Too hot to handle: The art of summer marketing without being a total buzzkill

It's 45 degrees Celsius in the shade, your phone is blowing up with notifications about "refreshing summer deals", and every billboard from here to Chennai is screaming about how some beverage is going to save your life. Welcome to summer marketing in India, where brands compete in the Olympics by stating the painfully obvious: "Hey, it's hot! Buy our stuff!"

But what if I told you there's an art to summer marketing that doesn't make consumers want to throw their air conditioners out the window? Is there a way to acknowledge the scorching reality without becoming another drop in the sea of desperate "beat-the-heat" messaging?

The summer marketing autopilot

Let's be honest—summer marketing in India has been on autopilot for decades. As Nagessh Pannaswami, founder of Curry Nation, points out in a recent marketing report, "Over the past decade, summer marketing in India has evolved beyond traditional campaigns based on relief from the heat to more innovative and personalised experiences."

Translation: We're slowly, painfully slowly, moving past the era of cartoon characters dramatically wiping sweat from their brows before chugging down a sugary drink.

The playbook has been simple and mind-numbingly repetitive:

• Show sweat
• Show discomfort
• Show magical product
• Show relief

Repeat until consumers develop Stockholm syndrome.

When everyone zigs, you should probably zag

Remember that brand that created an ad with nothing but silence, nature sounds, and slow-moving text saying "this moment of peace was sponsored by our brand"? In a cacophony of brands shouting "COLD! COOL! REFRESHING!", someone offering a genuine moment of calm would stand out like an introvert at an EDM festival.

As Pragya Bijalwann, head of marketing at Voltas Limited, noted in a recent industry interview, brands need to move beyond simple product-centric messaging towards "emotionally resonant narratives".

Consider Voltas, which has shifted from simply pushing air conditioners to emphasising "smart living, convenience, and personalised comfort". Their 2025 approach centres on their SmartAir AC series with features such as "super-silent operation" and "adaptive sleep mode"—focusing on the experience rather than just banging on about temperature reduction.

This is what separates the marketing adults from the children: understanding that your customers are living through the same hellish summer as everyone else, and they don't need you to remind them of it.

The art of not making it about you

Here's a radical thought that would make most CMOs break out in hives: sometimes the best summer marketing is barely marketing at all.

Take Patagonia's 'Don't Buy This Jacket' campaign—while not summer-specific, it exemplifies the counterintuitive approach that cuts through noise. Or consider how Oatly gained cult status not by screaming about product benefits but by being genuinely weird and distinctive in their communications.

In India, Bira 91's introduction of "eco-friendly cans and partnerships with beach clean-up drives" demonstrates how brands can align with summer activities while emphasising values beyond the product itself. They're not shouting "DRINK COLD BEER IN SUMMER"; they're saying, "We get that you're at the beach, and by the way, we care about keeping it clean."

The summer marketing reality check

Let's administer a quick reality check:

No one cares about your summer campaign. Harsh, but true. People care about surviving until October.

Your "beat the heat" messaging is as unique as a Starbucks in Manhattan. There are approximately 47,328 other brands saying the exact same thing.

Cultural moments trump seasonal obviousness. The IPL isn't successful because it happens during summer; it's successful because it's culturally relevant.

Remember Coca-Cola's 'Share a Coke' campaign? It worked not because it was about cooling down but because it was about human connection. The temperature was irrelevant.

From obvious to innovative: The new summer marketing playbook

If you're still reading and haven't stormed off to create another "refreshing" campaign, here's what the forward-thinking brands are doing:

1. Experiential over obvious

Polycab's 'Super ROI Fans' campaign succeeds because it focuses on value beyond temperature control. As Shwetal Basu, their SVP of brand and marketing communication, explains, they're addressing how "value is no longer defined by price alone. Consumers now prioritise energy efficiency, high performance, and great aesthetics, without compromise".

2. Cultural anchoring > seasonal hammering

Swiggy's IPL campaign that offered "66% discount when a batsman hit a six" connected real-time cultural moments to brand offers. They didn't need to mention summer once.

3. Cross-category collaboration

Shoppers Stop and SOTC Travel's collaboration offering "destination-inspired clothing options through kiosks" shows how brands can create fresh summer associations without resorting to clichés.

4. Values over temperature values

Rasna has evolved from positioning as a "cool drink" to promoting "moments of joy, family bonding, and togetherness". The temperature is a backdrop, not the story.

Global lessons in not being boring

Let's look beyond the border for inspiration:

Spotify's 'I'm with the banned' featured artists from travel-banned countries, launching during summer travel season but focusing on cultural inclusion rather than seasonal platitudes.

Corona's 'Pay With Plastic' beach campaign let people exchange collected plastic waste for beer—connecting with summer beach activities while emphasising environmental values.

Ben & Jerry's 'Climate Justice' campaigns happen during peak ice cream season but focus on the causes the company champions rather than how cold their product is.

Notice how none of these campaigns needed to say, "Summer is hot! Our product is cool!" They trusted consumers to make that connection themselves.

The moment marketing connection

The best summer campaigns share DNA with successful moment marketing: they tap into what's already happening rather than trying to force a conversation.

Take Oreo's famous "You can still dunk in the dark" Super Bowl blackout tweet—it worked because it joined a conversation everyone was already having. Similarly, smart summer marketing joins the existing summer conversation rather than trying to create an artificial one.

Amul has mastered this approach for decades, using their topical billboards to comment on everything from cricket matches to political developments, all while subtly reminding consumers that butter exists.

The straight-talking approach to summer marketing

As David Ogilvy, the father of modern advertising, famously said, "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife." In summer marketing terms, this translates to: consumers already know it's hot outside—they don't need brands to tell them that. They need brands to respect their intelligence and offer something meaningful.

As Shweta Bajirao, vice president of brand management at DviO Digital, observed in a recent marketing analysis, what truly matters is "relatability over seasonality" – creating experiences that connect rather than simply capitalising on the calendar.

The great brands understand that summer isn't a marketing opportunity—it's a shared experience. The opportunity isn't to talk about summer; it's to be relevant within it.

The last word (before I melt)

As Bajirao from DviO Digital aptly puts it, "It's not merely seasonality that drives sales, but relatability. "Success" hinges on how brands create meaningful consumer experiences."

So as you plan your next summer campaign, ask yourself: are you adding to the noise or creating something worth paying attention to? Are you stating the obvious or offering genuine value? Are you interrupting people's summer or enhancing it?

Because when everyone is melting together, the last thing consumers need is another brand telling them it's hot outside.

(Our guest author, Lalit Mohan, is the Associate Director at Capillary Technologies.)