A festive campaign on a ₹2 lakh budget works when it has one message, one key visual and a deliberate split across a few channels that reinforce each other, typically outdoor near the store, local influencer collaborations, Meta ads and, where it fits, a short cinema or in-store film. The plan runs for five to six weeks around the festival with measurement set up before the first banner goes up.
Key takeaways
- One idea, one key visual, adapted to every channel.
- Split the budget across outdoor, influencers and Meta; add cinema where the city and product fit.
- Start four to six weeks before the festival and plan the last two weeks hardest.
- Set the baseline and the measures before launch.
What can ₹2 lakh realistically cover?
Enough for a focused local campaign: creative production, a set of outdoor placements near the store and on the routes customers use, a batch of influencer collaborations, a Meta ads budget for the festive window, and the planning and reporting to hold it together. It is not enough for a city-wide media blitz, so every rupee should point at the same message and the same catchment.
Costs for outdoor sites, influencers and media vary by city and season and change every year, so treat the split below as a starting shape rather than a price list.
How should the budget be split?
| Line | Indicative share | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Creative and production | Around 15–20% | Key visual, category banners, reel templates, a short film if included |
| Outdoor | Around 25–35% | Store-front, auto-rickshaw panels, bus or local hoardings on customer routes |
| Influencers | Around 20–30% | A set of collaboration reels and page collaborations with local creators |
| Meta ads | Around 20–30% | Festive campaigns to the catchment, retargeting, WhatsApp click-to-chat for bulk orders |
| Cinema or in-store screens | Optional | Where a screen sits in the catchment and the product suits it |
The shares move with the business: a store with heavy walk-in traffic leans outdoor; a brand selling gifting online leans Meta.
What does the timeline look like?
- Six weeks out: idea, key visual, category banners, media plan, influencer shortlist, measurement baseline.
- Four weeks out: outdoor goes up, influencer briefs sent, Meta campaigns built and tested.
- Three to one weeks out: influencer content publishes in waves; Meta budget rises; corporate and bulk gifting outreach.
- Festival week: peak spend, in-store activation, daily monitoring.
- After: report footfall, sales versus last season, offer redemption, reach and cost per result.
This is the structure of the Diwali campaign planned for CDS Stores, a sweets and gifting retailer in Vapi and Valsad, on a ₹2 lakh budget across outdoor, influencer collaborations, Meta ads and a short cinema film. The results are reported once the campaign closes.
How do you keep the campaign coherent?
Use the same key visual and colour coding per category on every surface, so a customer who sees an auto-rickshaw panel recognises the reel and the ad. Brief influencers on the message, not just the product. Point every channel at one action: visit, call or order. Campaign planning, graphic design, influencer marketing and Meta ads are run as one plan for this reason.
Frequently asked questions
For a local retailer or brand in one or two towns, yes, if the campaign is focused on one message, one catchment and a few reinforcing channels. It is not enough for a broad multi-city campaign.
Five to six weeks before the festival for a local campaign, and earlier if outdoor sites or cinema slots need booking. The last two weeks carry the most spend.
Usually both. Outdoor builds recall in the catchment; Meta targets the same people with an offer and a way to act. The split depends on whether sales happen in store or online.
Compare footfall and sales with the same period last year, track offer redemption, reach and cost per result, and count bulk or corporate orders. Set the baseline before launch.
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