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<ul><li>The sluggish two quarters of this fiscal and dull results of auto, FMCG, real estate, apparel, telecom indicate that the upcoming <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> will not bring profitability. </li><li>However, the first half of the year was unusual, unprecedented that the ad industry took a nosedive to as low as -60%. </li><li>Experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. </li></ul>This year, Diwali or Ganapati won’t be about bursting crackers on the street and meeting family to exchange sweets. It will be all virtual, about being there for each other in tough times and celebrating small victories. This festive season, like this year, is unusual, which has made many marketers rethink their strategies and understand consumer behaviour closely to come up with out-of-box solutions. The progress of advertising industry has always been in tandem to consumer sentiment and about 40-45% of the annual ad spends in India happen between Raksha Bandhan and New Year. This year, when ad revenue had reached as low as -60% in April, a lot of hopes are banking on the festive season for industry’s overall revival. In many ways, advertising is a lag and lead indicator for our country -- if the country's GDP is growing at 8%, advertising grows at 12%. If GDP falls, ad revenue falls even lower. With a steady monsoon and plump harvest so far, experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring cheer for the industry. It will help the ad world bounce back to normalcy. <keyword id="248051" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Bhasin">Ashish Bhasin</keyword>, CEO - APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network Asia said, “In the month of April, we were -60%. I think we will end this calendar year at probably around -15 to -20% decline in the advertising market, which means the second half will have to do better than the first half. It may not be as good as last year, which in itself wasn’t a great period, however it will start improving and coming closer. Monsoon season is looking good, so our rural economy should do well. For many categories now there is saturation in terms of penetration at least in metros, so a lot of growth will come from Tier II, III and rural areas. So if the rains continue and we have a good harvest, there will be more money in the pockets of the rural consumers and that will help the demand. With the advent of the festive season, hopefully, COVID cycle goes down by that time, coupled with a good harvest, demand going up and sentiment improving, I think by around Diwali we will see some signs of normality returning.” Priti Murthy, CEO, OMD India said, “The festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. Our recently conducted survey states how the general news consumption has significantly increased during the lockdown period. With an increase in music streaming, online games, and cooking shows, and re-runs of popular shows from the 80’s &amp; 90’s making a comeback, the ad revenue cycle is all geared up during the festive season.” This Indian festive season is coupled with IPL, which is a gigantic festival in itself that drives advertising industry’s revenue and holds the power to alter market sentiment. While sans-Vivo, OOH and no activitations, Navin Khemka, CEO, MediaCom South Asia still believes IPL will help put ad industry back to 2019’s growth trajectory. “Given that IPL is confirmed, we can expect this year's festival season to be equal to 2019. Last year, the last quarter was approx. Rs 24,000 crore and this year we expect the number to remain constant,” said he. Digital taking the bigger chunk of the pie With the lockdown in Mumbai, which is the creative hub and houses many Indian agencies, Sandeep Sreekumar, Managing Director, Media Moments is looking forward to seeing some creative storytelling made from the inside of four walls on digital mediums this year. "We feel this new phase will bring in new opportunities for the brands to showcase exceptional creativity and storytelling by integrating messages like social distancing, and work from home into their ads.” Sreekumar thinks digital will lead the game as advertisers have been shifting their monies from traditional to virtual platforms. “Digital platforms like Instagram Shop along with other channels including Facebook, Google and OTT platforms are likely to garner the advertiser’s attention across categories which will eventually lead to a significant upsurge in the digital ad revenue. Though, the consumer might still be a little skeptical about spending, the arrival of festivals and the announcement of IPL are likely to change their mindset for the better. We are excited to witness the trends unfold and see the new normal for the advertising industry that will lend an engaging experience to the customers through wit, humour and emotions,” said Sreekumar. Murthy is hoping that print will also see an increase in advertisers’ volume this festive season. “Digital and Print will definitely see an influx during the festive period, and OTT will be the new arena that will see more brands coming in. Also, TV will witness a spike due to IPL being held at the same time.” Khemka pointed out that brands will not go too big on media spendings as they have become cautious of what they are spending on. He said, “Due to the pandemic, TV &amp; Digital will be the biggest gainers. They will grow at the expense of the other mediums. There is cautious optimism with brands. Given the state wise lockdown is affecting sentiment, brands will be cautious before they commit big monies on media.” Auto industry, e-commerce and other virtual brands to lead the growth Experts opined that auto will see a boom because consumers are now avoiding public transport. Other categories that popped up in our discussion were EduTech, E-commerce and OTT. “Auto is likely to bounce back because people are looking for private transportation. E-commerce, EduTech, telecommunications will all bounce back first because data consumption has gone up but the market has been pretty depressed for them also. So hopefully that will pick up. FMCG demand is quite stable, one category that continued to advertise despite the lockdown because they were under the essential category, they will be steady. Once the feel-good factor starts, entertainment will start coming back. Film, digital and TV production starts, they will come back. Real estate will continue seeing a slump unless there is a big economic pick-up. So overall, it will be a mixed bag,” said Bhasin. Murthy also shared her optimism about spends from the auto and IT industry. “Auto has already begun seeing this trend as personal mobility is a higher need in the COVID and post-COVID era. Seeking a digitally enhanced and technologically superior experience across business verticals, IT is an area that showcases an enormous potential, too. Additionally, OTT platforms are also slated to bounce back with all their diverse content.” Consumers to continue being wary about their spendings With the economic downturn and uncertainty still looming around, consumer sentiment might suffer this festive season. Sharing what consumers are likely to spend on, Khemka said, “Given the pandemic I think the consumer has now become more rational. They are spending more on technology, equipment, health &amp; immunity boosters on one hand. However, they have also become cautious on discretionary expenses that can wait for some more time given the tough economic scenario. Also, the list of essentials and non-essentials is being redefined. Murthy said that the trends so far have only indicated that consumer sentiment is improving, which is more likely to continue growing during festive. “According to our OMG study, an average daily time spent across OTT platforms is over 95 minutes. Besides, online video and social media have emerged as the top entertainment mediums among Indians, allowing for a great scope of ad spend to be incorporated. It’s definitely an optimistic picture,” said Murthy.

