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If you’re a college student or a working professional, chances are that you have used Canva at least once to self-design your way out of a project. While conventional design softwares require a certain level of expertise and practice to operate, Canva, in the last decade, has emerged as a tool for the layperson–the proverbial effort-to-output ratio being remarkable.
Canva’s journey from a startup in Sydney to a global design powerhouse is a noteworthy affair. Launched in 2013 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams, Canva aimed to revolutionise the way people create graphics by offering a user-friendly platform with drag-and-drop functionality. From budding designers to seasoned professionals, Canva’s accessibility democratised design across industries. It quickly became a go-to tool for individuals, small businesses, and even large corporations looking to streamline visual communication.
Globally, Canva’s marketing efforts have been both strategic and expansive. Rather than just positioning itself as a design tool, Canva has consistently focused on building communities of creators, educators, and businesses around the world. By leveraging social media, content marketing, and community-driven strategies, the platform grew to become a staple in over 190 countries. With more than 190 million active users, Canva has established itself as an essential tool for designing presentations, social media posts, and marketing materials.
Part of this global success can be attributed to Canva's focus on localisation. Whether it was adapting the product to support multiple languages or ensuring culturally relevant content, the brand's growth has been underpinned by its ability to cater to local markets. This localisation has allowed Canva to become a dominant player, not just in developed markets, but also in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, Africa, and now India.
India’s rise as a digital powerhouse has not gone unnoticed by global brands, but Canva’s approach is distinct. By adapting its offerings to meet the specific needs of Indian users, the company is aiming to do more than just provide a service—it wants to empower a new wave of creators, freelancers, and enterprises. At the core of this strategy is an attempt to understand local culture and tailor its marketing efforts to meet the country’s diverse needs.
In 2024, a quirky video went viral across social media, featuring an animated cafe where history’s greatest figures—from Cleopatra to Napoleon—gathered to discuss their modern-day problems. As they hilariously navigated the dilemmas of the digital age, one tool came to their rescue: Canva. This offbeat campaign, "The Hysterical Historical Café," didn't just entertain; it underlined a pivotal shift in how Canva India is shaping its marketing strategy—one that is deeply rooted in cultural nuance, relatability, and creative empowerment.
For Canva, India isn’t just another market; it’s a fertile ground of possibility. As Chandrika Deb, Growth and Marketing Lead at Canva India, explains, the country represents the brand’s fifth largest market globally, and the opportunities here are boundless. "India’s creator economy is on the rise, fueled by a young, tech-savvy population eager to express their creativity online," she shares. With over 120 Indian creators participating in Canva’s Creator Program and a thriving community of over 240,000 freelancers engaging with the platform, the stage is set for Canva to revolutionise the way India communicates visually.
Deb stresses that this growth is not accidental but a result of careful planning and adaptation. "India’s cultural diversity presents a unique opportunity for Canva to establish a deep connection with its Indian audience," she notes. This understanding of cultural nuances has been key to Canva’s ability to resonate with local users and rapidly scale its presence. In fact, Canva's efforts in India have helped it double its growth in 2024, underscoring the importance of tailoring global products to local markets.
Dil Se, Design Tak
While Canva had already gained traction in India through organic growth, 2024 marked a turning point with the launch of its first-ever brand campaign in the country, titled ‘Dil Se, Design Tak’. This marked a significant investment in localised marketing, signalling the company’s intent to deepen its connection with Indian users.
The campaign unfolded in two phases. In the first phase, Canva released a short film aimed at showcasing the platform’s ability to help individuals and teams turn ideas into reality. The film featured relatable office scenarios, highlighting how Canva can simplify the design process for everyone—from students to professionals.
The second phase introduced a series of 12 digital ad films, set in the fictional ‘Hysterical Historical Café.’ Here, historical figures like Cleopatra and Shakespeare were humorously depicted grappling with modern-day challenges, using Canva to find solutions. The quirky concept of placing historical characters in present-day dilemmas struck a chord with audiences, demonstrating the flexibility and relevance of Canva’s tools in a creative and engaging way.
The ‘Hysterical Historical Café’ has been one of the most successful and well-received set of ad films in recent times. The videos on average have crossed the 100 million views mark with some garnering as many as 293 million views.
"The juxtaposition of historical figures with modern-day challenges highlights the versatility of Canva’s tools and their ability to adapt to various contexts," Deb explains. The campaign aimed to connect with over 100 million internet users in India, ensuring a wide reach across various demographics, from students to large enterprises.
