Exploring the world of Occasion Based Marketing

By Upasana Dua, AVP & Strategic Planning Director and Noor Samra, Sr. Account Planner 
(JWT, Gurgaon) 

In this study we deep dive into the relationship between F&B brands and consumption occasions, analyzing how brands have leveraged existing occasions or better yet, created new ones to successfully call theirs. 

The power of appropriating a consumption occasion is well known among marketers. Since “consumers eat by occasions, not by demographics or psychographics” owning a consumption occasion provides an opportunity to speak to consumers across the board and make particular brands top-of-mind, thereby making a brand synonymous with an occasion. 

Contrary to common belief, there’s much more to occasion-based marketing (OBM) than just day part occasions. Consumption occasions can be culled out by capitalizing on a news event or large scale public events. They can be crafted around the life cycle of the consumer or by expanding associations. 

Upon analyzing occasion based marketing by various brands in India and globally, we discovered that most OBM initiatives operate within a framework of propositions. Some address the consumer’s physiological needs (hunger), while others leverage an emotional state or a mood. Several OBM initiatives anchor themselves in real consumption occasions. While a few others break the mould and create new consumption occasions altogether! (See full report for brand plotting).

It also emerged that most F&B brand’s OBM initiatives are around the similar hooks, while only a few occupy the proposition space with most potential.

Can you guess which proposition space is the most leveraged one and which one is the least? Would you like to know which proposition space has the most potential for increasing frequency of purchase and emotional connect and why? To know the answers write to us… 

For more details on the complete study, please write to upasana.dua@jwt.com