A lot of hope rests on the festive season this year, but will it bring cheer?

<ul><li><keyword id="248229" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nikhil-Mathur">Nikhil Mathur</keyword>, Managing Director of GfK in India writes how the consumer sentiment improved during the <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> and why marketers should continue investing on <keyword id="618493" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-marketing">digital marketing</keyword>. </li><li>With the drastic alteration in media consumption, this festive season offers opportunities for marketers to connect with consumers like never before.</li></ul>The global Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly changed the world as we know it. Lifestyles have changed, consumers are buying differently and, in many instances, thinking differently. Supply chains have been challenged and retailers are closing doors. Consumers in every part of the world are now looking at products and brands through a new lens. COVID-19 is reshaping the entire retail industry in real-time, rapidly building consumer preferences that have never been easy to change. It is safe to say that new habits formed now will endure beyond this crisis, permanently changing what we value, how and where we shop, and how we live and work. Consumers are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19, both from a health and economic perspective. People are responding in a variety of ways and have diverse attitudes, behavior and purchasing habits. With increasing concerns about individual safety, customers are shifting towards the deep end of the online commerce pool and have shown a remarkably high level of dexterity and comfort in online shopping. According to GfK Consumer Pulse Report, 69% of consumers now prefer the online channel of purchases to avoid crowds. Additionally, the home culture is likely to outlast the Covid-19 phase. It has significantly resulted in a huge business opportunity across product categories. Consumers are buying electronics to support this lifestyle, thereby creating a sales boost in the industry. The @home lifestyle has put the spotlight on the importance of “convenience” shopping, governing the kind of products consumers will buy. This factor has given a big fillip to digital commerce, as new consumers migrate online for grocery shopping – a growth that is likely to survive beyond the pandemic. Our survey indicates that 44% of consumers consider online as their most preferred purchase channel for mobile/smartphones, even after the lockdown situation eases, while 73% prefer buying consumer electronics/appliances from e-commerce websites and 26% prefer buying from brand websites. These changing trends in consumer buying behavior and the increasing preference of purchase channel towards online retail has created an unprecedented challenge for companies seeking to engage with customers. Whether changes in marketing direction are motivated by market and industry conditions, changing consumer behavior or the need to stay competitive and cost-effective, it is highly recommended that companies focus on increasing their marketing efficiencies and customer retention. This is also reflected from <a href="https://www.gfk.com/home" target="_blank">GfK</a> study highlighting that 84% of manufacturers plan to invest in online commerce for 2020 as a response to the changing business climate. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has hit the marketing industry hard. According to the GfK survey, Branding and Marketing in the New Abnormal, 73% of marketing leaders across Asia stated that their marketing budgets have decreased, with those in FMCG and healthcare experiencing the hardest hit. Simultaneously, marketing KPIs have also shifted, with maximizing the marketing effectiveness increasingly becoming the most important KPI for marketers. It is important to note here that while most of the KPIs in the pre-covid times focused on both the online and offline retail, the approach now has shifted. Digital transformation is now considered as one of the top priorities (56%) of marketers. This shift was reflected in freeform answers around how KPI measurement has changed, with respondents indicating a ‘shift to purely digital tactics’ and a ‘shift to online businesses”. Indeed, as online sales from changing consumer preferences continue to grow, we can expect this need to focus on digital transformation to continue. While KPIs may not have changed, their form has. Marketers’ desire to move towards digital platform reflects the need to focus on internal and external channel tracking, measurement, and effectiveness. With the drastic alteration in media consumption, this festive season offers opportunities for marketers to connect with consumers like never before. Consumers are discovering brands on social media, and businesses need to focus on solutions that are relevant for the new normal, such as hyper-localization, creating virtual experiences, re-looking at the media-mix to build efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, the lockdown has only increased user’s media consumption habits, with an increased viewership for OTT content, urging brands to invest in some relevant touchpoints to help them achieve their targets. Not surprisingly, industry experts are advising marketers to leverage social media to drive brand discovery this season. With discretionary spends decreasing and value-consciousness increasing, marketers need to enter the consumer’s consideration set, eventually helping consumers in their purchase decisions. Brand managers are trying to strike a balance in offline and online retail experience giving the importance of both the purchase channels. Hence, as brand managers are focusing on product innovation strategy to allure the consumers, they are equally invested in the retail innovation to address vast swathes the nation. Getting digital right In this post-pandemic environment, it is important to have a roadmap that reflects the pace of digital adoption: <ul><li>The digital efforts of brand marketers should quickly focus on using data analytics to respond to evolving customer needs, improve business operations and increase agility to fulfil customer expectations across multiple touchpoint. </li><li>It is also crucial for brand marketers to benchmark their digital channels against competition and identify the metrics that are relevant for the brand purpose. Look at the bigger picture and set quantitative and qualitative KPIs to achieve overarching brand objectives. </li><li>In addition, bolster your digital competencies to deliver speed and innovation, and create authentic and meaningful experiences for your audiences in order to achieve long-term brand success.</li></ul>The crucial factor here is innovation; marketers who don’t realize or understand this or cannot innovate fast enough will perish and those who can adapt themselves, will sustain and thrive.

