MAM
India’s AdEx revised to Rs 62,483 cr. by EEMA; includes ‘experiential’ with 13.6 per cent share
MUMBAI: ‘Experiential Marketing’ or the concept of creating a bond between the consumer and the brand beyond ‘buying and selling’ by immersing them in an experience, is an underrated and underrepresented form of marketing, several marketers guiltily admit.
Historically they have shied away from accepting experiential as a separate media to spend on, due to the dearth of representative figures, measurement challenges and studies done on the subject.
Off-late things have changed and experts observe that experiential marketing is increasingly becoming part of the popular marketing conversation, thanks to the acceptance of digital and the advent of several new technologies.
This has led to several industry bodies to sit up and take notice, and do a quantitative evaluation of the sector. In fact a recent report on the sector released at the EEMAX Conclave 2016 has raised India’s estimated total adex for 2016-2017 to Rs 62,483 cr by including an additional ad ex of Rs 8,483 cr represented by experiential marketing.
As per a report compiled by Business World and Tstratoo, in partnership with Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), between 2014 and 2016 the experiential marketing industry has seen an estimated 16 to 17 per cent growth.
The EY-EEMA report for 2014-2015 assessed the experiential marketing industry size to be worth Rs 6250 cr in terms of revenue out of which Rs 3750 cr represented the organised sector and Rs 2500, the unorganised sector. Estimates for its 2015-2016 report pegs the industry at Rs 7281 cr, showing a growing increase in the representation of the organised sector. It amounted to Rs 4,369 of the total worth in 15-16 financial year.
EY-EEMA predicts sector’s growth
Identifying ‘experiential’ as a whole new media segment in which marketers are investing their media budget, the study further provides an advertisement expenditure break-up.
FICCI-KPMG report predicts India’s total AdEx to reach Rs 54000 cr in the year 2016. Citing that advertising spend in the experiential marketing sector doesn’t feature in the major industry reports like FICCI-KPMG, GroupM’s TYNY and Pitch Madison, the report takes the liberty to include the estimated Rs 8,483 in the total adex, increasing it to Rs 62,483.
Upon consulting the report with marketing expert and Maxus experiential marketing national direct Vidur Patney, he said, “It is a disorganised and fragmented sector. Not many firms have a process or are part of larger groups to ensure that the quoted figures are spot on to be used in such researches. While I trust EY, the numbers are what companies say, and are seldom validated.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
