Author: Indrani Bose

Global social media ad spend projected to reach $239 billion in 2025, $273 billion by 2026: Report

“While social media accounts for a large portion of performance advertising budgets, many marketers have hit a barrier in the form of diminishing returns,” said Adam Singolda, CEO of Taboola. “More spend just isn’t translating into better results. The findings in this report point to difficulty in sustaining performance over time, with marketers seeking solutions that can help them overcome that barrier.”

Over 80% of performance marketers use multiple tactics to combat diminishing returns, with more than half expanding into additional digital channels beyond social media ads.

Creative control or creative caution? What’s really driving content choices on Indian OTTs

The platforms that once promised to democratize storytelling and liberate Indian creators from the box office, are now boxed in by the very commercial priorities they claimed to transcend.(Representative Image: Bastian Riccardi via Unsplash)

There is a broader unease brewing among Indian creators: has the OTT revolution become too risk-averse, too data-led and too scared to trust artistic instinct?

55+ advertisers jump into IPL 2025: Parle, Vimal, Apple, and Dream11 lead early ad blitz

IPL 2025 is also being broadcast across 28 channels, compared to a smaller footprint in IPL 17—signaling a push for wider syndication and deeper regional reac

Parle Biscuits led the advertiser leaderboard with an 8% share of total ad volumes. Vimal Elaichi (marketed by Vishnu Packaging) followed with 6.1%, while Apple India secured third place with a 5.7% share.

Media agencies’ turmoil and hybrid in-housing surge | AAAI’s WhatsApp exit advisory could backfire | WPP drops DEI language, Ogilvy CEO champions DEI

Rather than a move away, experts foresee a recalibration of expectations, with clients seeking more transparency and agencies responding with stronger governance and accountability from media buying agencies, after the CCI probe into ad firms.

Storyboard18 brings you top five news updates from the world of advertising, marketing and business of brands.

Post NCLAT ruling, startups demand government action against “dominant digital gatekeepers”

More than 70% of the companies leverage generative AI as an opportunity (Image source: Moneycontrol)

The NCLAT upheld key findings of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s antitrust order, confirming Google’s unfair imposition of its Play Billing System (GPBS) on app developers. However, the tribunal reduced Google’s penalty from ₹936.44 crore to ₹216.69 crore.  

Diageo’s Hina Nagarajan stresses on diversity even as global corporates downplay

"While many companies worldwide are scaling back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, diversity and inclusion remain deeply ingrained in Diageo’s strategy, regardless of external pressures," Nagarajan said.

Since 2017, Diageo India’s workforce diversity has grown from 7.5 percent to nearly 30 percent, with over half of its executive committee now composed of diverse representation.

SEBI targets misleading finfluencers, AMFI’s role under the microscope

Pandey also addressed the role of AMFI in regulating mutual fund distributors (MFDs). "AMFI is supposed to regulate mutual fund distributors (MFDs). If it falls short, our surveillance systems will take care of it," he stated. (Representative Image: Anastase Maragos via Unsplash)

The SEBI chairman also voiced concern about the lack of registered investment advisers in India, and the need for more people to enter that profession.

Krafton’s Srinjoy Das at GPS 2025: Future of gaming marketing is symbiotic, social, and surprise-driven

At Storyboard18's Global Pioneers Summit, Srinjoy Das, Associate Director of Marketing, Krafton India and Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group talk about the future of marketing in gaming.

At Storyboard18’s Global Pioneers Summit, Srinjoy Das, Associate Director of Marketing, Krafton India and Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group discussed how creativity, community building, and brand partnerships are shaping the future of gaming in India.

WPP’s Daniel Hulme: ‘You won’t beat your competitors without differentiated AI talent’

While discussing ethics and risks in AI, Daniel Hulme made the case that there’s no such thing as AI ethics. Humans have intent—AIs don’t. It's the human intent that needs scrutiny.

At Storyboard18’s Global Pioneers Summit, Daniel Hulme, CEO, SATALIA and Chief AI Officer at WPP, outlined artificial intelligence’s transformative role in marketing, business, and beyond—highlighting both its vast potential and ethical challenges.

Sanjay Sachdeva appointed as MD and CEO at Bajaj Electricals Limited

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Sachdeva said, “I am honoured to join Bajaj Electricals, a company with a rich heritage and a strong reputation for innovation, quality, and ethics. I look forward to working with the Chairman, Mr. Shekhar Bajaj, and the talented team at Bajaj Electricals to drive sustainable growth and create significant long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

Joining Hindustan Unilever as a Management Trainee in 1989, Sanjay Sachdeva spent over three decades at the conglomerate, moving across various marketing, sales, and general management leadership roles.