How brands unlocked their marketing budgets during festive season

<ul><li>Multiple brands have deferred their product launches and are counting on the <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> to drive incremental reach and sales. </li><li>MMA, GroupM and Amazon Advertising's festive season playbook decodes <keyword id="139079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-behaviour" source="Orion">consumer behaviour</keyword>.</li></ul>MMA, GroupM and Amazon Advertising have launched the ‘Decoding Consumer behavior and Winning the 2021 Festive season’ Playbook, a handbook for marketers on expected consumer sentiment along with recommended strategies for Diwali this year. The 2021 Diwali festive season will be an unprecedented test for marketers. As consumption is on a natural upswing post pandemic restrictions, brands are looking to stand-out and capture the mindshare among the new-age ‘digital’ consumers. Multiple brands have deferred their product launches and are counting on the festive season to drive incremental reach and sales. As a result, shopping aisles will be choc-a-block with new launches supported by high-decibel marketing campaigns. At the same time, consumer journeys have become more complex and non-linear, and the role of digital has become more prominent across the journey. As a result, this festive season will require marketers to re-think their media strategies in order to be successful. This playbook will help brands in making efficient decisions around their media strategy during the festive season. It captures insights around consumer sentiment and marketer expectations for the upcoming festive season, along with implications and recommendations for advertisers. The playbook is based on findings from consumer survey, brand marketer survey, and inputs from key opinion leaders. A few takeaways from the playbook: <ul><li>Consumer sentiment remains positive: ~50% consumers are likely to increase their <keyword id="10318360" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-spends" source="Orion">festive spends</keyword> this year</li><li>Consumers are still not fully decided on their purchase: 62% consumers are currently undecided about the product/brand choice</li><li>Digital channels will be crucial across the journey: ~80% consumers journeys will be ‘digital’ influenced and 77% endemic journeys will involve <a href="http://amazon.in/" target="_blank">amazon.in</a></li><li>Brands should leverage multiple touchpoints: Be visible across touchpoints leveraging Connected TV, Video, Search advertising etc. to drive active/passive discovery and leverage ‘efficiency’ related metrics to assess performance holistically</li></ul>Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India commented, “MMA is proud to have co-authored the white paper in collaboration with GroupM and Amazon Advertising to provide the much needed insights and guidance for the upcoming festive season for the ecosystem helping brands navigate the challenging times and drive optimal visibility and performance . 76%of marketers mentioned they will be allocating more spends for digital as compared to last year. Hence it’s key to understand omnichannel users better in the changing times as we continue to drive the narrative of shaping the future of marketing.” Tushar Vyas, President – Growth and Transformation, GroupM South Asia commented, “Digital influence in consumer journeys has increased significantly while the e-commerce adoption has accelerated in last 18 months. Hence, Digital is no more a support media platform but is core to media plans. Ecommerce platforms offer brands the opportunity to hand-hold consumers across the purchase funnel by not only aiding in active/passive brand discovery but also in closing the loop by measuring performance objectively. This playbook contains several key insights and is a must-read for any marketer who is planning for the festive season.” Vijay Iyer, Director-Ad Sales, Amazon Advertising India commented, “Digital is a part of our lives now like never before and the influence is only increasing. Ecommerce portals act as gateways to this world that we are so quickly embracing and are playing a crucial role in brand and product discovery. For marketers, this presents an unprecedented opportunity – to be able to identify and leverage customer intent at an unprecedented scale. This playbook will help brands in not only sharpening their online strategy, but will redefine how they measure and drive business outcomes.”

