In an exclusive interaction with MediaBrief, Praveen Ramaswamy, Chief Marketing Officer – Eastern Business Unit, Orkla India, speaks about how the brand approaches cultural occasions, including the regionally relevant Onam, its broader strategy to build long-term consumer relevance, and how Eastern combines TV, digital, influencers, retail, and on-ground experiences to stay connected with consumers. Read on.
Eastern, the Kerala-rooted condiments brand under Orkla India, has evolved over four decades from a spice brand into a broader food portfolio, while building a strong connect with Malayali consumers in Kerala and across the globe.
That cultural connection makes festive occasions, particularly Onam, an important part of Eastern’s marketing calendar. Ramaswamy explains how the brand approaches the festive opportunity while building relevance beyond the season.
When asked about the importance of Onam to Eastern and the role it plays in the brand’s festive marketing strategy, the CMO says, “Onam is one of the biggest festivals for Malayalis in Kerala and across several other states in South India. But it’s not just about Onam for us. Every festival is important. Eastern is deeply integrated into cultural rituals across festivals, be it Onam, Christmas, or Ramadan.”
Making Eastern part of everyday traditions
Speaking about the role of festive seasons in the brand’s growth strategy, Ramaswamy says, “At Eastern, we believe that integrating with festive seasons is not just a communication theme. For us, it is a long-term growth driver. Many of the categories and products we operate in are part of daily cooking habits. These occasions, and Onam in particular, help us create additional moments of engagement through the year and, most importantly, build brand love with consumers.”
He continues, “When a brand like Eastern becomes part of rituals and traditions, it earns a place in consumers’ hearts that goes far beyond a festive period or an Onam campaign. That’s why building cultural relevance across Onam and other festivals remains one of our key endeavours.”
With Onam 2026 now behind us, when asked about the response to Eastern’s campaigns and initiatives, Ramaswamy says, “Onam continues to be a very important occasion for Eastern, as it has been over the years. We are encouraged by the strong response to the initiatives we have executed. We’ve created a complete consumer journey around the season, as most brands do.
He adds, “From a performance and output perspective, we’ll need to wait until the season concludes before commenting on results. However, from a marketing perspective, I can definitely say that consumer engagement across our campaigns and on-ground initiatives has been very encouraging. This reinforces our belief in a culture-led approach and the strong bond that Malayalis share with the Eastern brand. I think that bond only gets stronger every year.”
How Eastern is adapting to faster consumer journeys
As media consumption fragments and purchase decisions increasingly shift to digital platforms, the traditional awareness-consideration-purchase funnel is being reassessed. With consumers moving from discovery to purchase faster, speaking about this new marketing reality, Ramaswamy says, “The funnel isn’t broken. Some processes have become much faster with the advent of quick commerce, e-commerce and other new channels. Fundamentally, the consumer hasn’t changed. What has changed is the way consumers experience communication, make purchases and access information before buying a product.
“Traditionally, awareness was built through television and other mass media before moving toward trial and purchase. In today’s digital commerce environment, many of these stages have collapsed into a much shorter time frame.
“At Eastern, our endeavour is to integrate consumer understanding, data and the fundamentals of brand building. Ultimately, these still contribute to the funnel from awareness to purchase. The key difference is that we must now follow consumers through multiple touchpoints. It’s not just about being present; it’s about being meaningfully present.
“Today, a consumer may purchase a product after seeing it for the first time online if they’re convinced within a very short window. That’s why we spend a lot of time understanding consumer behaviour, how journeys are changing and how we can continue to stay relevant as a brand.
“The question is: how do we remain part of their evolving brand experience and show up at the right moments, so they continue to experience the brand positively?” Ramaswamy adds.
How Eastern connects with consumers across touchpoints
Explaining how the brand is adapting its media mix to stay relevant across these multiple touchpoints, Ramaswamy says, “Our mix has evolved around the customer journey. We’ve invested significantly in understanding how that journey has changed. We also see differences across generations. A Gen Z consumer journey can differ from that of a traditional Malayali or a new-age Malayali.
“Based on those insights, our Onam campaign this year spanned television, digital platforms, influencers, reels, WhatsApp and, importantly, retail and live experiences. The latter has become a very critical component.
“It’s a full 360-degree approach designed to cover all relevant touchpoints. Consumers no longer experience brands through a single channel. They engage through multiple channels throughout the day.”
He continues, “Someone might watch television in the morning, check WhatsApp during the day and spend time on Instagram later. Our goal is to be part of that entire journey with the right communication at each moment.
“Rather than planning channels independently, we focus on designing connected experiences. We try to maintain the same theme, cultural relevance and messaging across every touchpoint so that each interaction reinforces the same story. At a broader level, consumers retain a consistent understanding of the brand.”
Ramaswamy adds, “Television helps build emotion and reach. Digital drives engagement and content consumption. Influencers add authenticity. A single credible review can significantly influence how people view your product.
“We’ve also invested heavily in retail displays because in-store visibility can influence purchase decisions when consumers are physically making buying choices.
“The objective isn’t simply to be everywhere. It’s to be meaningfully present when consumers are most receptive rather than intrusive.”
How Eastern balances brand building with performance marketing
The conversation around the media mix also brings up the balance between brand and performance marketing. As marketers face increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable outcomes, balancing immediate conversions with long-term brand building remains a key consideration. Touching upon this, the CMO says, “Both are equally important.”
Elaborating, he says, “Performance marketing has become increasingly critical with the growth of quick commerce and changing purchase behaviours. It drives short-term outcomes and decisions.
“However, enduring brands like Eastern have built their strength through emotional relevance and cultural connections with consumers. Those aspects cannot be built solely through performance marketing.
“For us,” he says, “culture is not just a communication theme. It is a long-term growth driver. Performance marketing creates demand and drives conversions, while broader brand campaigns build emotional connections and reinforce brand relevance. It’s the combination of the two that matters,” Ramaswamy adds.
Eastern looks beyond festive spikes to everyday relevance
While festive occasions serve as opportunities to deepen consumer engagement, the focus should extend beyond seasonal spikes. Speaking on this score, Ramaswamy says, “Most of our categories are part of everyday cooking habits and daily consumption. Cultural occasions such as Onam, Vishu and Ramadan help us create additional moments of engagement, both through on-ground activities and performance marketing.
He continues, “While these occasions help generate additional traffic towards our stores and products, our larger objective is to remain relevant every day because these are daily-use products, not products meant only for festive periods.”
