Who are 'gleamers' and do how they affect consumer behaviour and advertising

Leaving a toxic job, being a first-time voter, throwing a divorce party, brands and consumers are now appreciating the small joys of life—the minorstones

People oftentimes reward themselves for reaching a milestone. They buy gold or diamonds when they get married or have a baby, or buy a new car after a much-wanted promotion. But, in the race of celebrating the big moments, the small wins of life are often neglected. What about celebrating events like being a first-time voter or quitting a toxic job? The emerging “minorstone” culture is here to change that.

As per a recent study by trend forecasting site WSGN, an emerging set of consumers called Gleamers is gradually changing the face of consumer behaviour and advertising. Turning their back on just celebrating the traditional milestones like marriage or giving birth, these consumers are now branching out to appreciating the minorstones, or the small wins of life, that are more attainable and personal. Predicting them as an important consumer segment for 2026, WSGN states how this shift of celebrating the smaller achievements like leaving a toxic job, divorces, being loan-free, living alone, or even doing a headstand, can open up exciting opportunities for brands to connect with the cohort on a more personal level. As these consumers are drawn to anything that nurtures care, community, and happiness, they expect their brands to design their strategies for their “life stage” rather than their “biological age”, catering to a broader spectrum of life experiences and personal milestones.

A still from the Britannia Good Day’s Bank of Small Wins ad

Obviously, then, brands can’t be far behind. Britannia, in collaboration with Myntra and a creative agency called Talented, recently launched a campaign called Bank of Small Wins, that celebrated people’s small joy of finding forgotten money in their pockets. By creating their own currency (worth R15 lakh) in denominations ranging from R10 to R2,000, Britannia distributed these notes across random one lakh pieces of clothing like jeans, trousers, pajamas—basically anything with a pocket. These notes had the benefit of a cashback or freebies, which attracted the attention of the Gleamers and successfully cemented Britannia Good Day’s brand value. “The Britannia Good Day Bank of Small Wins campaign was conceptualised from the insight that happiness isn’t confined to grand celebrations but is often found in small, everyday moments that bring unexpected joy. This strategy is not just fun but impactful. By focusing on these small but meaningful victories, we connected with our audience on a deeper level, embedding the brand into their daily happiness. It’s this blend of creativity and connection that makes a campaign memorable,” said Amit Doshi, chief marketing officer of Britannia. Sanket Audhi, founding member and creative, and Prashant Gopalkrishnan, the founding partner of Talented, further added, “With Bank of Small Wins, we artificially engineered this moment of serendipity through a guerrilla brand activation, collaborating with India’s biggest fashion e-teller, Myntra, and turned pant pockets into an experience touchpoint, up ticking the sales of all partners by 11% over a month, and expanding the possibilities of marketing.”

Keigan Pinto, Former chief creative officer, FCB Ulka (West), feels that marketers often forget that if consumers love the brand, it will definitely sell. Focusing on smaller wins and immediate buying decisions, creates a personalised touch, which leads to consumers connecting to and loving the brand, says the advertising professional. “If a brand is discussing life in general, then it makes it more acceptable and authentic to the customers, thus increasing their sales,” he says. Marketing experts and advertisers further believe that focusing on these strategies can lead to personalised connections and immediate benefits for both, the brands and the consumers. “This sort of marketing strategy is beneficial for smaller and local brands, as they  often operate on limited budgets and manpower. Focusing on small wins can help them achieve progress without overextending their resources and generate a steadyy stream of content for marketing campaigns. These strategies also allow brands to stay agile, maintain customer engagement and geographically control the targeting of their campaings,” said Ajit Nair, managing director of MX Advertising over a call.

Amit Doshi, Chief Marketing Officer of Britannia

It’s not just affecting our buying patterns, but our consumption as well—be it in films or OTT shows, where the importance of celebrating minorstones is reflected in the major shift. A Drop of Yellow is a short film that beautifully defines this concept, by depicting how even a small fun activity like painting a fan could bring colours to a person’s monotonous life. The film also correlated with the concept of Gleamers, who are squeezed between the constant hustle culture and never-ending responsibilities, trying to find happiness in the small things of life. “People connected to this film as the audience resonated with the content on a more personal level. People find resonance with content that inspires them and reflect instances that happen in their daily lives,” said Anikait Malhotra, the director of A Drop of Yellow, over a call. 

Anikait Malhotra; Kartik Krishnan; Sanket Audhi; Prashant Gopalkrishnan and Keigan Pinto

It’s the relatable factor of enjoying every little moment of life, both good and bad, which what resonates with an audience, a factor Kartik Krishnan, Dice Media head of development, and actor on the popular Netflix show Little Things, observed. “Celebrating the small moments of life places your audience as a part of the content and become a sustainable strategy for business,” Krishnan signs off.

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