How can brands truly bring back the missing colors in Holi campaigns?

It is 8 am, and you have woken up particularly early on a day off from school to celebrate the most colorful festival of India – Holi. The black 3X4 television set plays iconic songs, setting the mood right for the day. As the idiot box blasts, ‘Holi ke din dil khil jaate hai,’ you prepare for a day full of fun and joy. You have applied coconut oil on your body and hair, worn old clothes, and have promised your parents that you will be home by noon. A promise that you obviously never fulfill, year after year. 

No matter how old you are, Holi always brings a wave of nostalgia. As you celebrate it with your colleagues inside cabins and exchange sweets, you also remember these golden childhood memories and wish you were home with your loved ones. 

And the legends Anand Bakshi and RD Burman were obviously onto something when they said everyone is in a particularly chirpy mood on Holi. When it aligns with a long weekend, how can consumers not feel joyous and nostalgic? As the festival boosts consumer sentiment, they are likely to be more receptive to advertisements and increase consumption. 

This important occasion in the marketing calendar brings along an opportunity to truly connect with consumers on a personal level, and remind them they are not alone on a joyous occasion. But how can brands truly stand out in the clutter and pull at heartstrings? 

Kuber Chopra, Creative Director, Rasta believes that nostalgia is an emotion that can be tapped into as advertisers celebrate the festival of warmth and togetherness. 

He further said, “Try to make ads or content using nostalgia as this is very powerful among people who have migrated to bigger cities. There are other social issues such as hooliganism that we must shed light on. Camaraderie and community should be pursued. Social issues can also be picked up.”

Chopra said that being environmentally friendly will be the top trend this year, and brands will treat this as an opportunity to deploy their CSR budgets.

He added, “There will also be a lot of imagining using AI. For eg., someone might imagine fierce political or sports rivals at each other’s Holi party.”

Chopra also said that since Holi falls on a long weekend, people travelling home for the festival is another space lots of brands may go after and the bigger advertisers may use this as an opportunity to usher in the start of summer.

This summer, the country has faced one of its biggest water crises. As Holi also involves using water and the festival comes right after World Water Day, Cajetan Vaz, Branding Consultant, Cajetan Vaz Branding suggested an important that could be explored.

“Perhaps Save Water could be a nice theme for a Holi ad,” shared Vaz in a text, reacting to our questions on Holi themes. 

While connecting with consumers on Holi is important, experts reminded us that it must not come without context. 

Ashish Bhasin, Founder, The Bhasin Consulting Group referred to the iconic Surf Excel campaigns and shared why they have worked. 

“There is a clear context behind 'daag achhe hai,' which is the premise that Surf Excel has promoted, and their connect and context have linked very well with this premise,” said Bhasin. 

While the brand has not advertised in the last two years, Surf Excel is one such brand that has successfully associated itself with Holi. 

Bhasin advised brands to not limit their campaigns to one single year if they want to be associated with Holi as a brand.

He said, “If you're doing a campaign, be committed to doing it over several years, building upon what you've done in the past rather than just one campaign and trying to cash in on the topical trend because 1000 brands will be doing that, and then you won't stand out."

Bhasin further highlighted that in today's modern society, it's essential for Holi campaigns to address contemporary concerns while maintaining the festival's traditional essence. Campaigns that successfully blend tradition with modern issues are likely to resonate more with audiences compared to those that rely on cliches. 

He said, “There has to be an element of newness in the context of today. There is no point in showing Holi as it necessarily was in the context of 20 or 10 years ago.”

Sharing one key tip for brands, Bhasin’s advise to them is to avoid cliches and to look for a genuine connection with the brand's premise and what Holi stands for.

Playing Safe

Over the years, after meeting with controversies, brands have started playing safe. It has been a while since we have seen a Holi campaign, apart from Surf Excel and Facebook, that has made a place in our hearts. 

In 2019, Surf Excel was met with a lot of hatred on social media as it attempted to share a message of togetherness, unity, and peace. The ad featured a young Hindu girl who chooses to get rained on by Holi colors and stains in order to protect her Muslim friend who needs a bicycle to reach the mosque. The heartwarming ad depicts how goodness has no religion and tugs at the audience's emotions, yet again delivering an impactful message. The ad ends with the campaign’s iconic tagline — ‘Agar kuch achha karne mein daag lag jaaye toh daag achhe hain.’ 

After this campaign received a lot of backlash, the brandverse has stayed away from religious narratives. Afear of experimenting with storytelling has made a home in passionate minds who otherwise embraced risks. 

Due to this, Pallavi Chakravarti, Founder & CCO - Fundamental expects to see a vanilla fare. 

#boycottxyzbrand - we’ve seen this thrown around a lot in recent years, especially when festive campaigns are released. It’s not a Holi phenomenon alone. Intolerance has shot through the roof and religious sentiments are just sitting around tapping their feet impatiently, waiting to be hurt. So while I’m happy to be proven wrong, I suspect we’ll see vanilla fare dished out around Holi this year - cute, sweet and safe.

Pallavi Chakravarti

Chakravarti has given this industry a heartwarming, iconic Holi campaign by Facebook in the past. The campaign had tried to connect with people who miss being away from home and their loved ones on Holi. 

Prime time elections

While experimenting with impactful storytelling has taken a pause, this year, Holi falls right between the prime time of election campaigning. A festival has been long associated with togetherness, unity and harmony in the world of advertising over the years, it might just simply become all about the literal celebration of the festival; Colours, waters and togetherness. If brands do delve into the true emotion and thought behind why Holi is celebrated, they might get into trouble amid particularly sensitive political climes. 

When asked if elections could possibly affect storytelling on Holi this year, pushing brands to play safe, Chopra said, “I hope the elections don’t impact the celebrations and also unity. The question scares me. Democracy is a celebration of unity in diversity of opinion so if anything this is a good insight for a brand to work with in an electoral environment which is divisive.” 

On the other hand, Bhasin said, “I don't think elections will make a difference. I think more importantly, it will be whether the brands are able to link the context and the brand promise in a contemporary manner. So that will be a bigger determinant than elections or not.”

An important part of Holi is community celebration, too. 

“Don't think the election code of conduct will affect Holi ads on unity or community celebration unless the ad is colour-coded to promote a political party colour,” said Cajetan Vaz. 

As the colours of Holi fill the air, brands can utilise this opportunity to spread joy and celebrate the spirit of togetherness. With careful planning, a genuine connection to the festival's essence, and by incorporating timeless traditions associated with Holi, brands can paint a memorable picture that captures the hearts of consumers for years to come.