50% consumers are likely to increase their festive spends this year: Report

<ul><li>While festivals will still be celebrated either virtually or in small groups this year, consumer sentiment has already shown early signs of improvement due to recently concluded Ganesh Chaturthi.</li><li>With a steady monsoon, plump harvest so far and IPL returning, <keyword id="34612" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising-industry" source="Orion">advertising industry</keyword> is hopeful that the ongoing <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. It will help the ad world bounce back to normalcy.</li></ul>India is the land of festivals and every festival is celebrated with great pomp and joy in this country. While the recently concluded festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, which is otherwise known for its fanfare and grand celebration, was affected due to the pandemic, it has brought in early improvement in consumer sentiment. According to Axis My India report, 42% of families said they will shop more or the same as compared to last year. This gives an indication that there is a sense of cautious optimism and the pent-up demand or degree of revenge shopping that happened last year might not be the same this year. This expected increase in spends is higher among private and government service employees. The spends increase on essentials like personal &amp; household care is at 47%, an increase of 4 percentage point over last month. Consumers are spending a little extra money to spruce their homes now to welcome Maa Durga and then prepare for India’s biggest festival, Diwali. Ergo, brands are pinning a lot of hopes on the festive season this year to help them bounce back. They have started working on their advertising campaigns in full swing to win back consumer trust and help shape the market sentiment. The progress of the advertising industry has always been in tandem with consumer sentiment and about 40-45% of the annual ad spends in India happen between Raksha Bandhan and New Year. In many ways, advertising is a lag and lead indicator for our country -- if the country's GDP is growing at 8%, advertising grows at 12%. If GDP falls, ad revenue falls even lower. In 2020, when ad revenue had reached as low as -60% in April, a lot of hopes are banking on the festive season this year for industry’s overall revival. Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India said, “With the increase in the vaccination numbers and positive market sentiments, the festive period is poised for a stronger, and better recovery from 2020. It is estimated that the festive season will generate advertising upwards of INR 7000 Crore, which is approximately 12-15% higher than last year’s festive season and is expected to provide big support to the growing economy.” This Indian festive season is coupled with IPL, which is a gigantic festival in itself that drives advertising industry’s revenue and holds the power to alter market sentiment. Joshi said that the return of IPL 2021 and a slew of high-impact properties like the ICC T20 World Cup coupled with reality shows like the KBC 13, Bigg Boss 15, Dance+6, and several mega OTT releases will make it a festive bonanza for all stakeholders. Hari Krishnan, CEO, Mullen Lintas is also optimistic about seeing a better recovery than 2020. He said, “Last year, it was cautious optimism. This time around, there seems to be a lot more confidence post-vaccination and the optimism appears to be a lot more reassured. That apart, there are two big cricketing events and that’s definitely going to bring a lot of eyeballs back to television. It’s a great reach platform and something that brands would be eager to be a part of. There’s every chance that this festive season could see a lot of pent-up shopping happening which different categories could benefit from.” Experts said that digital will lead the game as advertisers have been shifting their monies from traditional to virtual platforms. Sahil Shah, Managing Partner, WATConsult said, “I reckon it will be a 60-70% jump in certain categories who will go even more aggressive. And compared to pre-covid levels, overall spends should be 15-20% higher. I think digital invariably will see the maximum percentage-wise growth followed by TV and then other mediums. From a marketing point of view, data-led communication will gain more importance and so will eCommerce investments. Also, marketers are experimenting with newer ways of reaching the consumer through innovative content and experiences which is an area that the overall <keyword id="618493" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-marketing" source="Orion">digital marketing</keyword> industry will surely move towards.