Grocery delivery platform Swiggy Instamart partnered with daily newspaper The Times of India (TOI) on an olfactory experience to promote India’s peak mango season. On 2 June 2024, the TOI Sunday Times front page featured a vivid, full-page visual of mangoes imbued with the fruit’s fragrance. Readers were invited to ‘read this ad with your nose’ for a complete sensory experience. Approximately 800,000 copies of the special edition were distributed.
On the surface, it's a prime example of multi-sensory marketing. In an increasingly digital world, where AI dominates headlines, physical acts like a mango-scented newspaper still stand out, adding surprise and delight to people's daily lives.
More fundamentally, the campaign taps into a significant cultural moment. Indians are passionate about their mangoes — social media often buzzes with debates about the best varieties. The fruit's limited annual availability also creates a festive feeling around 'mango season.’ Swiggy Instamart effectively inserts itself into consumer conversations through its well-timed ad, building brand affinity and potentially driving conversion.
While holiday marketing — and marketing holidays — are a longstanding practice, could your brand capture consumer attention by leveraging unique cultural moments instead?