Did innovation/tech do the heavy lifting this Diwali?

Last Diwali, brands lit diyas and hung lights. This year, they fed prompts to algorithms. AI didn't just assist in the campaigns; it made the entire dessert, from mixing ingredients to plating the final dish. For example, Coca-Cola partnered with Google Gemini to let consumers create personalised festive avatars by scanning QR codes on their Utsav Packs, turning bottles into portals for AI-generated digital stickers. On the other hand, Google itself launched AI Mode on Search with Bollywood-themed films conceptualised by Bare Bones Collective, positioning conversational AI as the answer to multi-layered festive queries, be it questions related to home decoration or last-minute gift suggestions. 

 

ManipalCigna used generative AI to reimagine Goddess Lakshmi's perspective in its health insurance film, combining cultural symbolism with machine learning. But AI’s use case this season wasn’t limited to imagination or personalisation. It has been used to craft products for brands. Safari Industries visualised its luggage collection through AI-generated surreal landscapes, with each colour inspired by dreamlike worlds that exist only in neural networks. 

When we think of innovation, this season was inundated with AI. Reports support this. AI platform-related searches surged to 654 million in pre-festive 2025, a 2.6-fold jump from the previous year, according to GIPSI's GRWAi report.

The technology moved beyond content creation into how brands reached consumers. JBL deployed interactive QR code wrappers on Connected TV platforms across ten cities, transforming television screens into shopping destinations where viewers could scan and purchase wireless earbuds without leaving their living rooms. 

Consumr.ai's TwinSights Festive Report 2025 revealed that festive purchase decisions were being seeded weeks before they appeared in traditional search data, prompting brands to use AI Twins, digital mirrors of real consumers built from observed behaviour, to anticipate intent rather than react to it. Swiggy built an in-app experience that let users light virtual diyas and share them by tapping phones together, merging ritual with product innovation. One million diyas were lit within five hours of launch.

 

E-commerce platforms recorded a 24% year-on-year growth in order volumes during the 25-day festive period, with quick commerce platforms jumping 120%, according to Unicommerce's transaction data from over 150 million orders. Tier II and III cities contributed 55% of total orders. 

Innovation and consumer engagement are helping brands reach consumers across the country. These innovations include engagement through QR codes. 

Ferrero Rocher embedded QR codes in each chocolate piece, unlocking rewards that ranged from gold-plated champagne glasses to gold vouchers worth ₹9,999. For Dhanteras, CoinSwitch printed newspaper ads comparing the value of one Bitcoin to the amount of jewellery it could purchase, with integrated QR codes enabling instant app access for investments starting at ₹101.

On the other hand, technology brands put AI into focus. Smartphone brands like Motorola, IQOO, and OPPO highlighted AI features in festive offers. Kindlife hosted a "Rizz, Riwaaz, Rave" event in Gurugram, blending beauty discovery with live commerce and AI-powered tools that are driving its expectation of 3x net revenue growth by March 2026. 

GIPSI's report noted that AI assistance in e-commerce was recovering abandoned carts and providing personalised recommendations, with 10 million Amazon India users trying Rufus, the platform's AI shopping assistant, while Myntra's Maya made users three times more likely to purchase. Consumr.ai's analysis found that personalisation trumped price, utility replaced novelty as premium, and excitement required more than just recycled offers. 

We spoke to agency professionals about what they observed during Diwali 2025, about the innovations that worked and whether AI truly cooked the festive dessert or just heated up leftovers.

Edited Excerpts:

Ajeeta Bharadwaj, Chief Strategy Officer, Wondrlab:

I think that any kind of innovation in a Diwali campaign is one of the toughest to carry off. Because this is the time when we are most culturally and tradition-bound. Indians are, at the core, an emotional people, wearing our hearts on our sleeves. And this is never more so than in a festival like Diwali, which is deeply coded into emotion, gifting, generosity of heart and reunions. Any innovation, whether in storytelling, execution, or use of tech, needs to work within these codes- stretching them, evolving them, even reinterpreting them, without outright challenging them. If this balance is broken, then our brain notes the novelty, but our heart doesn’t always accept it, and if the heart is not on board, then somewhere that defeats the very purpose of a Diwali campaign.

One festive campaign that really found the perfect balance between change and continuity this year was Ajio’s ‘This is how we festival’ campaign. It showcased a cluster of festivals from Pujo to Dussehra, staying true to the unique codes and moods of each festival, but reinterpreting them through a new-age and individualistic lens. Unlike the emotional, husky-voiced storytelling template of the typical festive ad, this one was a musical, with a foot-tapping, full-on swag musical refrain. Even the use of celebs was quite fresh because the context defined the celeb, rather than the other way round. Zeenat Aman was there to take the apology out of silver fashion, rather than the other way round. 

Some trends:

1. Intentional reinterpretation of gender roles

Since festivals are so rooted in tradition, the gender roles shown in the typical Diwali ad also tend to be traditional gender roles. The man will be the one buying gifts, being the face of ambitious India, playing provider. The woman will be the one preparing food, giving gifts, and holding the aarti ki thali. That’s why when there is a gender role swap, it automatically stands out and engages the viewer. This year’s Diwali ads, particularly, showed women in unconventional, empowering contexts. The Reliance Digital Diwali ad shows the woman as the TC of the train, who receives the Diwali thali and food from her husband and daughter. The HP Diwali ad shows a woman as the face of India’s MSME revolution, while maintaining the codes and moods of Diwali.

