, the streets become adorned by ads and hoardings from brands from all kinds of industries, because this is the best way to grab people’s attentions, this year, even during the festival, advertisers have been cautious. For the ad and marketing industry which saw a huge dip in investments during the first few months of the lockdown, a lot of hope had been resting on the festive season. However, this year there will hardly be a celebration. Just yesterday, the Calcutta High Court also directed all Durga puja pandals in the state to be turned into 'no-entry zones'. Many pandals in the city are barring physical entry of devotees and making the entire experience virtual. Even in other cities, people are planning to give the festivities a skip. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation advised people to exercise caution while going out during the festival. So what does this mean for advertisers? Will they get a bang out of their buck if they advertiser this year? Explaining how things are going to be different this year, <keyword id="3364704" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sujata-Dwibedy">Sujata Dwibedy</keyword>, Group Trading Director, Amplifi India, dentsu international said, “Durga Puja in the east and Navratri in the west, are two of the grandest of all festivals, The festival marks the start of the auspicious period. Dussehra is followed by Kali Puja/Diwali/Laxmi Puja and Bhai Dooj. People shop a lot. The purchase of household durables, cars, bikes, home renovations, capital expenditures in businesses are seen in this period. A lot of business-led decisions are also made around this time. However, this year would be different as people would not step out like before, but they would be hooked on to the media to get a glimpse of the Goddess. So, the media/channel who can give them the best experience would score over the others.” Every year, categories like FMCG, apparel, auto, e-commerce and consumer durables become the biggest spenders during the festive season. But have these brands come ahead and advertised this year? <keyword id="8330648" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sidharth-Parashar">Sidharth Parashar</keyword>, President – Investments and Pricing, GroupM India said, “With demand picking up in Aug-Sep, key categories like Ecommerce, FMCG, Telecom, Durables, Auto and certain segments within BFSI are expected see increased ad spends this festive season. FMCG saw recovery in Jul-Sep quarter, driven by essentials like health-hygiene products and immunity boosting food products. Brands in these categories coupled with discretionary like skin &amp; personal care products are likely to see an uptick in consumer spending and therefore in ad spending too. Consumer durables and Retail are expected to benefit from the govt.’s LTC cash voucher and festival advance schemes, which would lead to increased spending from government employees on products like apparels, laptops, smart phones, consumer durables, home appliances, fitness, jewellery, beauty &amp; personal care during this festive. For Ecommerce sector, RedSeer estimates this festive to surpass a GMV of U$D 7Bn. driven by a surge in shoppers from Tier-II towns, considerable discounts available and financing options being easily accessible to consumers. Large players like Amazon and Flipkart are scaling up their supply chain vendors, fulfillment centres and higher manpower for delivery, in order to meet surge in demand and are spending heavily on TV, digital &amp; Print.” While people might give pandal-hopping a skip this year, they have also started spending money. At this point, people are on the lookout for a change, for something positive and this has led to a visible shift in consumer sentiments in the past few months, Dwivedy added, “We are seeing that market sentiments have improved over the past few months. A surge in online purchases has been witnessed through the various platforms. Indian consumers have started embracing the new normal, and consumption of products is back. There are multiple new categories of products, new convenience food products, health, hygiene-related – all have been accepted and are being tried out. In the last few days, the malls have also opened with new offerings from the shops. Many are offering home delivery, video selections and are even ready to send people home with multiple samples for trials. Home delivery of groceries, foods and other products is preferred. Implying that the emotions have revived, the consumption has begun, however, the mode of consumption is new.” This positive sentiment has led to a month-on-month increase in spends since July across categories. “TV has been almost at the same levels as the previous year. Print, on the other hand, is kind of catching up but it will still take some more time in top metros. Nevertheless, Tier II towns are