Advertising in South Asia is undergoing a seismic transformation.

At the INMA South Asia News Media Festival this week in Mumbai, it became clear that while traditional revenue models are under pressure, new opportunities are emerging across AI, e-commerce, live events, and micro-influencer economies.

The shift isn’t about survival. It’s about strategic reinvention.

From hyper-targeted campaigns and retail partnerships to restoring the creative mojo in print, publishers and marketers alike are retooling to meet the expectations of a younger, smarter, and more discerning consumer.

Media companies across the South Asia region are shifting from selling slots to selling solutions — and in doing so, they’re reshaping their value proposition in ways that align with the demands of a younger, more discerning audience. From performance-driven advertising and SME bundling to women-centric verticals and trust-based print, publishers are rewriting their playbook with remarkable urgency.

The good: Advertising is growing

The first dose of optimism at the INMA Mumbai conference came from Ashish Pherwani, partner at EY India. “Advertising is alive,” he declared, noting that India’s ad market crossed ₹1 lakh crore in 2023 and is forecasted to grow at a healthy 7% CAGR.

“That’s a milestone,” he said. “We are seeing a very decent climb.”

This growth is not theoretical — it is being felt across platforms. Yet it’s clear the composition of that growth is evolving rapidly.

The bad and ugly: digital and e-commerce disruption

Pherwani cautioned that 84% of this growth is coming from new media — largely digital — and increasingly skewed toward performance-driven advertising on e-commerce platforms.

“₹15,000 crores went to e-commerce advertising last year,” Pherwani said. “And I conservatively believe that will double in three years.”

Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, and BigBasket are now mainstream advertising destinations, shifting rupees away from traditional news outlets.

That “ugly” part? These spends are not brand-building. They’re clicks, conversions, and channel performance. This raises a fundamental question for news publishers: How do you compete with platforms that offer measurable sales ROI?

Advertising’s mojo: a premium credibility anchor

This is where L.V. Navaneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, stepped in with clarity and conviction.

“Advertisers today are not asking for slots — they’re asking for strategy,” he said during the festival’s opening. “They want measurable outcomes, not just impressions. They want credibility, especially in times of misinformation and fatigue.

“We need to speak the language of business outcomes, not just media metrics,” Navaneeth said.

This single line reverberated throughout the INMA conference, reframing how publishers must now position themselves — with ROI at the center.

Rethinking print: a premium, strategic asset

Despite the dominance of digital, Pherwani made a surprising revelation: While television has seen declining ad revenues, print has held steady. He credited this to the news industry’s credibility and resilience.

“You guys are doing something right,” he said. “Hats off to you.” But he also issued a challenge: “Please bring the mojo back into print ads. They are boring.”

His call to action? Reinvest in creativity, especially in luxury and lifestyle segments. Events like Times of India’s “Power of Print” campaign and Lokmat’s “Sakhi” women-centric vertical were cited as compelling examples.

Despite all the digital disruption, print remains resilient. Television is losing share, but print holds steady — buoyed by its trustworthiness and tangible engagement.

“You guys are doing something right,” Pherwani said. “But print ads? They’ve become boring.” He challenged publishers to restore creativity and cited innovations from The Times of India and Lokmat as signs of what’s possible.

Surinder Chawla of BCCL echoed this during a later session, showcasing 71 unique print formats — including scented pages, textured paper, and Augmented Reality. He emphasised: “Print equals trust, touch, time, and thoughtfulness.”

Navaneeth argued that print must reposition itself — not as the past, but as a premium, future-fit product.

“Print is not going away — it’s going deeper,” he said. “It’s becoming a slightly more premium product than it used to be. It’s a credibility anchor in multimedia plans and a bridge between local depth and national scale.”

The message was clear: Print is not dead, but it needs to dazzle. 

The new art of selling print 

Josy Paul, chairman of BBDO India, paid a stirring tribute to print.

“Let the other mediums chase the moment — print creates eternity,” he said. Through powerful case studies — from India.com’s blank front page to Ariel’s apology ad — Paul reminded the news industry that print, when done right, transcends utility.

