Digital Agencies
Digital advertising dips by 13 per cent: TAM AdEx Digital Advertising
Mumbai: TAM AdEx has released its quarterly report on Digital Advertising from July – September’ 22. The report says that a continuous descent was witnessed in digital ad insertions during Apr-Jun’22 and Jul-sep’22 compared to Jan-Mar’22. Digital saw a drop of 13 per cent in ad insertion during Jul-Sep’22 over Jan-Mar’22.
When it comes to sectors, during the Jul-Sep’22, the services sector had a 44 per cent share of ad Insertions, followed by education with 13 per cent share. Personal accessories and telecom products were the new entrants in Top 10 sectors’ list; the auto sector and banking/finance/investment sector observed a positive rank shift.
In terms of the leading categories, five out of the top 10 categories were from the services sector. The e-commerce – online shopping category topped with 7 per cent share in ad insertions during Jul-Sep’22.
Software climbed to 2nd place in Jul-Sep’22, a significant jump from Apr-Jun’22. Noting the leading advertisers, Amazon Online India maintained the first position in Jul-Sep’22 over Apr-Jun’22. The top 10 advertisers contributed to 17 per cent share of digital ad insertions.
Talking about the primary brands, Amazon.in was the most popular digital brand in Jul-Sep’22, followed by Grammarly Keyboard. The top 10 brands contributed to 13 per cent share of digital ad insertions. During Jul-Sep’22, there were a total of 57K+ brands present on digital.
Amongst the top growing categories, social advertisements by the government had the biggest rise in ad insertions among the growing categories, followed by cellular phones-smart phones during Jul-Sep’22 compared to Apr-Jun’22. In terms of growth percentage, the corporate-durables category witnessed the highest growth percentage among the top 10 i.e. 15.7 times. More than 270 categories registered a positive growth.
About the leading advertisers and brands, 23K+ advertisers and 29K+ brands exclusively advertised during Jul-Sep’22 compared to Apr-Jun’22. In comparison to Apr-Jun’22, Boxinternet ranked first among the exclusive advertisers and brands in Jul-Sep’22.
In terms of the leading web publishers, YouTube alone had 26 per cent share of ad insertions. Excluding YouTube, Rediff.com was the leading publisher with regard to ad insertions during Jul-Sep’22.
Discussing the leading digital platforms and transaction methods for digital advertising, desktop display topped with 41 per cent share of digital ad insertions during Jul-Sep’22 followed by mobile display with 29 per cent share. Ad network was the most popular method for promoting ads on digital platforms accounting for 51 per cent of total ad insertions, followed by programmatic method with 29 per cent share in Jul-Sep’22.
Amongst the creative types on digital, HTML5 ads grabbed the highest number of insertions (44 per cent) followed by banner ads with 31 per cent share. Video followed in third position with 25 per cent share in Jul-Sep’22.
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
