Diwali goes digital, discounted, and 10-min delivered: Are Diwali ads trading emotion for efficiency?
As e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms turn Diwali into a ten-minute affair, brands walk a tightrope between celebrating modern convenience and commodifying festive connection.
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There was a time when Diwali ads weren’t just campaigns - they were cultural touchstones. The flicker of a diya, a father returning home early with sweets, a child lighting sparklers under the watchful gaze of her grandmother. They weren’t selling a product; they were selling a feeling.
Cut to 2025, and Diwali feels different.
The glow of convenience now outshines the warmth of tradition. Celebration has become a service- delivered, discounted, and digitally driven.
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Whether it’s a gold coin at your doorstep or a mithai box chosen by an algorithm, India’s most emotional festival has been rebranded for the age of instant gratification.
A Festive Season on Fast-Forward
This year’s festive campaigns read like a race against time and bandwidth. Swiggy Instamart’s new Diwali film, for instance, turns the pun into profit. After last year’s nostalgic spin with Sona Kitna Sona Hai, it returns with “Asli Sona” herself- Sonakshi Sinha. The campaign highlights ten-minute deliveries of everything from gold coins to groceries, positioning speed not just as a service, but as a selling point for auspiciousness itself.
Zepto, another quick-commerce giant, has taken things a notch higher and funnier. After last year’s viral “Make Soan Papdi Great Again” campaign, the brand has launched Mithai Wars 2025, a “sweet election” in partnership with Haldiram’s, where Indians vote for their favourite mithai. It’s meme-worthy marketing at its finest: a fusion of politics, nostalgia, and sugar rush.
Even traditional categories are catching up. Kalyan Jewellers’ celebrity-studded Diwali sale blitz focuses on “discounts on making charges,” while Crocs’ “ShareTheJoy” speaks to consumers who want everything- comfort, convenience, and culture- on demand.
The underlying message is clear: why wait when you can celebrate faster?
The Convenience Conundrum
Mohit Hira, Co-founder of Myriad Communications, believes the shift is both inevitable and revealing. “Modern urban life is all about convenience, and brands that make life easier connect better with consumers,” he says.
“The commodification of festivals began years ago- remember Big Bazaar’s massive Diwali sales? That spending splurge never stopped.”
Hira points to Cadbury Celebrations as one of the few early examples that balanced emotion and persuasion. “They struck the perfect note between warmth and purchase intent,” he says.
“Today’s brands are more in-your-face, but that’s life. Conspicuous consumption and festive joy now coexist comfortably.”
Indeed, the line between emotional connection and consumer convenience has blurred. The festive ad has evolved from storytelling to speed-selling.
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Offers, cashbacks, and ten-minute delivery promises have replaced long narratives and slow emotional builds. Attention spans have shrunk, and advertising has adapted.
As PR and communications advisor Anup Sharma notes, “The battle is for attention and time. The new generation has higher disposable income but lower patience. Between office deadlines and traffic jams, consumers want the festival without the fatigue.”
When Delivery Becomes Devotion
But is this transformation necessarily hollow? Not everyone thinks so.
Chandan Mendiratta, Chief Brand Officer at Zepto, insists that convenience can enable connection, not erase it. “Modern urban life leaves people stretched for time,” he says.
“Our goal is to help them spend less time on chores and more time celebrating meaningfully. Technology should serve tradition, not replace it.”
Mithai Wars 2025 reflects that ethos. It isn’t just a gimmick; it’s a digital reimagining of the great Indian mithai debate- Rasgulla versus Soan Papdi, Gulab Jamun versus Kaju Katli. By gamifying nostalgia, Zepto injects warmth, humour, and community into what could have been just another sales push.
In other words, even in the algorithm age, emotion still sells - just faster.
The Urban Reality: Less Ritual, More Relief
Jackie J. Thakkar, creative director and stand-up comedian, sees the shift as a natural adaptation to urban chaos. “Think about it,” he says. “Why would someone step out onto potholed roads and crowded markets when diyas, rangoli, and festive outfits can arrive in minutes? Convenience isn’t killing tradition; it’s keeping people sane.”
For Thakkar, the key lies in positioning. “Don’t sell convenience as detachment. Sell it as empowerment,” he says.
“The brands that frame themselves as enablers of a more effortless, meaningful Diwali- not replacements for it- will strike the right balance.”
He’s not wrong. The convenience narrative also carries a deeper, often overlooked truth: it liberates time, especially for women, who have historically shouldered the burden of festive preparation.
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As Vishal Shrivastava, Head of Business Strategy at AnyMind Group, points out, “Let’s not romanticize all the labour that went into traditional Diwali prep. Some of it was meaningful, yes. But some of it was just exhausting. If doorstep delivery gives someone time to light diyas with their kids instead of worrying about whether they bought enough oil, is that really a cultural loss?”
Another notable shift this year is the rise of creators as the faces of Diwali. The storytelling medium has moved from the TV screen to the smartphone feed. Short, snackable reels now carry the festive message. An influencer might show a “last-minute Diwali decor hack” sponsored by Amazon, or a 10-second transition video turning cluttered living rooms into Insta-worthy setups, courtesy of Urban Ladder.
“The medium has changed, not the emotion,” says Shrivastava. “Creators bring immediacy and relatability. Data-driven tools like AnyTag help brands choose influencers who align with their tone. The story is no longer about the product—it’s about what that product enables.”
Between Commerce and Culture
Of course, the debate continues: are brands liberating consumers from festive fatigue, or turning Diwali into a transactional ritual?
Hira sums it up with brutal honesty: “Relationships are transactional these days- social media, commerce, even celebration. A savvy businessman will cash in, regardless of his beliefs.”
Yet there’s still room for heart. Campaigns like Amaze Inverters’ Mirchi Lights, which transformed a power brand into a story of parental comfort, or Adani Realty’s handwritten festive cards, show that emotion and efficiency can coexist.
“The best Diwali ads aren’t the loudest or most discounted,” says Sharma. “They’re the most authentic. The glow of a screen can never replace the warmth of a diya but the smartest brands will know how to make both shine together.”
Ultimately, Diwali 2025 is neither purely devotional nor entirely digital- it’s both. It reflects a society where connection has become mediated by convenience, where storytelling is measured in seconds, and where celebration is just another service: personalized, trackable, and instantly delivered.
Yet the essence remains unchanged. The diya still burns. The difference is that now, someone else brings the oil.
