MUMBAI: Today group has launched its 'Happiness Month', not just a promotional wheeze, but a full-blown attempt to forge a brand IP, it claims. Think of it as a strategic play, a bit like a well-timed shot, designed to lock in customer loyalty and make channel partners feel good. It’s aiming for a 'Happiness First' mantra.

March, that crucial sales window, sees Today Group showering potential customers  with gifts that would make a sultan blush. We're talking whitegoods, gold coins (always a winner), motorbikes, the obligatory luxury cars, and, for the truly lucky few, international holidays. It's less a sales drive, more a full-on giveaway.

But it's not all about the buyers. The troops – read: employees - are getting a look-in too. Awards, incentives, and 'happiness letters' to the families – a touch of the sentimental, perhaps, but effective. The company has even thrown in a Women's Day movie screening (one hopes the popcorn was top-notch) and a sports day to get everyone's competitive juices flowing. Staff are encouraged to share their 'happy moments,' which could be a delightful exercise in team building, or a cunning way to harvest content for their social media.

Bhavesh Shah, joint managing director, insists they're transforming homebuying from a "mere transaction" into a "joyful milestone." Quite right. No one wants a dreary house purchase; they want a ruddy good show.

The campaign's visibility is being cranked up with out-of-home ads, print splashes, and radio bombardment. Today group is aiming for a "memorable home-buying experience," which, in marketing speak, means "spend your hard-earned cash here, and we'll make you feel like a million quid." And in this cut-throat market, a bit of theatricality is hardly a crime.