Diwali Campaigns: Why Global Brands Should Celebrate All Cultural and Religious Festivals to Engage a Wider Audience

Diwali - the festival of lights - is one of the most celebrated and cherished festivals in the world, especially among South Asian communities. 

As the popularity of this festival grows globally, brands are naturally taking note, and learning how best to launch campaigns that make sense to reach the expanding global audience. As part of this, here at Truffle, we’re going to dive deep into the rationale for why brands should consider embracing broader cultural and religious celebrations as part of their content strategy. 

While focusing on Diwali is a great first step, brands should aim to embrace all cultural and religious holidays to truly connect with their diverse customers. This is the advice we’ve given to the majority of our clients here at Truffle Social and we recommend that you consider it for your brand too, but if it’s something you need some assistance on, we’re happy to help.

Core Diwali themes

During this time of year, those celebrating Diwali are also celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, family, prosperity, and new beginnings - all of which are universally relatable. 

This shared appeal makes it an ideal opportunity for brands to craft campaigns that resonate with a wide audience, for example: 

1. Building an Emotional Connection Diwali is a prime time to create emotionally driven content that connects with what is the heart of many communities.
   

2. Helps with Expanding Audiences Not only is Diwali celebrated in India but also in countries like the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and other parts of Asia, offering a broad international reach.
   

3. Great for Brand Recognition Brands that consistently - and appropriately - represent cultural celebrations build a reputation as culturally aware and inclusive, strengthening their brand recognition.

   
   

Brands who are doing it well

1. GQ This leading premium lifestyle magazine highlights an array of Nike sneakers that can be worn with traditional wear, bringing Western and traditional fashion together. This serves as great content for British Asians growing up around Western ‘norms.’
   

2. Tesco Tesco has created a subsection of their website dedicated to Diwali products they have to offer, making it easier for those online shopping ahead of the festivities. Not only has Tesco shared this activation on their website, but they’ve also partnered with South Asian content creators across social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to share Diwali recipes and promote the Tesco Club Card prices that can help.
   

3. M.A.C. Cosmetics Have also created a section on their website catered for South Asian skin tones specifically for those celebrating Diwali or getting ready for their Indian wedding look. By doing this, they’ve made their consumers feel included, and represented and made it easier for them to shop via their website - making their product and activation make sense!

What the future holds for inclusive social media marketing

The future of marketing - social media marketing specifically - is inclusivity-driven, with brands recognising the growing value of cultural representation. 

Consumers today, particularly the younger generation of social media, seek out brands that respect their identities, the traditions they’ve grown up with, and the communities they’re from. 

Brands adapting to the modern world and celebrating festivals like Diwali, Ramadan, Eid, Passover, and more is an opportunity to stand out and engage with diverse audiences on a more meaningful level and highlight that their products are for everyone.

Embracing cultural diversity in your marketing isn’t just good for business - it’s essential for creating a welcoming, authentic, and globally-minded brand.

If you are interested in discussing your social strategy and levelling up your social output with Truffle, please email us at info@truffle.social. We’d love to chat!