tracking better. Radio has also picked up. OOH and Cinema that have been worst hit this year should see some relief in this quarter,” she explained. While Television has steadily been seeing an increase in ad spends over the past few months, mediums like Radio and OOH that had suffered a lot during the lockdown are hoping to see some recovery. These are both mediums that see a lot of spends during the festive season in normal years. So how are things this year? Abraham Thomas, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “The festive season is considered the 5th quarter in India, an auspicious time, for businesses across industries, that contributes 40-45% of sales. Marketers certainly leverage this opportunity with ad volumes showcasing a significant surge. Clearly the most trusted and credible media, this lockdown has helped radio being reimagined amongst the audiences with the overall listenership of medium growing by 30%. The surge in listenership across different TG’s have driven ad volumes across Males, Females, the young and older targeted brands. We have witnessed a rise of 24% in Ad Volumes in week 33 with consistent growth in Ad volume from Aug’20 where average Ad volume surged by 4.8 times as compared to April. With the staggered unlocking of the economy, Radio with its ‘mass local reach’, trusted influencers and digital amplification have witnessed a sharp recovery with certain categories booming more than the others.” However, things aren’t all that great in the outdoor medium and Noomi Mehta, Chairman &amp; MD, Selvel One paints a not-so-rosy picture. He said, “Right now we are at 50% in terms of business when compared to a normal year, and if you compare puja-to-puja, we would be at less than 40% this year. It is true that people are venturing out now and there is an opportunity for brands but they are very cautious.” Every year, especially during Navratri/Durga Puja, brands from segments like FMCG, consumer durables etc go all out and make a lot of noise. “But this year, only those forced to advertise are advertising. For instance, auto brands that are launching new offerings are advertising and currently they are out top advertisers. Every year, we see financial institutes, paint companies, e-commerce platforms and apparel brands also invest in festive but that hasn’t happened this year,” he shared. Despite the fact that brands are cautious in spending, data points towards many cities almost coming to a state of normalcy. Shared <keyword id="2406965" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Atul-Shrivastava">Atul Shrivastava</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="2911687" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Laqshya-Media-Group">Laqshya Media Group</keyword>, “As far as traffic on the roads is concerned, per data generated through SHARP, Laqshya’s traffic metrics platform, traffic in Kolkata is currently 89-92% of normal times and it is increasing every day. Long traffic jams are also back. So, we see that situation is coming back to normal, aided by the festive season.” However, Shrivastava had something positive to share. He pointed towards signs of recovery, even in terms of ad spends. “Even in the current situation, we are seeing brands in the jewellery, textiles, retail, garments, footwear and the automobile sectors spending their pent-up OOH budgets. FMCG brands are also advertising in OOH media, especially for sanitizing products. OTT platforms and entertainment channels are also investing in OOH media to promote new shows and programs. Hence, even if we do not see 100% spend by clients as compared to last year, current spends are around 60-65%.” On what the rest of the year will look like, Arnab Samanta, Head of Marketing, Graphixstory said, “With the nation gradually ‘unlocking’ itself and with IPL happening around the festive season, the markets are much positive of a revival in the second half of the year. Brands will be spending 1.5 times digitally more than the usual plan of action. The advertising spend will be increased, thoughtful engaging ad campaigns and tech innovations like augmented reality will be introduced to create massive engagement with the target audience. The higher ad spends for various brands will be distributed on a different mix of categories and channels compared to last year, depending on consumer trends and shopping pattern. Digital businesses will now make the way for a sharper trajectory.” While things have still not picked up as much as the ad industry had hoped, the number of new coronavirus infections dropped below 50,000 for the first time in nearly three months in India yesterday. So here’s hoping that things will keep getting better gradually and we will have a better and safer Diwali, one that also brings relief to the industry.

Durga Puja and Navratri is finally here, but are advertisers excited?

