Ad spends set to soar 25% as brands go all-out for Durga Puja

As India steps into the Durga Puja festivities, the occasion has emerged as one of the biggest cultural and marketing moments for brands across categories. With footfalls in pandals peaking, advertisers are rolling out high-decibel campaigns, hyperlocal activations and digital innovations to capture consumer attention.

Durga Puja has always been the single most powerful consumption moment in the East, and this year the momentum is stronger than ever, fuelled by buoyant consumer sentiment, higher disposable incomes and the return of large-scale community celebrations. Industry estimates suggest that ad spends around Pujo are set to rise anywhere between 18% and 25% compared to last year. While overall festive spends across India are projected to grow in the range of 10–15%, categories like e-commerce, consumer durables, FMCG and beauty are expected to accelerate faster in Pujo-led markets. 

Also read: Festive season ad spends to see up to 15% hike on positive consumer sentiments

This momentum is well reflected in the spends of brands who are sharpening their focus on Durga Puja with significant allocations from their festive budgets. 

Shuvadip Banerjee, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, ITC Foods said, “this Durga Puja, we are focused on enhancing the experiential connect with our consumers through multiple touchpoints, and therefore investing heavily in initiatives that brings alive the festive spirit.”

He added that ITC has adopted a culture-centric marketing approach, tailoring interventions to regional traditions. Over the years, brands like Aashirvaad, Sunrise Spices, Bingo!, Sunfeast Dark Fantasy and Mom’s Magic have connected with consumers through festive campaigns, and the company has lined up a fresh series of activations for this year’s Durga Puja.

ITC’s Sunrise Spices is celebrating Durga Puja with ‘Dhaaker Utsav’, bringing together hundreds of dhakis at Kumartuli and launching a tech-led initiative offering a 360-degree virtual tour of Kolkata’s top 50 pandals, curated especially for senior citizens. Aashirvaad Atta will honour Matri Shakti through personalized songs in collaboration with singer Iman Chakraborty, while newly launched brands like Sunfeast Mom’s Magic Shines and Aashirvaad Soya Chunks will also participate in Pujo activations.

DS Group has earmarked 30–35% of its festive outlay for Durga Puja, with a strong presence across West Bengal, the North-East, Bihar and Delhi-NCR through a mix of high-impact outdoor, pandal activations, sampling drives, regional TV, digital, influencer campaigns and radio. 

Festive advertising gets programmatic makeover

“Following last year's successful model, every on-ground activity will continue to have a digital extension, utilizing microsites, games, and customized display pictures to extend engagement beyond physical limitations. This approach makes Durga Puja as important as Diwali, Navratri, or Dussehra in our overall marketing strategy, tailored regionally but united by cultural authenticity and consumer engagement,” said Jyotiroop Barua, Business Head, Confectionery, DS Group.

DS Group’s Pulse has launched the third season of its ‘Pujoy Pulse’ campaign in West Bengal, centred on the new tangy imli variant Pulse Golmol. Retaining the core idea of ‘Pulse ka Pandal’ while refreshing execution each year, the 2025 edition runs from September 4 to October 8 with TV9 Bangla. Under the theme ‘GOL KA MOL’, the campaign highlights circular motifs and Pujo traditions through an AI-led film, the Real-life Durgas video series, features on women artisans, and a Pujoy Pulse Canter Roadshow offering interactive experiences like a “wheel of blessings” and AI caricatures.

Similarly, CaratLane has directed nearly 20–25% of its festive spends specifically towards Pujo, spanning digital, print, outdoor, and in-store activations to ensure cultural resonance on par with national festivals. 

Shaifali Gautam, CMO, CaratLane said, “Durga Puja is one of the most important festivals in our marketing calendar, second only to Diwali in terms of cultural and commercial significance. While Diwali drives nationwide demand, Pujo holds deep emotional weight in Bengal and among Bengali communities across India and abroad.”

For CaratLane, Durga Puja has become a cornerstone of its festive storytelling. This year’s film, ‘Mayer Aashirbad’, serves as a poetic tribute to Bengal, celebrating love and commitment through a culturally rooted narrative.

Experts noted that what’s particularly driving this momentum is the growing influence of Gen Z and rural consumers, who are embracing discretionary categories such as fashion, beauty, gadgets and lifestyle, turning Pujo into both a cultural celebration and a powerful economic engine for brands.

“With rural and urban incomes rising, families have greater disposable income to celebrate in style. What is particularly noticeable is the energy of Gen Z, who travel extensively during the season, embrace new fashion and style, and are eager to showcase themselves on social platforms,” said Rajesh Radhakrishnan, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer – Vritti iMedia. 

This was reiterated by Sarabjit Singh Puri, Chairman – Fateh Rural Limited, who said that unlike the cautious spending seen in the post-pandemic years, brands are looking at Puja 2025 as an opportunity to go bold and capture maximum mindshare.

Adding a perspective on execution, Jitendra Jeena, Senior Business Director – North, Brand Street Integrated said, “What is striking is the way brands are choosing to show up — moving beyond conventional advertising to culturally resonant, hyperlocal formats that embed them into the very fabric of the festival.”

Kurkure is adding its signature chatpata twist to Sukea Street, transforming the Brindabon Matri Mandir pandal into a vibrant cultural adda. The setup includes a festively decked Kurkure Tram with dhaak-inspired visuals, karaoke corners, thonga-served snacks, and playful installations like rickshaws, rooftop alponas, and murals. Designed as a lively pitstop, it turns pandal queues into moments of adda, music, flavours, and Instagram-worthy fun.

