Festive versus holiday marketing: Connecting with India’s evolving consumer

For Indian brands, festive marketing has always been the peak time for leveraging positive consumer sentiment around gifting and splurging on friends and family. A study by Adobe found that brands effectively leveraging festive marketing campaigns can experience a 17% increase in ROI.

While we are all aware about the heartwarming Diwali, Holi, Eid, and other festive campaigns where brands have created long-lasting consumer connections that go beyond the festivities, there is another trend emerging as a potential window for brand engagement—the holidays!

So far, festive marketing as an umbrella, also covered aspects of the holiday or vacation marketing. But the Indian consumer behaviour is steadily changing. What used to be more of a family and travel time, the Indian consumer is now looking at the holidays as a time to slow down and re-connect with oneself, indulge in a hobby, introspect, and seek new experiences, from travel to spirituality to wellness and food to culture and even developing new skills.

The contrast between festive marketing and vacation messaging in India shows distinct cultural and consumer dynamics. Let’s look at some key aspects that will help navigate the ‘vacation mindset’ of the new consumer vis-a-vis ‘festive mindset’ and help marketeers to navigate through and make the most of it!

Understanding the contrast

Every year, festive marketing has been the peak season for brands and marketeers, churning out impactful and noteworthy campaigns that not only focused on generating high-purchase intent. At the same time, it should have an emotional appeal, and message—all backed with large-scale advertising budgets.

Festive campaigns with heavy emphasis on discounts, offers, and gifting are also known to drive impactful purchase decisions, as ascertained by a recent survey that found that Indian consumers spend an average of 30-40% more during the festive season.

By contrast, the holidays or vacation time has witnessed a peculiar trend that reflects on the modern consumers need to slow down, recuperate, regenerate and re-connect! With an emphasis on self-care, self-exploration, and self-expression, holiday marketing and vacation marketing trends include coming up with experiential offers, curated experiences, and a focus on creating memories, e.g., travel packages, workshops, and purposeful activities driven towards creating a sense of fulfilment.

Be it the Cadbury 5-Star’s quirky take on ‘Eat a 5 Star and Do Nothing’, or Happydent’s ‘Sign to Smile’, or Zeenat Aman’s CRED advert on ‘Fills Most Voids’ campaign are, for instance, examples of advertisements increasingly focusing on content that connects with the core of the holiday vibe—from introspection to purpose to slowing down.

Examples of advertisements that connect with the vacation vibe—from introspection to purpose to slowing down!

Media consumption during holidays

According to META’s recent report documenting key trends fuelling brand advertising in 2024, India has the largest community of creators in the world and upto 30% of shopping decisions were made based on influencer recommendations. Also, 90% of adults that engage in online shopping, message a business at least once a week. These numbers open up a huge potential for consumer engagement, especially around taking recommendations for leisure and new experiences.

This includes being receptive to subtle and contextually relevant marketing content, such as recommendations for nearby attractions, restaurants, or shopping experiences. Reactions and acceptance of personalised and regionalised content in India—such as ads in local languages for domestic travel destinations with a historic or spiritual value—is also gaining prominence.

The Indian consumers, comprising the rising middle class and the affluent class, spent over Rs 22.6 trillion by the end of the second quarter of 2022. This data, is indicative of rise in disposable incomes and access to global destinations and experiences. It suggests that the Indian consumer is open to a vast array of possibilities. Brands can leverage this space with responsible, relevant and purposeful communication for a long-term consumer connections.

Beyond product-promotions

As Indian consumers shift their focus to relaxation, celebration, and meaningful interactions during vacations and year-end holidays, brands must recognise the value of contextual campaigns that align with these sentiments. Effective marketing during this period isn’t just about promoting products or services; it is about capturing the essence of what these moments represent to the audience.

So campaigns that embrace these themes—through storytelling, aspirational visuals, or experiential marketing—can create deeper emotional connections with consumers.

In the Indian context, where cultural diversity and a growing digital ecosystem shape consumer behaviour, the opportunity to craft nuanced, relatable campaigns is immense. By tapping into the celebratory energy of the holiday season, brands can establish themselves as companions in their audience’s journey, fostering loyalty that extends beyond the season.

— Yatnesh Pandey, vice president – marketing, Greenply Industries.