<ul><li>Mi India brightens the season with its unique festive campaign celebrating Diwali and Durga Puja.</li><li>Collaborates with musicians like <keyword id="3345" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baba-Sehgal">Baba Sehgal</keyword> and Rupam Islam to create music as a part of festivities this year.</li></ul>Manu Kumar Jain is probably the coolest Managing Director we have seen. In Xiaomi’s latest Diwali campaign, the MD danced to the tune of Baba Sehgal. Celebrating the festive season this year, Mi India has announced a series of music videos for ‘Diwali with Mi’ and Durga Puja celebrations. For the festivities, the brand has partnered with leading digital celebrities such as Aparshakti Khurana, <keyword id="2012303" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kenny-Sebastian">Kenny Sebastian</keyword>, Radhika Madan, Regina Cassandra, Namit Das, Angira Dhar &amp; Anindita Bose for their digital film. The brand has also partnered with musicians such as Baba Sehgal and Rupam Islam to launch new soundtracks imbibing the festive mood. These partnerships aim to bring out the quintessential spirit that brings everyone together despite the social distances this festive season. Commenting on the digital film campaign, Sumit Sonal, Marketing Lead, Mi India, said, “Festivities during this time of the year in India are celebrated with great pride and enthusiasm and we at Mi India are proud to be a part of the same celebration through our digital films and songs. These music videos and films are aligned to our thought of reviving the festive vibe and creating a unique experience for our users.” Speaking on the partnership, Sandeep KS, Associate Director, Marketing Lead Redmi India, said “Baba Sehgal emerged as one of the voices of the lockdown with his catchy &amp; super positive music. We wanted an unique way of product integration not losing out on the entertainment quotient, he collaborated beautifully. The outcome is there for everybody to see, listen &amp; enjoy. This #DiwaliWithMi campaign perfectly fits the festive shopping narrative &amp; is our way of asking our consumers to join in the celebration. Talking on the partnership, Baba Segal, Indian Composer &amp; Rapper added that, “I had an amazing time creating this Diwali track for Mi and am super glad that the song has already gone viral. The song has been shot like a music video and the brand integration has been done beautifully and I have seen people actually grooving to the beat and singing Diwali With Mi.” “Xiaomi leads innovation in the technology space and our campaigns for them have always pushed the boundaries around making technology truly relatable, fun and memorable for the Mi Fans. It's been a pretty straightforward brief for us in that sense, #BreakTheInternet. And we've been able to deliver this through our content for 2 consecutive years now. This could only happen when there's equal passion and excitement to do something different. Our work for #DiwaliWithMi 2020 with Baba Sehgal is a testament to that,” says the brand’s digital film agency, Sushant Vithaldas, Business Head, Schbang Bangalore. Diwali with Mi Ft Baba Sehgal: The music video features popular Indian rapper &amp; composer Baba Sehgal for #DiwaliWithMi campaign, that marks the beginning of the brand's festive season. The entertainment video features all the great offers on Mi and Redmi products that consumers can avail this Diwali. Iconic in his groovy self, Baba Sehgal is seen in his trademark avatar busting rhymes along ‘iss saal ka sabse bada sale and celebrating Diwali with Mi.The music video also hopes to elevate the fun and excitement around this season pushing Mi Fans to embrace their festive spirits. The rap creates a tune that is fun, catchy and also shares details of the various offers available on devices like the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Mi 10, Mi TV, Redmi 9A and Redmi Earbuds 2C. <div type="Youtube" id="kqIY9G036Eo" title="Iss Saal Ka Sabse Bada Sale! #DiwaliWithMi ft. Baba Sehgal" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kqIY9G036Eo/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Mi India Brand Video: Mi India also released the Diwali brand video in partnership with dynamic bollywood celebrities host of young, digital-first influencers across the country aiming to reflect diversity of brands' audiences. Capturing the hearts of Mi Fans and consumers, the film depicts the resilient spirit of the celebration. The film ‘Diwali ko Happy banake rahenge’ brings light to the small moments that make Diwali special for everyone and how technology has eased the way to celebrate this festival with our loved ones even in these current times. <div type="Youtube" id="fEoy9YQYXK0" title="Diwali ko Happy banake rahenge | #DiwaliWithMi" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fEoy9YQYXK0/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The biggest Rap Battle this year: Manu Jain v/s Baba Sehgal For the third piece of communication the brand organized a fun rap battle song between Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director, Mi India and Baba Sehgal. The video hosts the entrepreneur legend and the rap legend battle showcasing the young, innovative and fun spirit that makes up Mi India. The duo highlighted Mi India's style of marketing through their rap by leveraging social media to the fullest even if the top boss has to crack a quirky rap number and dance it out. <div type="Youtube" id="h0RHhgAcVXM" title="Double Dhamaka ft. Baba, Manu-J, Lil Pataka &amp; Robomatic" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h0RHhgAcVXM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Durga