MAM
Why TV remains the preferred mode of advertising for brands
MUMBAI: Cord-cutting may be a thing in the west, but in India, television still rules the roost when it comes to at-home entertainment. Consequently, there’s a tremendous amount of money spent on TV content and advertising on the medium. However, the Covid2019 pandemic altered this TV-centric state of affairs; now, with changing world scenarios and consumer behaviour, we have already seen and can expect further shifts in the way viewers and advertisers interact with content on TV.
Indiantelevision.com organised The Television Boardroom- a virtual panel discussion that explored how to fully understand TV audiences as well as the brand journey through TV today.
The panel comprised esteemed representatives from the industry – Kotak Mahindra Bank joint president-consumer, commercial & wealth marketing Elizabeth Venkataraman, PepsiCo India head media and partnerships Om Jha, id Fresh Food chief marketing officer Rahul Gandhi, ITC chief operating officer- dairy and beverages Sanjay Singal, Maruti Suzuki India executive director – marketing and sales Shashank Srivastava and Indiantelevision.com's founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari presided over the session.
Why TV takes biggest slice of brands’ adex pie
Maruti Suzuki’s Srivastava took the discussion ahead, sharing the company’s advertising spend – the auto-maker blows 40 per cent of its budget majorly on print, television is a close second at 30 percent and digital is at 25 per cent with the balance being split by radio, OOH and cinema.
“We are using TV at the top end of the funnel for the reach, brand awareness and brand salience KPIs. Clearly television stands out as a huge medium of importance when it comes to these points,” he added.
The executive director also shared how the growth in TV audience has been all-encompassing – not just in rural but also urban regions. Citing the example of how e-commerce giant Amazon was the third largest spender in advertising on TV in 2017-18 in India, he asserted that India is proving to be different from other countries when it came to the reach of television.
Id’s Rahul Gandhi spoke about how the rhetoric question of ‘Who even watches TV?’ should be done away with because “out of the 133-crore people in India a sizeable 100 crore use TV as their primary source of entertainment still”. Thus, “there are many Indias within India with different indicators, which could come as a shock to the naysayers.”
Also, with television reinventing itself by evolving into Smart TVs, which can be connected to the home wifi or an amazon firestick, it will continue to remain relevant to consumers and the viewership can only grow from here, was Gandhi’s opinion.
Pepsi’s Jha agreed that “TV remains indispensable to not only consumers but also to marketers” who wish to leverage their brand’s advertising. A large part of marketing that happens in India is centred around TV, for most of the brands and product categories. Speaking about the soft drink brand, Jha said they cater to both spectrums of consumers- from the lowest socio-economic strata to the deepest pockets of our society. And television helps them to reach the last mile of this wide-ranging audience from the two ends of the spectrum. Hence the bulk of the beverage company’s spends would remain in television, he said.
Where would a brand prefer to advertise on TV
Recently released BARC stats have shown an upward mobility in TV viewing. The panel theorised that the pandemic seems to have increased the value consciousness of the average Indian. Jha pointed out that “if one had to communicate with 90 per cent of the audience in this country” you will have to go to a mass-heavy medium like television. And that this will only further improve with improving affluence of societies in lower GDP markets like Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa – which presents a great opportunity for brands like Pepsi for which these are untapped markets.
Even when it came to high value items like automobiles, Srivastava said that they still prefer television for more strategic brand building, launch and reaching even the interior vernacular regions, while print would be for tactical and lower end of the funnel. All agreed that these stats are highly encouraging, even for high value products. As, not only have the numbers but also the viewing time has spiked.
“Which is a big vindication of the automaker’s investment of 300 crores currently in television- of which GEC takes up 100-120 crores,” Shashank shared, referring to the IPL viewership touching a high of 400 billion viewing minutes.
Kotak’s Venkataraman made note of the unusual consumer viewing behaviour in the year gone by, which needed to be watched carefully to learn whether it sustains going ahead, as we come out of the pandemic. So while all agreed, TV viewership will be higher than 2019, but it will probably not remain at the levels that we see now.
