Every major category in advertising has its own visual codes including Diwal ads in India. The categories can be specific (such as advertising for tea brands or biscuits) or broad (such as food advertising or luxury brands). The ‘codes’ can be minor details or a broad approach. Every ad for a tea brand has that mandatory shot of a sip, followed by a blissful smile, preferably eyes closed. A biscuit ad has to have a cut-away product window showing the ingredients even if they are nothing special. Luxury brands have an air of aloofness in them probably cueing exclusivity – and that makes sense, it works. They also have an esoteric, mystique about the visual settings and stories they tell in ads. Luxury advertising is all instant visual richness, attraction and irrational desire. No brand can compete in that segment – be it in perfumes, jewellery or alcoholic beverages.
But following the category codes – especially the minor details has a risk: your brand’s ad could look exactly like that of the competition. Imagine an ice-cream ad with a montage of great product shots of the scoops. If there is no idea or ‘distinctiveness’ then the same visual style can work for a competing brand, leading to misappropriation.
Strangely brands don’t seem to be investing in creating distinct brand assets, even when in cluttered categories such as food, beverages, fintech, food delivery, jewellery or automobiles. Many brands in these categories could switch logos and the consumer wouldn’t even notice. page from D&AD Trend Report 2026 provides these guidelines:
Back when in advertising, creative teams used to study ads in a popular category and strive to avoid what others are doing. But is the maxim ‘do the exact opposite of what the category players are doing’ practical or wise? Should it be taken literally? No. If Christmas and Diwali ads are about joy, sharing, togetherness and kindness it doesn’t mean brands should adopt a morose, despondent tone of voice for such occasions. Though some brands seem to do that. Remember the media outrage around festive campaigns from FabIndia and Dabur-Fem? I had said in an article then:
In festive advertising it is common to see opulently dressed, smiling, happy families. So to stand out from the clutter, if the thinking is to show sombre people staring gloomily into camera, I don’t think that works. Advertising’s job is to create affinity and make an impact at the emotional level. In my book, the FabIndia ad – and I am referring to the tweet as a stand alone piece of communication may not evoke that positive festive feeling in many. One might argue that there was a happy effervescent TV spot as part of the campaign but rarely does a consumer see all pieces of the puzzle and make the connect.
But then the logical question is:
How do you ‘belong’ without breaking the code? How do you stand out if you follow the code?
In my view, the visual language of Diwali – festive decoration, diyas, visual richness, is often mistaken to be the creative idea.
First, the starting point should be: is my product category and the brand relevant for the festival? Does it fit naturally into the celebrations, context and the mood? Many large categories are great candidates: fashion, jewellery, anything that qualifies as a gift and of course stuff that’s part of the celebrations: grocery, food, lighting & decorations, puja items (and hence those which sell such – online or offline).
Second, it is still very much a brand & its benefit story, even if its a Diwali ad. Presenting the brand in the right context as an apt choice for the rituals or celebrations is still focused on the product & the benefit – rather than the festival and its story. I feel many marketers tend to mix up the two – we don’t have to sell people the story of Diwali or it essence. Tell them why your brand makes sense or fits well in that context. I am reminded of HP India’s ‘Diya se diya jalao‘ ad which was part of my curated list in 2021. In the past weeks, we have seen a couple of ads which deliver on this front: Amazon India’s ‘Deliver the love’ has become a series to look forward during festivals like Raksha Bandhan and Diwali. Fashion brand ‘Sabhyata’ has delivered some viral hits based on the values it represents, arising from the brand name.
In the US, Chevrolet has struck a balance between telling the heritage story of the brand and the spirit of Christmas.
Third, a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t work in India not just because of the language barriers. Diwali or Deepavali as its called in the South is celebrated differently across regions. The backstory associated with the festival and the rituals are different. In the South, it is anchored on Bhagwan Krishna’s victory over the demon Naraksura. The celebrations start pre-dawn in cities like Chennai & Bangalore with a customary bursting of a fire cracker followed by the oil-bath (‘ganga snanam’). For us the festivals began the night before Deepavali with the Jalapoorna ritual, invoking the sacred rivers and ‘preparing’ the ganga jal for the next day. Deepavali day starts with symbolic Aarti of the Ganga Jal, then the oil bath or abhyanga snan using chickpea flour. The abhyanga snan is an important ritual in some states too with soap brands associating themselves with it. In Chennai many would start the fire crackers early and go on till the evening. Then their North Indian neighbours would start from the evening till late night. In the north, Diwali is associated with the return of Bhagwan Ram to Ayodhya.
In the north, Diwali parties seem to be common (probably catching up in the South too). Alcohol is served in such parties, whereas in traditional South Indian homes Deepvali is more toward rituals, puja, temple vists, new clothes, fire crackers and feasting. Deepawali Legiyam is a unique thing about the rituals in Tamil Nadu: it is a traditional, bitter medicinal paste consumed to aid digestion after all the over eating. Playing cards is common in North Indian festivities whereas it is not so in the South.
In the age of micro-targeting and digital platforms which allow for hyper-local marketing, being aware of such nuances helps brands – especially regional brands which cannot compete with the deep pockets of a national brand.
Fourth, I believe movies and advertising thrive on lived experiences for inspiration. It helps if creators don’t rely on an ‘imagined’ Diwali celebrated by ‘Geeta from Gorakhpur’ from the target audience demographic in the brief. It is a fact that our traditions have survived over centuries because they were passed on from generation to another orally or the younger ones observed the preparations and learnt from them. In my view, the younger generation of today is not aware or exposed enough of the meaning behind our traditions. The reasons vary: nuclear families where the parents themselves are clueless as to what it takes to celebrate a Janmashtami or Diwali and rely on video calls with their parents who live in another town perhaps. Families have just one kid or at best two and in their growing years they are told to focus on studies & exams and nothing else. Their ‘involvement’ in the preparation could be peripheral or minimal in such cases. So our festivals get reduced to dressing up, shopping and feasting with less emphasis on rituals and their meaning. And when such kids resort to story telling via movies & ads do they have the stories at all? Then the outputs runs the risk of being flaky, superficial and predictable.
Fifth, don’t be preachy or add to the white noise. In any case, ads are an interruption. During the hectic schedule of Diwali, it’s even more difficult to garner consumer attention, despite people having a shopping list with a consideration set of brands in every category – be it cooking oil or saree shopping. They have thousand things to worry about. So in the midst of all that, don’t tell consumers how to celebrate festivals. Specifically don’t tell them that they are doing it wrong. This is not the time & place for a grand brand purpose project. Also, it’s okay if your brand doesn’t put out a Diwali greeting on LinkedIn or Instagram – it’s going to be ‘liked’ by 30 employees anyway. No one is going to notice if a wood laminate or body lotion brand didn’t add to the white noise of ‘Diwali greetings’.
During the festive season, especially during Diwali in India, the over-arching sentiment is a feel-good one. People seek happiness in everyday moments of togetherness and sharing joy with loved ones. Brands should add to such moments and evoke positive sentiments through benefit driven advertising which gives consumers to notice, remember and relate to the positive sentiments of the ad.
