In early September, as the monsoon rains slowly subside across India, something else begins to fill the air—a palpable sense of anticipation. Homes are scrubbed clean, markets glow with lights and colours, and families eagerly plan for the upcoming months.
In India’s vibrant marketplace, the festive season is not just a celebration—it’s an economic crescendo. Brands vie for consumer attention as buyers gear up for the season of gifting, splurging, and home improvement. But with opportunity comes fierce competition, and getting festive campaigns right is no longer about simply showing up; it’s about impeccable timing, precise targeting, and creative finesse.
As per a recent report by VDO.AI & MoEngage, digital ad spending in India is set to increase by 15.9%, reaching INR 580 billion in 2024. It also reveals that 55.17% of consumers are ready to spend over INR 20,000 during the festive season, highlighting a lucrative opportunity for brands.
Consider the sight of families preparing for Diwali—decorating homes, purchasing gifts, and finalising large home improvement projects. It’s an emotionally charged time that intertwines cultural significance with material expression. But behind the scenes, the success of brands during this period depends on meticulous planning that begins months in advance.
But what is the ideal time for a brand to launch its festive campaign? Is it weeks before the season begins to capture attention or during the season or right after it? And how much impact does it have on the outcome of the campaign?
How early is early enough?
The foundation of any successful festive campaign lies in careful planning. Experts across the industry agree that timing is pivotal, with campaigns needing to be planned far ahead of the festivities to secure optimal media placements, refine messaging, and maximise ROI.
For Yatnesh Pandey, Vice President – Marketing at Greenply Industries, the early bird approach is non-negotiable. He shares, “Given the nature of home renovations, which are often pre-planned and tied to auspicious events, our festive campaign planning begins at least 3-6 months in advance.” This extended lead time allows for market research, creative development, production, and logistics to align seamlessly with the festive calendar.
This sentiment is echoed by Dhwani Shah, Head of Media at Schbang, who emphasises that early planning enables brands to avoid higher last-minute advertising costs while securing premium placements. “Launching early can capture attention before the market gets saturated, but timing too early may risk losing momentum. A well-timed campaign aligns with when your audience is most receptive and ready to engage.”
Zubin Tatna, Vice President – Strategy, Mindshare India explains that timing varies across categories. Illustrating with examples, he expounds, “For big-ticket products like consumer durables, jewellery, and cars, consumers plan in advance, so advertisers have to keep the planning cycle in mind. Rule of thumb: campaigns should break 4-5 weeks before the festival date. Smaller ticket items, especially gifting items (chocolates, beauty products, etc.), need a shorter campaign period and should be around 10-14 days before the festival date. Another reason is that planning in advance would help advertisers get premium positions and/or dominant sponsorship opportunities. Premium positions and larger associations help in aiding TOM and Spont awareness scores, which leads to better ROI.”
Striking the right timing: Pre-festive vs. peak festive
While planning months in advance is critical, determining the exact launch window for a festive campaign can be a balancing act. Should brands aim to build anticipation before the season kicks off, or capitalise on the buying frenzy during peak festive days?
Maanesh Vasudeo, CEO of Media at LS Digital, identifies three distinct planning approaches based on timing: Annual Planners, Quarterly Planners, and Tactical Planners. He explains, “Annual Planners execute well-phased campaigns that build momentum over time, ensuring a strong presence during the peak festive period. Tactical Planners, on the other hand, respond swiftly to market trends for immediate engagement.”
From a strategic standpoint, brands must consider the pre-festive period as a prime window. Yatnesh Pandey underscores that Greenply’s campaigns focus on the pre-Diwali period when most real estate handovers occur, triggering interior work. “By aligning our campaigns with these triggers, we maximise engagement during peak decision-making periods,” he notes. The pre-festive phase offers consumers the time they need to plan major purchases, be it home renovations or large appliances.
However, Anusha Pinto, Director – Strategy at Monks India, points out that the most effective launch time varies by brand and product category. “Big purchases, such as large appliances or cars, need you to build consideration beforehand. But for smaller, everyday usage brands, staying relevant during the peak festive days is critical to ensure consumption.” Pinto also highlights a frequently overlooked period—the post-festive phase—when brands like fitness or wellness services can strategically appeal to consumers after the celebratory spending spree.
Consumer behaviour: The key to campaign timing?
Understanding consumer behaviour during the festive season is essential to pinpointing the optimal timing for a campaign. Festive periods see heightened search activity, greater spending, and a strong emotional connection with brands. The data trails left by consumers as they research and plan purchases are invaluable in guiding campaign strategies.
Pandey explains how Greenply Industries utilises data to optimise timing: “We track Google search trends, property data, real estate inventory, and product handovers at the city level. This comprehensive intelligence helps us strategically time our campaigns to align with key consumer behaviours and market conditions.”
