The Festive Ad Landscape in India
During September-November, Indian D2C ad costs look very different from the rest of the year:
Metric Normal Period Festive Season Change Meta CPM ₹80-150 ₹150-300 +60-100% Google Search CPC ₹8-15 ₹15-30 +50-100% Meta CPP (cost per purchase) ₹300-800 ₹500-1,200 +50-70% Conversion rate 1.5-2.5% 2-4% +30-60% Average order value ₹1,500-2,500 ₹2,500-4,000 +40-60%
Costs go up, but so do conversion rates and AOV. The net effect: festive ROAS can be similar to non-festive periods IF you plan your budget correctly.
Phase 1: Audience Building (August 15 – September 15)
Goal: Build remarketing pools at low CPMs before the festive rush.
Meta Ads
Budget: 20% of total festive ad spend Campaign type: Traffic + Engagement campaigns (cheaper than conversion campaigns) Creative: ‘Coming soon’ teasers, early-bird signup CTAs, product previews Audience: Broad targeting — let the algorithm find interested people KPI: Cost per landing page view under ₹5. Cost per email/WhatsApp subscriber under ₹15. Google Ads
Budget: 15% of total festive ad spend Campaign type: Display + YouTube (brand awareness at low CPM) Focus: Remarketing list building. Tag all website visitors. Also start bidding on ‘Diwali gift ideas’ and ‘[category] Diwali sale’ keywords — they’re cheap now but will spike in October. Phase 2: Early Conversion (September 15 – October 10)
Goal: Convert early-bird buyers before CPMs peak.
Meta: Switch to conversion campaigns. Target: site visitors, email subscribers, WhatsApp engagers from Phase 1.Google: Launch Shopping campaigns. Ramp up brand keyword bidding.Offer: ‘Diwali Early Access’ — 10-15% discount for subscribers. Creates urgency.Budget: 25% of total festive ad spendCreative: Festive-themed product shots. UGC from last year’s Diwali customers.Phase 3: Peak Festive (October 10 – Diwali + 3 days)
Goal: Maximum conversion at peak demand.
Meta: Maximum budget on proven creatives. Broad + retargeting. Increase budget 50-100% on winning ad sets.Google: Max bid on brand keywords + competitor keywords. Shopping campaigns at full budget.Budget: 40% of total festive ad spend (concentrated in 2-3 weeks)Creative rotation: Swap creatives every 3-4 days to combat frequency fatigue at high spend levels.Daily optimization: Review performance at noon and 8pm. Kill underperformers immediately.Phase 4: Post-Diwali (Diwali + 4 days to + 3 weeks)
Goal: Clear inventory, retain festive buyers.
Meta: Retarget cart abandoners and festive visitors with clearance offers (30-40% off).Google: Reduce brand keyword bids. Maintain Shopping campaigns at 50% budget.Budget: 15% of total festive ad spendEmail/WhatsApp: ‘Thank you for shopping with us’ + next purchase incentive to convert one-time festive buyers into repeat customers.Budget Allocation Example
Total Festive Budget Phase 1 (Build) Phase 2 (Early) Phase 3 (Peak) Phase 4 (Post) ₹1 Lakh ₹20K ₹25K ₹40K ₹15K ₹3 Lakh ₹60K ₹75K ₹1.2L ₹45K ₹5 Lakh ₹1L ₹1.25L ₹2L ₹75K ₹10 Lakh ₹2L ₹2.5L ₹4L ₹1.5L
Need Help With Festive Ads?
At Growww Tech, we run festive ad campaigns for Indian D2C brands — from creative production to daily optimization during peak Diwali. Start planning your festive campaign now .
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