“Print equals trust plus time plus touch plus thoughtfulness,” he said. And in a world drowning in distraction, that might just be its superpower.

Creator economy and Gen Z trust dynamics

In a standout session, Jaimit Doshi, CEO of Hustlr and former CMO of Lenskart, dismantled the myth that Gen Z blindly trusts influencers.

“It’s a fallacy,” he said. “They know when some bullshit is happening.” He described the creator economy as a media arbitrage play — brands leveraging low-cost influencers to replace high-cost ad production.

What works? Authenticity.

“The creators that actually use your product and talk about its impact in their life — that’s where the brand uplift happens,” Doshi explained. This insight reframes influencer marketing from gimmick to strategy: storytelling that’s embedded, not inserted.

Personalised advertising and localised commerce

The small and medium business (SMB) opportunity loomed large throughout the conference. With 63 million registered SMEs in India, of which only 200,000 are advertising in print, the runway for growth is vast.

“The challenge is reaching them efficiently,” Pherwani said.

Partnerships between publishers and SME-focused platforms are on the rise. “Print is poised to win here — if we can create bundled, end-to-end solutions,” he added. Expect publishers to sell not just space but geography — integrating print, digital, radio, and events to target local commerce with surgical precision.

AI’s role in advertising efficiency and optimisation

AI isn’t just helping produce content—it’s reshaping advertising strategies.

Nagaraj Nagabhushan, vice president of data analytics at The Hindu, outlined how GenAI is powering SEO, segmentation, and even A/B testing for ad copy. “We ran adversarial models to test ad performance against modeled personas, then had AI rewrite copy to improve outcomes,” he shared. 

This is more than tech hype. It’s actionable innovation.

“AI is not magic — it’s a product,” Nagabhushan said. “And the boring but useful projects are often the ones that drive the most business impact.”

His point: AI isn’t a novelty; it’s a necessity. 

Video: from footnote to first frame

Video has gone from nice-to-have to non-negotiable. 

Pranav Bakshi, chief growth officer at Network18, urged publishers to be “platform-native and revenue-focused.” Short-form content drives discovery. CTV drives monetisation. “Don’t dump studio content onto digital,” he warned. “Create for context — optimise for search, design for engagement.

The event opportunity: from print to experience

Pherwani shared staggering numbers: Coldplay’s India concert generated ₹300 crores in ticket revenue and another ₹300 crores in ancillary economic impact. Diljit Dosanjh’s tour was estimated at ₹275 crores in direct revenue.

“Live events are exploding,” he said. “From 20 large events a year to 25+ now. The UK does two a day.”

For publishers, this opens the door to brand-funded communities and experiential monetisation. Events are no longer side projects — they are media products. Print, digital, and on-ground can converge to deliver immersive brand campaigns with measurable returns.

Women as emerging economic powerhouses

A less-discussed but highly consequential trend is the rise in female workforce participation — from under 30% pre-2020 to nearly 40% today.

“That’s creating a whole new league of consumers,” Pherwani noted. Direct-to-consumer brands catering to women have surged, and legacy publishers are beginning to take notice.

This shift opens new lanes for targeted advertising, content verticals, and loyalty strategies centered around female-first experiences. Lokmat’s “Sakhi” vertical was cited as a case study in getting it right.

Wrap-up: reinvention, not resistance

Throughout the conference, one truth stood tall: Publishers who cling to old models will get left behind. Those who experiment boldly, measure outcomes, and prioritise authenticity will lead the reset.

“This is not just a time of change — it’s a time of accelerated reinvention,” Navaneeth said. “We have the talent, the creativity, the audiences, and the will.”

That reinvention includes AI-led campaigns, creator-style storytelling, localised bundles, vibrant events, and brand-funded experiences. But more importantly, it includes a mindset shift — from selling media to solving business problems.

And in that reset lies South Asia’s opportunity not just to adapt — but to lead.

This article was written with the assistance of AI tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by a human editor to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .