The 5 Ps of Piggyback as a model for effective festive marketing

It's almost near the end of yet another fun year, every month is filled with festivals. From Navratri and Dussehra to Diwali, Christmas, and Newyear the festive spirit is back in action. The families are ready to go all in for shopping, decoration, and celebration. 

On the other hand, brands are waiting to be noticed this festive season and hit the sales mark. 

But the fight to the end remains the same, in such a heavily crowded marketplace, especially in the festive season, what makes a brand sparkle more and get all the consumer attention? 

It’s quite simple, the ones who make the noise long before the bells of the festive season get the best of all. The strategic approach simply goes beyond capitalizing on emotions.

Strategic marketing in the festive season: Emotions + Planning

Festivals evoke a range of emotions—nostalgia, excitement, and togetherness—all of which influence consumer behaviour. From Ganesh Chaturthi to Diwali, Thanksgiving to Christmas, the festive spirit inspires people to spend, not because they have to, but because emotional triggers move them. For marketers, tapping into these emotions can create powerful connections with consumers. However, it’s not just about riding the wave of sentiment. Emotions, when paired with a strategic framework, can drive significant success for your brand.

This is where the 5 Ps of Piggyback come into play—a model that helps you plan, execute, and profit from festive marketing campaigns. Think of it as your roadmap for converting festive emotions into tangible business outcomes.

Introducing the 5 Ps of Piggyback: A strategic work model

The 5 Ps of Piggyback— Plan, Produce, Promote, Play, and Profit provide a systematic approach to festive marketing. These ensure that the brand doesn’t rely solely on emotional appeal, but can also incorporate crucial aspects of marketing such as calculated actions, timing, and right communication.

1. Pre-plan

Anything that can be successful begins with defined planning. Preparation begins pre-season, an essential part if you want to ride the festive wave with sales. To execute a campaign with green lights, make sure to analyse current trends, and changes in preferences and behaviours, study your competitor and then define your objective: Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, boost sales, or foster customer loyalty? Align your planning with consumer insights and market data to map out your festive marketing journey. 

Let's get to the classic example of Flipkart's big billion day sale. Months before the campaign live date, the brand focuses thoroughly on trends and customer preferences. Based on this, they build their inventory and then create demand. Flipkart even starts playing the teaser months ahead to keep the buzz going.

2. Produce

Once you get your plan in place, the biggest hard work goes in producing. In this stage, you develop all your assets from social content, to campaign. Here, creativity and communication will play a big role as each asset needs to resonate emotionally and deliver high value. 

One of the best examples is Fenty Beauty. Fenty Beauty holiday collection launched exclusive sets with best-selling and new products. This collection was not only luxurious, but they all tapped into the spirit of gifting – one major part of festive seasons be it India or the States. Right from curated collection to themed packaging – the brand covered it all to make the customers excited.

3. Promote

Stage three is promotion. Here you ensure that each of your assets lands to the right customer. Select a channel, choose your TG, and hit it with the right timing. Use a mix of digital, offline, and social media to make sure your ad reaches everyone.

Coca-Cola’s “Real Magic” Christmas Campaign 2022 successfully incorporated both traditional and digital media. While the TV commercial tugged at nostalgia and encouraged generosity, on platforms like Instagram and Tiktok, the brand collaborated with influencers and used AR to engage the viewers to boost engagement. 

4. Play

Festive season is like prime time on a news channel, if you make a good headline, they will always remember. Here you get to be creative with your brand – run a discount offer, create an interactive digital landscape, participate with your customers, or even throw an offline gig. 

McDonald’s UK ‘Reindeer Ready’ campaign (2023) introduced playful, family-oriented experiences by allowing customers to create personalised reindeer stories for children. The campaign also included an interactive app where children could follow Santa's journey on Christmas Eve. By bringing in a fun, engaging element, McDonald’s made their brand a part of family traditions, driving emotional connection and repeat visits during the festive period.

5. Profit

But in the end, it’s all about the profit you made. It also focuses on brand value, gaining customer loyalty, and fostering long-term customer relationships. Through the festive season, brands get a fresh start that goes beyond the holiday season. 

Starbucks’ Red Cup Day – Brand released a limited-edition red cup for the holiday season. This trick helped the brand generate exclusivity, customer interest and excitement. This was a simple but well-thought campaign that hit big numbers. The collectible cups have become a festive tradition that keeps customers coming back year after year.

Globally or domestically, each festival is linked with emotions and this is the season where people are driven by their emotions and are ready to make changes, add expenses, and focus on the good part. Whether it’s Ganesh Chaturthi in India, Thanksgiving in the United States, or Christmas across the globe, people are driven to spend during these times because their emotions align with their personal and social values. Brands who understand this, can decode their festive strategies and have sales and brand loyalty.

Here are some strategies that you can piggyback and plan your festive content. 

Some work best during the planning phase, while others are crucial during peak festive periods. 

1. Storytelling – Craft narratives that tap into the emotions and spirit of the festive season. Highlight stories that linger on emotions like joy, happiness, and warmth. 

2. Spark hunger with limited edition – Create a feeling of urgency by offering limited-time products. This leads to impulse buying and creates buzz around the brand.

3. Collaboration with influencers – Get in touch with influencers and collaborate to reach a wider audience. Be picky to select an influencer who is relevant to your brand. 

4. Offers & discounts – If luxury brands can go soft during the festive season, you should too. Keep early bird discounts to increase traction. This helps in building momentum and helps the brand stay on top of the mind.

5. Personalization – Use data to build insights that can help you personalize your offers through different communication channels such as newsletters, unique SMS codes for offers, or even targeted ads.

6. Play around, do gamification – Everyone loves festive theme games and contests. This helps your brand to sound more fun and less salesy.

7. Content, content, and content – Be vocal, be visible, be everywhere! Make sure you build content for every platform. Show your festive spirit and stay connected with your audience.

8. Festive-themed content - Customise your content to reflect the festive spirit. From social media posts to newsletters, aligning your content with the season’s mood makes your brand more relatable.

9. Be responsible – With the new woke environment, consumers are drawn to brands that align with their values. Highlight your brand’s sustainability or social responsibility efforts to stand out during the festive rush.

Are you ready for this festive season?

The festive season presents a golden opportunity for consumer brands to increase sales, boost brand awareness, and create lasting customer relationships. But success doesn’t come from relying on festive cheer alone. By embracing the 5 Ps of Piggyback —Plan, Produce, Promote, Play, and Profit—you can strategically leverage emotions while ensuring your brand thrives during the busiest time of the year.