Perspective on TV advertising in 2021
The jury is out on how many more covid waves the world has to contend with, before it can settle back into pre-Covid “normalcy”. It is apparent we need to learn to manage the waves, while learning to live with it without letting economic activity come to a complete standstill.
The outlook for 2021 is more optimistic, that it will be more like 2019 rather than the previous year. Herd immunity or vaccination impact also bodes well for settling in by mid-2022. So both viewership and marketer’s spending should improve this year on, was the general opinion.
“Projections for spending on TV adverts this year is 12 to 13 percent higher than previously,” Srivastava shared. There was overall hope and optimism from 2021 that it will not be an out and out disruptive year like the year before.
When you plan to buy medical insurance for your family, the first question is often about savings. You may assume that buying online automatically means paying less, but that is only part of the picture. The real issue is not just whether the premium looks lower, but whether the policy gives you suitable family health insurance without adding avoidable costs later.
Buying online can sometimes appear more budget-friendly because you can compare plans, review features, and complete the process without depending entirely on offline assistance.
Still, a lower visible price does not always mean better value. To understand whether you can truly save more, you need to look at the full buying experience and the policy terms together.
Why Online Purchase Can Look More Economical
When you explore family health insurance online, you usually get access to plan details in a more direct and organised way. This can make the buying journey feel simpler and more transparent.
A few reasons online purchases may seem cost-effective include:
● Easier comparison of policy features
● Direct access to premium details
● The ability to review inclusions and exclusions at your own pace
● Fewer chances of making a rushed decision
● More control over the plan selection process
This does not mean every online option is automatically cheaper. It simply means the online route may help you assess choices more carefully, and that itself can influence how much value you get from the policy you choose.
Saving Money is Not Only About a Lower Premium
A lower premium often catches your attention first, but that should not be the only measure of savings. If you buy medical insurance based only on what looks affordable at the start, you may overlook conditions that matter later.
A family health insurance policy should be judged on overall value, including:
● The scope of cover
● Waiting period terms
● Exclusions
● Room eligibility conditions
● Sub-limits, if any
● Claim-related terms
● Renewal conditions
If the premium is lower but the policy has stricter internal conditions, the apparent saving may not feel meaningful when you actually need hospitalisation support.
So, the better question is not only whether online purchase costs less, but whether it helps you select a plan that remains financially sensible over time.
Comparing Plans Online Can Prevent Overspending
One clear advantage of the online route is that it allows you to compare different options without pressure. This can help you avoid paying for features you may not need or missing features that matter for your family.
Before you buy medical insurance online, look closely at:
● Who can be covered under the plan
● How the sum insured works for the family
● Whether day care procedures are included
● How pre-existing illness rules are explained
● Whether add-ons are optional or built in
● How clearly the policy wording is presented
This level of comparison can support better decision-making. In many cases, savings come not only from the premium itself but from choosing a policy with fewer surprises.
Online Discounts Should be Viewed Carefully
Online discounts can make a plan look attractive, but they should always be read alongside the policy details. A discount may reduce the upfront cost, yet the true worth of the policy depends on what it covers and how it responds during a claim.
When reviewing discounted online plans, check whether the policy has:
● Treatment-specific limits
● Room rent restrictions
● Co-payment clauses
● Disease-wise waiting periods
● Claim deductions linked to the hospital category
● Limited cover for selected benefits
These points are important because a policy that looks cheaper at purchase may involve more out-of-pocket spending later. That is why discount-led buying should be replaced with detail-led buying.
Final Thoughts
Yes, buying online can sometimes help you save more when choosing family health insurance, but only if you look beyond the headline price. The online route may give you better visibility, easier comparison, and more time to review the policy terms.
That can support smarter choices and may reduce the chances of paying for a plan that does not suit your family well.
If you want to buy medical insurance online, treat savings as more than a discount. The real advantage lies in choosing family health insurance that balances affordability, clarity, and meaningful coverage for your household.
