From building trust on TV to engagement online: Inside paint brands’ festive playbook

Every year, as the festive season begins, Indian homes undergo a familiar transformation-  from decluttering wardrobes to repainting walls that have dulled with time. It’s not just a clean-up; it’s a ritual of renewal. For paint brands, this period is more than just business – it’s the moment when purchase intent peaks, emotions are high, and home improvement becomes part of the celebration.

Now that the walls are dry and the diyas are put away, we look at paint brands' big media spends this quarter.

A colourful media mix

Paint brands have embraced an integrated, omnichannel strategy this year, blending the emotional impact of television with the engagement of digital. For them, it’s not just about immediate sales – it’s about deepening their role in consumers’ lives, reinforcing trust, and driving consideration.

“Television remains critical for building mass awareness and reinforcing trust,” says Inderpreet Singh, head of marketing, Birla Opus Paints, adding that digital allows the brand to go “beyond awareness” with richer engagement and targeting.

Birla Opus has rolled out campaigns across linear TV, connected TV, digital, outdoor, and print, with a strong focus on stories rooted in emotion and togetherness. Its Diwali film, for instance, portrays an elderly couple painting their home in their son’s favourite colour – a gesture that turns absence into warmth.

Shalimar Paints, too, has adopted a comprehensive, multi-channel approach, spanning digital, print, outdoor, and radio. According to Kuldip Raina, MD & CEO of the brand, the outdoor campaign features cab branding across 1,000 Ubers in Delhi and Kolkata, while radio tie-ups bring festive messaging to listeners during peak commuting hours.

As per Harshada Chitale, account director at White Rivers Media, paint brands today treat the festive season as a “high-visibility showcase”. While TV and outdoor remain the foundation for awareness, “digital completes the journey” by helping consumers visualise shades, explore transformations, and receive real-time assistance.

How the festive quarter becomes the “big spend” window

The festive quarter accounts for a significant share of annual marketing budgets – between 35 and 45%, according to Chitale. For Birla Opus, it’s one of the “most strategically important investment windows”, when consumers are actively considering home improvements.

Shalimar Paints echoes this, noting that a “significant portion” of its annual marketing spend is directed towards the festive season to boost brand recall and accessibility across metros as well as Tier II and III markets.

Festive advertising this year isn’t just about Diwali; it flows into the cricket season, blending India’s twin passions: colour and sport.

Deepti Karthik, a marketing consultant, notes that paint companies are also investing heavily in sports, leveraging the overlap between festive viewing and cricket seasons. “Starting with IPL and now moving into women’s cricket, brands are diversifying their reach,” she says.

“TV remains the lead medium, while digital ensures micro-targeting through influencer programmes and AR-based colour visualisers.”

Beyond screens: partnerships and experiences

Festive storytelling remains at the heart of paint advertising, but brands are increasingly seeking high-impact partnerships and interactive activations.

Birla Opus has tied its narrative to cricket’s ongoing India-Australia series and upcoming fixtures with South Africa and New Zealand, ensuring visibility across both broadcast and digital.

Meanwhile, Shalimar Paints has linked its festive messaging with pop culture, partnering with the Hindi film Thamma starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. The collaboration mirrors the brand’s product message – protection and care – through an emotional family story.

To deepen engagement, Shalimar’s ‘Favourite Wall Selfie’ contest invites consumers to share photos of their favourite home spaces, celebrating personal connection with colour. Raina adds, "In the past this year, the brand collaborated with the Mumbai Indians, leveraging cricket’s mass appeal to connect with consumers across India."

According to a report by MathMarkets, in FY26, the paints industry is expected to grow to 1 lakh crore, with decorative paints constituting around 75000 crores and industrial paints constituting around 25000 crores.

The digital finish

While traditional media still drives the festive momentum, digital is no longer playing catch-up. From influencer-led home transformations to AR-based shade preview tools, brands are merging utility with emotion.

“Consumers today want to see before they decide,” says Chitale. “Visualisation has become central to the purchase journey – through AR tools, creator demos, or retailer-integrated experiences. Campaigns are moving from passive viewing to participative discovery.”

In essence, the festive playbook for paint brands has evolved from mass storytelling to personalised experience-building. Whether through cricket screens, cab doors, or smartphones, colour – quite literally – is finding new ways to connect homes and hearts this season.