Amidst celebrations, individuals are happy to spend substantially more than they would on regular days. This directly converts into enormous opportunities that brands can explore by strategically redesigning their marketing plans. It is 2020 and the power of social media and the requirement for brands to refocus their strategies through digital means has already been established. Along with the trio of food, fun and family, the festive season also brings fresh trends that brands can explore to give their marketing strategies a boost.
#Discount, discount and More discount
Undoubtedly the primary way to entice customers is through discounts. Although consumers already have a clear buying intent, they will be more inclined towards brands with better offers and maximum discounts. Leading brands like Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart have already announced their annual festive sales, almost a month before the festival actually begins. Marketers must closely audit consumer patterns, buyers’ personas, prospective buyers, cart abandoners and purchase signals. They could then use tools like Google in market, Google AdSense, etcetera to remarket to the target audience and may also send customised advertisements to re-lure them.
#People want more? Innovate.
Discounts and sales are a very common incentive used by every brand. Giving your services an innovative twist is the key to being more lucrative. Amazon came up with a special offer whereby festive goers could order last minute items they had overlooked earlier and Amazon promised to deliver it that same weekend with no additional cost. Businesses can also take a step further and turn into part-time bankers to lure in more sales. They can provide financial offers such as EMI’s on expensive purchases like television, laptops; down payment options; buy back options and others. E-commerce businesses like Amazon and Flipkart have accelerated their sales by broadening their payment options.
#Go Local
One way to fuel up your marketing efforts would be by connecting with the audience on a deeper level. A cultural-brand connect is a smart and personalised way to interact with the audience. If you genuinely want to join in the festive celebrations with your audience, it is important to speak their language. Going local and communicating with vernacular content is sure to make a great impact. Pantaloons customised its advertisements for its Bengali viewers- ‘Pujo maanei Pantaloons’. Pantaloons got talking to its consumers with a digital montage capturing a perfect blend of the Pujo sentiment and brand offers.
#Campaigns
The festive season is the perfect time for brands to switch up their social media plan. Brands could launch a campaign keeping in mind the celebratory mood and their target audience. They could use appropriate hashtags, run contests and conduct giveaways. Cadbury captured the merry mood in its #BadiFamilyBadiDiwali where the brand encouraged the audience to capture and share moments with their big family and incentivised them with an opportunity to be featured in an outdoor advertisement. Anil Viswanathan, the marketing director commented, “Over the years, Cadbury Celebrations has become synonymous to festivities in India. With an aim to reinstate the joy of gifting, we are encouraging the audience to celebrate festivals and share delightful moments with their loved ones because happiness shared is happiness multiplied.”
#SOS Influencers
Brands may have neglected the impact of social media influencers earlier but they must hop into the bandwagon during the festivities. Partnering with content creators may seem like an overdone trend but the reach capabilities of these influencers is unparalleled. Moreover, getting influencers on board with your campaign can further extend your audience base. HDFC Bank along with its marketing agency Kinnect executed ‘Make Every #WishComeTrue with #HDFCBankFestiveTreats’. With this strategy the brand got in touch with trendsetters on Instagram who were promoting other brands and capitalised on these advertisements. Almost every sponsored ad by Instagram influencers was followed by a HDFC story on how to purchase that product with a HDFC offer. Like the chief marketing officer, Ravi Santhanam said, “An Ad for and ad. This campaign is an ingenious way to create brand affinity and talkability amidst the over-cluttered festive space on digital. All our marketing efforts focus on being native and non-intrusive to users. This campaign did just that through the clever takeover of Instagram through influencers.”
So, is your business ready for the festive season? Following these trends would surely guide your business to build an alluring marketing strategy.
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