Flipping the calendar through the years, and assorting the platter with Diwali Campaigns that managed to spark gleaming lights with visual treats and confectionate creativity.
With majority of the Indians spending a substantial amount of their annual income, Diwali becomes a period when advertisers unload their biggest chunk of ad spends and campaigns shining back on those spends.
Significance in Hindu mythology, the worship of the goddess of prosperity, holiday period, cultural influence from and in all faiths, historical importance, and the resonating theme of victory of light over darkness, makes Diwali the most popular and prominent festival of the year.
The period has always been a cluttered space for brands and agencies, which is why brands go in no holds barred, tapping long-format stories, not compromising on the production value, and roping top endorsers.
Sentimental stories, homecoming & away from home tales, associating with a cause, collaborating with endorsers are some of the trends that have persisted through the years, along with few distinctive themes.
Shubh Deepavali Saavdhaan - a musical campaign created by ICICI Lombard in association with Ogilvy replaced the lyrics of Diwali Arti with precautionary measures to prevent fire accidents causing loss of life and property.
Commenting on the campaign created in collaboration with the firefighters of Mumbai, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard said, "When you read something you tend to forget it very quickly. But, if you hear a song, you might end up humming it".
Unboxing With Chintu by Bajaj Allianz Life picked one of the most widely established and discussed social issues - child labor. Firecrackers are almost synonymous with Diwali, but they are often made by children slogging for hours in life-threatening conditions. Communicating the plight with pride, Chintu talks about the crackers, his exceptional skills, and compromises made, to brighten the Diwali of the ones buying these crackers.
Umeed Ka Diya of The Lamp Of Hope by HP outlined around an empathetic boy and Amma, a local artisan & vendor is one of the most celebrated Diwali campaigns with storyrtelling and subtle yet effective product integration at its best.
Conceptualized by Sahil Trehan, Vice President, Autumn Worldwide mentioned, "The idea with this was to emotionally bring out, how little acts of kindness can create an impact on someone’s life". The campaign received 590K+ shares, with 539K of it being organic or earned 19+ million views, with 14.5 million of it being organic or earned.
Browse through more of such campaigns that lit the screens through the years.
Also Read: Cadbury Diwali Campaigns: Replacing ‘Muh Meetha Karna’ with ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’
Umeed Ka Diya - HP India
Unboxing With Chintu - Bajaj Allianz Life
#ShorYaSangeet - Saregama Carvaan
Shubh Deepavali Saavdhaan - ICICI Lombard
Share #YourWordsNotForwards - Vodafone
#BeTheLight - OPPO
Sunehri Diwali ft. Amol Parashar - Tanishq
Nayi Shuruwat ft. Rajkumar Rao - Tanishq
#SalaryBeforeDiwali - Axis Bank
Diwali Ft Sumeet Vyas - Idea
#DiwaliKaSafar - Samsonite
#AbLagRahiDiwali - Surf Excel
Ghar Wali Diwali - Pepsi India
Khadoos Chacha ft. Sumeet Raghavan - Cadbury Celebrations
Share A Coke This Diwali Ft. Ayushmann Khurana - Coca Cola
The Homecoming - Hike
If we have missed out on any of your favorite Diwali Campaigns, write to us at content@socialsamosa.com or let us know in the comments below.