Pujas ride sponsorship wave

Durga Puja in Kolkata has become increasingly popular among corporate sponsors, with market data indicating a 50 per cent rise in puja sponsorships this year.

Till last year, the puja committees responsible for organising Durga Puja at localities (called 'para' in Bengali) in the city, would see corporate sponsorships in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 3 crore, depending on the size of the puja.

This year, however, even mid-sized para-level pujas have bagged sponsorship up to Rs 1 crore, while the biggies grabbed sponsorships of up to Rs 6 crore.

This is driven by several local-level FMCG, telecom and garments companies who are looking to expand their businesses and therefore trying to grab more eyeballs through sponsoring local pujas in addition to the bigger established ones in the city.

The hike in sponsorships is also because companies have realised that it is no longer enough to just sponsor a puja and put up hoardings for visibility, said outdoor display media sources.

Corporates line-up a lot of activities during this time to connect with consumers and create a brand recall.

While a branded Durga Puja is a distinct possibility this year, several television channels and print media firms have adopted a few of the 10,000-odd pandals that are set up across the city.

Even big sponsors for the event like Airtel, for the first time this year, has adopted about three absolutely para-level Durga Puja.

Explained Ajay Puri, CEO-Bengal of Airtel, "This year we have not only increased our sponsorship value per Durga Puja, but have also identified local puja committees for sponsorships. This is because, Airtel is a mass brand and we wanted to tell people that Airtel is there to share happiness in their neighbourhood and at their doorstep."

Reliance Communications too has increased its number of sponsorships during Durga Puja.

A spokesperson of Reliance, while refusing to divulge sponsorship details, said "Reliance has sponsored about 10 more Durga Pujas and a total of 50 in the city this year. Our sponsorship value per puja has also gone up, since we sponsor activities at the pandals, in addition to the puja."

Reliance has identified strategic locations like South Kolkata, Ballygunge, Shyam Bazaar in the north of the city, to grab more eyeballs.

The biggest Durga Puja sponsors this year in Kolkata include the English daily The Telegraph from the Ananda Bazaar Patrika (ABP) group, Nestle, CESC, and Times of India, who have cumulatively sponsored over 200 pujas in Kolkata alone.

Telegraph alone has sponsored 102 pujas across the city in partnership with CESC and Nestle.

Hike in sponsorship money per corporate is also because of several para-level activities in pandals, in addition to sponsoring the puja itself.

Said a source at ABP, "It is no longer enough to just sponsor a puja and put up some hoardings for visibility. One also has to line-up a lot of activities during this time to connect with consumers and create a brand recall."

So, Telegraph this year has sponsored several first-time Durga Pujas in the city as the idea is to reach out to as many at their neighbourhood as possible instead of expecting the consumers to find celebrations outside their complex, organised by other puja committees.

For instance, the Natural View complex in Bidhannagar Road, which has 165 flats, will host its debut Durga Puja this year and has already bagged cumulative sponsorships worth Rs 1 crore. Part of the sponsorships will also go into activities such as spot quiz, antakshari, solo songs and orchestra, which are the highlights of this puja.

Similarly, at the Uttarpara Housing Complex in Hooghly, sponsors will award gold medals to students who have topped in the district, as part of the Durga Puja celebrations of the housing complex.