1 city, 30 days and 5 crore people
Often when people talk about Kumbh Mela, we picture lakhs of priests and believers taking a dive in the holy water to find the elixir to eternal life. Every 12 years the city lights up with the spirit and enthusiasm that brings millions to Ujjain where a month long festivities awaits them.
This attracts the tourists to the event but what makes them stay is beyond few stories, it is the coming together of the government and the people that create an experience for the visitors. The description does not do justice to how grandeur the event is expected to do. People have learn through their mistakes and tried to provide for any contingency that might take place.
Months of preparation by the government and approximately 3000 crore of investment brings to life, Simhastha – Kumbh Mela in Ujjain. Tabloids have approximated that an expenditure of 362 crore has been made on roads and another 200 crore on providing health and sanitation facilities. 34, 000 public toilets plus 15, 000 bathrooms with 10,000 urinals are planned to cover the hygiene issues whereas health has been preserved with a hospital consisting of 450 beds with free accidental insurance worth 2 lakh for every visitor. The total budget was estimated to be 3092 crore rupees as against 262 crore rupees the last time. The biggest attention seeking detail here is the flow of currency that would take place during this month, spending of the visitors can induce up to 10,000 crore rupees into the market.
It does not take an expert to forecast the monetary implications such an event can leave on the state, the simple linkages that can be found between Simhastha and the business that can benefit out of its mere occurrence.
How you wonder?
Well, this brings us to a Marketer’s point of view to the event:-
- Visibility .
- Massive Audience
- Participating Crowd
- Cost Efficiency
It is estimated that people from 100 different countries are going to visit this Mela with Indian pouring in from every direction. This provides a massive reach without having to go the extra mile- an audience varied in demographics as well as needs. The largest congregation on the planet is a perfect ground to provide maximum mileage to brand activation campaigns. A blend of carefully carved strategy and on ground conceptualization of the same can provide the reach required to create a brand.
All In all – a marketing haven perfect to build a brand. Everything that looks so good on paper may or may not work out in the real world. Fortunately, we have examples to prove that this, however is an opportunity too good to miss out.
Ascent Communication with a team of 100 dedicated members have seen this play out in the Gwalior Mela for over 12 years. From creation of temporary structures to providing unparalleled services, this team has done it all. Unique ideas are what mark the think difference between marketing and brand building. Using Simhastha as a platform is one such idea.