Pooja with Rupam Islam Building on last year's successful reception, the brand collaborated once again this year with popular singer Rupam Islam in Kolkata to create 2020’s new ‘Amar Pujo’. Reinvigorating the festival spirit, the song celebrates unity and togetherness despite all the limitations &amp; restrictions this year. The launch of its sequel digital music video celebrates the essence of festivity and takes users back to the memory lane when they used to gather and celebrate puja with friends and families. It further gives hope for a new and better day by overcoming the current pandemic and reconnecting freely with their loved ones as they are all with each other in spirit. <div type="Youtube" id="F6agqOJ5gE0" title="Mi Amaar Pujo | Xiaomi West Bengal | Rupam Islam | Durga Pujo 2020" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F6agqOJ5gE0/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

When Xiaomi's Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain danced, dabbed and rapped to the tune of Baba Sehgal

<ul><li><keyword id="319719" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="myntra" source="Orion">Myntra</keyword> is confident its this year's edition of Big Fashion Festival will be its biggest ever in terms of demand and the number of people it is able to reach.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="3790335" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amar-nagaram" source="Orion">Amar Nagaram</keyword>, CEO, Myntra who tells us about his expectations from the upcoming <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> and what are a few things that will help them increase traffic by 1.8X increase over the previous edition.</li></ul>We’re just a few days away from Dussehra and Durga Puja which is a major festival in large parts of India and Myntra is gearing up for what it feels will be its biggest fashion festival yet. The platform revealed that it is expecting close to 5.5 million unique customers to shop during its upcoming Big Fashion Festival, which is a 1.8X increase in traffic over the previous edition. The pandemic has made more and more people comfortable with shopping online, a trend that has seen many new users come on board as first-time users. Myntra too expects around 1.1 million unique first-time customers to shop on its platform during the festive period this year. In fact, it is not the bigger cities that are contributing to the demand, smaller cities are increasingly shopping from the platform too. In fact, Myntra expects to see close to 40% of the contribution come in from Tier 2-3 markets. It is expecting to see an overall uptick in demand, at 4X over BAU and 1.6X over the last festive season. “We’ve seen a good momentum since Ganesh Chaturthi. There is a lot of interest coming back into fashion buying and there are two reasons for that. Firstly, the vaccination rate has gone up in the country so people are getting comfortable with stepping out. Offices are slowly opening up. And the festive season has always been important for fashion. We have witnessed a visible shift towards online fashion. We got introduced to a lot of new markets due to the pandemic and this new segment of users we had on-boarded then hasn’t left us. Consumers even in Tier II and Tier III cities are gaining trust. People have now experienced and are comfortable with online shopping. Due to all these factors, we are confident that this will be a very big season for us,” shared Amar Nagaram, CEO, Myntra. Owing to the kind of demand it is witnessing from smaller cities, the platform is also pivoting its marketing and spending more on regional. It is not only on-boarding regional stars to reach out to these new consumers, it is also coming up with more regional content, regional selection as well as customer support. Having said that, the platform hasn’t really increased its marketing spends but is cleverly utilizing its budgets to do more regional and targeted marketing. “Till a few years back, we used to do one big campaign for the entire country. Now we have one campaign per region, so the net marketing investment is still the same for us but the way we approach marketing has changed phenomenally. We are spending a substantial part of our budget on influencers too. In fact, we have over 2000 influencers creating content for us across languages and regions. The relationship between a brand and a consumer is no longer a two-party relationship, rather it's a three party relationship with the influencer playing a very critical role. Therefore, its not just the network of influencers that we're building, we’re also building Myntra Studio which is a platform to showcase fashion-centric content created by influencers on our own platform,” he explained. Nagaram also expects the platform to witness 15,000 orders per minute during the peak of the season and is ramping up its tech capabilities too. It has increased the number of brands on the platform by 40% over the previous edition and has also scaled up its kirana network by 30%, taking store count to 25,000 stores. Over 70% of the festive deliveries across the country are expected to be undertaken by its <keyword id="12196439" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kirana-network-partners" source="Orion">kirana network partners</keyword>. Myntra has also strengthened its supply chain network across the country, with the addition of 1 fulfilment centre (FC), 3 mother hubs, 12 satellite hubs, and 171 distribution centres to significantly enhance capacity for higher storage volumes and to optimize last-mile deliveries further.

