iWorld
Social media has evolved from a brand awareness platform to now driving direct sales for consumers: Ruksheen Palia
Mumbai: In the bustling lead-up to India’s festive season, the digital marketing landscape is set for a significant boost, with brands across e-commerce, retail, FMCG and small businesses are eyeing this time to connect deeply with consumers through digital avenues, aiming to capture the excitement and enthusiasm that characterises Diwali, Dussehra, and other festivals. As online engagement becomes the core strategy, brands are leaning into innovative digital marketing trends that make their presence felt and drive conversions.
This season is also known for an uptick in consumer spending and has traditionally been the prime time for brands to invest heavily in advertising. It is primarily driven by the need to engage India’s increasingly digital-first population, where mobile phones are the primary medium for product discovery and purchases. Brands are setting aside significant budgets for click-to-WhatsApp ads, video content, and social media campaigns to capture consumer interest during this period of heightened shopping activity.
Indiantelevision.com’s Rohin Ramesh caught up with Social Panga VP – business & strategy Ruksheen Palia, where she touched upon ad spends expected this festive season and some Key trends to look out for in digital marketing.
Edited excerpts
On the overall marketing budget are brands planning to allocate specifically for this festive season compared to previous years
While budgets will differ industry to industry, marketers are upping their spends this festive season for campaigns. However the focus is changing from traditional to digital advertising with real time bidding AI generation, which will allow brands to maximise their spends.
From the past years’ experience, brands are estimated to spend 25-30 per cent of their marketing budgets on festive campaigns which is similar to previous years but will be more focused on digital advertising strategies.
On media channels (social media, traditional media etc) you are seeing the most significant increases in ad spend this festive season
For 2024, the obvious answer would be the digital side of marketing is going to get the biggest ad spends this festive season. From social media, connected TV & retain media playing a huge part.
On the anticipated ROI metrics for ad spending during this festive season
Brands are optimistic this festive season & are targeting higher ROI metrics compared to last year. With enhanced AI, content personalisation & omnichannel strategies to make content creation especially of videos more efficient & cost effective.
Brands are also focusing on emotional connections, convenience & innovative strategies to build more long term goals to acquire customers. They are not just looking at short-term sales but also focusing on building lasting relationships and brand loyalty, which can pay dividends beyond the holiday season
On importance of data analytics in shaping ad spend decisions for the upcoming festive campaigns
A crucial role! With increasing competition & higher expectations from all consumers today, brands are relying extensively on targeting accurately. Data analytics help with personalisation & targeting, Real time optimisation, Channel selection & more data analytics to help improve strategies.
This festive season, data analytics will play an important part in decision making, helping brands optimise both short-term & long-term goals to build consumer loyalty.
On importance of personalised marketing during the festive season and strategies are brands using to create personalised experiences
One of the ways to cut through all the noise this festive season, will be to adopt personalised marketing! Since personalised marketing helps in boosting engagement, enhances customer experience & increases likelihood of conversion a lot of brands should adopt this strategy. Few of the strategies that can be adopted by brands are: Personalised mailers, AI, Dynamic content websites & interactive and experiential marketing.
On the role you foresee social commerce playing in festive marketing campaigns this year
This year even more than before, Social commerce is going to play a huge role in festive marketing campaigns. With the integration of e-commerce & social media on platforms like Instagram, FB the role this would play for customers would be: Seamless shopping experience, quick on the go shopping, influencer led & testimonial based buying.
On brands investing more in social media platforms for sales
Yes, most definitely. Brands are significantly increasing their investments on social media platforms for sales, especially during the festive season. Social media has evolved from a brand awareness platform to now driving direct sales for consumers.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
