Christmas marketing comes closer to Dussera-Diwali’s

NEW DELHI: The Yuletide spirit is finally catching up with marketers in India. Christmas marketing, though still no match for the Dussera-Diwali blitzkrieg, is beginning to catch on in sectors like retail, liquor and automobiles. For a wide variety of marketers, it’s yet another festive occasion to induce demand even in products with no discernable Christmas connotation.

Says Rajiv Dube, senior marketing veep, Tata Motors: “Christmas has acquired a wider connotation as a period when people are in high spirits particularly with the new year just round the corner. So it’s a good period for all consumer goods companies to connect strongly with the market.”

That connect has manifested itself through a series of fairly high-decibel campaigns in the auto mart. Nearly every brand is offering attractive marketing schemes, though sources say that’s mostly driven by the need to “push metal” in a traditionally laggard month. “Everybody has realised that if you offer a decent price you don’t have to lose volumes in December,” says a car marketer. That it coincides with the Christmas positioning is an extra bonus. “Christmas is an opportunity marketers can exploit to draw in a new customer profile,” says Rajesh Jejurikar, executive veep-marketing, M&M.

For other sectors like retail, it’s a case of riding the boom no matter what the occasion. Says Kishore Biyani, MD, Pantaloon Retail: “Christmas shopping is seeing an increasing number of footfalls year after year. For instance, average footfall in Pantaloon's stores across the country has been at least 15-20% above the normal levels.” Of course the footfalls don’t cut across all categories. Says B S Nagesh, CEO, Shoppers Stop: “Christmas marketing is limited to certain categories like gifts, chocolates, cakes among others.”

Liquor marketers say the Christmas-New Year period is the best time to promote a product that’s crucial for the party season. Both wine and liquor marketers step up the promotional drive during this season and food and beverage outlets add to the activity by throwing in their own schemes. Liquor marketers say sales spurt by 10-15% all through December-January.

Market watchers say part of the reason why Christmas is gaining acceptance as a demand trigger is the general boom in the economy. “There is a discerning increase in marketing and consumer activities around Christmas. While globalisation is indeed behind the growing acceptance of the festival, rising consumerism has played a greater role. There is more an element of fun and less ritual responsibilities associated with Christmas and with an upbeat market, we are always looking for excuses to celebrate,” says adman Santosh Desai. If he heard that, Santa would approve.