MAM
DTH, an innovative platform for advertisers: Matrix Publicities & Media
MUMBAI: It has been a stupendous growth story. Contrary to popular trade perception the DTH advertising growth story has only ended up surprising all.
With approximately 65 to 68 million households across India and about 55 per cent of the C&S base in the country, this is one of the primary reason why a lot of advertisers are looking to engage customers on the medium.
What began with a low scale, low noise start with barely two to three advertisers three years ago, has grown more than 10 times in a very short span, says Matrix Publicities & Media India, a WPP company, which has been at the forefront of this revolutionary advertising blitzkrieg.
There are in all six DTH operators, who operate out of the paid DTH subscriber sphere, whilst planning, the agencies need to keep in mind the fact that DTH as a medium is a frequency builder and should necessarily be used to ensure incremental reach. Like television, DTH reaches out to all SEC and demographic profiles, unlike otherwise perceived. There are various options within the medium, however, to delivery impact too and on a case to case basis the medium allows innovations, albeit at a very competitive outlay.
As a media sales aggregator for all the DTH operators to GroupM & non-GroupM clients and agencies, Matrix has been able to bridge the gap between the science, art and commerce for sales on this new age media platform.
The agency feels that the platform acts as a gatekeeper to the TV viewing audience and they are exposed to the DTH visuals prior to the TV channels. Additionally, TV also faces a lot of clutter with regard to the various genres available for viewing. With the 10+2 ad cap in place, in principle, with most channels, getting inventories across is also an issue. All the factors put together have ensured that this medium has turned into a ‘pull’ medium from the erstwhile ‘push’ medium.
Hence, the company has not stopped at just mere vanilla sales as this is a philosophy that does not appeal to its business head Sparsh Ganguli, who has been at the forefront of this business since its inception three years ago.
With this idea in mind, the advertisers have been divided into broad categories and an in-depth analysis has revealed a lot about the spending patterns of all advertisers on this medium. Needless to say the research not only takes into consideration the brand spent from the GroupM set of clients but even some part of the non-Group M clients to help present a more clear and fair picture. The efficacy of the study can be gauged from the fact that the entire categories can be bifurcated month wise and the spend patterns can be highlighted for future strategic pitches.
The broad categories that have been the top spenders across this medium are: automobiles (two and four wheelers), FMCG, F&B, BFSI, e-commerce, watches and jewellery.
A FMCG media planner says, “The DTH platform has been influential in targeting the housewives through sustained awareness campaigns during afternoon hours and worked phenomenally well for our client’s brands. That’s the very reason why they look to optimise spends on these platforms.”
The ad rates are in sync with the growth of the medium. The rates range from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1,00,000 depending on the options that are availed, highlights the agency.
Ganguli, however, feels that there is still a lot of ground to be covered from the advertiser’s front. He feels that technologically the platform is evolving in a positive manner that is both beneficial to the viewer as well as for the advertiser. According to him, “The next revolutionary way of reaching out to the viewing household is on the spliced beam format which allows the advertiser to geo-target their consumers. This has in turn made it possible for the brands to reach out and give a customised pre-buying experience, thus resulting into more reach and effective frequency for the brand campaign.”
He adds, “DTH has shown tremendous growth but I still feel clients can do a lot more, as of now we have been able to break new grounds by providing upgraded technology and this helps the clients and new clients to optimise the medium for every campaign as innovation is the way ahead.”
MAM
Crocs and Lego launch new collaborative collection in India
Iconic brands bring playful creativity to footwear with first drop on 13 April 2026.
MUMBAI: Crocs and Lego have clicked together once again and this time, the bricks are heading straight for Indian feet. The global footwear brand Crocs has announced the India launch of its latest Crocs x Lego Group collection, following the excitement of their multi-year global partnership unveiled earlier this year. The collaboration celebrates creativity, play, and individuality, merging Crocs’ signature comfort with Lego’s iconic building-block spirit.
The collection will roll out in two phases. A digital-exclusive pre-launch begins on 13 April 2026 on crocs.in, featuring four styles: the Lego Masterbrand Creativity Clog, Lego Midnight Garden Creativity Clog, Lego Creativity Clog, and Kids’ Lego Creativity Clog. Each pair purchased during this phase will include an exclusive Lego minifigure as a collectible bonus.
From May 2026, the full collection will be available across select Crocs stores, VegNonVeg, and Foot Locker outlets nationwide.
The designs playfully blend Crocs’ classic clog silhouette with Lego brick-inspired details, complete with custom Jibbitz charms on the upper and sole. The collection encourages wearers to treat their footwear as a canvas for personal expression, without any set instructions just an open invitation to build, explore, and have fun.
Crocs chief marketing officer Carly Gomez said, “The Lego Group’s boundless imagination makes them the perfect match to Crocs’ wonderfully unordinary spirit. We are both brands that pride ourselves on being built different, celebrating self-expression and fuelling creativity.”
LEGO Group, head of licensing & extended line design & partnerships Satwik Saraswati added, “Our common mission to enable self-expression and wear it with pride only marks the beginning of a journey with endless possibilities.”
The campaign will extend beyond the product launch through creator-led seeding, elevated visual merchandising, and exclusive on-ground previews, supported by a deeper partnership with the Lego India team.
In a market that loves both comfort and fun, Crocs and Lego have built something special, a collection that lets every step feel like playtime. Get ready to click your heels (or rather, your clogs) because this collaboration is set to be a blockbuster hit with Indian fans.
