No religious congregation is as colossal in scale as the Kumbh Mela that takes place at regular intervals in four cities of India. The fair is held in rotation periodically at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain amidst great pomp and show; and attracts millions of pilgrims and tourists to these holy towns. UNESCO has included the fair in its ‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, and it has been recognised as world’s largest peaceful gathering in the world and world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims.
Considering the expanse and popularity of the fair, it is obvious that companies see in it a great potential for marketing their brands and products. This year, the Uttar Pradesh Government has created a permanent body called Prayagraj Mela Authority to oversee logistics of the fair, which also include advertising opportunities. The Authority has appointed three agencies for this purpose, namely, Crayons Advertisement, Infinity Advertising Services and Impact Communication. The agencies have been working aggressively towards this by putting up hoardings, banners, standees, flags, kiosks, and other media in city and parking area, light pole kiosks, watch tower, media tower, fire tower, public accommodation etc.
The popularity of this grand event can be gauged by the fact that the Prayagraj Mela Authority has raised the branding rates by about 200-300% in 2019, but still the brands have not shied away from advertising there. It is one of the greatest platforms for increasing the visibility of any brand and ensuring brand retention. Rural marketing agency Impact Communications has bagged the contract for advertising at traffic and information booths, water kiosks, hygiene centers, Wi-Fi Zones, changing rooms etc. Infinity Advertising Services is another agency that is responsible for advertising facilities at light poles, watch towers, media towers, fire towers and public accommodation boundary walls. The third agency in-charge of covering promotional spaces at the Mela is Crayons Advertising that has won the exclusive rights on 700 outdoor sites.
As per a leading newspaper, around 100 brands are expected to participate in the Kumbh this year, and they will do digital and mobile activations, apart from hoardings and sampling activities. The Crayons Network has tied up with HUL, Patanjali, Air India, SpiceJet, IndiGo and the central government; while Impact Communications, which has been associated with Kumbh Mela for two decades, has been promoting 10 brands including the giants like Dabur, Ghari detergent, Welspun and Godrej Consumer Care.
Brands have used various innovative ways to propagate their messages, some of which are through regular media, while some have made use of their creative instincts to flash their brands at the most unexpected of places.
Parryware, India’s leading manufacturer of bathroom products has taken a unique route to make itself visible to thousands of devotees coming to take a dip in the holy Sangam. It has made use of boat roofs as a platform to display its logo and messaging, while at the same time using them for cleaning the garbage on river banks. It has been promoting ‘Swachh Kumbh’ and will continue its endeavour for over a period of two months to spread the message of cleanliness and hygiene through hoardings and other forms of targeted advertising. The messaging has been displayed at key locations like bus stops, railway stations and eateries.
Hindustan Unilever’s hygiene brand Lifebuoy took creative advertising to a different level by promoting cleanliness through ‘Swasthya Chetna Thalis’ that were offered to people at the Kumbh Mela. It is aimed at raising awareness on the importance of washing hands before eating, and the quirky medium helped it in highlighting the point, while leaving a lasting impression in the minds of visitors. The thalis have an engraving that says ‘Kripya pehle sabun se haath dhoyein’, which translates to ‘please wash your hands before eating’. This isn’t the first time Lifebuoy is promoting this cause in Kumbh. It had taken out a similar campaign in 2013 as well in which it had tied up with several local food outlets (dhabas) that sold rotis stamped with ‘Lifebuoy se haath dhoya kya?”, meaning ‘Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?’
Similar campaigns encouraging hygienic practices and cleanliness have been taken up by Reckitt Benckiser. It has highlighted this cause through Dettol Harpic Banega Swachh India campaign with catchy taglines such as Haath Dhona Har Baar, Har Dharam Ka Bhojan Sanskar; Haath Dhona Har Baar, Bimariyon Se Bachne Ka Upchaar; Haath Dhona Har Baar, Shauch Ka Sahi Vyavhaar.
To create awareness around toilet hygiene, Harpic launched a campaign ‘Hoga Toilet Vidhi Ka Gyaan, Toh Badhega Kumbh Ka Maan’ that sensitises visitors about flushing each time they use a toilet. Dettol and Harpic have also made life-size wall paintings across 54 villages around the venue to create maximum impact.
Fena, which is one of the most popular fabric care brands in India, has installed innovative branding in Kumbh premises. It has put up cut-outs of fresh T-shirts on light poles with its hugely popular brand tagline ‘Fena Hi Lena’.
Punjab National Bank, one of India’s leading public sector banks, is promoting the practice of cashless and digital transactions amongst citizens. It is the official digital partner of Kumbh Mela and is operating two branches in different sectors in the mela. Moreover, 12 mobile ATMs are also present in the event, and are dispensing cash for visitors by touring around the area. The bank is also using Kumbh as a platform to make people aware of its services. It has installed hoardings, posters, banners, pole brandings etc. at various important sites within mela compound. Apart from this, it has also deployed several vans with PNB branding that are roaming across the length and breadth of the fair.
India’s largest commercial bank, State Bank of India (SBI), has set up 20 Customer Service Points (CSPs), four ATMs and one mobile ATM to facilitate money withdrawal at Kumbh Mela. The bank has also deployed around half a dozen of its officials to serve the pilgrims and visitors. It has put up a number of hoardings in that area to make pilgrims aware of its services.
Keeping in mind the spiritual needs of devotees, the Uttar Pradesh government has set up virtual reality (VR) kiosks at various places in Kumbh Mela area. Through these, pilgrims are able to experience important events like Shahi Snan, Aarti and Mela in 3D format via Airtel’s VR Devotee app. The kiosks have been set up at sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17 and 19.
Every company is trying to offer something extra to make the pilgrims feel relaxed amidst the chaos that comes with being a part of Kumbh. Luggage major Aristocrat is offering free bag repair and service to devotees as well as a chance to replace their bags with brand new Aristocrat bags at exciting discounts. They have set up branded kiosks for this purpose. Similarly, Charminar, a roofing solutions brand from HIL, has installed numerous water kiosks at Kumbh Mela and is distributing jholas (bags) on important days.
Eveready Industries India Ltd., which has lit up the streets of Prayagraj with professional grade LED streetlights, has also facilitated setting up of ‘lost and found centres’ with its own branding. The Mela attracts lakhs of devotees, and due to the commotion that ensues, people lose their family members every day. Eveready has made use of technology for the first time at these centres, and it will help the lost ones get re-united with their families.
In a nutshell, Kumbh is truly a marketer’s dream! It is a promising stage for FMCG companies, mobile handset companies, technology companies, etc. to advertise their brands as well as make use of aggressive sampling to update the visitors of their products. The congregation and its enormity make it a great platform for advertisers to promote their products and services, and they could use a variety of media and channels to reach out to their target audience.