Tanishq “shares the light” as it celebrates Diwali with a wider circle of friends

Tanishq has launched “Share the Light”, a Diwali campaign built around the idea that, for Indian families living in the Gulf, the traditions of the festival remain familiar while the circle of people celebrating alongside them has grown.

Running across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, the campaign brings together “Share the Light” and “India-wali Diwali” to recognise a celebration that includes not only relatives, but also neighbours, colleagues and friends who have become family.

The work combines that emotional proposition with a specific commercial objective: encouraging families to visit Tanishq stores during the festive season.

Rather than applying the same approach across the GCC, the brand has assigned each market a different role, reflecting its local presence and customer behaviour.

In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Aditya Kejriwal, Head of Marketing, Jewellery International, Titan Company Ltd, explained that the ambition was to participate in the celebration without making the brand its centre.

“We wanted Tanishq to be part of that shift by earning a place in the celebration rather than asking for attention,” he said.

“Share the Light” launched on 12 October and runs until 11 November, with activity moving through the Indian festivals of Navratri, Dussehra, Karva Chauth, Diwali and Bhai Dooj.

The opening phase introduced the idea through a campaign film on YouTube and connected TV (CTV). Outdoor activity across the UAE included Sheikh Zayed Road, lamp posts in Abu Dhabi, buses and more than 250 digital screens, supported by further outdoor sites in Kuwait.

Creators began sharing their Diwali preparations, while a content series with Curly Tales and Rannvijay Singha added another strand to the rollout.

Around Karva Chauth, radio introduced festival-specific activity, including Karva Chauth and Spot the Moon segments, while social content followed the occasions as they arrived.

The peak phase runs from 30 October to Diwali on 8 November. Radio activity spans eight stations across the UAE and Qatar, with more than 1,000 spots in Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil.

The plan includes title sponsorship of Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan on Radio 4 and Gold FM, alongside Ghar Ghar Mein Diwali on City 101.6, with radio presenters visiting Tanishq stores.

“Partnering on festive shows they already listen to, rather than only buying spots around them, puts Tanishq inside the celebration,” Kejriwal said.

The campaign’s starting point was how its audience celebrates Diwali in the Gulf, rather than an assumption that the occasion is primarily about missing home.

According to Kejriwal, the woman at the centre of the strategy is both fully Indian and fully part of life in the Gulf. Her celebration retains the traditions she grew up with, but the people taking part reflect the relationships she has built where she lives.

“In Hindi we call the people closest to us apne log. For an Indian family in the Gulf, that circle is wider than it would be back home, and that is the insight the campaign is built on,” Kejriwal said.

He added, “Share the Light says the light of Diwali grows when you share it, and India wali Diwali says the celebration itself has not changed, only the circle has grown.”

The campaign also responds to what the brand describes as a desire for warmth and relief after a difficult year in the region.

Kejriwal said much of the jewellery purchased during that period had been bought for security; the festive season offered an opportunity to reconnect the purchase with family and celebration.

That informed a restrained, hopeful tone, with Tanishq remaining in the background of the story. The brand’s Gold Rate Protection offer has separate communication, keeping the promotional message distinct from the creative idea.

One campaign, different market objectives

Store visits sit at the centre of the campaign’s planning.

“Fine jewellery is still chosen in person, at the counter, often with two or three generations of the family together, so store visits are what we plan everything around,” Kejriwal said.

In the UAE, Tanishq’s most established GCC market, the priority is converting consideration into purchase while building awareness of its newer Abu Dhabi stores.

Qatar and Kuwait are growth markets, with a greater emphasis on awareness and footfall. In Qatar, the campaign coincides with two new store openings and the relaunch of existing stores. It also addresses men buying jewellery for their families, alongside the campaign’s primary female audience.

In Oman, the focus is more local: reaching customers in the neighbourhoods surrounding Tanishq stores and encouraging them to visit.

This is evident in the media choices. Kejriwal revealed that recommendations and community voices carry particular weight in Kuwait, while experience in Qatar had shown the importance of maintaining a continuous presence rather than relying on short bursts of activity.

Each channel has been selected for its role in the journey from noticing the campaign to entering a store.

Film and outdoor carry the creative idea, while radio and creators place it within familiar voices and festive routines. Search, Performance Max, retargeting and geofencing are intended to guide people already looking for jewellery towards their nearest Tanishq store. The brand also has a presence on Noon.

The UAE carries the most visible outdoor activity and the heaviest conversion focus. Qatar combines the campaign with store-launch shoots and local-platform placements. Kuwait’s activity includes community publications such as Times Kuwait and Indians in Kuwait, alongside outdoor and creators.

In Oman, video, social and creator content are targeted around the neighbourhoods served by the stores. PR supports the campaign across all four markets.

The primary audience is the Indian woman in the Gulf who plans her household’s Diwali celebrations and influences purchases for herself, gifting and the family. Communications reach them in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and English. The campaign also addresses festive visitors in the UAE.

Alongside Rannvijay Singha and Curly Tales, Tanishq is working with 15 creators across the four markets, with content phased around the different festivals.

The brief asks creators to tell the story of their own Diwali, allowing jewellery to appear as part of the occasion rather than making it the sole subject.

“That keeps the content honest and close to the idea of Share the Light, and it gives the campaign a different voice in each community it reaches,” Kejriwal said.

The approach is designed to connect the overarching brand idea with celebrations that feel personal to each creator and recognisable to their audience.

Success will be assessed against the objectives set for each market, with store visits the common measure.

In the UAE, Tanishq will examine the movement from consideration to purchase.

In Qatar and Kuwait, it will monitor awareness and footfall, including traffic at Qatar’s new and relaunched stores.

In Oman, the focus will be store awareness and visits from surrounding neighbourhoods.

Regional measures include walk-ins against targets, digitally generated store visits and direction requests, and the connection between digital activity and in-store sales.

The campaign continues until 11 November, while the separately communicated Gold Rate Protection offer ends on 8 November.…Read more by Anup Oommen