In the digital era, brands have more tools than ever to predict and respond to consumer behaviour. Vasudeo points out that “AI-driven buying optimises performance based on real-time festive interest,” ensuring that brands can respond to consumer sentiment as it unfolds. This agility is especially crucial for Tactical Planners who need to respond swiftly to emerging trends.
“When to launch a campaign depends on whether you are a brand in a category that customers shop far in advance. Big purchases, such as large appliances, cars, small appliances and electronics etc, need you to build consideration beforehand. This allows the customer time to research beforehand and buy during the festive season. Any marketing during the festive season will be for engagement and aligning with the emotional sides of the festive period. Everyday usage brands need to stay relevant during this time to ensure consumption,” observes Pinto.
Tatna offers a converse perspective in that brands have started influencing consumer behaviour and not the other way around. He says, “I think the tables have turned. Say 10-15 years ago, festivals influenced “sales-focused” periods. Now, brands are inducing new opportunities for sales beyond festivals—Independence Day sales, Big Billion Day by Flipkart, and Great Indian Festival by Amazon. Along with the EOSS concepts by the fashion/apparel industry, there are some sales or other happening throughout the year. So now, consumers are planning their purchases around sales’ dates and not just festivals. Brands that are dependent on these sales are allocating their budgets to participate in all or some of these sales.”
What about consumer fatigue?
With the festive season flooded with advertising from all corners, there’s always the risk of consumer fatigue—where overexposure dilutes the effectiveness of messaging. Timing and targeting are crucial in avoiding this pitfall.
“Consumer fatigue often arises when communication lacks immediate relevance or when messaging becomes repetitive,” says Pandey. The solution is a highly focused approach with precise Target Group (TG) profiling. “We deliver personalised content to in-market consumers actively searching for interior solutions, reducing the risk of overexposure,” he adds. This is further supported by technologies like geo-fencing, ensuring that consumers receive hyper-local, relevant communication.
Similarly, Pinto emphasises the need for strategic timing to prevent fatigue, sharing an example from their Pongal campaign. “We created a pongal-o-pongal game for a premium tea brand to build brand affinity using the festival as an opportunity. Timing was crucial—we launched the game just a few days before the festival to ensure high intent and engagement.”
Tatna holds that fatigue might not be an issue, given the ad clutter during the festive season. “In fact, advertisers’ resort to full-page ads and high-frequency TV campaigns to get consumers’ attention due to the enormous ad clutter,” he says.
“Festival campaigns tank not because of timing but because of low campaign visibility, unappetising offers, or more attractive competitive offers,” Tatna opines.
When creativity and timing dance in sync
Ultimately, the success of a festive campaign comes down to the synergy between creativity, media planning, and timing. The festive season amplifies the importance of these three pillars, as competition for consumer attention is at its fiercest.
Tatna articulates the need for balance. “For festive campaigns, the focus is on driving sales, so the message, creative execution, media selection, and timing must all align to drive conversions. No advertiser wants to compromise on any of these factors.” He notes that while creativity is essential to stand out, poor media planning or mistimed campaigns can lead to lost opportunities.
In the same vein, Dhwani Shah stresses the importance of creativity for “standout value” during the festive season. “Good creative gets the nuances right and ensures the brand hits the right sentiments,” she says, but without strategic media planning, even the best creative work can become “the best-kept secret.”
“During other times of the year, the impact of timing may be less pronounced, and factors like creativity and media efficiency can play a more significant role as consumer behaviour is less concentrated around specific periods. A balanced approach that considers all three elements is essential for campaign success,” advices Pandey.
Successful festive campaigns are a testament to the critical role of timing. Dhwani Shah shares the example of Coca-Cola’s Christmas Truck campaign, which launches early in November and builds anticipation through December. “Coca-Cola manages consumer fatigue by ensuring the campaign’s visuals remain consistent yet fresh, combining the campaign with experiential marketing events like the truck tour, which keeps consumer engagement high,” she explains.
Apple’s holiday campaigns also exemplify effective timing. “Their campaigns often start early in the season with high-quality, emotionally resonant advertisements,” says Shah. Apple’s ability to integrate holiday messaging into broader brand narratives helps maintain consumer interest without overexposure.
In the high-stakes world of festive campaigns, timing is not just a factor—it’s a science. Brands that meticulously plan their campaigns months in advance, align with consumer behaviour, and balance creativity with media strategy are best positioned to capture the spirit of the season and translate it into tangible business outcomes.
“As the festive season in India offers a prime opportunity for reach and engagement, brands must tailor their strategies based on past learnings and real-time insights. For those who have not planned or invested in the past, must surely look at the festive opportunity as a need to experiment. Investing in a full-funnel approach during this period can yield significant results, driving sustained brand growth,” Vasudeo concludes.
As Tatna succinctly puts it, “Festivals may last just a day, but the impact of a well-timed, well-executed campaign can last much longer, driving not just sales but long-term brand growth.” And in the fiercely competitive landscape of India’s festive season, that lasting impact is precisely what every brand is striving for.
