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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
To advertise at religious events, brands must stick to cultural notes
Packaged water brand Bisleri is involved in waste management along the Jagannath Rath Yatra route in Puri, Odisha, that starts on Friday (June 27). Electrical equipment company Polycab is managing watch towers on the beaches in the coastal town. Adani's ACC Cement is providing free drinking water while pharmaceutical firm Cipla is offering foot massage to pilgrims walking with Lord Jagannath's chariot. The annual Rath Yatra is a nine-day affair concluding with the deities returning to the Jagannath temple. Last year, nearly 20 lakh people participated in the pageant. To advertise at religious events, brands must stick to cultural notes The roaring success of the Maha Kumbh mela held at Prayagraj in January is driving brands to large scale events like the Puri Rath Yatra to target millions of devotees. 'Religious events have grown in scale -- not just in terms of sheer attendance, but also in how professionally they are organized, often with active government support. The commercial potential of drawing such large crowds combined with extensive media coverage, has not gone unnoticed by brands,' said Samit Sinha, managing partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting. Beyond the guaranteed visibility, associating with such gatherings offers brands an opportunity to tap into the emotional resonance and cultural significance these events evoke, Sinha said. Shruti Chaturvedi, founder of branding agency Chaaipaani that's tied-up with the Puri district administration to facilitate sponsorship and brand deals, said there's increased interest from companies as branding opportunities are more structured this year. 'We focused on partnerships for public amenities and not traditional billboards,' Chaturvedi said. Gaps in Maha Kumbh's sanitation infrastructure led Chaturvedi to secure brand partnerships for utilities like bio-toilets (with maintenance, she claimed), resting stations, hydration points, provision of umbrellas etc. for the Yatra. Among companies and brands flocking Puri are Campa, Coca-Cola, Swiggy, Delhivery, Adani group and Reliance Foundation, among others. The Puri rush is understandable. 'Brands associate with a cause, people and emotions. The gathering is huge and people come in a celebratory mood conducive to targeting,' Chaturvedi said. Historically, village fairs – religious or commercial – were an answer to rural distribution problems of FMCG companies which found it expensive to reach the rural consumer. These events drew crowds from distant villages and consumer goods companies and distributors put up stalls to sell their products or offer samples. Over the years, these events scaled and brands introduced activations for salience and recall, said Jitender Dabas, CEO, Cheil X. 'Now, it is fashionable to be present at big religious congregations for the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). That said, they are critical to catch a captive audience at one place since audience fragmentation is real. But brands must not participate for the sake of participating, or be exploitative,' Dabas said. 'It's best for brands present at such gatherings to avoid religious overtones and associations. We are living in difficult times and there's polarization. Brands should not get caught in controversies,' he added. Samit Sinha said there aren't any rules preventing brands from associating with religious events. 'Consider West Bengal—and Kolkata in particular—where brands have had a strong and visible presence during Durga Puja for decades. Although the festival centres around Hindu deities, what stands out is its broad, secular appeal across Bengalis of various religions and castes. Similarly, every region has its own festivals and traditions that, while rooted in religion, are often celebrated as cultural milestones,' he said. However, brands must focus on the cultural dimensions of these events, rather than making overtly religious associations, Sinha added. Brand experts expect media spends on spiritual, religious and cultural events to rise. Chaturvedi said marketing budgets allocated by brands to such mass gatherings are increasing as online advertising gets cluttered. Such associations with events build stronger brand recall and integrate brands more effectively with people's lives compared to traditional advertising, she said. Clearly, this isn't a fleeting trend. 'As these events continue to expand in scale and sophistication, we're likely to see increasing brand involvement over time,' Sinha said, adding, while digital reach and interactivity continue to grow, there will always be a need for physical on-ground presence to establish a more direct and intimate connection with consumers.
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
BJP's Praveen Khandelwal calls INDI alliance 'opportunistic', hits out at Akhilesh Yadav's 2027 poll claim
New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Praveen Khandelwal on Wednesday criticised Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, accusing the opposition-led INDIA bloc of indulging in 'politics of opportunism' after Yadav said the alliance would contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election together. Reacting to Yadav's statement, Khandelwal said the INDI alliance only stays united when it is convenient, but splits when it is not. 'Firstly, what INDI alliance is he (Akhilesh Yadav) talking about? Where it is not known who is a friend or an enemy. We have seen this in the elections of the Lok Sabha as well, and after that, we have been seeing it continuously in the elections of various states. This is not an alliance but the politics of opportunism in which, when there is convenience, we become one, but when there is inconvenience, we stand against each other,' Khandelwal told ANI. Akhilesh Yadav, during a press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday, said that the INDIA alliance 'remains intact' and would jointly fight the 2027 elections in Uttar Pradesh. Responding to this, Khandelwal claimed Yadav was fearful of the BJP's growing popularity in the state under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership. 'The big promises that Akhilesh Yadav is making are because he is scared that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, the government is working and making space in the hearts of people of Uttar Pradesh,' he said. On June 17, the SP chief said, 'We don't care about statements made by others. Our INDIA alliance is who want to leave the alliance are free to do so. The INDIA bloc will fight the 2027 UP Assembly elections' Yadav also criticised the state government over the Maha Kumbh mela stampede, stating that the government announced compensation for Kumbh victims, but would not officially name the victims. He said, 'This (UP) government will give Rs 5 lakh in compensation to the Maha Kumbh (stampede) victims, but will not reveal their names officially.' (ANI)
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Colas, Mahakumbh spur Coca-Cola India to double-digit volume growth in Q1
Beverages maker Coca-Cola Company saw " double-digit volume growth " in India in the January-March quarter aided by its cola brands Thums Up and Coke, and the Maha Kumbh mela, the Atlanta company said in an earnings statement last Tuesday. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack The groundwork before India mounts a strike at Pakistan India considers closing airspace to Pakistani carriers amid rising tensions Cold Start: India's answer to Pakistan's nuclear threats "In India, trademark Coca-Cola and Thums Up are fuelling consumers and contributing to double-digit volume growth for the market in the first quarter," the company said. Coca-Cola said markets such as India, China and Brazil, contributed significantly to 2% unit case volume globally in the quarter. The company, which also makes Sprite and Maaza drinks, said in its global earnings statement that the Mahakumbh Mela , held in January and February this year in Prayagraj, brought it significant gains. 'For the first time in the company's history, the system intensified an integrated activation consisting of hundreds of refreshment zones, approximately 1,400 mobile stations and a 100 cooler-door wall, leading to over 180 million servings consumed during the gathering,' the company stated in its earnings release. James Quincey , chairman of Coca-Cola Company, noted in an investor call that India 'as a market demonstrated strong volume growth of global and local brands, adding that the system added nearly 350,000 outlets in the quarter. However, the Indian market saw a fall in non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages , it said. Live Events 'We had good momentum in Asia Pacific, very strongly driven by a good quarter in India ,' Quincey said while addressing investors, adding: 'India has seen a really good start to the year and our long-term thesis remains intact.'