“We've always sought fresh perspectives and unconventional approaches to connect with our community. When our creative agency, Only Much Louder presented the 'Hysterical Historical Café' concept, we knew it was a perfect fit for Canva. By breaking free from the limitations of the present day and infusing humour into everyday scenarios we've successfully added a playful twist to our brand,” Deb reveals the thought process behind the series.
Localising a global brand
Localisation has been a key component of Canva’s strategy to penetrate the Indian market. This includes not only adapting campaigns but also modifying the product itself to better serve Indian users. Deb points out that Canva’s Magic Studio tools—which include features like Magic Media and Magic Edit—support multiple Indian languages, from Hindi and Marathi to Tamil and Telugu. This ensures that users from diverse linguistic backgrounds can engage with the platform in their preferred language, significantly improving accessibility.
Beyond language, Canva has localised its platform for key Indian cultural events, such as Diwali, Holi, and weddings, offering design templates tailored for these occasions. Even the payment methods and pricing plans have been customised to better align with local preferences, creating a seamless user experience from start to finish. "We’re working to create a seamless end-to-end product experience for our users in India," Deb notes.
This localisation strategy has allowed Canva to build a product that could resonate with Indian users, enabling the platform to grow its community of freelancers, creators, and businesses. "Leveraging our thriving community of freelancers and creators helps us customise our marketing efforts for this segment and enables us to nurture local design talent," Deb says.
Multi-channel strategy and gauging the nuances
Canva India has adopted a multi-channel approach to reach as many users as possible. One of the primary focuses of Canva India’s strategy has been to cultivate a strong presence on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, which are critical for reaching younger, digitally-savvy audiences.
"Social media has been a key focus for Canva India from the outset, given the visual nature of our product," Deb explains. Canva’s social media strategy has evolved to reflect the unique needs of the Indian market, incorporating local humour, pop culture references, and relatable scenarios into its content. This localised approach has paid off—Canva’s Instagram profile alone has generated over 4 billion impressions in 2024, an indicator of the platform’s growing engagement with Indian audiences.
What makes Canva India’s social media strategy distinct is its mix of local humour, pop culture references, and trending topics. By weaving in local context while maintaining the brand’s core identity, Canva has created a social media presence that feels relevant and engaging. "We’ve developed a voice that strikes a balance between being relatable and inspirational for our local audience, while staying true to Canva’s global brand identity," Deb shares.
However, Canva’s social media efforts go beyond mere engagement. The company has used these platforms to gather valuable feedback from users, allowing them to identify unique use cases and feature demands specific to India. "By adopting a friendly, approachable tone, we've not only enhanced our connection with users but also opened valuable channels for feedback. This two-way communication has been instrumental in identifying India-specific feature needs and uncovering surprising use cases that have resonated widely with our audience," Deb notes.
Canva’s marketing in India has been focussed on striking a balance between global and local. While Canva is a globally recognised brand, it has tailored its offering to cater to India’s unique needs. One of the most important aspects of this strategy has been hyperlocal content creation. Canva has partnered with local organisations and creators to generate content that speaks directly to Indian users.
The focus on everyday use cases, from creating presentations to social media posts, has helped Canva build relevance among Indian consumers. "Our core message of empowering creativity remains central to all content, whether it's a trending topic or a witty post," Deb notes.
Sharing the thought process behind the brand’s communication, Deb reveals, “We've developed a nuanced approach to keep us relevant and engaging while staying true to our brand identity. Our core message of empowering creativity remains central to all content, whether it's a trending topic or a witty post, we’re always showcasing how Canva enables visual expression. We also avoid trends that seem forced or inconsistent with our brand language.”
One of Canva’s ongoing challenges in India, as in other markets, is maintaining a balance between creativity and education. While the platform offers endless possibilities for design, there’s an emphasis on ensuring that users understand how to effectively use its tools. This educational element has been crucial to driving Canva’s adoption among small businesses and freelancers.
"At Canva, creativity and education go hand in hand," Deb shares. "We don’t just want people to use the platform; we want them to use it effectively. That’s why we’ve invested in content that not only inspires but also teaches."
As Canva looks to build its brand in India, it would be compelling to see how it continues to educate potential users without losing the creative edge and walks the tightrope balancing both.