India’s emergence as an independent republic is observed with much pride and gaiety on the 26th January of every year. Since 1950, this day has been deemed as a national holiday, and it not only evokes patriotic sentiments in the common man but also allows him to spend quality time with loved ones and indulge in happy pursuits. So, what does this mean for brands? It means leveraging the unique importance of the Republic Day to showcase your products and services in a whole new light! From sales and discounts to new product launches, most brands engage in a variety of marketing activities around this time. But that is not all. With the advent of digital marketing services, attracting the attention of the target audience is a whole different ballgame.
The concept of marketing has witnessed several transitions in the last few decades. While Marketing 2.0 was about highlighting the features and benefits of a product, Marketing 3.0 is all about sentiment. Brands are now shifting focus from talking about the product directly and moving on to things that consumers connect to, as human beings. It’s the emotions and sentiments that stay at the forefront — the product itself recedes to the background.
Keeping this in mind, it’s a good idea to build some unique content for Republic Day. Here are five different approaches that have worked really well for brands in the past.
Tugging at the heartstrings
Appealing to people’s sentimental attachment to the country is one of the most effective ways to plan a Republic Day campaign. Most effective sentimental campaigns focus on one aspect of India that’s particularly appealing and then build an entire campaign around it. While images can work with this one, we’ve generally found that short videos with the right words, images, and background score have the maximum impact.
Here are some great examples:
Tata Salt
In 2019, Tata Salt used the hashtag #NamakKeWaastey and created a wonderful video using salt art. The video talks about the spirit of the Indian constitution, which can always make the sentimentalists teary-eyed.
We often take for granted the freedom and privileges of living in the largest Democratic Republic in the world. Here’s a salt art tribute revisiting some of the many reasons to celebrate the Indian Constitution #NamakKeWaastey pic.twitter.com/35v7aZjDzD
— Tata Salt (@_deshkanamak) January 25, 2019
Sony Pictures Network
Sony Pictures really nailed their Republic Day Content last year — their beautiful video talks about unity in diversity in their filmmaking. This one was a tear-jerker— and a perfect example of sentimentality meets patriotism.
Paper Boat
Paper Boat focuses on a very specific kind of Republic Day sentiment— nostalgia. With vivid memories of numerous Republic Day celebrations in school, this one finds an immediate connect with its audience. This campaign is particularly clever because the theme of Paper Boat’s overall marketing also revolves around nostalgia— and this post fits in perfectly.
Tongue-in-cheek
While one doesn’t traditionally associate humor with Republic Day, it’s still a great opportunity to design some witty, tongue-in-cheek content.
Here are some examples of brands that nailed it:
Zomato
This image is the perfect example of tongue-in-cheek — it wishes the reader a happy Republic Day, while also focusing on their love for food (which in turn is very closely related to their business). Chances are, many viewers saw the image, realized they were hungry, and decided to order from —you guessed it — Zomato.
Visual product placement
This is one of the easiest and yet most effective ways to create a successful Republic Day campaign. All you need is an incredibly creative graphic that allows you to integrate your product with a Republic Day campaign seamlessly. Here’s our list of brands that really got this right:
Amazon
This campaign is simple yet so effective — making the tri-color a part of the Amazon packaging integrates the product and the Republic Day message with great ease.
Strangely enough, Flipkart put up a very similar post not long after Amazon — but they went a step ahead to subtly emphasize that Flipkart was “born Indian”!
Oreo
Oreos Republic Day image gets it completely right. Visual, evocative, and most importantly, delicious-looking — need we say more?
Engagement building campaign
Republic Day is a major foundation stone in the idea of India as a nation— which makes it a big talking point, especially nowadays. Hence, a great content marketing services idea would be to build a thought provoking campaign, inviting opinions from the viewers. This doesn’t have to be very political or controversial — it can even be fun and frivolous!
Myntra
This is one of the best examples in this category. Myntra uses the constitution— and the principle of fundamental rights — to create the hashtag #RightToFashion. It then asks users to come up with their own definition of style and fashion— redefining their Right to Fashion. It’s fun, relevant, and designed to instantly invite engagement.
Also Read: Here’s How Brands Used Social Media to Celebrate Republic Day 2019
Action-driven campaign
Since Republic Day is such an important and momentous occasion, it’s a great way to encourage viewers to take some action— building on a particular sentiment associated with the day. Here are a couple of great examples:
Axis Mutual Funds
With this campaign, Axis Mutual Funds is focusing on what it means to be a responsible citizen— and correlating that with what it means to be a responsible investor.
https://www.facebook.com/AxisMutualFund/photos/a.719225541430944/2193682630651887/?type=3
Robin Hood Army and Girliyaapa
This was one of the more interesting Republic Day campaigns from last year. The Robin Hood Army collaborated with popular YouTube channel Girliyapa to request volunteers for the organization. The campaign was fun, breezy yet so very effective.
That this Republic Day is a very important one for brands and marketers goes without saying. It’s bound to see a lot of social media marketing activity— whether it’s likes, shares, or mentions. Planning an effective content marketing campaign in advance will help you attract the right audience— you might even find yourself trending through the week!