Durga Pujo has evolved past static banners. This year, corporate brands shifted their focus entirely toward experiential BTL marketing. By creating high-utility zones, architectural wonders, and massive tech displays, agencies turned the entire city into an interactive playground.
Here is a quick look at the top innovations from Pujo 2026 and the minds behind them.
Instead of fighting for road space, BotLab Dynamics took to the skies with a massive drone show at Eden Gardens during Mahalaya. A fleet of coordinated drones formed giant, glowing images of Maa Durga for over 40,000 live spectators.
Agency Perspective: “Pujo marketing is no longer about static hoardings. Brands want absolute awe. Moving to the sky means thousands of people look up, record it and instantly share your brand on social media.”
Pandal-hopping is exhausting, and brands capitalized on this by solving real consumer problems. Hocco Ice Cream set up dedicated "Chill Zones" and gave free Toto (e-rickshaw) rides at Ballygunge Cultural Association, offering tired visitors immediate physical relief.
Brand Custodian Perspective: “We didn’t just want to shout from a billboard. We wanted to be a helpful part of the consumer’s journey. When you solve a real problem like heat and fatigue, your brand becomes unforgettable.”
Brands also integrated their actual products into the physical structures of the pandals.
For high-volume brands, Pujo is all about scale. DS Group executed its 'Pujoy Pulse' campaign by saturating high-footfall zones across West Bengal with interactive games, retail kiosks, and custom entry gates, making the brand impossible to miss.
BTL Agency Owner: “Executing these massive structures takes months of planning,” says Sandeep Bajaj, Founder of Kolkata-based agency BESI Marketing Solutions. “From structural safety audits to managing crowd flow for product sampling, the real innovation lies in the ground-level logistics.”