Durga Puja: An OOH-spicious time for brands in Kolkata

Durga Puja is a massive marketing opportunity for brands to get into the Eastern India market. Declared an “intangible cultural heritage” by UNESCO, the festival has seen a huge rise in consumer spending this year.

The nature of the puja and its positioning in the city of Kolkata is a big win-win for banner and OOH marketing. We spoke to industry experts to understand what makes this a unique opportunity for brands to make the best of this medium of advertising.

Post pandemic lulls and macroeconomic concerns, the festival has come back in all its glory at a time of high consumer demands. Given the fervour with which it is celebrated, experts strongly believe that OOH advertising in the city will give tremendous visibility to brands across, giving brands a chance to connect with consumers and increase awareness of campaigns and festive offers.

They also suggest that Kolkata OOH advertising is a cost-effective medium than other metros, hence the ROI is also huge. Brands like Tinder, Finolex Pipes, Polycab and more regional brands like Emami, and JK Spices have already started leveraging Kolkata’s festive fervour during the Pujo season. 

Sayak Mukherjee, Founder/Director at Brandwizz Communications lists four reasons why banners and hoardings are highly effective during the Puja festivities: “Firstly, there is an unprecedented surge in public gatherings and footfalls as people walk on Kolkata streets for pandal hopping through the day and night. Temporary bamboo structures are created to add new banner space on both sides of the street. Secondly, all streets are illuminated well to give banners great visibility.  

“Third, Durga Puja has deep cultural and emotional connections for the region, and associating brands with the festival can create strong emotional bonds with the audience. Fourthly and finally, being a 10-day festival - Durga Puja offers an extended period for brand exposure compared to other festivals.”  

Speaking about the way the brand goes about banner marketing in the city, Ashok Jaiswar, Vice President, Head of Marketing and Communications at Finolex Industries Limited says, “West Bengal is a very critical market and obviously, Calcutta is the gateway for the East. When it comes to Durga Puja, we do it (OOH marketing) with a lot of flair because this festival begins the entire thing in the East. So, last year also we did extensive branding and this year again, we are back. We create brand visibility in and around the clusters, which is actually an accurate intersection of our retail network and also places where people flock to and celebrate Durga puja.

“With extensive on-ground visibility and branding, we not only wish the people but also improve recall for the brand. In Calcutta, Pujo season sees kilometres of branding across the cities with buildings being hidden behind banners. We take it at a critical location where our customers or stakeholders are available.”  

Saibal Gupta Co-Founder & CEO, Xperia Group also shares his thoughts: “Durga Puja is the biggest festival of West Bengal and Kolkata and during these times, every brand connects with the audience through OOH and banner advertising. Earlier KMC used to give us permission to put up banners. Now every Puja pandal has been authorized by the KMC to collect revenue against the banner and brandings near pandals.  

“For brands, this is definitely an important period to connect with the consumers and maximise conversions. OOH, banners, cluster brandings with 15’x6’ boards, 30’x12’ boards, etc., not only create the festive feel across the city but also help brands to promote different puja offers and schemes.”  

Speaking on the ROI of OOH advertising during Durga Puja in Kolkata, Mukherjee explains, “Consider that a typical famous Puja can attract up to a million audience during the festival. Now consider that there are hundreds of such pujas in Kolkata alone. The ROI is substantial due to the massive crowd-pulling nature of the festival. Brands can expect a significant rise in brand awareness and engagement that can translate to higher sales and long-term customer loyalty. Most brands spend 30% - 40% of their annual budget for the region in this ten-day festival. It has to be noted that banners and OOH are appropriate for certain segments of brands with deep pockets and patience to have a long-term brand-building attitude.”  

The ratio of national brands to local brands spending on banner marketing across the city during the festivities is also huge.

Gupta opines, “Categories like local bakeries, snacks, sweets, and jewellery always spend during this puja period on OOH. Small brands get the opportunity to do advertising on their limited budget. However, the national brands also have some local budgets to spend along with local brands. The ratio of local spend with national spend if we take it is around 15: 85. (15% is local spend vs 85% is national spend)”  

Naming some big brands who have spent on OOH this year in the city, Mukherjee says, “The ratio varies. While National brands often have larger budgets and may dominate prime locations, many regional brands invest majorly in brand visibility. It is almost tough to find any major brand (regional or national) that does not spend in Durga Puja banners. Some prominent national brands advertising are Finolex Pipes, ACC Cement, Pantaloons, Emami, Bata, Kwality Walls, Cadburys, Smart Bazaar, Lux, Rupa, etc. Major regional brands advertising are Bazaar Kolkata, Utkarsh Pipes, Skipper Pipes, JK Spices, Smart Bazaar, Bandhan Bank, Mio Amore and many jewellery and real estate ventures.”