All the world’s a market, and all the men and women merely consumers, and every festival but reason to sell … would the Bard of Avon have said that had he lived today, buffeted by marketers who seem to spare no occasion to turn it into a marketing opportunity with special sales and promotions?

One would be hard-pressed to find a business that’s not exploiting Independence Day for a boost in sales, however tenuous the association. From brands pulling out orange, green and white apparel and other personal effects to midnight sales and special e-commerce deals to web hosting sites, you think you’ve seen it all, till something even more peculiar pops up the next year. And this is not to forget Republic Day which arrives with similar marketing efforts in January.

This year, there is much focus on the number 70 as India completed 69 years of freedom this week.

As there is on the word ‘destiny. Ramada Gurgaon Central offered diners an opportunity to “let your destiny pick up your discount”, which, for the luckier ones, can be as much as 100 per cent. Unplugged Courtyard in Connaught Place, New Delhi, was charging customers dressed in “any colour clothes of our India Flag” 70 per cent off on their food bill. Hyperlocal aggregator BookMeIn was offering a range of services from haircuts and massages to car washes and gym memberships at a flat Rs 70. HomeShop18 ran a Now or Never Sale offering discounts of up to 70 per cent.

In Independence Days of years past, there was an ironing board in green, white and saffron. There were sports socks too.

There was a ‘freedom brunch’ offering an Italian buffet for Rs 666. This year, an e-tail studio called Saiesta urged us to celebrate I-Day in traditional style by wearing its chikankari collection which it chose to call White Wash. Marketers have been urging us to break free from monotony by spending some money and buying something or the other.

Lenskart is organising a ‘freedom carnival’, so take your blinkers off and look for some glasses. Naaptol ran a sale on roti- and khakra -makers and food processors in saffron, green and white.

Even foreign brands got into the Independence Day spirit. Body Shop is offering tri-colour products from its stable. Last year, Oriflame put together Independence Day make-up looks with suggestions on how its eye shadow, liner and other cosmetics could be used to paint the tri-colour on one’s eyes.

Oh well, a brand’s got to do what a brand’s got to do, right? Carpe diem! One question, though: Why do most manifestations of the tricolour in I-Day-inspired products ignore the blue in the flag?

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