2. International reinterpretation of relationships

Diwali is all about relationships, but there are some pre-set assumptions that have been made without conscious thought. Many brands this year went about reinterpreting these relationship templates in their storytelling. For instance, when you go to give Diwali gifts to the young couple that has moved in next door, you assume it is a man and a woman. The Kwality Walls Diwali ad challenged that by choosing to show a same sex couple, while maintaining the Diwali codes of hospitality and offering meetha to guests. The reserved neighbours dynamic is one that Red Label ads first popularised, but using it in Diwali gifting contexts still makes the point.

3. Bringing Diwali laughter into the ads

I always thought it was a paradox that when people come together at Diwali, there is a lot of warmth and laughter, but Diwali ads seldom capture the laughter. This year, more brands experimented with humour. Laughter is contagious, so that in itself becomes a great engagement tool. Two examples that stood out: the first is Zepto’s Make soan papdi great again, which was sweet, simple and fun- just what Diwali needed, and so, the laughter spread across multiple platforms.

However, by far, one of the funniest ads that still managed to stay firmly anchored in a Diwali context was the Julie’s biscuits short film. Diwali is a time when relatives meet, and that much has been captured in ads. But what happens when these relatives meet is not just warmth, but also old memories, unfinished conversations and judgements. Bringing these to the fore in a fun way, through the relationship between a young woman and her ‘cool aunt’, brought laughter into the living room, and that felt a lot like Diwali.

4. Execution and tech to drive innovation

Two general trends across various brands are fresh execution styles and tech that created a new-age feel and drove engagement in their own right. The Julie’s biscuits ad was shot, taking heavy inspiration from a cowboy-style western, and this experimental style of execution makes it feel even more innovative. The Ajio ad was shot like a Diwali musical, with a foot-tapping refrain and cool dance moves. 

Tech is not just a great enabler of Diwali emotions and intentions, but it is also one of the best ways to engage the young. Engaging with technology is something that we fundamentally like to do. Technology also allows for creation and customisation, and this breaks the clutter of one-sided Diwali communication. The just-out Coke customisable festicons in collaboration with Google Gemini are just a sign of how AI will keep getting invited to Diwali ads in the next few years. 

Priyanka Bhatt, Founder, Equations PR & Media:

This Diwali, brands are moving beyond traditional festive storytelling to create experiences that truly connect. It’s not just about telling a story anymore; it’s about making people live it. Take BHIM’s ‘Meethi Diwali’ campaign, for instance. By turning everyday payments into acts of purpose that empower women artisans, the brand beautifully merges emotion, technology, and impact. Campaigns like these redefine engagement; they make consumers feel like participants in a shared celebration, not just an audience to it.

Rishabh Pande, Associate Creative Director, VIRTUE Asia:

Platforms like VEO3 and Nano Banana are now available in India, and many brands are turning to them as creative collaborators. Diwali has always been about the long-form, high-budget emotional narratives with briefs coming in months before Diwali. But with AI in the picture, we’re seeing brands and agencies can afford to wake up late and still generate snackable but cinematic storytelling at the cost of a platform membership fee.

Vikas Nowal, Founder & CEO at Interspace Communications:

Unlike previous years where Diwali advertising leaned heavily on nostalgia & celebrity visibility, this year’s work feels more participative & insight-driven. Brands are decoding regional nuances from Kali Puja in the East to Dhanteras in the West & crafting micro-narratives that feel intimate & relevant.

Sahil Jeet Singh, Senior Creative Director - Communication & Strategy at AdGlobal360:

The big spark of this Diwali and festival season is the explosive fusion of "Storytelling and technology". Brands and agencies are lighting up consumer journeys by delivering the right story at the right time on the right device, creating moments that resonate with people. Capturing not just the big moments but identifying micro-moments and crafting them into campaigns that capture attention instantly.

Meaningful engagement is driven by dynamic activations such as interactive videos, location-based communication and AI integration. This combination ensures that consumers experience festival campaigns that light up the path to create a deeper brand connection and celebration.

Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and Global CEO of Grapes Worldwide:

With Diwali already around the corner, brands are levelling up their game to capture the audience's attention. While resonating with the festive fervour, brands are continuously delving into impactful storytelling to reimagine narratives that are woven with purpose and personalisation, driving the audience to participate rather than remain passive spectators. In this, technology is acting as a guiding force for devising breakthrough campaigns. Industry players are adopting AI-powered personalisation with alacrity to optimise the content. At the same time, the integration of immersive AR/VR experiences is leaving no stone unturned in enhancing the festive narrative and bringing it to life among audiences.

Focusing on cohesive experiences through interactive social media filters, hyperlocal influencer collaborations, or data-led creative storytelling, all are working wonders in establishing deeper connections with the masses. Campaigns exhibiting a two-way emotional connection stand out from the rest, where the audience feels a personal connection with the brands. This evolution reflects how digital creativity, when guided by cultural insight, can make a brand part of the festive sentiment rather than just another message in the crowd.

Swati Nathani, Co-Founder and CBO of Team Pumpkin:

I think the narrative of love and emotions continues to be at the heart of most Diwali campaigns. However, the way it’s being expressed has become far more localised. For example, when we work on campaigns for different brands, we focus heavily on regional nuances instead of sticking to the generic Diwali themes of family bonding or helping the needy.

Another major shift is the rise of micro-content. Brands today want to make the most of platforms like Instagram and Google by leveraging user-generated content. Many are building campaigns where monthly content pieces spark participation and engagement from their audience.

Also, while Diwali remains a key festival, we’re now seeing brands expand their focus to other celebrations that are less cluttered, such as Onam, Pongal, Bhai Dooj, or Raksha Bandhan. These festivals are gaining importance because they allow brands to connect more meaningfully with audiences without competing for attention in the crowded Diwali space.



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