MAM
Ad budgets halved ahead of Durga Puja
KOLKATA: Even as the Bengali community prepares to welcome Goddess Durga, the economic recession seems to have dampened Kolkata’s festive fervour.
Advertising budgets have been slashed to half their size while companies are opting for short-term campaigns spanning not more than 15 days in a bid to save the pennies. Brands are likely to divert funds from large-scale advertising campaigns to quick-win promotions, including coupons and POS discounts so as to attract cash-strapped customers.
Sampark Adverting & Media marketing head Kalyan Brata Ghosh agrees that companies are increasingly opting for short-term campaigns. While Inter Action founder Pranatar Chaudhuri says: “The budget is very low. The biggest spender ITC Vivel is almost non-existent. Vodafone has not yet launched its Puja campaign as normally, the telecom service provider starts the campaign three to four weeks before.”
Chaudhuri adds that clients are optimising costs. For instance, both Berger and Asian Paints haven’t rolled out anything major yet. With the Pujas starting from today, the mood is rather low-key.
“We are selling off space at half the cost so that hoardings do not go blank and we earn something during tough times,” a source from an outdoor media agency reveals.
“Pujas are getting hit. Puja committees have lost clients. Money market companies, which, till last year, either spent a huge amount on the Puja campaigns or donated to big Puja committees have almost contributed nil this year,” says a media planner.
Some brands are even back-tracking as no one is willing to spend. “One of my clients got all the plans made and then backed out even when we quoted the cheapest rates,” says a source from a city-based medium-sized outdoor agency.
Meanwhile Sistema Shyam TeleServices, which provides telecom services under the MTS brand, has announced the launch of the MTS Digital Utsav campaign, near to the Durga Puja celebrations. The campaign has been specially designed to cash in on the power of the digital medium for two special initiatives: the MTS Street Food Festival and MTS Digital Pujo Awards, says an SSTL release.
Ghosh points out that most agencies have kept client campaigns under wraps and will unveil them once people start pandal hopping during the Puja.
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.
