Snapdeal prepares '360 degree' marketing blitz for Diwali

Online marketplace Snapdeal will invest Rs200 crore on a ''360 degree'' marketing campaign over the next 60 days in the run-up to the upcoming Diwali festive season, the company said in a statement.

According to some estimates last year, cash-rich ecommerce firms such as Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, and Paytm as well as smaller startups together burned around Rs2,000 crore in the four months around Diwali as they tried to wean away more consumers from traditional stores to online marketplaces during the all-important festival season.

Snapdeal said the new campaign will be launched next month on television, YouTube, print, digital and social media and will also be seen outdoors on billboards and external installations.

The marketing investments, while timed with the festive season, are also part of a longer term effort to create a distinctive positioning for Snapdeal, the statement said.

"Diwali is the most relevant shopping season in India and we have decided to leverage this opportunity to strengthen our distinct position in consumers' mind. It is not just advertising, but our whole ecosystem is gearing for the season. Our platform and logistics are geared to handle huge surges as India gets into the festive spirit, while our sellers are readying their stocks to offer the best assortment and choices to our consumers," said Kanika Kalra, vice president-marketing at Snapdeal.