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Digital media to take lead, followed by TV and print" text="Digital media to take lead, followed by TV and print">Digital media to take lead, followed by TV and print</cmsannotation> Rishabh Mahendru, AVP, Client Servicing, AdLift is expecting to see ad revenue grow by 10%-15% this year. While digital is likely to get the bigger chunk of the pie, he said that Facebook (Instagram), OTT and YouTube will be in lead within that sector. He also said if there’s another lockdown, e-commerce will still continue to flourish. “Time was more uncertain last year, still the e-commerce industry saw a growth of more than 50% festive orders. This year, we should see same or better results,” said Mahendru. On the other hand, Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer &amp; Director, India and MENA Region at Tonic Worldwide said that brands will explore LinkedIn this year. She said, “Innovative campaigns will be seen by brands on LinkedIn considering the rise in engagement by professionals on LinkedIn. High Reach/Awareness platforms like TV and Outdoor will remain a part of the integrated pie and will see the same demand as earlier. However, the platform which will see the most growth over the previous years is digital since its gained relevance.” Sharing a few other trends which we could see in digital marketing, Bhatt added, “Video commerce and live stream shopping is one of the new trends that we will see coming up soon. And remember teleshopping? We will soon see the rise of that on digital too! Seamless user journey and functionalities will emulate the retail environment to ensure consumers don’t miss the retail experiences. This means, technology-based experiential marketing with AR/VR and Mixed reality to ensure consumer recall, as well as engagement, will see a rise too along with experience commerce which enables sales. Conversation commerce will also pick up in the form of chatbots as it leads to faster responses for the impatient consumer.” Digital adoption accelerated by the pandemic has drastically changed the way audiences consume media. This has also paved the way for content creators, bringing them into the spotlight. Prachi Bali, National Head Client Partnerships &amp; Business Head (North), FoxyMoron (Zoo Media) said, “Besides the usual engagement platforms of FB, IG &amp; YT, regional and nano influencers are seeing a great deal of interest. Also, regional and smaller content/publishing platforms are finding their way into media plans. Brands want to build a stronger consumer connect by making the content work harder, multiplied by language and platform, rather than making stand-alone traditional pieces of content. Consumer-facing technologies that drive engagement such as filters, interactive ads, shoppable videos are the trends we will see brands adopt as they all encourage social commerce. ” While brands and advertisers are extra cautious this year to commit big monies on media after 2020 and will be looking at ROI from their media investments, they still want to make hay while the sun shines. Prasad Shejale, Founder and CEO, Logicserve Digital said, “Advertisers will tend to focus on all the possible mediums and attract more and more audiences. I am positive that they will scale up equally across different mediums now and hence, all the mediums are sure to grow. With such a focus, I foresee even the bottom-funnel channels to grow. Looking at consumer behaviour and preferences over the past few months or years, I feel video channel will witness a huge growth as there is a dire need to break the clutter nowadays. When I say video, it will be video in every way whether it is video on demand or on social media or OTT. Having said that, while we know that the advertisers will try to make the most out of the festive season and explore different formats or platforms, a lot of them are also focusing on the right measurement infrastructure that helps them understand the impact properly and also provides useful insights to plan for future activities.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Auto industry, e-commerce and travel to be the big spenders" text="Auto industry, e-commerce and travel to be the big spenders">Auto industry, e-commerce and travel to be the big spenders</cmsannotation> As per the data from Gipsi, (Tonic’s AI and HI research arm), search queries have risen by 3x across categories like online shopping, travel, automobile (specifically SUV’s segment), fashion, and gadgets over 2019. Experts also opined that auto will see a boom because consumers are now avoiding public transport. Other categories that popped up in our discussion were EduTech, E-commerce, OTT and travel. “People have begun travelling, offices are slowly opening up. Traffic is back on the roads and the restaurants are filling up slowly. This year, fashion &amp; accessories, FMCG, Durables, EdTech, FinTech and most of the new e-commerce/online brands should be active. We could see some action from auto sector as well,” said Krishnan. Joshi also shared his optimism about spends from the auto and e-commerce industry. He said, “Automobile, gaming, education, beverages, FMCG, cement, tyres &amp; consumer durables are some of the categories that will re-activate their marketing plans in H2. Given the advertising clutter during the festive period, brands will need to drive awareness and stay top-of-mind throughout the consumer’s purchase and consumption journey.” Apart from these obvious ones, Shejale highlighted that the travel industry, which suffered the most during 2020, has finally started picking up. He said, “Firstly, I am sure travel will revive and has already started picking up. As the travel industry flourishes, the hotel and hospitality will grow too. Apart from these, retail (online as well as offline) will also recuperate and continue to grow.” Trends so far have only indicated that consumer sentiment is improving, which is more likely to continue growing during the ongoing festive season.

