MAM
Magna revises Indian Adex growth in 2016 from 18.4 to +16.2 percent
MUMBAI: Going by the recently released half yearly Adex report by IPG Mediabrands India, the Indian advertising industry is growing at a rate of +16.2 percent in 2016. The size of the industry is expected to touch $ 9 billion or Rs 564 billion (Rs 56,400 crore) equivalents by this financial year. Magna Global, an IPG resource that puts together this industry recognized report has revised the rate from its earlier prediction of 18.4 per cent in 2015, to 16.2 percent in the current report. Magna also predicts that Indian Adex will see a slight dip in 2017 and grow at a rate of +15.7 per cent.
On revising the forecast, Magna Global – India director of intelligence practice EVP S Venkatesh said, “Basis our initial read of the emerging trends we had envisaged a stronger headwind across digital formats on the mobile platform while the real numbers for H1-2016 suggests a lesser significant acceleration”
From a global perspective, India has overtaken Italy and made space for itself in the top ten list of advertising markets, and estimated to move up 4 ranks to become the 6th largest advertising market by 2020.
On India’s performance as an advertising market, IPG Mediabrands CEO Shashi Sinha said, “The outlook is extremely positive as globally India remains one of the fastest growing markets. In fact, India is now one of the top ten advertising markets in the world.”
Breaking the report further into media sectors, Television with 42 per cent market share will grow +17 percent. The biggest revenue growth drivers in the sector would be the T20 World Cup, Indian Premier League (IPL) and non-cricketing leagues buttressed by E-commerce, Telecom, Auto and CPG advertising. Addressable television and expansion of the measurement into rural India equips advertisers to reach more consumers and broadcasters to monetize now counted audience. Measurement will evolve to include addressable TV audience and though connected TV currently doesn’t pose a threat to linear advertising, it will open doors for more on demand content access. Mushrooming of both domestic and international OTT (over-the-top) players will eventually fragment TV viewing time.
Print will continue to be the second biggest medium in India with 35 percent market share and ad sales growth of +8 percent. Conventionally print heavy advertisers in CPG, BFSI, Automobile and now E-commerce will contribute to the segment growth.
Digital formats continue to disrupt traditional with the highest growth at +40 percent and increasing its share of market by 2 points to 13 percent. Videos will be the fastest growing format driven by consumption on mobile devices. Screen time will only increase as smartphones get bigger with better displays and faster bandwidth. Trailing this trend expect advertisers to ear mark higher promotional budgets.
Radio through foot print expansion along with increase in volume is estimated to grow +18 percent in 2016, whereas OOH will grow +15 percent in 2016. Both these segments will hold onto their market share of 4 per cent and 6 percent respectively.
The report also shared that India will retain its position as the fastest growing economy with real GDP (gross domestic product) growth of +7.5 percent in 2016. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is likely to maintain the same GDP growth in 2017 as well. Consumer inflation slightly outside of target will force the central bank to hold onto its policy rates.
However the earlier reduction in rates gave the much needed impetus to automobile, housing, durables and education sectors. The farm sector, if favoured with a good monsoon, will set to rebound its output. The report estimates private consumption to mirror the growth rates and push for higher marketing spends.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