Myntra is expecting a 1.8X increase in traffic during its upcoming Big Fashion Festival sale, will focus more on regional and influencer marketing to engage with consumers

<ul><li>The Indian <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> has issued a notice to the central government asking it to respond to allegations that nearly four crore <keyword id="52453" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ration-Cards">ration cards</keyword> were cancelled because they were not Aadhaar-linked.</li><li>The plea filed with India’s apex judicial institutional added that the cancellation of these cards has led to an increase in <keyword id="99953" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="starvation-deaths">starvation deaths</keyword> across the country.</li><li>The Supreme Court has taken up the case at a time when food India’s insecurity is reportedly at an all time high, worsened by the COVID-19 lockdowns.</li></ul>Koili Devi lost her 11-year daughter to starvation after her family’s ration card was cancelled for not being linked to their Aadhaar number. The local authorities, however, claimed that the death of Santoshi Kumari was due to malaria — not hunger. The fight on whether or not the right to food, as promised by Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, is being impeded by Aadhaar card linkages has now reached the Supreme Court and the bench wants answers from the central government. The story of Koili Devi Devi maintains that Santoshi had allegedly not eaten for eight days before her death on 28 September 2017. She was even unable to avail the mid-day meal that she usually received at school due to the Durga Puja holidays at the time. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> In a video with Right to Campaign activist, Dheeraj Kumar, Devi explains that the local ration dealer refused to give her family rations for six months on the grounds that their ration card had not been linked — or ‘seeded’ — to their Aadhaar card. Devi’s husband was mentally ill and hence, unable to work. She and her other daughter tried to get some income cutting grass on farms, but that only put around ₹80 to ₹90 in their pocket per week. Even jobs under India’s employment guarantee scheme, MGNREGA, were not available at the time to provide the family with any kind of disposable income. In the moments before Santoshi lost consciousness, Devi claims that her child asked for rice. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“I went to get rice but I was told that no ration will be given to me. My daughter died saying ‘bhat, bhat’.”" auname="Koili Devi told ANI."></div> Now, the question isn’t just about Devi’s right to food, but the right of nearly four crore families whose ration cards have allegedly been cancelled, without prior notice, because they were not linked to the country’s biometric identification system -- Aadhaar. ‘One nation, one ration card’ has made things worse While the central government has been asked to explain themselves, states too have a role to play. Even Solicitor General Aman Lekhi told the petitioner to take the case to the relevant high court. This is because in states where starvation deaths are happening due to lack of a ration card, the administration is blaming them either on malaria or diarrhoea instead — like in the case of Devi and her daughter Santoshi. “In fact, [they blame it on] anything but the lack of food,” said the petitioner's report after obtaining responses from states. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“The Union of India casually gives an explanation that these cancelled cards were bogus. The real reason is that the technological system based on iris identification, thumb prints, non-possession of Aadhaar, non-functioning of the internet in rural and remote areas, etc, led to large scale cancellation of ration cards without notice to the family concerned.”" auname="Report filed by the petitioner, Koili Devi, to the Supreme Court of India"></div> In Odisha, for instance, families were being denied access to food through the public distribution system (PDS) after the state started to implement the central government’s ‘one nation, one ration card’ programme in September 2019, according to <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/society/odisha-families-are-being-denied-rations-due-to-aadhaar-linking-problems/article29863013.ece">The Hindu.</a> The programme required ration card holders to link their accounts to their Aadhaar in an exercise called ‘Aadhaar seeding’. The process helps the government weed out ghost names, which appear on multiple ration cards. These names can then be removed from the list of beneficiaries. But, the system is not foolproof as seen in Odisha’s case. “Tribals either do not have Aadhaar cards or the identification does not work in tribal and rural areas,” Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who is representing Devi, told the court. Koili Devi’s case reaches the Supreme Court The Supreme Court has taken up the case at a time when the COVID-19 has intensified <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-exacerbates-indias-hunger-problem/a-55299109">food insecurity</a> in India. The pandemic has caused a lot of disruption to the local, regional and national food supply chains. The 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World <a href="https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000117811/download/?