This year’s Pongal is changing the equation.
Once viewed largely as a regional advertising spike anchored around price-offs and festive visibility, Pongal is now being approached with far greater strategic intent. This year brands are not only planning earlier and spending smarter, but also redefining the role Pongal plays within their annual marketing calendar.
What is becoming clear in 2026 is that Pongal is no longer just about seasonal presence, it is emerging as a strategic cultural moment, where brands are investing not merely in media weight, but in authentic storytelling, immersive experiences and regionally rooted creator-led narratives.
Industry experts point out that over the last two to three years, brands have moved away from treating Pongal as a purely regional or high-visibility occasion. Instead, it is increasingly being planned as a full-funnel opportunity, with success measured beyond reach alone. Engagement, footfalls, digital interactions and even conversions are now shaping campaign outcomes, with mass media driving awareness and digital and influencer-led formats playing a larger role in consideration and action.
Read more: The Pongal Playbook
This evolution is also reflected in how budgets are being deployed. “Pongal is no longer a ritualistic burst of festive advertising; it has evolved into a short, high-intent consumption window,” said Binu Thomas, Managing Partner – Investments, Havas Media India. “Budgets this year are largely flat to marginally higher compared to last year, but they are being deployed far more intelligently, with brands moving away from blanket festive presence to more accountable media choices.”
The shift is being felt across categories, from FMCG, home appliances and banking to e-commerce, paints and experience-led brands, with Pongal increasingly being used not just as a moment to be seen, but as an opportunity to belong meaningfully within the cultural context of South India.
For Nutella, Pongal represents both a cultural learning curve and a growth lever. “Festivals like Pongal are increasingly experienced through shared moments, especially around food. Our idea was to respectfully blend tradition with contemporary indulgence, adding a small, joyful twist that feels natural, warm and inclusive,” Zoher Kapuswala, Marketing Head, Ferrero India Subcontinent, told e4m.
From Festive Advertising to Experience-Led Storytelling
One of the most visible shifts in how brands are approaching Pongal this year is the move away from momentary festive advertising towards experience-led, culturally grounded storytelling. Rather than relying only on festive symbolism or short-term promotions, brands are increasingly looking to embed themselves within the cultural fabric of the festival.
Nutella’s Pongal retreat in Mahabalipuram exemplifies this evolution. Instead of conventional festive creatives, the brand curated a culturally immersive experience featuring a traditional Pongal-making ceremony, Bharatanatyam performances, regional art forms and Pongal delicacies reimagined with a Nutella twist. Regional creators were not just amplifiers but participants, bringing the brand into their own festive narratives.
“Today, audiences expect brands to understand and respect cultural nuances rather than simply capitalise on festive occasions. That means moving beyond surface-level symbolism to thoughtful, locally rooted narratives,” said Kapuswala.
A similar sensibility could be seen in Wonderla Chennai’s Pongal campaign, which leaned into emotion and experience rather than overt promotion. The film positioned the amusement park as a shared festive destination, capturing moments of family togetherness, joy and celebration, rather than selling rides or offers.
Another element that became central to Pongal strategies this year was digital-first execution, powered by influencers and regional creators—a shift that reflects how festive storytelling is increasingly being consumed.
“Over the last few years, Pongal communication has evolved from festive promotions to purpose-led storytelling,” says Ramesh K P, Head – Marketing, South Indian Bank. “Audiences today expect brands to demonstrate cultural understanding, not just seasonal presence. There is a sharper focus on emotion, regional nuance and digital-first execution, with success measured not only by reach, but by resonance and shareability.”
This approach was evident in South Indian Bank’s Pongal campaign, where digital wasn’t merely a channel choice, it became a storytelling enabler. Anchored in the idea ‘Uravugal thaan Tamilagathin Valimai’ (Relationships are the strength of Tamil Nadu), the film used everyday neighbourhoods, intergenerational moments and understated emotions to position the bank as a familiar, trusted presence in people’s lives.
“Pongal allows us to reinforce deep-rooted regional relevance while also contributing to our national brand narrative. The campaign draws a parallel between the cultural strength of Tamil Nadu and our philosophy of relationship-led banking, positioning South Indian Bank as a long-standing presence that remains relevant across generations,” Ramesh added.
The same emotion-led approach is visible in Birla Opus Paints’ Pongal campaign, which centres on the idea of new beginnings. The digital film unfolds within a Tamil joint family, capturing familiar household moments, from festive preparations to quiet emotional gestures.
“For us Pongal is both a regional relevance lever and a meaningful brand-building opportunity,” Inderpreet Singh, Head of Marketing, Birla Opus Paints told e4m. “The key insight driving our campaign was the idea of new beginnings, which sits at the heart of Pongal. Through familiar household moments, we show how refreshed interiors and the right colours can elevate festive celebrations and togetherness.”
