Brands
From AI-driven appliances to heartfelt gifting
Mumbai: The festive season, especially around Diwali, brings an escalation in consumer sentiment, with people keen on shopping, gifting and celebrating. For brands, this period is prime for connecting with consumers on an emotional level while driving sales. From tech giants to fashion labels, brands are creating special festive editions, offering discounts and curating unique campaigns to tap into the celebratory spirit.
Digital campaigns remain a staple, with brands utilising AI, influencer collaborations, and personalized ads to enhance visibility and reach. This time of year sees a spike in video content, as brands craft narratives that reflect the joy and togetherness of festivals. Social media, email marketing, and festive-themed apps further amplify these campaigns, ensuring brands stay top-of-mind during the festive shopping frenzy. By blending tradition with innovation, brands successfully align with consumers’ festive aspirations, driving both connection and conversion.
On leveraging the festive season to boost sales of products, Godrej Appliances – head of marketing, Swati Rathi said, “Festive sees heightened consumer interest in appliances as consumers look at home renovations and upgrades. In line with this premiumization trend, we have been doing placements of our new premium front-load washing machines and large capacities frost-free refrigerators with a gamut of localised store launches, large scale partner meets and digital and store promotions targeted at intending consumers.
This season also sees a marked interest in festive offers. We have accordingly crafted a bundle of unparalleled offers this year ranging from cashbacks, extended warranties to easy EMIs. We are offering a five year comprehensive warranty worth Rs 7990/- completely free on all our split air conditioners and the highlight is that unlike other offers in the market, this has no hidden costs.
To take these offerings to the consumers we are focusing on ground visibility and digital promotions targeting in-market audiences. The campaign is a mix of multiple levers including video promotions, influencer and social promotions, e-commerce promotions and high impact ground visibility. We have also gone beyond Diwali and focused on topical, more regional festivities like Durga Puja in Bengal, Navratri in west, Karwa Chauth and going forward Chhath Puja in Bihar with a mix of on ground and digital initiatives.”
On innovations introduced this year, she said, “This year, we’ve introduced several innovations and expanded our product lineup to meet the evolving consumer preferences for aesthetic, smart, and energy-efficient appliances. Earlier this year, we introduced the Eon Vogue series of wood-finish refrigerators and air conditioners, which was met with great enthusiasm. As part of our festive season strategy, we are offering an even more extensive range of appliances featuring intelligent AI technology. These appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators, are equipped with built-in sensors that optimize performance based on various factors like ambient weather, food load, or water level, making them more user-friendly and resource efficient. Our approach to AI technology is in line with our larger philosophy of Things Made Thoughtfully – which revolves around delivering relevant technology that adds genuine value to consumers through greater convenience or through resource conservation. We have also expanded our offerings in larger capacities, with products like 400+ litre frost-free refrigerators, 10 kg front-load washing machines, and 2.5 Tr. air conditioners. The marketing initiatives to take these new launches to consumers have also been a diverse mix of buzz and reach creation and more targeted messaging amongst intending buyers.”
Dairy Milk has long been associated with gifts. On noticing major shifts in consumer gifting trends during festivals in recent years, Mondelez India VP – marketing, Nitin Saini said, “We are cautiously optimistic about the festive season. Our diverse portfolio has enabled us to navigate this period with balanced growth across consumer cohorts. The festive period is a key driver for our gifting portfolio, with Cadbury Celebrations leading the charge. Our focus has been on activating this portfolio with innovative gifting options, tailored to the evolving preferences of our consumers by offering a wide price and pack range. We have further elevated the premium gifting portfolio by introducing Cadbury Silk and Bournville packs to meet the growing demand across the spectrum.
He further said that, “As we move into the heart of the festive season, our focus is on connecting with consumers wherever they are-whether through digital platforms, in-store experiences, or by facilitating the special moments they share with loved ones. Our investment strategy reflects this dual approach, ensuring we’re present across the right touch points while delivering the emotional connections consumers seek from an iconic brand like Cadbury Celebrations. For instance, to enhance our storytelling and brand connect, this year’s Diwali campaign, ‘Message pe muh meetha nai hota,’ emphasizes the significance of in-person connections in an increasingly digital world. Cadbury Celebrations urges families to move beyond virtual greetings and rediscover the warmth of togetherness, aiming to create lasting memories through meaningful, face-to-face interactions that celebrate the true essence of the festive season,” he concludes.
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