_ga=2.262188741.854084085.1598210713-1475771515.1598210713">(SOFI)</a> report shows that India retains the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest population of food insecure people. Moreover, last year’s Hunger Watch Report dubbed the hunger situation in India as ‘grave’. Overall, on the <a href="https://www.globalhungerindex.org/pdf/en/2020.pdf">Global Hunger Index</a>, India currently ranks 94 out of the 107 country database and is in the ‘serious’ hunger category. <div type="image" title="Aadhaar PDS beneficiers" msid="81570484" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Number of Ration Card beneficiaries deleted over the last 10 months&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Gonsalves told the court that regardless of the challenges, the right to food — which is symbolised by the ration card — cannot be curbed or cancelled because a person does not have Aadhaar identification. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/finnish-photographer-jp-metsavainio-took-over-a-decade-and-1000-hours-of-photography-to-create-this-picture-of-the-milky-way-and-20-million-stars/slidelist/81563516.cms">It took over a decade and 1,000 hours of photography to create this picture of the Milky Way</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-turns-down-1-million-for-the-tweet-he-was-selling-as-an-nft/articleshow/81546434.cms">Elon Musk turns down $1 million for the tweet he was selling as an NFT</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-has-no-plans-of-suspending-the-use-of-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-covishield-vaccinations-will-go-on-with-full-vigour/articleshow/81552070.cms">India has no plans to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine — ‘Covishield vaccinations will go on with full vigour</a>

A Dalit mother lost her ration card and then her child to starvation — her fight for justice has now become a national cause at the Supreme Court

<ul><li>The <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> has always been important to brands, especially to e-commerce players who line up big bumper discounts, look for more retail brands to partner and ramp up their product offerings.</li><li>This festive season, e-commerce platforms are focusing on bringing more personalisation and curation to customers shopping online through greater tech and marketing integration.</li><li>More and more e-commerce platforms are also exploring social commerce, turning their apps into super apps by bringing content, products and trends under one roof for consumers to watch and shop at once.</li><li>With increasing internet penetration, e-commerce players are expecting new growth from Tier II, III and beyond this festive, which will cumulatively contribute to $150 billion of e-commerce as per RedSeer Consulting’s report.</li><li>We speak to India’s leading e-commerce players to find out more about their festive plans and revival expectations.</li></ul>The year 2020 accelerated e-commerce industry, perhaps by a decade, revolutionising the way brands operate, run, and grow their businesses, as well as how consumers choose to shop and pay. In the initial months of the lockdown, businesses witnessed a clear shift in consumer behaviour. Historically offline shoppers also came online due to convenience and safety. Consumers are still hesitant to return to in-store shopping completely and audiences from Tier II and Tier III are also preferring to shop online. The pandemic has evidently caused an inflection point for e-commerce in the country. With the second-largest internet user base, India has emerged as one of the most prominent markets globally. Around 480 million people in India have access to the internet out of which 90 million are online shoppers, according to estimates from management consultancy RedSeer. Shoppers from India’s small towns and cities will cumulatively contribute to $150 billion of e-commerce GMV in the coming decade, until 2030, revealed RedSeer. <div type="image" title="redseer - ecomm report" msid="85901903" hostid="261"></div> After spending a glum year and a half, consumers are excited to celebrate the festive season with upcoming shopping sales for Diwali, Dussehra and Christmas. IPL and ICC T-20 World Cup will further improve consumer sentiment this year. According to a survey conducted by The Trade Desk and YouGov, 82% of consumers shopped online at least once a month in the past six months, and nearly one in four made online purchases several times a week or more often. Titled ‘<a href="https://pages.thetradedesk.com/rs/527-INM-364/images/TheFestiveSeasonPulse2021.pdf">The Festive Season Pulse 2021</a>,’ it further said that 91% of Indian consumers are planning a purchase