As media consumption diversifies across a myriad of platforms during the festive season, advertisers are navigating a complex landscape to maximize their festive season ad budgets. “During festive seasons, such as Christmas, Diwali, or New Year, advertisers face the challenge of ensuring visibility across a variety of media touchpoints while maximizing return on investment (ROI),” says Deleise Ross, Senior VP & Business Head, Mudramax.
TV still commands significant festive ad spend, especially for big-budget campaigns that focus on mass reach. However, advertisers are more selective, prioritizing prime-time slots and integrating with digital strategies (such as using QR codes or encouraging social media engagement). Advertisers are blending their festive campaigns across multiple platforms to create an omnichannel experience.
In a chat with Storyboard18, Deleise Ross, Senior VP & Business Head, Mudramax, explains how with festive shopping on the rise, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, and even social commerce platforms see substantial ad spending.
Edited excerpts:
Given the increasing fragmentation of media consumption, how are advertisers allocating festive ad budgets across different platforms? Can you provide a breakdown of the percentage of spend on TV, digital, including CTV, OTT, and other channels?
As media consumption becomes increasingly fragmented across various digital, traditional, and emerging platforms, advertisers are adjusting their festive ad budgets to reach their target audiences more effectively. During festive seasons, such as Christmas, Diwali, or New Year, advertisers face the challenge of ensuring visibility across a variety of media touchpoints while maximizing return on investment (ROI).
TV still commands significant festive ad spend, especially for big-budget campaigns that focus on mass reach. However, advertisers are more selective, prioritizing prime-time slots and integrating with digital strategies (such as using QR codes or encouraging social media engagement). Advertisers are blending their festive campaigns across multiple platforms to create an omnichannel experience.
For instance, a campaign might start on TV with a teaser, followed by social media engagement and finalized with in-store promotions or online purchases. With festive shopping on the rise, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba, and even social commerce platforms see substantial ad spending. Sponsored product listings, search ads, and retargeting ads on these platforms are essential for brands looking to capture the festive buying surge. It’s safe to say that as media consumption fragments across multiple platforms, advertisers are no longer reliant on one or two major channels. Instead, they are spreading their festive ad budgets across a mix of digital, traditional, and experiential platforms, with a strong focus on personalization, real-time engagement, and measurable ROI
What is the projected growth rate for OTT advertising during this festive season compared to the previous year? Please quantify the increase in ad spend and identify the key drivers behind this growth?
OTT advertising in India is projected to grow significantly during the 2024 festive season. A lot of players are scheduling releases / content targeted for this season. The overall OTT audience has expanded by 13.8% from 2023, reaching 547.3 million users, with much of this growth driven by the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) segment, which grew by 21%. This robust growth indicates a continued shift towards free, ad-supported content, as more users engage with OTT platforms for streaming, particularly during festive periods when advertisers ramp up campaigns. The shift reflects how advertisers are increasingly aligning their budgets towards AVOD, capitalizing on the growing number of consumers who prefer free content but are willing to engage with ads.
When comparing news channels and GECs, which platform has seen a higher increase in ad rates for the festive season? Which one is the best bet for advertisers? Can you quantify the percentage difference in ad rates between the two types of channels?
During the festive season in India, general entertainment channels saw a higher increase in ad rates than News. GEC is expecting a rise of 30–35% in revenue due to a lot of reality TV and impact being scheduled during this festive phase. These channels tend to attract more advertising during the festive period since most of their content is targeted at the mass audience set. This content gives them an edge over the news channel, mking it the best bet for advertisers. News is primarily a frequency builder for certain markets, making it only a fit for the male audience base.
What are the emerging trends and innovative strategies that advertisers are adopting in their media planning for the festive season?
Advertisers are focusing on creating seamless experiences across multiple platforms—TV, digital, radio, print, and OOH (Out-of-Home)—to ensure consistent messaging and reach. There is a continuation of integration in digital and traditional channels which enhances brand recall and captures diverse audience segments. From an emerging trends point of view, AI and Data Analytics are what a few advertisers are experimenting with. With this they can create personalised promotions based on browsing behaviour, purchase history & Social Media activity. This helps advertisers be relevant to the consumer and helps increase conversion rates as well
How much will adex go up, which categories will be big spenders, and which won’t be spending much?
Adex is estimated to increase and go up to 20 – 25% in overall compared to last year, this boost is anticipated from an integrated point of view. Major spenders are E-commerce giants, since a lot of money is allocated to festive sale events like the Great Indian Festival and Big billion-day sale. Auto giants ramp up advertising during the festive season aligning with a lot of new launches and festive offerings. Even consumer durables invest significantly, promoting smartphones, TVs, washing machines, etc. Also, FMCG brands are consistent big spenders during the festive season, promoting festive-themed packaging.
How are advancements in technologies like AI, impacting media planning and measurement during festive seasons? How are these tools being used to optimize campaigns and track ROI?
As mentioned earlier, AI & machine learning are revolutionizing the way plans are made, especially during high demand festive periods. With AI brands can understand consumer behaviour from multiple sources, such as website visits, social media interactions and purchasing history. This allows for hyper – segmentation of audience based on demo, interest & behaviour patterns. These tools are being used to forecast demand. This helps advertisers anticipate trends, optimise inventory and allocate budgets to the most effective channels. This helps predict which products or services are likely to gain traction, therein allowing advertisers to allocate ad spends more effectively.”