As brands increasingly look beyond metro markets to unlock growth in Bharat, culturally rooted storytelling is emerging as a powerful lever to drive deeper engagement and long-term brand affinity. VerSe Innovation’s “Urja Ka Vardaan” campaign for ITC Sunrise during Chhath Puja in Bihar exemplifies this shift—blending devotion, folklore, and digital-first formats to reconnect younger audiences with the meaning behind rituals, while delivering scale through data and creator ecosystems.
In this interaction with MediaNews4U, Umang Bedi, Co-Founder, VerSe Innovation, shares insights into the making of the campaign, the evolving role of cultural intelligence in marketing, and how brands can authentically engage with India’s diverse regional landscape while leveraging AI, creators, and platforms for meaningful impact.
Q) What was the core consumer insight behind “Urja Ka Vardaan,” and how did you translate it into a scalable cultural storytelling campaign around Chhath Puja?
Chhath Puja is one of the most sacred festivals in Bihar. It’s not really a celebration in the conventional sense—it’s an act of devotion. It’s about discipline, faith, and a deep spiritual connection, with rituals passed down through generations.
A VerSe-led study brought out a subtle but important shift. While participation was still very strong, especially among younger audiences, the meaning behind the rituals was starting to fade. People were doing everything right, but not always knowing why.
That insight shaped Urja Ka Vardaan. Instead of showing up as a brand during Chhath Puja, we focused on how we could contribute meaningfully to the culture by bringing back its stories in formats that feel natural and engaging for today’s audience.
We brought this to life through a devotional film and song with Maithili Thakur, supported by folk art-inspired animation, creators, and utility-led engagement. The idea was simple: if you get the cultural truth right, scale follows naturally.
Q) Was this campaign conceived primarily as a cultural narrative or a performance-driven marketing exercise, and how did you strike the balance between authenticity and scale?
It began as a cultural narrative. With a festival like Chhath, you cannot approach it as a performance-first marketing exercise. It is deeply sacred and personal, so the first responsibility is to get the intent and storytelling right.
Once that foundation was in place, everything else followed. We focused on authenticity at every layer—from choosing a voice like Maithili Thakur, who represents the region, to using folk art forms and storytelling styles that people instantly recognise and trust. Even ITC Sunrise’s presence was kept subtle, because the moment itself is bigger than any brand.
Scale was then built around how this audience actually consumes content today. We adapted the story across formats, worked with regional creators, and used platforms deeply embedded in these communities.
For us, it was never a trade-off between authenticity and scale. When you stay true to the culture, scale becomes a natural outcome rather than something you have to chase.
Q) Do you see culturally rooted storytelling—mythology, folklore, devotion—becoming a long-term brand-building lever in India, rather than just a seasonal festive tactic?
Yes, and honestly, it is already happening. Culture in India has never been seasonal—it is always present. Festivals simply bring it to the surface.
What’s interesting now is how younger audiences are engaging with it. They are not moving away from tradition; they just want to experience it in ways that feel more relevant today.
For brands, that changes the role they can play. It’s not about showing up during a festival and then disappearing. It’s about becoming part of the cultural fabric in a more consistent and meaningful way.
When you do that, you move beyond awareness or recall and start becoming part of how people see their identity and roots. That’s far more enduring than any festive campaign.
Q) What does this campaign reveal about younger vernacular users today—are they actively seeking deeper cultural context, or simply more engaging formats of familiar traditions?
It’s a bit of both, and that’s what makes it interesting. Younger users are not necessarily seeking deeper cultural context in a traditional sense, but they are very open to it when it is presented in engaging and relevant ways. The intent to connect is there—it just needs the right format.
What we saw was that when you take something familiar, like Chhath, and layer it with storytelling, music, and visual formats they already consume, depth follows naturally. People begin engaging, asking questions, sharing, and even discussing it within their circles.
So it’s not about choosing between depth or format. Format becomes the gateway to depth.
Q) How did VerSe Innovation leverage AI, data, and its ecosystem to identify, personalise, and scale this campaign effectively?
It started with data. A VerSe-led study helped uncover the insight around the gap between participation and understanding among younger audiences during Chhath. That shaped the campaign’s direction and target audience.
From there, platforms like Dailyhunt and other social channels were used for wide distribution across relevant audiences in the region.
AI and data played a key role in optimising this distribution—personalising content across cohorts, prioritising formats based on consumption patterns, and ensuring the storytelling appeared in ways that felt natural to each user.
The WhatsApp chatbot added a utility layer, delivering ritual guidance and timings during Chhath, turning engagement into active participation.
It was a combination: data shaped the insight, while AI and the ecosystem scaled it effectively at a local level.
Q) Regional creators played a key role in amplification. How is their influence reshaping trust, engagement, and storytelling compared to traditional influencer or celebrity-led campaigns?
We are seeing a clear shift from reach to relatability. Regional creators bring lived authenticity—they speak the same language, understand the context, and are part of the same cultural fabric.
In this campaign, that made a big difference. The story didn’t remain just a brand narrative—it became something people interpreted and shared in their own way.
Celebrities still drive scale, but creators drive trust and participation. Increasingly, it’s that participation that shapes how stories travel within communities.
Q) Beyond viewership metrics, what tangible business outcomes did the campaign deliver for ITC Limited’s Sunrise brand in Bihar, particularly in terms of brand salience or market impact?
For ITC Sunrise, the key outcome was a shift in brand salience. Spontaneous awareness in Bihar moved from 30% in September 2024 to 39% in November 2025, immediately after the campaign.
Alongside this, the campaign delivered scale—5.5 million-plus YouTube views and over 40 million influencer video views.
More importantly, engagement was active. Over 45,000 users interacted with the WhatsApp layer for ritual guidance, showing participation rather than passive consumption.
This helped reposition Sunrise from a kitchen brand to one that is culturally rooted in the region.
Q) With regional festivals gaining prominence, how should brands rethink their festive marketing playbooks beyond the traditional, metro-centric approach?
The shift is from a metro-first lens to a culture-first one. Regional festivals are deeply rooted in local identity, so brands must start by understanding the context—not just translating national campaigns.
This means building locally: using regional insights, collaborating with local creators, and showing up on relevant platforms.
Intent is equally important. When brands genuinely add value to culture, audiences respond far more positively, leading to stronger engagement and long-term impact.
Q) What are the key principles brands should follow to replicate such culturally rooted campaigns across other regions without diluting authenticity?
It starts with respecting the culture. Every region has its own nuances, so there is no one-size-
fits-all approach.
Understanding local context, working with credible voices like creators and cultural experts, and
maintaining restraint in branding are key.
Most importantly, campaigns must be built for the audience—not the brand—ensuring formats
and platforms align with how people naturally engage.
Q) As India’s digital ecosystem evolves, what will define winning brands in Bharat—cultural intelligence, creator ecosystems, or AI-driven distribution?
It’s not one over the other—it’s the combination of all three.
Cultural intelligence is the foundation. Creator ecosystems bring relatability and trust. Technology and AI-driven distribution ensure scale and relevance.
Winning brands in Bharat will be those that integrate all three—starting with culture, building through creators, and scaling through technology while keeping the experience personal and meaningful.
