Ayodhya Ram Mandir: How brands are queueing up for Jan 22
As Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh gets decked up to welcome tourists and high-profile guests for the Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22, India’s top brands have also queued up to be part of this mega event to capitalize on the momentum and enthusiasm around the ceremony, especially in the Hindi-belt. The event, which will be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by hundreds of national and international celebrities and devotees, has come up at an opportune time for advertisers as the long festive period of Diwali-Christmas-New Year has just got over and the other big event – the Indian Premier League (IPL) - is still three months away. While some brands have come up with special marketing plans spread across print, TV, digital and outdoor, many of them are doing multiple on-ground activities and experiential marketing as well. Several firms are set to announce their plans this week. FMCG major Dabur, for instance, has floated half-page advertisements in the Hindi newspapers from January 17 itself and will go on till January 23. Meanwhile, TV commercials, digital and outdoor ads are also being launched on this occasion to promote popular brands with temple as the theme, Rajiv Dubey, Media head of the company, told e4m. Dabur is also doing a lot of on-ground activities such as the installation of medical camps, water stations and changing rooms for devotees who will throng Ayodhya on January 22. It will also donate a portion of the profits generated from the sale of products to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. “Besides ramping up distribution of our products in the city anticipating the demand surge for daily essentials, we are also creating special experience zones in the city where visitors and pilgrims arriving in Ayodhya can touch, feel and experience our range of products like Real juices, Dabur Amla hair oil and Dabur Vedic Tea,” he noted. Dabur has also joined hands with dhaabas on the highways from Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi leading to Ayodhya for its range of Real juices and Hajmola digestives. The selected dhabas will be redesigned with Hajmola props and the customers will be served free Hajmola sachets along with their meals as a replacement to the usual mints and ‘saunf’. Another FMCG firm Adani Wilmar has planned a range of on-ground activities under its popular cooking oil brand, Fortune, using its theme, 'Ghar ka khana, ghar ka khana hota hai'. Vineeth Viswambharan, AVP of Marketing and Sales, Adani Wilmar, expressed the brand's focus on providing traditional delicacies for the occasion, all crafted using Fortune products. Activations include a Jalebi Sampling Spree, pakoda platter, mega-bhog event, and some below-the-line activities like gate branding and hoardings. The firm is also leveraging television sponsorship for the entire duration of the TV show ‘Shrimad Ramayana’, coinciding with the Ayodhya celebrations. The sponsorship integrates various Fortune products, he said. Galalite, a cinema screen manufacturer, has put up the world's largest seamless projection screen at the Ram Temple. While Boroline has introduced a fresh pack featuring the Mandir emblem, Augmont Gold and PP Jewellers have launched commemorative collections. Greenpanel has launched an innovative outdoor marketing campaign in Ayodhya with wall wraps on the roads connecting Ayodhya Highway. Welcoming the visitors en route, the billboards have been displayed along the Lucknow to Ayodhya, Basti to Ayodhya and Gorakhpur to Ayodhya route. Industry experts said Amul, Patanjali, HUL and some auto brands have also planned marketing activities on the occasion. e4m couldn't immediately get details from these companies. Even as some experts and observers feel that the consecration ceremony is a religious event with political connotations, and direct association with it would be seen as courting one religious community or political party, marketers who have decided to be part of the event have a different point of view. “The Ram Temple inauguration is a momentous occasion in our history and Dabur, as a home-grown Indian brand, is being a part of this occasion. Besides, this ceremony is also a unique opportunity for us to be associated with Ayodhya which is set to emerge as a big tourist attraction in the coming days,” Dubey insisted. Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Grapes, echoed the sentiments. “For brands, the consecration ceremony is an important event just like Diwali, Eid and Christmas. The Ram Temple in Ayodhya is iconic and the event would attract a large number of people. Millions of people would watch it on television and digital platforms,” says Agarwal. Ashish Bhasin, Founder The Bhasin Consulting Group, and Former CEO APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu, said brands would follow their consumers wherever they are. Travel, Hospitality, Infra Cos join the celebrations Ayodhya is currently experiencing a robust economic upswing, fuelled by strategic investments and a renewed focus on infrastructural development. The House of Abhinandan Lodha has also announced that megastar Amitabh Bachchan has bought land in their landmark housing project at Ayodhya. A large number of hospitality brands such as Gujarat’s Praveg Ltd are opening new resorts in Ayodhya. Other luxury hoteliers like Indian Hotels Co., ITC Ltd., and EIH Ltd. are also preparing to welcome guests with their upcoming properties. IndiGo, Air India and Akasa have already launched flights connecting Ayodhya with Delhi and Ahmedabad. The destination will lead to a boom in infrastructure as well. Anticipating the growth, RDC Concrete has announced that it will launch an RMC plant in Ayodhya. Pakka Limited has collaborated with the Ram Mandir Trust for eco-friendly practices, fostering sustainability around the temple premises. Axis Three Dee Studio has come up with a water projection mapping at Suraj Kund Ayodhya, creating immersive experiences for tourists with holographic content and synchronized light and sound effects. Ride-hailing app Uber has also announced the introduction of electric auto-rickshaws in the city.