Mumbai: Kerala’s biggest festival of the year- Onam is finally here, flagging off the start of the festive season for the rest of the country. After some lacklustre years marred by natural calamities and floods, and followed by the pandemic in 2020, there is a lot of hope riding on the ten-day harvest festival this year. For businesses and brands across the state, Onam is poised to mark the revival of the shopping season.

“Not just last year, but the last three years have also been a washout," says Malayala Manorama VP – marketing & advertising sales, Varghese Chandy. "The Kerala floods impacted sentiments for 2018-19 and COVID-19 impacted sentiments for 2020. Even 2021 has been impacted by the pandemic but I must say that it's turning positive. The reason being, there is a lot of pent-up demand and COVID-19 restrictions have been eased."

Kerala government has eased the lockdown protocols for the duration of the festival, providing a much-needed shot in the arm to retailers and businesses in the state. Effective till 23 August, all markets and shops across the state can remain open six days a week from 7 a.m to 9 p.m.

“I am seeing that shops are full of customers and people are going out to buy things they could not buy for a long time. Onam is the season for shopping and it is the first large festival to kick off the festive season. This will incentivise consumers to buy what they want," says Chandy. “The white goods, brown goods, and e-commerce categories are active. Since the CBSE, ICSE and Kerala State Board results have been announced, the education category is also very active.”

On the movies front, Malayalam films have taken a backseat because theatres are still not open. However, lots of movies are moving to OTT platforms and finding a new audience.

According to Mathrubhumi Group head- media solutions (TRD), Naveen Sreenivasan, there was a lot of uncertainty in July, but advertising picked up as markets opened up for the festive season, and it now looks poised for a “safe but healthy Onam”. “We are experiencing a build-up of advertising, and advertising from local brands and retailers are also picking up. Industries such as FMCG, consumer durables, retail, e-commerce, and automobiles are bouncing back which is a positive sentiment for the season,” he concurs.

On the presence of digital brands on TV sustaining through Onam, Sreenivasan says that the brands and advertisers are well aware of the significance the festival holds as a marker of the beginning of the festive season in the country. Hence, they will make sure to capitalise on this opportunity to reach out to their TG at every level. “Companies prefer this time of the year for launches and sales drives to attract consumers at large; and TV news, with high reach especially in Kerala, is always impactful. Digital brands have certainly increased their advertising share for this season as well,” he adds.

The opening up of retail will give businesses a chance at recovery after the bludgeoning dealt by the pandemic, also serving as an impetus for consumers to make purchases ahead of festivities. This uptick in consumer sentiment is also reflected in the numbers put out by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) in its latest Retail Business Survey. The survey indicated that retail businesses in South India have shown a sharp comeback in July 2021 with sales at 82 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels (July 2019), as against 50 per cent sales in June 2021. It further expects a significant recovery in sales in the upcoming festival season, provided restrictions on modern retail are relaxed across the country.

Brands too have taken note of the cautiously celebratory mood in the state this year and have gone all out, launching new campaigns and festive deals across the board.

Fashion e-tailer Myntra announced the launch of its first mega-brand campaign in Kerala, featuring its new brand ambassador, South superstar Dulquer Salmaan, ahead of Onam. The brand hopes that Dulquer’s presence in the campaign will strengthen Myntra’s men’s wear category and help in building brand salience with consumers across the state and beyond. It is implementing a 360-degree approach, leveraging TV, digital and social platforms to deliver the campaign ad film in Kerala.

Short video app, Moj too has launched an Onam celebration campaign with prominent Malayalam actor and celebrity Anu Sithara called #MojOnaghosham to turn the spotlight on celebrating Onam virtually. The ten-day-long campaign is being hosted by the actor and will see participation from popular Moj creators who will be seen celebrating the festival in all its regional fervour. Since a community celebration is not feasible amidst the COVID-19 restrictions, #MojOnaghosham has been designed to reciprocate the madness around the physical celebration of the festival in Kerala, by taking cues from the community-driven celebrations.

Moj senior director - content strategy, Shashank Shekhar said, “The #MojOnaghosham campaign has received great engagement so far and we are sure it will add more joy to the grand celebrations that our creators are planning. The campaign was designed on the premise of the traditional Onam celebrations with people participating in competitions organised by the local communities. Our attempt is to replicate the experience virtually and the challenges are modelled on cultural nuances that connect our community to the essence of the festival.”

With the uptick in the consumer sentiment in the state, gold and diamond retail chain headquartered in Kerala's Kozhikode, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, also kicked off the latest edition of its ‘Brides of India’ campaign featuring its celebrity brand ambassadors, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor last week. The campaign will be played on TV and OTT platforms with plans to occupy print media space too later.

Ahead of Kerala’s biggest festival, Snapdeal announced its brand campaign ‘Brand Waali Quality, Bazaar Waali Deal’ in the southern markets, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which are a significant customer base for the e-tailer. The campaign that targets savvy, value-conscious buyers of fashion, accessories, homeware, and more, will be LIVE across all social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and OTT entertainment networks like Hotstar and MX Player.

Taking a unique approach in the Malayalam speaking market, Snapdeal will run the campaign with Youtube Creator Promotions and Facebook Branded Content Ads only and has partnered with 30+ creators/influencers like Kalidas Jayaram, Ahaana Krishna, and Shamees Kitchen to create 100+ content pieces that will reach out to relevant audiences in Kerala & other southern states during this festive times.

Adding flavor to the Onam celebrations, DTH brand DishTV has also announced a slew of attractive offers to delight its new and existing customers as it joins the Onam celebrations in Kerala. Regional TV channels, not wanting to miss out on the Onam frenzy, have announced world television premieres of the latest Malayalam films.

Home appliances brand, Haier India also announced exciting offers on its products across categories this Onam season.

In times that have been challenging in many ways for the world at large, the festive season holds a promise of hope for both brands as well as consumers.