Experts are hoping to see the advertising industry generate around Rs 7000 crore, 12-15% higher than last year’s festive season

<ul><li>With the <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> around the corner, 73% respondents are all geared up and haven’t let the pandemic dampen their spirit, as per a survey conducted by the <keyword id="9617663" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="public-app">Public app</keyword>. More than 5 lakh people from 300+ districts across India participated in the survey, giving their opinion on the upcoming festive season and their expectations from it. </li><li>More than 5 lakh people from 300+ districts across India participated in the survey, giving their opinion on the upcoming festive season and their expectations from it. </li></ul>With the festive season around the corner, 73% respondents are all geared up and haven’t let the pandemic dampen their spirit, as per a survey conducted by the Public app, a location based homegrown social app. With the unlock activities in progress and people getting accustomed to the new normal, 63% of respondents are looking forward to organising a get together with their family and friends to pep up the festivities. The gifting options, however, brought forward a mixed opinion. 53% of respondents said they would be visiting local markets for festive shopping. In terms of their inclination towards online shopping, 50% of respondents said they will prefer online shopping that comes with the convenience of being at their homes. More than 5 lakh people from 300+ districts across India participated in the survey, giving their opinion on the upcoming festive season and their expectations from it. When asked about their <keyword id="932978" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="spending-habits">spending habits</keyword> and the effect of the pandemic on them, 61% respondents believe their spending budget will be lessened. Of the remaining respondents, 17% believed that the spending will remain the same as every year and 22% thought that festival budgets will in fact be heightened. The survey also asked the respondents about the categories they would like to spend on. New clothes topped the list with 30% followed by electronics at 19%, automobiles at 14% and precious jewelry like gold and silver at 11%. The remaining 53% chose miscellaneous items.

