Termed as the ‘fifth quarter’ by marketers, Diwali is one of India’s most celebrated festivals. Diwali is also the most lucrative time for brands to showcase a brilliant campaign designed to engage their customers.

Seeking to make an impact via content, marketers have increased their pre-festive spend from 12-15% in 2017 to 27-30% in 2018. But today brands are doing more than digging deep into their pockets during Diwali.

In an effort to beat the competition, here are some innovative Diwali campaigns by brands that chose to do things a little differently:

1. Big Bazaar Diwali Campaign

The supermarket chain from Future Group has beautifully captured the essence of Diwali with heart-warming campaigns that highlights sentiments this year. ‘Diwali Aa Rahi Hai’ is a film by Anurag Kashyap that has been rolled out by the brand this festive season as part of a series tagged #HarTyohaarMeinBigBazaar.

It shows travellers on a train trying to reach home and spend Diwali with their family. However, a delay means they won’t arrive in time to celebrate the festival with their loved ones.

To cheer up a disappointed traveller, another co-traveller opens his box of Diwali sweets from Big Bazaar to lighten the mood. The video concludes with the whole train lit up as the passengers celebrate the festival together.

2. Ghadi Detergent 

The Ghadi Detergent Diwali campaign for 2018 has rolled out a very touching video to engage directly with its TG. #SaareMaelDhoDaalo is a campaign that tackles another kind of ‘mael’ or dirt to teach the youth of our country to respect and appreciate the importance of every individual and the job they do.

It shows a boy from the millennial generation who shrugs off his domestic help and considers her job ordinary. Only on Diwali when he performs her chores does he learn the importance of her work. The brand has creatively pushed out a social message on Diwali: a clean heart is more important than clean clothes.

3. Coca-Cola 

Coca-Cola’s ‘Iss Diwali, Har Dil Bola Tere Naam Ki Coca-Cola’ Diwali campaign is a film starring Anupriya Goenka and Ayushmann Khurana. The theme struck a chord in the hearts of those countless individuals who crave spending Diwali at home with their family but can’t. It instilled the feeling of doing something good for others to make Diwali a festival special for everyone.

When Ayushmann’s neighbour overhears him talking to his mother about how he misses the ‘Delhi feeling’ of Diwali, she and her family decorate the entrance of his house with festive lights and rangoli, just as Ayushmann’s family would have at home. Touched by this gesture, they all celebrate the festival together with a meal and Coca-Cola.

4. Saregama 

Saregama’s heart-warming #ShorYaSangeet Diwali campaign shares a very important social message while discreetly promoting their pre-loaded Carvaan music player.

Conceptualised around the anxiety animals face feel due to noisy crackers on Diwali, the film shows an aged man rushing home to shut his windows to reduce the impact of the noise.

The noise troubles his pet dog that hides under the couch. A gift from the man’s son, Carvaan’s soothing music calms him down and makes this player the perfect Diwali gift to give parents and elders this season. 

5. Sabhyata

An ethnic clothing brand, Sabhyata launched its #RedefiningtheCelebration Diwali campaign to unfold a new dimension to the father-daughter relationship this festive season.

The film shows a girl leaving her home to meet her friends on Diwali when her strict father gives her a look of admonition. It is only gradually that the family realises that if their daughter is scolded for going out late, so should their son.

The campaign aimed to highlight those special moments that mark the changes parents make to welcome much-needed progressiveness into their lives.

6. Vodafone

Vodafone went a step ahead with their #LookUp Diwali campaign. Today families are celebrating the festival but losing the essence of connecting with each other and having real conversations. The brand’s new campaign shows a boy reading his father’s old diaries as he reminiscences how Diwali used to be about the family coming together to shop, eat, and celebrate together.

While his family still does that, technology has overpowered the love and warmth the festival brings. “Kyunki apno se acha koi network nahi, apnepan se acha koi connection nahi.” Vodafone beautifully encourages families to put aside their electronic devices and celebrate Diwali with each other instead. 

Parting words

The examples recounted above have all gained success due to one common streak – the ability to bring out a societal element that’s often missed out, given its frequent occurrence as part of the ordinary.

And in a digital age choked by the unrelenting release of content, that’s what matters the most. It’s as the Sr Creative Director of Dentsu Digital India explained, “Diwali is when brands go berserk, so it is imperative that we push ourselves to serve consumers some explosive stuff and break through the clutter. With the ease of connecting with your audience wherever they go, digital films are fast becoming the preferred medium for brands to engage in storytelling, especially over television commercials. Narratives are changing and so are film durations.”