Website optimization for republic day
Rajendra Zadpe
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, 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 website design for Republic Day. Here are five different approaches that have worked really well for brands in the past.
1. 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.
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.
2. 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.
3. 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 website 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.