GroupM and Google return with India's online 'Grand Diwali Mela'

With a new title sponsor Askmebazaar and new partners Eno and Godrej Securities, the 'Grand Diwali Mela' this year is expected to be a huge online sampling platform for brands

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 4, 2015

GroupM along with Google is bringing back the 'Grand Diwali Mela'for the second consecutive year. This year the online festival initiative is expected to be bigger and better, with a new title sponsor Askmebazaar which will be curating the offerings. The other brands to come on board are Lakme, Horlicks, Kurkure and Hungama, renewing their partnership with the 'Grand Diwali Mela', along with new partners Eno and Godrej Securities.

Last year, the 'Grand Diwali Mela' received over 5.5 mn visitors in a course of 30 days. Over 1.25 lakh hours were spent browsing various online stalls in the 'mela' which included stalls of different products, food items, 'pooja' needs, gaming and entertainment. The 'Grand Diwali Mela' emerged as the largest online sampling platform for brands. Over 1.5 lakh samples were shipped across India, with 70 per cent sample orders going to tier 2 and tier 3 towns.

For the spiritually inclined, this year the 'Grand Diwali Mela' provides people the option of offering prayers and receiving 'prasad' from a number of temples across India.

Manav Sethi, Group CMO and Head, Digital Strategy, Askmebazaar, said, “We are excited to be the presenting sponsor of 'Grand Diwali Mela' 2015 which is a  one stop destination for entertainment, best deals and best brands in the biggest festive season of India. This year, look forward to the big deals everyday delivered at your doorstep. From furniture to fashion, AskmeBazaar has curated the best deals to ensure every home lights up this Diwali. We look forward to India joining us on the GDM, 2015.”

CVL Srinivas

Commenting on the second season of the 'Grand Diwali Mela', CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia, said, “After the success of the 'Grand Diwali Mela' last year, we are excited to bring the online festival back again this year. We have a new naming partner on board, Askme and a range of new brands and products for consumers to choose from.” Speaking about the reach of the festival, Srinivas added, “With GDM, we were able to create a great platform for consumers to come and sample products and interact with brands. Last year, we saw a clear spike in terms of mobile usage to access the 'Grand Diwali Mela'. With a clear focus on taking the festival to not just metros, but also tier 2 and 3 towns, where the mobile phone is a window to the world, GroupM and our partners are integrating traditional print, TV and radio with mobile and digital marketing.”

Punitha Arumugam, Director, Agency Business, Google SEA and India, said, “The 'Grand Diwali Mela' organized by GroupM emerged as India's largest online brand activation initiative during the festival season last year and surpassed any offline brand activation initiative in the country. As more and more consumer products companies embrace the Internet to drive sampling and consumer engagement, we're delighted to partner with Group M to scale this initiative and help brands make the most of the opportunity online.”

Hungama.com, India's leading music and video on demand service has come back on board as one of the partners of the 'Grand Diwali Mela'. Last year Hungama.com gave users access to films from their vast Indian and International movies catalogue, users could also create a 'Grand Diwali Mela' playlist of popular Bollywood numbers. This year Hungama.com brings on board 'Hungama Play' their premium video on-demand service via the Grand 'Diwali Mela 2015'.

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