Consumers have mixed feelings about AI and how it may be used this festive season: Tonic Worldwide

The company's research division GIPSI launched a report with social media, content, and commerce hacks for marketers ahead of festive season.

GIPSI, the HI+AI insights division of Tonic Worldwide launches The Festive Report Part-1. The report captures unique insights which are a mix of popular sentiment and undercurrents. The insights will give marketers hacks on social media, content and commerce and also what lingo to use. GIPSI will be launching Part-2 of the festive report focussing on performance insights.

Speaking on the findings of The Festive report, Anjali Malthankar, national strategy director and GIPSI co-head, says, “Part-1 of the report can be a marketers ready reckoner for the 2024 festive calendar. This year’s report highlights several, specific, actionable insights relevant to the festive season which marketers can benefit from. My favourite is ‘Unusual Activities’ as it explores unique, untapped pockets of festive activities. We will soon be releasing Part-2 of the festive report which will focus on the performance insights of the festive season. Every year GIPSI produces festive reports in unique avatars eg. last year we produced Indian Festive Gifters. This year we have The Festive Report in 2 parts to delight marketers.”

Unmisha Bhatt, co-founder and CSO at Tonic Worldwide, expressed, "In the ever-evolving digital world, there is an opportunity for brands to deepen their engagement with consumers during the cluttered festive season.  With Gipsi’s festive edition, we aim to share ways to deepen the engagement, and building consideration. In the next edition, we focus on the business side by highlighting ways and means to constantly nurture leads further translating to conversions and advocacy. The goal is to enable brands to maximise their share of the basket when consumers are in a mood to indulge “

GIPSI, uses a unique methodology of HI+ AI which triangulates multiple data points to decode and deliver actionable insights. The model applied for this report is GIPSI Deep Listening which scans through multiple data points.

Report Highlights:

Festive Season Hacks on Digital: In recent times, digital has introduced new updates and new content formats for brands to experiment with. Notifications are desirable with an 8x rise in conversations about innovative notifications by apps since January 2024. One will find hacks like live streaming exclusively for close friends, new interactive stickers on Instagram stories, and fresh opportunities to engage with the audience.

Match My Lingo: With over 6 million GRWM posts on Instagram, 120K mentions of the phrase ‘just dropped’, the next generation’s dictionary of lingos keeps updating every passing day. By tracking and incorporating emerging lingo into festive strategy brands can optimise content for the season with the right keywords and resonate with the audience.

OG vs AG: Consumers are having mixed feelings about AI and how it may be used this festive season. While 30% of conversations happened around using AI as a festive planner, there is an 189% increase in negative memes around AI which suggests a corresponding rise in apprehension. With a 629% rise in conversations about learning to identify AI-generated content, consumers are increasingly questioning the authenticity of digital information, asking the question, “Is it safe or sus?”

Unusual Festive Activities: Watch out for festive dating this season which is likely to replicate last year’s pattern of rise (171%) in matching with partners during the festive season. Indians will not just travel home this festive but also explore other locations and new experiences. There is a 23% rise in discussions around planning cruise holidays with family. This season, people may also see a dual-spending scenario by consumers as the wedding and festive seasons’ timelines overlap.

Discover new in content and commerce: With a 16x rise in discussions around livestream shopping, consumers are seen hopping to shop at a new destination. Seeking inspiration from festive content, consumers are increasingly exploring ‘eco chic fashion’ and healthier alternatives to festive snacking. Moreover, they are loving ‘cheat sheets’ for hard-to-find products from offline and online stores as there is a 278% rise in conversations around ‘festive finds’, making this a festive season of discovery and conscious consumption.