during the upcoming festive season and six in 10 are interested in learning about new brands during festive season sales. To leverage this uptick in consumer sentiment, the e-commerce category is all set to begin its festive marketing blitz and is preparing to line up big discounts for the season in a few weeks. For this 30-day period leading up to the festive season, leading fashion e-commerce platform <keyword id="319719" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="myntra" source="Orion">Myntra</keyword> has planned ‘Big Fashion Festival,’ which will be followed up with Myntra Diwali Sale, with a focus on ethnic wear. It will also be focusing on emerging categories like Beauty and Personal care, kidswear and categories such as innerwear and essentials which have experienced tailwinds post-Covid. Myntra’s Chief Business Officer, Ayyappan Rajagopal said, “We are expecting this festive season to be bigger than last year with more customers using online channels to make their purchases. Demand usually peaks in the 30 days leading to Diwali and we expect this year to be no different. In fact, the demand in the 2 months leading to the festive season is expected to be far more than last time (because people have learnt with time to adapt to a pandemic world). We expect high demand from across geographies and markets - metros, Tier 1, Tier 2, T3 cities and beyond. To cater to that, we have built the right ethnic wear, beauty, and home selection, and have partnered with brands on best deals. Hence, to leverage this demand and provide best value to our customers, we are organizing Big Fashion Festival and Myntra Diwali Sale to make this season a resounding success.” Right on the heels of the festive season, Myntra ramped up its marketing game by onboarding Hrithik Roshan, Vijay Deverakonda and Dulquer Salmaan as its newest brand ambassadors, alongside the existing celebrity ambassadors Kiara Advani, and Samantha Akkineni. Now, it is hoping to double its customer base and cater to Gen-Z shoppers with its high-decibel marketing. “With the optimism coming from recovery from Covid and revival in shopping sentiments along with the habitualisation of digital foray across all customer segments, we see a lot of new customers shopping during this festive season. We have also seen trends in Metro/T1 markets where Myntra has been traditionally strong, pointing towards such a revival. With a positive overall sentiment, we will be looking at doubling our customer base during this period. There will also be an added focus towards expanding our footprint in southern markets, deeper penetration into Tier 2 / 3 towns and exploring customer addition through emerging categories like Kids wear, Inner wear, fashion accessories, Beauty and persona care, etc. The greatest focus will be on Gen-Z cohort of shoppers,” shared Rajagopal. E-commerce platforms are also focusing on bringing more personalisation and curation to customers shopping online through greater tech and marketing integration. More and more e-retailers are exploring social commerce, turning their apps into super apps by bringing content, products and trends under one roof for consumers to watch and shop at once. D2C fashion platform Bewakoof.com that recently raised Rs 60 crore in an investment round led by InvestCorp, IvyCap and Spring Marketing Capital, is expecting to Rs 120 crore in brand sales this quarter. It recently rolled out celebrity-led digital campaigns with Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra and Farhan Akhtar. It plans to further build its market presence by signing more A-list celebrities to its roster and launch a 360-degree campaign by October. On the technology side, the company intends to launch a gamification-led loyalty program as it upgrades its Bewakoof Tribe with new and exclusive launches for the club members. Sharing the platform’s festive plans further, Prabhkiran Singh, Founder CEO, Bewakoof.com said, “Post pandemic, we saw a strong recovery and growth in certain categories like casual wear and leisurewear because of customers staying at home and with the pandemic slowing down, we expect a strong recovery in categories like ethnic wear, bags, accessories, etc in the festive season ahead. We’re also looking to capitalise on winter wear more this year than usual with winter around the corner and have put in investments accordingly. We expect our brand sales to be Rs 120 crore for the festive quarter.” For Bewakoof, the northern and western markets see the highest demand, followed by West Bengal and Assam because of Durga Puja. Currently, over 6 million customers visit Bewakoof.com every month. Singh told us that the festive season serves as a crucial window in the year for new customer acquisition and bringing back customers that haven’t shopped again for a while. The platform is also planning on increasing its marketing spends this festive. “For this year, 15% of our total marketing budget will be spent for the upcoming festive season.” We’re in the process of rebranding Bewakoof in the next 1-2 months and we’ll have a new look, logo, tagline