Puja has been boom time for advertisements and sponsorships for the past couple of decades before COVID cast its shadow in 2020. This year, however, puja organisers are hopeful that good times are back after a three-year lull. Most big pujas in Kolkata have closed the deal with title sponsors by the first week of September. As promotion and marketing for pujas continue, organisers are hoping 2023 will be as good as 2019 or even better in terms of corporate participation and sponsorships.
The Beginning
Corporate sponsorship came to Durga Puja in the late-1990s. Prior to that, Durga Puja was solely based on money either collected through chanda (subscriptions) or by way of donations by affluent families. The change came in 1985 with Asian Paints starting the Sharad Samman award. Soon the organisers realised that pujas could be a good revenue-earner and their attitude towards the festival changed. Along with that, the footfall in puja pandals, too, increased exponentially and multinational companies saw this as an excellent advertisement opportunity.
It all started with the Asian Paints Sharad Samman in 1985
Hurdles along the way
A number of chit-fund companies saw this as an opportunity to invite investment. “They started pouring lakhs of rupees into the event, often exceeding the budget allocation by multinational companies. Then a time came when almost all pujas in Kolkata were directly or indirectly funded by chit fund companies. Till companies like Saradha and i-core were in business, we did not have to worry about sponsorships. Back then, we were not aware of their real business models and we didn’t feel bad about it either,” said a senior member of a Dhakuria-based puja. However, after 2013, that stopped once the law enforcement agencies started cracking down on chit-fund companies.
“After 2013, even the multinational companies turned sceptical about investing money in Durga Puja, mostly because they grew cautious about not getting involved in any scam,” said the secretary of a Bhowanipore-based Puja. Two years passed this way and in 2016, the situation improved a bit. But in November the same year, demonetisation hit the economic sector followed by GST in 2017. “It was a nightmare. Even a few weeks before Puja, we were not sure who the sponsors were. At one point, it seemed like we wouldn’t be able to conduct the puja,” the secretary added.
People were sceptical about loosening their purse strings. Besides, GST was implemented in July and by September, the sponsors were not aware of the laws. So, they simply stalled all sponsorships. “It was tough for us to collect money. People wouldn’t even talk to us about sponsorship and wherever we went, people would shut the door,” said Pradumnya Mukherjee from 66 Palli.
For the next two years, the situation improved only to get worse in 2020. Amid the pandemic, there was no business, no sponsorship and most pujas went back to the pre-1980s style. With stringent laws and rules, it became difficult to conduct a puja.
The Resurgence
After three years of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the market has finally bounced back in 2023. Most of the big pujas started getting calls from big sponsors in July and August, while some of the biggest pujas closed the deals by the last week of August. Ballygunge Cultural Association, one of the biggest pujas in south Kolkata, has already locked all the title sponsors. “The response is very good and we are expecting more companies to join in our Puja,” said Saptarshi Basu from Ballygunge Cultural Association on Lake View Road.
A ‘Sunrise’ board prominently placed near the 66 Palli Durga Puja pandal announces the theme for 2023 Soumyajit Dey
Similarly, 66 Palli, which has been conducting pujas with the Sunrise brand for the last three years, has also added some big names to the puja. “This year, we were hoping to get a good response. The effects of COVID are gone and the financial crisis in the international market because of the the Russia-Ukraine war has not affected the Indian economy that much. Besides, in the previous years, their brands were affected by not being able to advertise. So, we were getting the vibe that the companies would be eager to sponsor,” said Mukherjee.
Pratip Ghosh from Behala 11 Palli agreed: “We haven’t faced any problem regarding sponsorships this year. In fact, the companies are approaching us on their own. This is an excellent sign, almost as good as in the pre-COVID era,” he added.
Role of UNESCO cultural heritage tag
The West Bengal government had organised a grand rally on September 1, 2022, to thank Unesco for including Durga Puja in the list of intangible cultural heritage. Representatives of more than 1,000 Durga Puja committees took part in the rally
Besides, the intangible cultural heritage tag conferred by UNESCO on Durga Puja has provided a global stage for the festival and spells well for sponsorship. “It is now a matter of prestige to advertise during Durga Puja. In most cases, we want title sponsorship of some big puja. In that way, our brands would be associated with the festival and also a way to get international exposure. That’s a big deal now,” said the cluster head of the marketing department of a famous watch company.
Surge in advertisement rates
The high demand has meant that the cost of advertisements and sponsorships has gone up. “It is very hard to say which club is charging what amount for this because most people do not reveal the exact price. Despite that, according to the general trend, prices have gone up by about 10 to 15 per cent compared to that in last year,” said Abhishek Bhattacharjee, from Behala Nutan Sangha.
Bamboo structures for Puja advertisements are already up at Golpark Soumyajit Dey
According to puja organisers, the price of an advertisement depends on a couple of factors — the reputation of the club, its past crowd-pulling capacity and the location of the pandal. “Say, if a puja is situated in Ballygunge or Rashbehari area, the ad cost will be on the higher side. Besides, if a puja is a part of a cluster of pujas in the same area, its demand will be higher,” said Mukherjee.
On the other hand, pujas close to Majerhat bridge and Tallah bridge have suffered the last few years because of under-construction bridges, but this year they too are charging higher rates.
Rush to book big pujas
According to the advertisers, if a company aims at business growth in Kolkata, it has to advertise and have visibility during Durga Puja. “In Bengal and especially in Kolkata, there is hardly any other festival that can be called a mass festival. People participate in Durga Puja despite their caste, religion and economic classes. So the advertisers need not worry about reaching the target audience. That’s why every product and company jump at the opportunity of advertising during Durga Puja,” said the marketing manager of an international hair product brand in Kolkata.
According to Partha Sarathi Pathak, the proprietor of Blue Wave Media, the cost of advertising for Durga Puja 2023 in Kolkata is about 15 to 20 per cent more than that compared to 2019, implying healthy demand. “It is difficult to compare advertisement rates accurately since it depends on crowd-pulling capacity, location of the puja pandal, target audience and many other factors,” Pathak added. Higher cost of printing is also another reason for increased prices.
“People from all over the state reach Kolkata and stay here for weeks. So it’s easier to target them. Besides, there are pujas that target mass and classes and give us an ideal platform to reach the audience. Overall, this year, all the companies are eager to participate and advertise for the Puja,” said Tathagata Bhattacharjee, marketing senior executive of Anmol Industries Ltd. Anmol is one of the sponsors for Ballygunge Cultural Association this year.
Singhi Park Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal at Dover Lane has traditionally been a major crowd-puller Soumyajit Dey
Avijit Majumder from Singhi Park Sarbojanin in Gariahat’s Dover Lane said: “The sponsorship is really good compared to the last few years. We do not take title sponsors and mostly accept small advertisements. More than 80 per cent ad space is already booked with 35 days to Puja. All I can say is that not even pre-COVID era was this good.”
Sukanta Mondal, an executive in a Bengal-based advertising solution provider, said Durga Puja cannot be compared with any other festival in Bengal. Because of the emotion and attachment of the public, this festival is extremely important for advertisers. “This year it is even more important because after the pandemic the market has fully recovered. However, in terms of percentage, the companies have not increased their budget. In 2019, if a company was spending Rs 100 for five advertisements, this year they are spending the same amount for four advertisements,” Mondal said, adding that almost 90 per cent of their hoarding spaces are already booked.
