MAM
MPA forecasts India to lead APAC in ad spend growth
MUMBAI: Ad growth in India–a contender for Asia’s most dynamic market–was weighed down in 2017 by the lingering effects of demonetisation as well as a new goods and services tax, which disrupted advertiser supply chains, inhibiting marketing activity in the process, according to a Media Partners Asia (MPA) report. Net ad spend consequently grew by 6.9 per cent in 2017 to total $9.0 billion, ending three successive years of double-digit growth. Nonetheless, India should re-emerge as APAC’s fastest-growing ad market over the next five years. MPA analysts forecast a 10.9 per cent CAGR in net ad spend in India from 2017 to total $15 billion by 2022.
Advertising revenue across Asia Pacific insreased by 6.1 per cent in 2017 to hit $173 billion and is on course to grow by a further 6.2 per cent in 2018 to move close to $184 billion this year, the report stated.
Published today, Asia Pacific Advertising Trends 2018 forecasts net ad spend after commissions and discounts across 14 major markets in the region. The region’s advertising outlook remains positive with MPA analysts forecasting ad gains in almost all markets in 2018 and ad growth across the board over 2017-22. The MPA expects net ad spend in APAC to total $226 billion by 2022, having grown by a 5.5 per cent CAGR from 2017.
“Market momentum for Asia Pacific as a whole should hold steady over 2018 and 2019, but we expect a slight deceleration from 2020 as online advertising, increasingly the main engine of growth across the region, settles into a gentler trajectory in some large ad markets,” remarked Vivek Couto, executive director, Media Partners Asia. “Much of digital’s growth will be driven by China, which should retain more than 60 per cent of online advertising in Asia Pacific over our forecast period.”
Couto added: “Traditional TV advertising is now in or on the verge of decline in most countries, having peaked at $54 billion across the region in 2017. That said, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are notable exceptions, underscoring the ongoing importance of mass-market broadcast as a platform for reach and awareness in these growth economies. Overall, TV advertising should contract very slightly from 2017 to 2022, at a -0.1 per cent CAGR. Print advertising, however, is on the retreat almost everywhere, although both newspaper and magazine advertising will continue to grow at a modest single-digit pace in India. Out-of-home, meanwhile, remains on an upward trajectory in most markets, benefiting from ongoing urbanisation as well as digital upgrades.”
While the overall rate of advertising growth for APAC is slowing, a mixed picture emerges on the ground. Ad spending over 2017-22 should pick up speed compared with 2012-17 in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. At the same time, cornerstone markets such as India, Indonesia and Japan should be able to sustain the pace they have set over the past five years.
The pattern of ad growth across Asia Pacific is becoming increasingly determined by online media, which will soak up the vast majority of new ad dollars in the region for the foreseeable future. MPA estimates that internet advertising in APAC grew by 18.1 per cent in 2017 to nudge past $76 billion, with a projected 14.4 per cent growth in 2018 taking the total to $87 billion this year.
Online video advertising meanwhile is entering into a red-hot growth phase, powered by the rising prominence of high-speed broadband. The MPA forecasts that by 2022, online video platforms will contribute at least 10 per cent of all advertising in nine markets: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, compared with just one market (Taiwan) in 2017.
Also read:
Ad spend on connected TV globally slated to grow in 2018
Digital ad spend pegged at Rs 13000 crore in 2018
MPA: India & China power APAC ad rev, ads in largest medium TV still robus
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