along with a new set of celebrities that will endorse Bewakoof so we’re excited to roll this out and create buzz around it along with backing it up with top-funnel marketing investments. We plan to go heavy on top-funnel marketing investments starting October,” said Singh. E-retail platform OLX has upped its UI to woo its customers, digitising the entire process of online retailing, including verification of all its premium items. OLX Autos launched a verified inventory of cars with a new interface, which provides a detailed history of the car right from the ownership period all the way up to the service history of the car, and access to a host of financing options and after-sales products like insurance and warranty. As a result, OLX has witnessed a surge in demand for pre-owned cars. Sapna Arora, CMO, OLX India said, “Green shoots are already visible in the used car retail segment. The demand for pre-owned cars has been 25% higher than the pre-Covid levels while there has been an 82% plus growth in demand for pre-owned smartphones. Our goods category has also witnessed a strong rebound, as demand and supply have gone up by an average of 68% and 25%, respectively, compared to pre-Covid levels. The upcoming festival season is important for us as we expect the gap to be narrowing down between pre and post-Covid levels. There has been a strong uptake of e-commerce across regions, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with consumers there making the greatest shift to online shopping. We will continue to focus on the pre-owned auto segment and are expecting to surpass the demand this festive season.” At an industry level, Arora told us that e-commerce players are leveraging on hyper-personalisation to create individualised experiences on the platform and AI-powered chatbots are being implemented by the online retailers to bring customers close to an offline retail experience with a high engagement rate. Sharing OLX’s plan, Arora added, “This festive season we plan to use innovative solutions via relevant messaging at different levels of the retail journey. Our consumer base is growing organically. During this year’s lockdown, a lot of people moved online and we saw growth, about 30% more daily active users (DAUs) from our previous pre-Covid peak. In the festive season, our huge inventories across segments will contribute to increasing the DAU’s on the platform.” As per Nielsen India’s E-commerce Consumer Panel (E-Analytics Solution), there was a double-digit increase in average spend of online shoppers for electronics and accessories (39%), mobile and accessories (12%), and fashion, including apparel, footwear, and accessories (10%) after the pandemic. Appliances (e.g.TV, WM, refrigerators, etc.) also saw notable shopper spending increase at 9%. E-commerce giant Amazon is also ramping up its product range for the festive season. “Together with thousands of small &amp; medium business and brand partners, we continue to offer our customers the widest selection, convenience, and fast delivery. We are humbled by how millions of Indian customers have made us a part of their daily lives. Also, customers continue to believe that online shopping is the safest way to shop which has been reflecting in all the recent events of Amazon like Prime Day 2021, Great Freedom Festival, Rakhi Store, Onam store and so on. This festive season is not a normal one for reasons we all know and our success metric would be focused on how we can make our sellers successful. Customers can look forward to shopping from a wide selection of products across categories like Home &amp; Kitchen, Fashion &amp; Beauty, Appliances and Smartphones, Grocery essentials and more from the comfort and safety of their homes," said an Amazon India spokesperson. This growth trajectory of e-commerce platforms in India testifies how customers are increasingly recognising the importance of comfort shopping within closed doors, and after seeing their businesses take a plunge in the first three months of the lockdown, more and more sellers are also coming online.

This festive season, e-commerce platforms are betting big on Tier II and III markets, which are likely to contribute $150 million to e-commerce growth this year

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When Xiaomi's Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain danced, dabbed and rapped to the tune of Baba Sehgal

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Myntra is expecting a 1.8X increase in traffic during its upcoming Big Fashion Festival sale, will focus more on regional and influencer marketing to engage with consumers

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A Dalit mother lost her ration card and then her child to starvation — her fight for justice has now become a national cause at the Supreme Court

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This festive season, e-commerce platforms are betting big on Tier II and III markets, which are likely to contribute $150 million to e-commerce growth this year

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