Here is what Indians are looking forward to doing this festive season

<ul><li>Urban Indians’ festive spending intent has improved since last year.</li><li>YouGov’s Diwali Spending Index shows a higher buying propensity than last year.</li></ul>The festive season has commenced in India and now everyone is eagerly awaiting the festival of lights. Although brands are betting big on Diwali to light up sales, are consumers ready to shop again? YouGov’s Diwali Spending Index, an indicator of the spending intent among Indian consumers, reveals a spending propensity of 90.71 among urban Indians this festive season. Even though it is below average (of 100), the intent to spend is higher than last time (80.96), indicating a recovering appetite to spend among urban Indians. <div type="image" title="image005" msid="85999954" hostid="261"></div> The Index is calculated as a weighted impact of 10 factors (like increase in gross household income, increase/decrease in household expenses, intent to invest or splurge and general optimism towards economy) on their intent to spend more/less this Diwali season versus last. Among the 10 factors, the number one driver for people to spend more this year is their anticipation for the festival. Nearly a third (31%) agreed with the statement “I am looking forward to Diwali this year since the rest of the year has been quite dull because of Covid-19”. With nearly two years having passed and shoppers having no opportunity to spend, this is likely to be the factor that has improved the overall sentiment to spend more this Diwali as compared to last. Even though there is improvement, the biggest barrier to spending continues to be the same as last year. Close to 50% respondents last year said they are more careful with their finances today than they used to be in the past. And now a similar proportion (43.6%) said the same thing, indicating the fear of the uncertain is still strong among the public. Given 2021 witnessed a devastating wave of covid, despite excitement among the public for Diwali this year, the consumer sentiment is yet to match the pre-pandemic times. <div type="image" title="image006" msid="85999964" hostid="261"></div> Data shows that only 17% of the respondents said they were likely to spend more than last year during Diwali in 2020. In 2021, this number has increased and now 29% said they will spend more this year. While the spending intent is yet to go back to normal (pre-pandemic times), we see a marked improvement since last year and this is good news for brands trying to woo consumers this festive season. In YouGov’s Diwali series, we will see the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ buying sentiment across different sectors to see if the upcoming festive season can be a game-changer for businesses and brands.Methodology: This survey has been conducted on a sample of 2000 respondents on the YouGov India’s online panel in August 2021. The sample primarily constitutes consumers from NCCS A and B; and matches the population numbers of urban India in terms of basic demographics like age, gender, regions and city tiers. The Index is calculated as a weighted impact of 10 factors (like increase in gross household income, increase/decrease in household expenses, intent to invest or splurge and general optimism towards economy) on their intent to spend more/less this Diwali season versus last. The Index has been derived using Ordinal Logistic Regression and Johnson’s Relative Weight modelling to understand the relationship between each of the factors and overall intention to spend more this Diwali amongst consumers. For the calculation of the final Index, two sets of weighted averages were calculated basis respondent data – 1) assuming an equal weightage for all factors (which has been used as the base); 2) with actual weightages for each of the factor derived from the regression and JRW analysis. The final Index = Actual weighted spending intent / Hypothetical spending intent assuming equal weightage to all 10 predictors

Despite excitement among the public for Diwali this year, the consumer sentiment is yet to match the pre-pandemic times: YouGov Report

25 festive places to spend the holidays around the world

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>When it comes to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/christmas-music-bad-for-mental-health-2017-11">embracing the holiday spirit</a>, some places around the world get more into it than others. </li><li>Whether you're looking to see the glittering lights of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tokyo">Tokyo</a>, shack up in a remote lakeside village in Austria, or <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> back in time to historic Colonial Williamsburg in the US, each city or town has their own incredible holiday traditions. </li><li>Here are 25 festive places to spend the holidays.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The song goes, "there's no place like home for holidays."However, many people in this day and age are choosing to travel or go on vacation in the days leading up to and during December and January holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and New Year's. In 2018, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/planning-to-fly-away-for-the-holidays-so-are-nearly-46-million-other-people/2018/12/17/4620e46e-fe3f-11e8-862a-b6a6f3ce8199_story.html">the number of US holiday travelers rose by 5%</a> compared to the previous year. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-destinations-billionaires-are-traveling-to-luxury-2019-3">These are the 15 hottest destinations billionaires are traveling to in 2019</a>Whether you're choosing to travel just a few states away or across the world, these cheery and exciting locations are sure to get you in the holiday spirit, no matter what holiday you celebrate. Here are 25 festive places to spend the holidays.

16 of the most festive places to spend the holidays in the US

This Diwali, <keyword id="46431" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Inc">India Inc</keyword> will splurge on corporate gifts. According to a study by <keyword id="6355988" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Assocham">ASSOCHAM</keyword>, companies have upped their budget for festive spending and corporate gifting by nearly 15% over last year. 
	 “A slight rise in consumer confidence together with improved job security, a perceptive improvement in business sentiment and festive optimism has encouraged India Inc. to loosen the purse strings as majority of companies have increased their budget for festive spending for clients and employees by about 10-15 per cent this Diwali,” said <keyword id="547365" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="DS-Rawat">DS Rawat</keyword>, general secretary of the chamber. 
	 
	He added, “Besides, majority of companies are planning to substitute traditional gift options with Diwali exclusive pre-paid cards which seems to be emerging as the most preferred gifting solution for corporate sector”. 
	 
	 
	Rawat noted the fact that companies are willing to increase their budget for festive spending is an indication of the rise in the consumer sentiments, which has been down over the last few years. 
	 
	 “India Inc. has been cutting back its corporate gift budgets significantly, however, it seems to be getting generous this festive season owing to growing expectations of an economic turnaround and a positive business outlook for trade and industry,” averred Rawat. 
	 
