In India, festivals are far more than celebrations– they are moments of togetherness, gratitude and shared humanity. Families gather together, neighbours exchange sweets and communities come alive with hope, light and laughter making the air echo with new beginnings and aspirations.
A special time for India as it is the beginning of the festive arc– from Diwali to New year, this season is important in many ways for all. From the perspective of businesses , it is a rare window for brands to do something deeper – to build emotional connections that outlasts the noise of advertising.
This is where cause-related marketing plays a pivotal role enabling brands to move beyond sales- embedding themselves in the heart and minds of consumers, through values of giving, belonging and shared purpose.
Driving Festive Impact with Cause Marketing
Studies reveal that 60% of consumers are more likely to return to a brand within 6 months, if their festive marketing experience feels meaningful. This data only affirms what emotions have long known– people remember how brands make them feel, not just what they sell.
Campaigns like Myntra’s inclusive Diwali, which celebrated domestic helps as part of the festivities, or Big Basket’s “Neki Kar” campaign which championed kindness and humanity, remind us that meaningful, impact based storytelling drives deeper loyalty than any discount ever could.
Yet, the festive season also poses challenges for brands– soaring media costs, dwindling attention spans, and content oversaturation can often lead to brands’ communication getting lost.
Therefore, in such a crowded landscape, brands can stand apart from their competitors through cause related marketing campaigns, that can become the bridge that transforms the festive campaigns into collaborations– purposeful, human and authentic.
The Modern Indian Shopper & Festive Cause Marketing
Festivals in India awaken generosity and nostalgia as Indian consumers’ shopping choices are often driven by cultural and religious sentiments. But, it is also important to acknowledge that today the modern Indian consumer is no more impulsive. Today consumers are deliberate, aspirational and emotionally attuned.
While urban consumers seek aspirational experience, shoppers in Tier 2 and 3 cities value practicality. But, across these diverse groups run a common thread– the desire for meaning alongside consumption . Increasingly, shoppers want their purchases to carry purpose– to add value not just to their lives, but to the communities around them.
These numbers show willingness to invest— but also the need for returns beyond material satisfaction. Through cause-related marketing, brands can align their messaging with consumers’ growing desire for joy with meaning– a purchase that uplifts both giver, receiver and a beneficiary of a community that needs support.
The Heart of Festive Spending
Festivals stir a universal impulse– the desire to give, to indulge and to make loved ones happy. Consumers want their spending to matter.
When brands infuse CRM into festive campaigns, they offer consumers an opportunity to multiply their joy through purpose. A parent buying a toy for their child could also be supporting another child’s education. A family purchasing electronics may empower rural women entrepreneurs– these layered experiences turn purchases into acts of compassion.
Furthermore, as consumer openness grows, particularly towards new and emerging brands– this emotional window during the festive seasons, gives challenger brands, D2C ventures and established players alike the chance to earn trust through purpose engagement.
When Promotions Meet Purpose
In India, festivals are just the right time to experience the vibrancy of India’s different cultures and communities- families shop together, give gifts together and celebrate together. Naturally, promotions and festive bundles remain irresistible. But, when these offers get tied to a meaningful cause, the result is often magnetic.
Imagine a festive sale that donates a percentage of proceeds to children’s health, or a bundle that funds skill training for women in rural India– these result oriented campaigns often become far more impactful than just being a sale’s affordable purchase–it becomes a powerful transformative action.
It has also been observed that 81% of consumers have said that short videos capture their attention most effectively during the festive season. This means that if brands align their festive marketing campaigns with cause marketing, they can establish their authenticity through real faces, real voices that tell the story of positive change in their own words, giving the consumers an insight to the commitment of the brand towards social welfare.
Guide to Leverage Cause Marketing During Festivals
Step 1: Early Planning and Long-Term Partnerships
Brands that plan early and build lasting partnerships with NGOs convey credibility and empathy. Through consistent, co-branded initiatives, consumers see tangible proof of impact, transforming each purchase into a story of real-world change.
Step 2: Phased, Story-Led Campaigns
Structured storytelling ensures awareness translates into action:
- Pre-Festive Phase: Build curiosity through storytelling and awareness.
- During Festivities: Encourage participation through donations, purchases, and events.
- Post-Festive Phase: Showcase on-ground impact through real beneficiary stories.
This rhythm sustains engagement long after the lights fade.
For the Good, By the Good
In a world driven by visibility, empathy-driven campaigns resonate. Cause-related marketing enables brands to move beyond impression metrics– crafting emotional resonance that shapes society and businesses alike.
Stories of real lives such as a girl in Odhisha pursuing education, a widow in Tamil Nadu rebuilding her livelihood, a young aspirant achieving higher education through scholarships– all such stories transform consumers from spectators into participants of change as they see their spending being utilised to uplift others.
Festive Marketing Strategies That Spread Lasting Smiles
At Smile Foundation, we have witnessed first-hand how cause related marketing partnerships during the festive season can transform campaigns from transactional promotions into instruments of genuine social change.
Every year from Diwali to New Year, brands have the opportunity to align with programs like ours to deliver measurable and meaningful impact; we firmly believe that well strategic Cause marketing partnerships can enhance the wider ecosystem of all the stakeholders– brands, consumers and committees involved.
It is important to understand that cause related marketing must be viewed as a platform that can transcend seasonal giving. It can be a strategic investment in holistic development blending brand purpose with social progress.
Brands,NGOs and consumers alike become co creators of change as companies reinforce trust and loyalty, consumers experience fulfillment with purposeful purchase and participation, but most importantly– underserved communities benefit from tangible support in health, education and empowerment.
One such inspiring example of such collaboration was OPPO India’s #BestDiwaliGift initiative, which inspired people to gift brighter futures to less privileged children. At OPPO’s House of Lights in Pacific Mall, New Delhi, visitors lit candles and shared stories of those who illuminated their lives. For every candle lit or story shared, INR 50 was donated to Smile Foundation — a gesture that turned celebration into compassion.
Another striking example of cause related marketing partnership with Smile was Swiggy Instamart’s Orange Santa collaboration where Swiggy delivered packs of joys to children from the Mission Education program. The campaign demonstrated the instant impact of strategic festive cause marketing partnerships; it successfully established that festive campaigns are more than seasonal promotions.
All such initiatives establish a key lesson – when festive campaigns are integrated with cause marketing, they provide measurable results across three dimensions- community impact, consumer engagement and brand differentiation, but most importantly they establish brands as social custodians, who implement “giving” as their business ethos to ensure that lives in need are truly supported for a better future.
Partner with us to transform festive campaigns into strategic initiatives that advance meaningful community impact.
Sources-
Festive marketing in 2025: Premiumisation, pragmatism and the video pivot
Impact of Festivals and Religious Events on Consumer Buying Trends
How Consumer Behavior is Changing During India’s 2025 Festive Season
Festive Marketing in India: The Season of Sentiments (and Sales)
