As the festive season draws near, the advertising industry is abuzz with anticipation. Brands traditionally aim to boost their marketing efforts to leverage increased consumer spending during this period.

However, this year’s excitement is tinged with a sense of caution. After substantial investments in high-profile events such as the Indian Premier League, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Paris 2024 Olympics, and the general elections, there are concerns about whether brands can maintain the financial momentum required for their festive advertising campaigns.

Moreover, the Indian retail sector notes that the festive months from August to December account for nearly 30-40% of annual sales, underscoring the importance of this period for businesses, according to Shiprocket. This forecast follows significant expenditures on major events, which have already strained marketing budgets. Consequently, a critical question arises: will the festive season continue to hold its pivotal place in the advertising calendar, or have brands already exhausted their financial resources?

Madison Media Ace's Vandana Ramkrishna; Infectious Advertising's Siddhartha Singh, Arena India's Manish Sharma, Godrej Enterprises Group's Sumeet Bhojani; Meesho's Abhijit Ghosh and The Body Shop's Vishal Chaturvedi share their insights on this topic in the August issue of Manifest.  

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