	When it comes to the choice of gifts, prepaid gift cards are fast gaining popularity among the companies as as it is safer, easier to carry and gives people the freedom to splurge on things they wish to buy. Gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and other such hand-held devices too are being preferred by various companies. The companies are opting for e-commerce websites for placing bulk orders for gadgets as these online portals are offering huge discounts on them. 
	 
	Traditional gifts such as crockery, assorted chocolates, sweets, dry fruits, imported liquor, bed sheets, gold coins, jewellery, home décor, tableware, luxury watches, designer apparel, expensive writing instruments, leather bags, free holiday packages, movie tickets, dinner coupons, spa vouchers and hampers with a mix of festive essentials like torans, diyas and aromatic candles continue to remain a favourite among the companies.

India Inc Splurges On Corporate
Gifts This Diwali

Beverage major Coca-Cola is going to have its highest-ever spending on brands in the second half of 2023 in India, when the ICC Men's <keyword id="3859" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cricket-world-cup" source="Orion">Cricket World Cup</keyword> is coinciding with the festive season, which is expected to boost the consumption, a top company official said on Friday. Though the company has not shared the quantum of spending but said it is a "big part of overall <keyword id="6355120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment" source="Orion">investment</keyword>" that they are going to make during the ICC World Cup, which provides "a very big platform" for their business expansion, Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia Vice President, Marketing Arnab Roy, said. Coca-Cola, which had a "challenging summer" this year due to unseasonal rains, expects people will spend money across categories during the festive season despite challenging macro conditions, and affordable packages would do well. When asked if Coca-Cola can make up for a slower second quarter, Roy said: "Probably based on the trends we are seeing both in Q3 and the beginning of Q4, we feel very positive and encouraged, with the way we hopefully end this year." <keyword id="49792" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festival-season" source="Orion">Festival season</keyword> has already begun in some parts of the country, where Coca-Cola has started off brand activation. Coca-Cola is also doing the same in neighbouring markets such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the ICC Cricket World Cup, he said. "This is going to result in one of the largest investments we have ever done in Q3 and Q4 combined, in the history of our company in India," Roy said at a virtual media round table. The investment would be from Coca-Cola and its bottling arm Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, he added. When asked about the investments, Roy said: "<keyword id="389052" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ad-spends" source="Orion">Ad spends</keyword> in the December quarter as a percentage of overall spending are 5-7 per cent higher compared to a year ago." Coca-Cola India's Advertising promotional expenses were at Rs 737.97 crore in FY22, according to the financial data accessed by the business intelligence platform Tofler. Coca-Cola, which is the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partner of the ICC until 2023, has activated its brand Thums Up along with Limca Sportz, the hydration drink from Coca-Cola India's home-grown brand Limca, as the event is in India, he added. It is also adding Sprite, a lime-flavoured beverage, the second brand in India to breach the USD 1 billion mark in annual sales. "The ICC World Cup is in India, which is the largest sporting event in the country after almost 11-12 years. So it is very big for us... to activate our brands, our entire system and obviously ensure that we are able to leverage this big platform to continue the business momentum," Roy said. According to Roy, this is not only for "classic brand marketing investments but also the investments on shopper marketing, trade marketing, working with our customers, working with retailers or distributors. So the whole ecosystem it was important for us to activate" taking over all DME (Direct Marketing Expense) higher. It is a combined effort between two brands as "Thums Up is leading all the work in ICC World Cup and brand Coca-Cola... around the festivals" with a regional approach. Coca-Cola faced a "challenging summer" this year due to early rains but Roy said, "long-term metrics are looking very strong, therefore it was very important for us to continue investing in the business ...in our brands, so that we do not lose the momentum." Regarding the benefits, Roy said typically in the second half of a year, you do not have business expansion. But "with the ICC World Cup, especially as you go to small town and rural India, whether you can start increasing your numeric distribution from what you have had in the past, in this particular period." On the demands, Coca-Cola sees it to be "very robust" across both urban and rural. The company is optimising its demand through affordable packs, giving a quantitative push. Coca-Cola is expanding its returnable glass bottle business across parts of India, which is important to hold and ensure the market at Rs 10 and 20 price points. "We would have to optimise everything in our supply chain and work on pack mix so that your overall profitability is not going down. So Rs 10 and Rs 20 ...will continue to be important in the year 2024," he said. Besides, Coca-Cola is also a lead sponsor of Disney Star which has exclusive broadcast and media rights for linear and digital platforms of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. It has signed for both linear and digital streaming for OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.

Coca-Cola India's spending on brands to be highest in H2

<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.

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