E-commerce, Retail Media & The New Pongal Playbook
While emotion and culture are leading the narrative, commerce has not taken a back seat. Instead, retail media, especially driven by e-commerce and quick commerce, has evolved to integrate seamlessly into Pongal storytelling.
For instance, bigbasket’s harvest festival campaign showcases this shift clearly. From Pongal essentials to Sankranti and Bihu staples, the campaign used fast, relatable, platform-native storytelling to underline convenience, while staying rooted in cultural authenticity.
Speaking about the initiative, Seshu Kumar Tirumala, Chief Buying & Merchandising Officer, bigbasket, said in a statement, “Harvest festivals are all about traditions, family, and the food that brings everyone together. Through this influencer-led campaign, we want to show how easy and stress-free festive preparations can be with bigbasket.”
Flipkart’s Pongal campaign pushed the retail media play even further by turning a deeply symbolic ritual into a participative digital experience. By gamifying the iconic moment of the Pongal pot boiling over through an interactive microsite, the brand linked cultural insight directly to deal discovery. The idea was launched through a theatrical trailer, tapping into Pongal’s parallel significance as the biggest weekend for Tamil cinema.
“Pongal’s boiling over of the pot is a powerful symbol of hope, abundance, and celebration,” said Pratik Shetty, Vice President – Growth & Marketing, Flipkart, in a company statement. “With this campaign, we wanted to honour this moment while reimagining it in a way that is participative, engaging and native to today’s digital-first consumers.”
Interestingly, on the first day of Pongal (January 14), which also coincided with Makar Sankranti, Flipkart Minutes saw a spike in last-minute purchases, underscoring the growing role of quick commerce during festive moments. The platform noted that several consumers turned to quick commerce for essential buys, with Bengaluru emerging as the leading hub for last-minute orders on Flipkart Minutes.
OOH, too, is evolving alongside digital. The Platinum Outdoor–Continental Coffee Pongal campaign transformed Chennai’s streets into festive touchpoints using sugarcane installations, Pongal pots and rangoli-inspired visuals, turning everyday commutes into cultural reminders rather than brand interruptions.
What is also changing is who is showing up for Pongal. Once dominated by regional advertisers, the festival is now firmly on the calendars of national brands.
“Yes, Pongal is increasingly a must-plan festival for national brands,” said Shriram Ramesh, Senior General Manager, Madison World. “What has changed is the depth of localisation. Media strategies are far more context-driven today, from language and cultural cues to creator choices and platform selection. Brands are moving away from one-size-fits-all festive communication to campaigns that feel native to Tamil Nadu, while still fitting into a broader national brand narrative.”
How Pongal Has Changed For Brands
One of the most significant changes in how brands are approaching Pongal is visible in the media mix itself. What was once dominated by television and print-led festive bursts has steadily shifted towards a digital-first approach, supported by influencers, regional creators and selective on-ground activations. Experts have pointed out that even this year television continues to play a role in delivering scale during Pongal, but incremental budgets are increasingly flowing into digital, social video and creator-led formats, driven by sharper measurability and regional targeting.
Over the past year in particular, brands have leaned more heavily into screen-led planning, with digital and connected TV gaining ground for their ability to deliver both reach and engagement, while radio and hyperlocal activations are being used to reinforce regional salience. This reflects a broader shift in how Pongal is being planned, not as a short burst of festive visibility, but as a multi-touchpoint moment spread across platforms.
“Our Pongal media mix is digital-first, supported by radio and on-ground activations to drive scale across Tamil Nadu,” said Ramesh. “We’ve also made incremental investments in influencer-led amplification, and the response, over 7 crore views, validates this approach.”
According to marketers, what has changed over the last two to three years is that Pongal is no longer being treated merely as a reminder-led discount season. Instead, it is increasingly being planned as a moment to build emotional relevance and cultural connect, alongside short-term business impact.
Media planners echo this shift. Shrikant Shenoy, AVP, Lodestar UM, pointed out that Pongal is now being viewed as a testing ground for brands. “With a stronger emphasis on measurability and the impact of GST changes now playing out, Pongal comes at the right time for brands to test new pricing and promotional strategies. Compared to the last few years, this season looks stronger, with more brands opening up spends.”
“The media mix is becoming more balanced and outcome-led,” said Thomas. “While TV and OOH remain important because of cultural and regional relevance, they are no longer default hero channels. Digital is gaining incremental share, driven by mobile video, regional OTT platforms and influencer-led content, because it offers sharper targeting, local-language storytelling and measurable impact.”
That said, evolution is not uniform across categories. Shridhar Ramanujam, CEO – Brand Communications, noted that for some advertisers, Pongal continues to function as a reminder-led moment.
As Pongal evolves, so does the way brands show up—shifting from discounts to deeper cultural participation.