Sharing her thoughts, Aastha Bhasin, Marketing Director – Kurkure and Doritos, PepsiCo India, said, “Durga Pujo is one of the most iconic festivals, and we’re proud to have Kurkure be part of the celebrations in Kolkata with a curated immersive experience. Sharing the joy of Pujo with the Kolkatans, we are revisiting the city’s beloved icons – from trams to alponas, Kurkure style, creating an experience that is both playful and nostalgic. We invite everyone to experience the reimagined Sukea Street space, a vibrant adda, with more reasons to celebrate and have fun with loved ones.”

Also read: FMCG Festive Data: A first-party reservoir ready to burst?

Media mix

Digital is taking the lion’s share of Durga Puja campaigns this year, driven by video, social and influencer-led content that ensures scale and engagement. 

For Caratlane, digital continues to lead, forming nearly 50% of their Pujo spends—this includes brand film, TV ads, TV serial integration, influencer-led storytelling, collaborations with local social pages and performance campaigns.

“A sizable portion of the festive budget is set aside for the Durga Puja since it covers West Bengal, NER, Bihar and Delhi-NCR for this festival. Approximately 30–35% of our festive budget is set aside for Durga Puja. Within this, activations and sampling are majority, followed by digital then regional TV and radio,” said Barua.

Also read: Brands turning to AI for festive campaigns

OOH on the rise

OOH remains the most sought-after medium during Durga Puja as pandals, community spaces and high-footfall streets transform into cultural and commercial hubs. The scale and visibility of outdoor formats allow brands to capture mass attention and embed themselves directly into the festive experience.

CaratLane has allocated about 25% of its Pujo budget to OOH and print across Kolkata and key West Bengal markets, with the rest directed to in-store activations and on-ground experiences to tap festive footfalls. Unlike Diwali’s nationalised spends, Pujo investments remain hyperlocal and deeply immersive.

“OOH is taking up a generous slice of festive budgets, with banners, cut-outs, kiosks, wall wraps, video boards and giant structures claiming every inch of the streetscape,” said Rashi Ray, Director- Response India. She added, “The logic is simple: during Pujo, people are everywhere, all the time. So, brands are spending where the crowds move, where the energy lives, and where visibility becomes impossible to ignore.”

Jeena added that while traditional billboards and large-format OOH remain in demand, there’s been a significant increase in hyperlocal outdoor investments this year. “Pandal branding, transit media, markets, and community touchpoints are commanding up to 35–40% of Puja media budgets, compared to around 25% a few years ago.”

At Brand Street Integrated, the approach this year was clear — brands must embed themselves into the Puja experience rather than merely advertise around it. This thinking drove two standout activations: Croma’s Alpona at Howrah Bridge, which turned the landmark into a festive canvas blending tradition with modernity, and Sunsilk’s Shine Tram, a moving spectacle that brought the brand’s festive positioning to life on Kolkata’s iconic trams. Both campaigns highlighted how cultural immersion, paired with creativity, creates lasting resonance and recall.

According to Radhakrishnan, OOH typically accounts for 4–5% of overall ad spends, but during the festive season this nearly doubles to 8–10%, with hyperlocal formats seeing the sharpest rise. In tier 3 and rural markets, where celebrations are community-owned, local committees and organisers play a key role in shaping what resonates. Brands are also integrating tech, from digital hoardings with geofencing to geo-targeted mall activations, he said, ensuring contextual offers at high-footfall zones. 

“Hyperlocalisation in OOH is no longer a peripheral tactic; it is growing by multiples each year and becoming central to festive marketing,” Radhakrishnan highlighted. 

Puri further noted that OOH remains a smaller share of overall advertising, but festive spends in the medium are growing at nearly 15% this year. The sharpest gains are in hyperlocal formats like pandal branding, transit hubs and market areas, where community-led engagement drives cultural impact. With digital OOH adding scale and measurability, the blend of high visibility and local relevance is making the medium indispensable during Puja.

OOH during Pujo is seeing a strategic mix of formats, with pandal and gate branding leading for cultural resonance, followed by transit media like buses, autos and metro hubs that capture festive footfall across both urban and rural markets. In cities, large-format billboards and iconic site activations deliver scale and prestige, while mall branding and digital OOH are gaining traction with premium audiences, especially in fashion, jewellery and lifestyle. The common thread is localisation - creative storytelling embedded in the community pulse, making Pujo OOH a balance of cultural touchpoints and high-impact visibility.

As CaratLane expands its festive marketing footprint, the brand is tailoring narratives to match regional sensibilities. 

Gautam explained, “In West Bengal, our focus is on emotionally resonant storytelling that ties into Pujo traditions—like Mayer Aashirbad. In Gujarat, our Navratri communication leans into celebratory jewellery that complements festive dressing, while in North India, Dussehra and Karwa Chauth campaigns centre around proposals, relationships, and family bonds. The unifying theme is love and self-expression, but the narratives are customised so that each region sees its culture reflected authentically in CaratLane’s campaigns.”

As brands double down on Pujo with bigger budgets and sharper localisation, the festival is firmly cementing its place as a marketing mainstay. The message is clear - during Durga Puja, cultural authenticity isn’t just a good strategy, it’s the winning strategy.