What Should be Your Marketing Strategy During Festivals

Religious and cultural festivals are woven into the fabric of our country. They’re filled with celebration, devotion, food, and music. People look forward to them, celebrate them, and await the next one.

For marketers, festivals are a unique opportunity to connect with current and potential customers. An effective marketing strategy during festivals enhances brand image and increases sales.

A festival marketing plan should reflect the spirit of the celebration. The brand should demonstrate that it is happy to be a part of the festivities, whether linked to music, changing seasons, or other aspects.

With that in mind, here are some effective ways to create a marketing plan for festivals with that in mind.

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6 Tips for a Marketing Strategy During Festivals

Capture the essence

Diwali is about lights. Holi is about colours. Baisakhi, Onam, and Pongal are about harvests. Sunburn is about electronic dance music. Every type of festival has a unique essence and a festival marketing plan should mirror this.

A marketing strategy during festivals should have a theme that links the brand to the spirit in a memorable way. For example, a fintech company can promote ways of harvesting investments during Pongal. Or a paint company can launch a range of bright colors for Holi.

A company may sometimes want to launch a cultural festival as a brand property. Some examples are music, arts, and theatre festivals. Here too, a link to the brand DNA is important. For instance, a brand of spices can launch an annual food festival.

Go local

Many festivals are celebrated in the streets, parks, and neighborhoods. Local communities and organizations pitch in to make it a success.

A festival marketing plan can tie up with local groups for an effective on-ground presence. Companies can sponsor them and put up logos and promotional material at festive events. The events can be mentioned in advertisements and digital content for more traction. Photographs of the celebrations can be used for further awareness.

Use contests and promotions

Festivals are a wonderful time for brands to launch contests and promotions. These should be designed around the theme of the festival.

For many consumers, festivals are a time to shop. Promotions encourage them to do so. A 2021 survey showed that 94% of respondents were excited to shop during the festival season, compared to 80% last year. The categories included apparel, mobile phones, home appliances, and electronics.

A festival marketing strategy should define business objectives in terms of sales growth or other parameters. These promotions can be online or offline, depending on the target audience, and could be fixed-time deals, festive discounts, combos, and gifts. It’s essential to launch such plans well in time. This creates anticipation and lets consumers know what to plan for.

Leverage online activities

A marketing strategy during festivals should emphasize online activities, too. Content can be created to link festivals to brands through keyword research. Consumers can be advised on the best ways to celebrate: from sprucing up houses to clothes to wear to places to eat, and so on. For instance, here are some email marketing tips and tricks for Diwali.

A brand’s social media posts can also convey the festive spirit with images and videos. Remember to include unique hashtags in the posts.

Company websites can be redesigned during the festival period to reflect the colors and icons of the festival. Budget permitting, influencers can be roped in to spread festival messages. This can enhance the discoverability of products and promotions.

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Involve the media

Online and offline media houses play a large role in popularizing festive activities. A festival marketing plan should incorporate PR to leverage this. Journalists can be invited to festive events sponsored by the brand. If these feature local and national celebrities, they can be encouraged to give interviews.

Another step is to issue press releases with details of the brand’s activities during festival time. Further, many popular newspapers have festive supplements. These provide opportunities for targeted advertising and content about events. Finally, contest winners and participants can also be featured in the press to foster awareness and loyalty.

Create a festival calendar

When drawing up a festival marketing strategy, it’s critical to keep enough time to execute events and activities. After all, these are busy seasons for suppliers, clients, and agencies.

The best way to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch is to create a festive calendar of activities. This should be part of 2022’s marketing strategy. The calendar should mention all festivals and events that appeal to the target audience.

After budget allocations, the specific activities and time to execute them should be indicated. Brands can use analytics and festive marketing plan templates to fine-tune strategies based on the previous year.

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Conclusion

For brands, festivals are a superb opportunity to create experiences that consumers will love. These could be age-old cultural festivals or new properties created by the brand.

A marketing strategy during festivals should place the consumer’s sentiments first. Through events, promotions, and other activities, the brand can remind consumers of its role in their lives. This will lead to greater awareness, engagement, and loyalty.

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