Polycab’s OOH approach to festivities: Blending comfort, culture and community

Festivals in India are more than cultural celebrations; they are shared public moments that bring millions of people together in streets, temples, pandals, and homes. They also provide an unmatched opportunity for brands to step out of traditional advertising and build meaningful consumer connections. This festive season, Polycab India — in collaboration with MOMS, the outdoor specialist unit of Madison World — showcased how OOH can evolve from static visibility to immersive, people-first experiences.

People-first activations at Ganesh Utsav

During Ganesh Utsav in Mumbai, Polycab recognized the challenges devotees face in crowded spaces and long queues. Instead of just putting up billboards, the brand launched the Comfort Zone Initiative at Lalbaug Pandal. A bus shelter was transformed into a space with cushioned seating, ventilation fans, and mobile charging stations. These interventions provided practical relief for devotees waiting in the heat and crowds.

Shwetal Basu, Senior Vice President, Brand & Marcom, Polycab India Ltd., explained the thinking behind it: “We observed that during Ganesh Chaturthi, millions of people spend hours outdoors — often in challenging weather conditions and crowded spaces. Instead of simply showcasing our brand, we wanted to address their real needs by offering practical solutions like the Cool Zone for respite, mobile charging stations for connectivity, and safety watch towers for enhanced security. We did a similar initiative for Rath Yatra in Puri and will continue to take the concept to other occasions as well, across India.”

Polycab also partnered with BMC and Mumbai Police to install two elevated Watch Towers at Juhu Beach during visarjan, enhancing crowd safety and management. These functional interventions positioned the brand as a partner in community well-being, not just an advertiser.

Balancing purpose with visibility

For Polycab, the campaign objectives went beyond visibility or recall. By offering functional facilities, the brand aimed to create authentic value for devotees.

“Our objective was always to go beyond mere visibility and create genuine value for the community,” said Shwetal. “It was truly a combination of goals, but at the heart of it, this was a people-first, value-driven campaign. By offering functional facilities like sheltered bus stops, fans along the walkway, and charging booths, we wanted to do more than just catch the eye — we wanted to be a brand that people felt grateful for in a moment of need.”

This approach reflects Polycab’s broader philosophy of “safe connections” and its belief in building emotional goodwill alongside brand salience.

Festive OOH as a strategic priority

Festivals occupy a central role in Polycab’s OOH strategy, and the brand ensures a substantial allocation of spends for these moments.

“Festivals are an integral part of India’s cultural fabric and naturally play a significant role in our media strategy,” said Shwetal. “At Polycab, we ensure that festive OOH campaigns receive a dedicated and substantial share of our overall OOH investments. The reason is simple: festivals provide a unique opportunity to engage with consumers at scale, in emotionally rich environments where meaningful visibility has a lasting impact.”

This explains why the brand invests in both creative billboards and functional, on-ground interventions during key cultural moments.

Measuring success through people’s response

Unlike purely media-driven campaigns, Polycab’s festive activations are measured not only in impressions but also in lived experiences. While the brand has ongoing brand recall studies, qualitative feedback was prioritized during Ganesh Utsav.

“While we didn’t focus on tracking specific numbers, our approach was very intentional and people-centric,” noted Shwetal. “For example, the Cool Walkway at the Mukhdarshan line was strategically placed so that every devotee in the queue could experience a moment of relief, even in the midst of large crowds. Similarly, our charging booths and comfort zones were thoughtfully positioned at high-traffic points where people needed them most.”

She added that the most meaningful indicators of success were the reactions on-ground: “Devotees repeatedly expressed relief and appreciation, and many shared their positive experiences. While formal brand recall studies are still underway, the immediate sentiment uplift was evident in the gratitude we witnessed.”

Balancing traditional and experiential OOH

Shwetal stressed that Polycab’s strategy was not about abandoning traditional formats but about balancing them with purposeful interventions.

“For us, it wasn’t about choosing between tradition and innovation, but about balancing presence with purpose. While traditional OOH ensures broad visibility, we’re increasingly investing in functional activations that directly serve community needs. Every installation is designed to offer both reach and real value, reflecting our shift from just being seen to truly making a difference.”

Community feedback and goodwill

The campaign’s success was reflected in the overwhelmingly positive responses from devotees, volunteers, and even the police.

“Honestly, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” said Shwetal. “Devotees appreciated the charging stations and cool walkways. Many devotees and volunteers mentioned that the Cool Zone helped reduce discomfort. This also brought in organic traction and goodwill on social media, which reinforced the value of these thoughtful installations.”

Cultural resonance during Onam in Kerala

In Kerala, Polycab shifted gears with an OOH campaign that leaned on local culture and storytelling. With contextual messaging featuring Maveli, including “Safe, Happy Connection – This Onam and Beyond,” the brand highlighted product strengths while staying rooted in tradition.

A standout innovation was the LED Pookalam billboard in Kochi and Trivandrum, which recreated the iconic floral rangoli in vibrant LED lighting. This installation showcased Polycab’s lighting range while embedding the brand into Kerala’s most loved festival aesthetic.

Shwetal described it as an opportunity to celebrate with consumers in their cultural spaces: “For Onam, the LED Pookalam was our way of merging tradition with innovation, delivering visibility while staying rooted in local sentiment.”

The MOMS perspective

From MOMS’ standpoint, the campaigns highlighted the power of festivals as high-engagement moments where brands can transcend mere visibility.

Jayesh Yagnik, CEO, MOMS, summed it up: “Festivals are high-engagement moments that allow brands to connect emotionally with audiences. With Polycab, our focus was not just on visibility but on creating meaningful impact — from comfort and safety during Ganesh Utsav to culturally resonant storytelling during Onam. These campaigns are strong examples of how OOH can merge innovation with relevance.”

Setting a new festive OOH benchmark

Together, Polycab and MOMS have demonstrated a model of festive advertising that goes beyond spectacle. By combining comfort-first interventions during Ganesh Utsav with culturally resonant storytelling during Onam, they showcased how OOH can move from “being seen” to “being felt.”

The campaigns underline an important shift: festive OOH is no longer just about occupying space but about shaping experiences. And for Polycab, this means creating not just safe connections, but meaningful ones.