Diwali, the most awaited festival in India, is a period synonymous with festivities and celebrations and each one of us has a unique way of bringing these festivities to life. Every person brings their own special twist to Diwali traditions, making this festival both auspicious and special. Diwali is celebrated eagerly by everyone from millennials to the generations above them. New age quirks and trends blend in with age-old rituals, giving the festival of Diwali that extra spark!
Celebrating this integral thought, Citi’s #MyKindOfDiwali campaign captures the essence of Diwali and how each one of us has an interesting story around Diwali celebrations. Citi’s 45-second brand film features a young protagonist who hastily joins her family for prayers. Oblivious to the large tattoo that she displays on her arm, she tries to focus on the prayer ceremony only to be prodded by her family around her to cover up her tattoo. This is when her mother-in-law comes to her rescue and uncovers the tattoo insisting that it is one’s intentions that matter and not one’s choices. #MyKindOfDiwali brand film oozes warmth and togetherness and leaves you with a smile! Have a look at the campaign video below:
#MyKindOfDiwali campaign by Citi India is a wonderful example of how you can connect with customers at a personal level in the most relevant way. The campaign encourages and enables everyone to rise above societal beliefs stereotypes and the festival conventions to celebrate Diwali in their own way. The campaign has been conceptualized in a very engaging manner talking about various lifestyle genres such as shopping, travel, dining, entertainment, etc. showcasing how the meaning of diyas, fireworks, clothing and décor have changed for customers. This has struck a chord with Citi’s customers and has led to an engagement of 41% on social media.
To further amplify the campaign and engage with the customers, Citi also launched a #MyKindOfDiwali contest on Facebook which has inspired customers to share their idea of celebrating Diwali in their own unique way and has helped Citi crowdsource hundreds of #MyKindOfDiwali stories. The campaign received a plethora of entries with an impressive engagement rate of 30%.
The brand targeted their audience intelligently and with the help of Facebook’s custom audience, Citi was able to reach more than 10 Mn customers, thereby increasing the awareness about the campaign and its offers. With the help of contextual targeting and Citi’s genome bases (mapped to actual spends by Citi clients), Citi was able to showcase the most relevant offer in a very targeted manner. Citi also partnered with Hotstar and Flipkart to identify customers shopping for specific genres and targeted them with relevant communication on Hotstar.
Citi’s partnerships with top leading portals and brands enabled its customers to celebrate Diwali, the way they would love to. They offered a curated line up of partners offers across leading portals such as Amazon, Myntra. MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Apple and more.
Commenting on the campaign, Nikhil Rastogi, Director – Marketing & Digital Sales, Citibank said, “We decided to partner with our creative agency, Publicis to challenge a cultural norm and encourage consumers to celebrate Diwali in their own unique way.”
Speaking on how the campaign came about, Nikhil says, “Understanding and interpreting the cultural nuances of young people was key to our campaign. The film revolves around identifying real-life insights that question traditional thinking in a memorable manner, and examines existing beliefs without losing the essence of our cultural values. The genesis of the ad film is a simple life insight – everybody has their own ways of celebrating Diwali. While adhering to the overall cultural context, people have their own interpretations and increasing blend tradition with modern day practices & this is what makes the festival unique and memorable to them. This forms the core of the new Citi Diwali film.”
Adding her views, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide, India said, “India is a land of festivals and nothing beats the celebratory fervour more than Diwali, which is amongst the most popular and widely celebrated ones. It is a time when family and friends come together and prefer celebrating as one cohesive unit. By way of this campaign, we urge people to celebrate Diwali in their own unique manner which makes the celebration more special.”
Commenting on the insight, Bobby Pawar, MD and CCO, Publicis Worldwide, India said “We are living in an age of personalization and self-expression. The Citi campaign aims to shine a light on those who want to enhance the Diwali experience by going beyond the norms and celebrating the festival in their own way”.
The campaign has generated very high engagement among the target audience and it’s translating into high spends for Citi Cards. We loved the campaign and the insight that went behind #MyKindOfDiwali! What are your thoughts?
