MUMBAI: As scores of people gear up to visit the Maha Kumbh mela at Prayagraj, brands are going all out on advertising and marketing to gain a share of consumers’ mind space.
At a time when consumption is sluggish and the Indian middle class is counting every penny they are spending, getting 40 crore people – that’s the estimated number of visitors expected to turn up at the religious congregation held once in every 12 years – to potentially sample and be introduced to their products is an opportunity brands cannot afford to overlook. From FMCG companies to banks and startups, companies have lined up promotional activities to market their brands and showcase new launches.
Brands are estimated to spend about Rs 3,600 crore on advertising and marketing around Maha Kumbh, about 25% of which will be allocated for outdoor advertising, business and brand strategy specialist Harish Bijoor told TOI. Events like Maha Kumbh allow brands to cash in on moment marketing – the visibility becomes manifold and most brands use this as an opportunity to showcase their innovation, said Sandeep Goyal, chairman at Rediffusion. Besides, Maha Kumbh can act as a good testing ground for brands – they can gauge consumer feedback for new products they plan to push to wider markets and strategise accordingly. “Such events allow brands to do test marketing which otherwise can be difficult,” said Goyal.
FMCG firms like Dabur, Reliance Consumer Products, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and ITC are betting big on Maha Kumbh to grab more eyeballs for their products amid a slowdown in broader industry sales. Some have installed big hoardings of their brands, some have set up product booths with most ramping up production to ensure adequate supply of products. Dabur has tied up with dhabas and eateries in the city and on the highways to get consumers to sample its digestive brands like Hajmola. The company is spending on brand activations-for instance, it is setting up changing rooms for women devotees at ghats, baby care rooms which will be branded with its hair care and baby care brands. “Standing out in a crowded environment requires creativity and innovation. While the space may seem cluttered, it offers companies the opportunity to get consumers to touch, feel and experience their brands and build greater connect. This will generate sales in the days to come,” said Mohit Malhotra, CEO at DaburIndia.
Reliance Consumer Products, which has been sharpening its focus on the beverage portfolio is heavily advertising its brand Campa. It has set up a resting zone for pilgrims at the mela and branded it as Campa Ashram. The firm will also leverage the reach of Kumbh to market staples and snacks offered by its brand Independence. ITC will go local-it will serve consumers regional food that will be fused with products from its brand Bingo! Coca-Cola has adopted a somewhat similar strategy. “We will be pairing our diverse portfolio of beverages with local foods and flavours bringing to life immersive experiences,” said Greishma Singh, VP, marketing at Coca-Cola India and southwest Asia. PepsiCo’s energy drink Sting has set up mobile charging towers for devotees besides branding auto rickshaws. “Brands have always wanted to be where people are. It is the typical large CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands which have taken a first heads up opportunity in places like this. The outlay for such events is not yet as large as traditional media,” said Kushal Sanghvi, chief revenue officer at iCubesWire.
Every brand wants to capitalise on an event of a scale of that of Kumbh. Bank of Baroda is using the opportunity to market its new UPI payment PSP app Bob Epay.
