Is your brand just trying to ride the festive wave?

It is the time of Onam in Kerala when it starts wearing a festive look and wallets open for practically endless shopping. It is also the time brand managers of every possible consumer name start working overtime to get their brand and its promise persuasively to catch the shopper’s eye. Predominantly what most brand managers/brands end up focusing on is racking their grey cells to figure the most attractive or creative way of riding this festive wave. Very few take the trouble of not taking the not so beaten path of being able to immerse your brand into the festive scape. Allow me to explain.

In merely trying to place their message before the consumer, brands get into a clutter vying for attention amidst a thousand others. This simply and often means highly expensive commercials and outspending other brands interms of sheer noise levels. While there is short-term sales push the mute question that begs an answer is whether the brand has gained in sustainable and significant manner out of this investment which is large and significant by any standards. Another equally important question that needs to be answered as well is whether the brand has gained or established any differential emotional connect with the consumer?

The answer according to me is a clear no. Since the consumer is engaged in a transactional manner it would be illogical to expect them to form any deeper connect with the brand than mere value or need based one. Considering that this is the predominant approach one might be tempted to ask then what is the alternative that we are speaking of here.

The alternative that I propose to brand managers is to spend more time to understand what the festival means to the consumer? And then figure how their brand can play a role which immerses it into the festive occasion or makes it an integral part of celebrating the festival or the occasion? This is, beware, tougher path as it means more rigorousness on the brand manager’s part, more investment in understanding the culture and the consumer behind the festival and finally being able to figure a way of meshing in seamlessly into the festive scape.

This has powerful spill offs if done well and in a sustained manner. The biggest is that you are not part of the clutter and vying for attention amidst thousand others. Next is that your brand by immersing itself into the festive scape has the opportunity to establish a deeper emotional connect than possible through mere commercials. Last, if done well and smartly, it means less investments in trying to place your brand before the consumer in the most appropriate and effective manner. Think of it, here is an alternative where the RoI is higher and the long-term spin off greater only if the brand could take the trouble to dig deeper into the consumer/cultural psyche. Are there examples – let me share two though there are many more.

2-3 years back Medimix as a brand had put up sign posts and resting places for devotees making their annual Sabarimala pilgrimage by foot. Just imagine, the devotee is taking this arduous journey and guiding as well as resting is something that he needs and the sheer amount of goodwill that the brand receives is incomparable.

Or just what Tata Coffee did a decade back in Tamilnadu. Tie-up with Kalyana Mandaps to place the Tata Coffee name on appalams being served at the marriage banquet. The deal was if you agree to serve it the appalam comes free. The dish is integral to any lunch and the volume is in millions as during the marriage season all halls run full and by culture marriage is an occasion where missing presence is read into and is an issue among the near and dear ones.

Or even what mineral water brands do during Kumbh Mela, the largest human congregation on the planet by having water pandals at the venue for the thronging and thirsty devotees.

Just wanted to leave this thought – instead of pumping more commercials on prime time in TV or full page print advertisements in color saying Onam sale or Onam offer, just a little thought and you could be closer to the consumer than you would otherwise and establish a connect more lasting too. Call it win-win or plain smartness, the choice is yours.