Bangla channels pin high hopes on Durga Puja

MUMBAI: With market sentiments improving over the last few months, brands have started coming up with new and dynamic ways to connect with consumers.

Wavemaker India managing partner Mansi Datta believes that Durga Puja is not just a celebration rooted in religion – it is an event woven into the social fabric of the country, holding a special significance for every reveller.  Hence, from a business angle, this is a wonderful opportunity for brands to capitalize on buyers’ upbeat sentiments and resonate with them. 

“This is the time of year for ‘NEW’... Children are told to wait for pujo to get new things. People splurge and indulge. Retail sector claims that for West Bengal, 30-45 per cent of annual sales happen during Durga Puja. This is the reason pujo period marks the highest media activity,” said Datta.

But naturally due to Covid2019, pujo festivities are a lot more toned down this year. There’s a marked shift in consumer patterns too, and in response, brands have also adapted their seasonal messaging to showcase and promote hygiene, safety and social distancing – while remembering to have a jolly good time, of course.

With the outlook that people will stay at home rather than go pandal hopping, Bangla entertainment channels have taken up an aggressive stance programming-wise to maximise viewership and ad revenue. It is expected that people will have high affinity to the entertainment channels during this time helping advertisers maximise thier RoI on them. 

How Bangla channels are wooing viewers

Sony AATH is trying to dial up the celebrations with a slew of fresh programming. As part of Sunday Funday, the most popular slot on the channel, it will air special Durga Puja-themed episodes of hit family shows - Gopal Bhar, Nut Boltu and NIX. With the recent premiere of new show Baalveer during this festive season, the channel’s also lined up six Honey Bunny movies. A Sony AATH spokesperson said, “We are witnessing tremendous interest from the advertisers and a few of them, including Cadbury and Colgate, have already signed up.”

Colors Bangla, too, has a treat in store for its viewers. “There will be a special morning programme titled Sree Sree Sarodiya Durga Pujo. It will provide the audience with a spiritual experience by giving an essence of the various rituals associated with pujo. Evening show Golpe Gaane Pujor Adda is a show with singers and actors entertaining our viewers with popular music and memories. Both the shows are presented by Hellman’s Mayonnaise and powered by Brooke Bond,” said Colors Bangla business head Rahul Chakravarti.

— Colors Bangla (@ColorsBangla) October 12, 2020

Datta states that the trend of offering pujo “virtually” had started a few years ago, wherein viewers could do darshan and pushpanjali and get pronami too. TV and digital channels can broadcast these events and let worshippers enjoy the festivities from the safety of their homes. Bangla celebrities and influencers should be roped in to familiarise their fans with the concept of virtual celebration. Do AR/VR darshans from their apps, she further adds.

Apart from special programming on the small screen, Durga Puja is always associated with big ticket movie releases. Keeping movie lovers in mind, Colors Bangla is tapping into its wide repertoire of 200+ Bangla titles and dedicated each day of pujo to a superstar. From Saptami being devoted to fans of Jeet to Ashtami being Mithun Chakrabarty’s day, special movies of superstars will be showcased on the channel.

Zee Bangla and Zee Bangla Cinema cluster business head Samrat Ghosh notes that the broadcast industry has pinned its hopes on advertisers. The festival holds immense potential for all stakeholders, especially in the eastern states of West Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Bihar where the arrival of Mother Goddess Durga is celebrated with a lot of pomp and gaiety.

— Zee Bangla (@ZeeBanglaTv) October 11, 2020

Ghosh said, "The viewership is definitely soaring high and the ad-ex market has also started picking up. I am hopeful that during the festive season advertisers will also help us to revive the ad-ex market. Apart from the usual categories that advertise, we will see a lot of automobile, consumer durable brands doing promotions. The local retail brands are also reviving and have started advertising." He is optimistic about the retail market bouncing back in terms of ad spends.

Advertisers across categories are now looking forward to the pujo. Traditionally, the festive period has always been a good time for the channels to increase its ad revenues, however, this year, the festive period will help them to make up for the losses incurred during the pandemic period. 

State of the market during pujo 2020

Estimating the size of the Durga Puja economy has mostly been a fraught prospect, although a 2013 Assocham report pegged it at Rs 25,000 crore, growing at about 35 per cent CAGR. The report projected its size to be Rs 40,000 crore by 2015. If that figure were to be extrapolated to 2018 and 2019, the size would be at Rs 1.12 lakh crore and Rs 1.5 lakh crore respectively. As per the estimate, the pujo economy contributes a little over 10 per cent to West Bengal’s GDP. 

Sujata Dwibedy, trading director for Dentsu International’s Amplifi India group, observes: “If we add up the Puja economy of Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand – which also celebrate the festival with equal fervour, if not more splendour – the economy of each of the states get a contribution of about 7-10 per cent to the their GDP during Puja. However, 2020 is an exception and the growth will dip extensively because all the outdoor activities, pandals, melas and markets – where traditionally a huge amount of spending takes place – would be restricted.”

She further adds though there was a huge drop in consumption of products in the April-May-June quarter, from July onwards many businesses are back to last year’s levels. Brands diversified and started producing health and hygiene-related products and survived. Media consumption was high, but advertising spends dropped and businesses other than a few categories saw a huge dip.

Traditionally, multinational brands across industry verticals rode on the Puja sentiment through a mix of above-the-line and on-ground activation. “Since this year, the on-ground activations and pandal related events might not be possible, brands should think of innovative ways of reaching out to the consumers. Food, garments and household purchases are the themes of this festival. So, tying up with the food techs, e-commerce and gifting companies could be innovatively used,” suggests Dwibedy.

The duration of Durga Puja to Diwali (or Kali pujo) is a jackpot for brands and consumers. Moreover, advertisers are using every medium to attract eyeballs — from newspapers, billboards, bus/local trains, activations to OTT, social, search of locations, food-spots and pandals in digital. It is a great time for payment apps and BFSI to focus on electronic payments and making things lucrative as well as simpler.

Organisers and broadcasters focus on safety

During pujo, Kolkata – the city of joy – turns into a spectacle of craftsmanship and artistry with an estimated footfall of 25-30 lakh daily for five consecutive days. In light of the pandemic, the state government has issued a 17 point guideline, with most associations following it strictly and even deploying more safety features. 

Durga Puja committees have invested in everything from drive through pandals to sanitation tunnels and giant ultraviolet light projectors. An organiser has plans to close the pandal and switch on UV lights for 15 minutes after every group of devotees visits the pandal to “kill all the virus” and then allow the next group of visitors.

Keeping the restrictions in mind, Colors Bangla has launched a special campaign urging viewers to adhere to social distancing norms. Chakravarti shares: “While our faces may be masked, our hearts will be filled with joy and our eyes will reflect our happiness. This is a message that we are amplifying through our special pujo campaign.”