Will BMC’s draft OOH policy turn into an obstacle for brands’ Ganesh Chaturthi spends?

brParle Products, BN Group, Modi Naturals, and Dipankar Sanyal reveal their take on the situation and their plans for Ganpati.

Brands pray their outdoor ads are noticed with the same fervour as devotees awaiting a glimpse of Ganpati after hours in line at Mumbai’s sarvajanik pandals.

However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) draft Out-of-Home (OOH) policy, rolled out in the wake of the Ghatkopar billboard tragedy, could cause anxiety among advertisers and influence their outdoor spends for Ganesh Chaturthi.

One of the most glaring points of the draft policy was holding the advertiser responsible for any accidents or mishaps; the BMC soon backtracked on this.

Another contentious point was that all digital/LED/LCD/electronic hoardings are to be switched off at 11 pm.

“In a city like Mumbai, you can still get stuck in traffic at 11 pm. Isn’t that the sole reason advertisers put out advertisements? So that people can see the ads when stuck in traffic?” bemoaned Ritesh Bhatt, associate vice president, Connect Network, a media tech agency specialising in OOH media, in a conversation with afaqs! in August.

Adding to this, the draft policy allows large billboards (up to 40ft x 40ft) with a minimum distance of only 70 metres between them, leading to concerns about a rise in clutter and the pollution of the city’s aesthetics.

Contrary to popular opinion, the draft policy has not discouraged advertisers. "There’s no impact on Ganesh Chaturthi advertising. Brands are eager to advertise as usual. The policy in question isn’t even in force yet, so it can’t affect anything right now,” remarked Dipankar Sanyal, CEO, Platinum Communications, an Out-of-Home offering from Madison Media.

The BMC had invited feedback for the draft policy released on August 9, with the deadline ending on August 26. As per media reports, stakeholders want an extension of the deadline.

Pandal advertising over everything else?

Pandals are the heartbeat of Ganesh Chaturthi, and pandal hopping is a cherished activity many indulge in. But for the big and popular ones like Lalbaugcha Raja, one has to stand in line for hours before coming face to face with the elephant-headed god.

The number of eyeballs at these pandals makes them an attractive media property. BN Group, an edible oil manufacturer known for brands such as Nutrica and Simply Fresh, and Parle Products, a multinational food corporation have both confirmed they are advertising at the pandals.

“We are advertising at 11 pandals across Mumbai,” says Kiran Giradkar, group chief marketing officer, BN Group. The company has picked pandals that are small in size in places such as Andheri West, Jogeshwari, and Curry Road, among others. “We’ve spent around Rs 2 lakh per pandal, and around Rs 20 lakh in total,” he reveals.

For this investment, Giradkar says BN Group will get, “20 banners,12ft x 12ft in size; an arch gate; a dedicated space for an idol, which is a cutout, and a stall.”

The aim is engagement, not catching eyeballs, he states. Think modaks, made from BN Group’s oil brands, offered to devotees at the pandals. “At the 11 pandals, you will see a Ganesh idol made from the cutout of Nutrica cooking oil jar.”

He adds that if he only wanted visibility, he would have invested in (40ft x 40ft) billboards on the highways.

Speaking about the draft policy, Giradkar's take is simple: “We will always follow the guidelines given by the authorities. We will never want to get eyeballs at the cost of people's lives.”

On the other hand, Parle Products is investing not only in pandals but also in regular outdoor advertising near major roads and highways. “At pandals, it is traditional OOH advertising, but when you move out, we look at billboards that are non-lit, front-lit, and digital,” reveals Mayank Shah, vice president, Parle Products.

He says the company is looking at big and small pandals because if you only focus on the big ones, you have many people there, but high-ticket value restricts you. The cost per reach of smaller pandals tends to be much less.

“On an annual basis, 5%-6% of our annual marketing budget is earmarked for outdoor advertising,” states Shah, who says most of it is invested during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, and Durga Puja.

An elevating experience

Unlike most advertisers, FMCG and oil brands company Modi Naturals is spending much of its outdoor budget on digital screens inside society premises, particularly in and around elevators. “We have reduced traditional billboard advertising,” says its chief marketing officer, Mukesh Ghuraiya.

The company has no specific Ganesh Chaturthi strategy. It plans for the entire festive season, which starts from Independence Day in August.

It is investing in this particular OOH strategy because it is “hyper-targeting” in nature, which a highway billboard cannot offer. “When you're using an elevator, you are patient, and it is easier to catch your attention versus on a highway.”

The company has spent between Rs 3-4 crore in August and September on advertising, with outdoor accounting for 10% to 15% of it.

Interestingly, much of Modi Naturals’ products are being bought on quick commerce apps rather than regular e-commerce marketplaces. “It is the highest growing category for us. Our Blinkit sales have matched our Amazon sales,” he remarks.

The changing consumer buying behaviour—from kirana stores to e-commerce sites to quick commerce apps—though surprising, is not entirely unexpected. Convenience is what consumers want, albeit for now.

Once they come face to face with Bappa, most will wish for something that even Ganpati wouldn’t deliver so easily: eternal freedom and happiness.