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By Dheeraj Gupta
In a land renowned as a melting pot of diverse cultures and communities, the marketing strategies of brands should vary as per the region in question. In this dynamic mix, festive shopping holds a special charm both for brands and buyers.
Tapping festive shopping trends
In attracting consumers during the festive season, brands go all out with special schemes, deals and discounts. Be it Dhanteras, Dussehra, Diwali, Holi, New Year and a host of other celebratory occasions, brands launch a plethora of ads and commercials to sell apparel, electronics, jewellery, automobiles and more via vibrant campaigns that grab instant attention.
A report on upcoming festive shopping trends notes that 84% of people plan to hike their budgets this season. For brands to capitalise on this, it’s essential to understand consumer habits and preferences and customise marketing campaigns as per buyers’ shopping inclinations. One of the popular marketing strategies is to create family-oriented campaigns that strike a chord with every individual in a household. Since these evocative campaigns focus on the magic of festivals, they automatically encourage consumers to spend more freely and lavishly compared to other times of the year.
Unlike global audiences in nations with one or two languages only, India has innumerable dialects that are spoken across different regions. As a result, while the target audience and rewards for successful campaigns can be vast, so too are the inherent challenges in addressing varied groups. Moreover, brands must do a delicate balancing act when addressing disparate consumer cohorts to avoid hurting the sensitivities of any particular group.
Focus on branded content
Another major element of festival campaigns is the increasing use of branded content in companies’ content marketing initiatives. Content marketing has gained greater prominence in the internet era with its use of infographics, blogs and videos. In this scheme of things, branded content is leveraged to entertain and educate prospective customers about the importance of certain celebrations while simultaneously yet subtly providing information about the publicising brand’s products or services.
For instance, a kitchen appliance manufacturer may create various videos featuring chosen recipes of festival sweetmeats while showing its products subtly in the background. In the minds of viewers, it subconsciously positions the brand as an expert in this domain.
Branded content can lead to better results during festivals because impulse buying among consumers and FOMO (fear of missing out) regarding good bargains trigger higher sales. Given this backdrop, brands can prioritise customised omnichannel content that could be used on several platforms. All such campaigns should be aligned with the festive fervour and buying behaviour of consumers during specific festival seasons. This is particularly necessary for discretionary, high-value spends on gold, jewellery, automobiles and luxury items that witness increased sales during festivals.
The emergence of AI-driven campaigns
The other interesting, upcoming trend is the use of artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT, to develop bespoke branded content and campaigns. Advertising agencies and other firms are using generative AI systems to create branded customised content for clients. Here, AR-enabled shopping apps can permit consumers to try products virtually, boosting customer conversions while reducing the chances of a return.
Additionally, marketing agencies are using AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to produce immersive and engrossing content experiences, enhancing consumer engagement and interactions. Interactive branded content can help nudge consumers from a passive consumption mode into active engagement with brands, thereby generating better sales.
While festive marketing strategies now need to be based on an omnichannel approach, customising the content for specific channels could be critical to ensure cross-platform success. Herein, marketers will need to match brands with select influencers having profiles in sync with the celebratory ambience prevailing during festivals. Such resonance can impart an air of authenticity to the branded content campaign, boosting the chances of its success and additional sales conversions.
Sustainability and personalisation
Yet another ongoing trend in festive marketing strategies is the rising shift towards sustainability. As consumer consciousness rises regarding global warming and environmental issues, green products and services are bound to attract more customer attention and investor interest.
Unlike earlier generations, Gen Z and millennials are more aware of the impact of wrong buying behaviour on the planet. Consequently, young cohorts are willing to pay a premium for goods certified as green and less environmentally harmful. Besides young consumers, marketing strategists must consider the preference of investors for companies that are deemed eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
Apart from the above, personalisation has emerged as the principal pivot of effective festive marketing campaigns. In producing personalised campaigns, data analytics is also being leveraged to uncover consumer insights about their purchase patterns and other shopping behaviours.
Personalised campaigns are produced by leveraging data analytics and consumer insights. These could include a personal email providing product recommendations aligned with past purchase habits and announcing special offers curated as per exclusive consumer interests.
Finally, personalised messages and festival greetings generate a sense of appreciation and exclusivity among customers. In turn, it fosters long-lasting loyalty that goes well beyond the festive period and culminates in a long-term relationship with customers – precisely what festive marketing strategies should be all about.
The author is VP growth at SuperBottoms
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