Regional festivals and retail media: A perfect match for brands

India’s diversity in language, religion, caste, and culture makes it the “Land of Festivals,” with celebrations year-round. Alongside national festivals like Diwali, Holi, Eid, and Christmas, each region adds its own—from Pongal and Baisakhi to Bihu, Onam, and Gudi Padwa. Additionally, there are multiple micro-festivals at local/district levels. These numerous regional festivals present brands with multiple opportunities to connect with consumers, with retail media emerging as the preferred channel due to its precision targeting and ability to reach consumers at the right time.

The growing emphasis on precision-led, festival-driven engagement is also reflected in India’s rapidly expanding digital advertising ecosystem. Today, retail media sits at the intersection of commerce and advertising, absorbing budgets that historically went into generic TV reach, print visibility, or undifferentiated display banners.

 As per Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2026 data, e-commerce advertising within core digital AdEx reached Rs 10,257 crores in 2025, from Rs 8,068 crores in 2024, commanding a 19% share of core digital spend. Beyond this, q-commerce advertising tracked separately exploded from Rs 1,325 crores in 2024 to Rs 4,000 crores in 2025, delivering 202% growth. Together, e-commerce and q-commerce advertising totalled Rs 14,257 crores in 2025, up from Rs 9,393 crores in 2024—an absolute gain of Rs 4,864 crores.

 According to Rohit Dogra, Divisional CEO at Matches and Agarbatti Division of ITC, regional festivals play a strong role in shaping everyday consumption, and retail media has become a critical lever for brands to engage consumers meaningfully during these moments.

“For ITC Mangaldeep, retail media allows us to reach consumers contextually, when intent is high and cultural relevance matters—especially across regional markets where regional festivals are deeply rooted,” he shared.

One factor which has contributed to this growth is festivals where last-minute requirements are inevitable.

Ronita Mitra, Founder & CEO, Brand Eagle Consulting says, “Festivals are no longer just short-term demand triggers or discount-led moments. Increasingly, brands are using regional and micro-festivals as cultural moments to strengthen consumer connect by demonstrating relevance, and contextual presence in consumers’ everyday lives.” 

Adds Lloyd Mathias, Angel Investor and Independent Director, “Retail media is very important primarily because retail advertising is closest to the point of sale and that's the point when the consumer is making up his mind and deciding to buy or not buy a product.”

Quick availability when consumers purchase intent is high

What works for retail media is that the purchase intent is high during regional festivals and retail media hits consumers right at the moment when they are ready to buy. Unlike mass media, which builds recall but may not always convert immediately, retail media ‘hits home, making it indispensable part of the media plan.  

This makes retail media a crucial part of regional festivity for brands.

Aparna Tandon, Senior Vice President – Rural, Retail and Experiential, dentsu India shares that for regional festival campaigns, retail media is not optional it’s essential.

“It makes sure the brand is visible, relevant, and actionable at the moment of celebration and purchase. Retail media allows brands to localise creatives in terms of language, relevant cultural symbols, events and local colours, adapt offers to regional buying habits and reflect community pride,” Tandon explained.

Sharing the q-commerce perspective, Chandan Mendiratta, Chief Brand Officer, Zepto says, “Celebrations are evolving, with quick commerce playing a bigger role in how people prepare and participate. We create multiple touchpoints across the app, with campaigns designed to feel relevant and part of everyday moments. India celebrates the same festival in many ways and we reflect this diversity through region-specific assortments.”

Larger Basket Sizes & Frequent Purchases

A key insight is that in region-specific festivals, shopping behaviour trends show more purchases per outing and a larger basket build-up for preparation for festivals or guests. As festivity peaks, brands and outlets witness more rapid inventory turnover, with consequent smaller and more frequent reordering cycles.

Another trend is more openness to trials, packages, and impulse and indulgent categories.

Mitra explains, “During regional festivals, overall spend may not rise dramatically, but the basket composition undergoes a significant shift as consumers add festival and culturally specific items. There is also a surge in last minute purchases. Brands that make themselves visible and available at precisely these moments don’t just see a delta in sales, but build memorability.”

She also adds that on quick-commerce platforms in particular, micro festivals drive higher purchase frequency, with multiple small, last-minute orders and therefore multiple, repeated moments that drive salience and presence.

As consumer have a higher propensity to buy during this period, brand visibility through advertising becomes key.

 Also crucial for brands is not just multiple orders but also quicker processing of the cart as Tandon says, “Decision-making is faster and more emotional, and thus, visibility and availability become essential for capture within festivals for brands and related organizations.” Dogra concurs, “During these periods, we see shopping behaviour become more purposeful, with higher affinity for ritual-led products and increased delivery frequency in the days leading up to the festival.”

Micro Level Smart Planning

When it comes to media planning for local regional short-burst festivals, the mode is early but smart planning to win relevance and execution efficiency.  

Dogra says, “While these may not be large national festivals, they do require early and thoughtful planning. Accordingly, we partner with our retail customers. By combining content-led engagement with retail media activations on quick-commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto, we are able to support festive demand while building long-term cultural relevance beyond a single-day sales moment.”

When it comes to execution while campaigns typically kick off a month before the festival, it peaks a week before the festival, including activity at the retail front. Tandon explains, “Advertisers should lock the strategy and markets 6–8 weeks in advance, focusing on high-consumption regions such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, AP/Telangana. Creative localization and offer finalisation should happen 4–5 weeks out, keeping messaging simple, cultural, and utility-led. Media and retail planning (kiranas, mandis, bus stands, local OOH, radio) must be frozen at least 3–4 weeks before to secure inventory. Production and on-ground execution typically need a 2–3-week buffer and final distribution, stocking, and last-mile readiness should be completed 7–10 days prior to the festival.”  

Mitra also emphases on the importance of micro geographical/ pin code wise forecasting, particularly for micro-festivals. She says, “Brands should not treat regional festivals as last-minute add-ons. Even for events like Makar Sankranti or Onam —which are not traditionally ‘big budget’ national attention requires advance planning to maximise sales. Effective planning and activation would involve micro geographical/ pin code wise forecasting and stocking, supported by lightweight, contextually relevant creatives rather than the typical impactful big budget production.”

Brand Building

Retail media has also now become a strategic tool for brand building as Mendiratta says, “Over time, by showing up consistently and in culturally relevant ways, quick commerce can turn regional festivals into meaningful brand moments.” Interestingly, Mitra highlights that local brands have leveraged the q-commerce platform better then national brands. She points out, “Rather than concentrating all investments around a handful of national “big bang” festivals, brands are beginning to participate in a string of regional micro-festivals throughout the  year. This creates a more continuous presence, strengthening familiarity over time and embedding the brand more deeply in consumer memory. Interestingly many local brands are more agile in doing this than the large national brands.”

Tandon highlights that retail media has emerged as a platform to target new customers, retarget then with personalized messages to become loyal and long-term consumers. She says, “Brands leverages festivals (on q-commerce) to train consumer behaviour emphasizing its ability to be there in stressful periods to make it a habit to remember even after the festival is over. After the festivals, retargeting and personalized messages ensure new festival customers become regular customers. At its heart, quick commerce harnesses region-specific festivals to create platforms for lasting trust and habit-building, rather than peak traffic for a fleeting online sale season.”