Advertising industry in India – statistics & facts

India’s advertising industry plays an important role, like in other world markets, in shaping sentiments towards products and services in the minds of its consumers. The brand recall for several companies over the decades has hung solely on the balance of their advertisements. From the “utterly, butterly delicious” Amul cartoon girl, to Vodafone’s Zoozoos, and being a Complan boy/girl, among numerous other tag lines that are synonymous with specific consumables, it comes as no surprise that the country has one of the most successful ad markets in the world.

Digital accounts for over half of India’s ad revenues

As of 2022, the Indian advertising market achieved a historical milestone of expanding into a trillion rupee industry. As predicted, the penetration of digitalization in everyday life has made digital media theleading source of ad revenue, having overtaken television. Nonetheless, television in India remains the booming source for ads among traditional media – thanks mostly to a sustained love for daily soaps, reality shows, movies, and cricket in particular.

Meanwhile, digital advertising in India continued to grow at a tremendous rate. Propelled by the Digital India initiative and the rapid adoption of smartphones with the availability of cheap data, mobile ads made up the largest share within this segment. Other catalysts included the decreasing urban-rural gap, enabling a more homogenous reach of all online content. This led to the rise of social media advertising in the country and online video being the preferred ad format.

Print continued to retain an integral position for ads among traditional media in spite of a slow growth rate. This was complemented by the continuing morning routine of reading newspapers along with the first cup of chai in many households. However, the surge in production costs coupled with the digitization of several publications predict a rocky future for the country’s massive print industry.

The flagbearers of Indian advertising

The fast-moving consumer goods market contributed the most in terms of ad spends in India. E-commerce recorded the highest growth rates compared to other categories. Cricket seasons, specifically the Indian Premier League, make for special competition between brands, putting forth their best and brightest scripts and copies. Celebrity endorsements play a major role in all formats, regardless of ad category or month of the year. Advertising during festive seasons, centered particularly around Diwali,lead to a surge in sales every year. Additionally, election years ensured a wave of new ads by the government and other political parties.