MAM
DMAi 2014 Awards garners 218 plus entries in early bird phase
MUMBAI: The DMAi 2014 Createffect Awards that serve as a stepping stone to the prestigious DMA International ECHO competition since 1929, now in its third year in India recognise response marketing campaigns. This year has seen a 100 per cent growth in entries this year during the early bird period that ended on 10 April; 30 agencies and 75 plus leading brands are in fray now.
The number of categories as compared to last year are reduced and entries are now accepted only against an invitation code. These two processes were introduced to filter entries and reduce the workload of the Juries. Despite these barriers there is a significant increase this year due to direct entries from clients who are usually shy of entering awards and surge of interest from leading agencies to occupy center stage.
The association for Data Driven Marketing & Advertising India – DMAi (erstwhile Direct Marketing Association India) has seen renewed interest and growing popularity with the fraternity since its rechristening. Simultaneously the DMAi has entered into collaboration arrangement with the Ad Clubs at Mumbai & Bangalore. Under this arrangement Indian agencies that are members of the ad clubs will get a fast track entry at the DMAi Awards basis previous performance. All members of the said ad clubs get a rebate on applicable DMAi 2014 Awards fees.
Commenting on the strong participation during early bird stage, DMAi director & COO Shelly Singh said “Indian work is certainly merits to compete at Global stage. DMAi is providing relevant platforms to the fraternity and we are delighted to have the participation. The partnerships with Ad Clubs, provides their winners at the Abby’s, Emvies, Effies & Big Bang Awards in 2012 and 2013, meeting the DMAi 2014 Awards criteria, to fast track to round 2 of the DMAi Awards and also enjoy a 20% reduction in fee. India struck 8 metals at the international ECHO™ in 2013 – the highest by any country excluding USA and with the kind of work thats pouring in we are fierce defenders at the global tally.”
The other DMAi 2014 Awards partners include OgilvyOne for creative, Urja Interactive for Digital, Arvato and D&B for outreach. In addition, reputed trade media has also embraced the DMAi Awards program and is extending tactical support for the program communications.
“I have seen the awards grow over the years with the contributions by Ajay Chandwani as the Program Chair. Rakhshin Patel arriving as Jury Chair for 2014 has added renewed vigor to the program. Together we have been able to uncover the tip of the iceberg and the potential is immense. To harness this, DMAi is rolling out a new awards management system that aims to provide a high degree of experience for applicants, jury and the fraternity at large. The first-of-its -kind public viewing and voting system will allow the program to integrate with social channels and offer greater transparency. However, counts of the public voting are not considered towards deciding the winning entries and will be recognised separately as people’s choice awards.” added DMAi CEO Vatsal Asher .
Rakhshin Patel, a recent DMAi Hall of Fame inductee and industry veteran has taken on duties as Jury Chairperson this year and will oversee the Juries. The DMAi Awards has over 50+ industry leaders, client side marketers & practitioners on the Jury. The deadline for regular entries is Apr 14. Rush entries can be registered till Apr 21. Submissions will be accepted from Apr 17 and remain open till Apr 26, 18:00 Hrs. The Jury meets in the afternoon of on Apr 28 to commence judging. The results will be announced at an Awards gala on May 7 at Mumbai. The DMAi agency of the year will also be announced at the same awards gala. The defending champions from 2013 are OgilvyOne.
Gold winners at the DMAi 2014 CREATEFFECT Awards have the option to progress to Round 2 at the DMA International ECHO™ Competition on payment of applicable fees and compete with the world’s best.
MAM
India’s financial sector spent less on TV ads in 2025 but flooded the internet
Banks, insurers and lenders cut tv ads as digital jumps, LIC and Muthoot lead tv and Axis Bank tops online
MUMBAI: India’s banking, financial services and insurance sector, one of the most prolific advertisers in the country, delivered a split verdict on media in 2025. It spent less on television, held its nerve in print, turned up the volume on radio and deluged the internet with a ferocity that left every other medium looking pedestrian. The picture that emerges from TAM AdEx’s cross-media report for the BFSI sector is of an industry in transition, still wedded to the news bulletin but increasingly seduced by the algorithm.
Television: a retreat with caveats
TV ad volumes for the BFSI sector fell 16 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, a sharp reversal after two years of consistent growth that had pushed volumes 16 per cent above 2021 levels by 2023 and a further 7 per cent higher by 2024. Within 2025 itself, the drop was concentrated in the middle of the year: the second and third quarters saw ad volumes slide 35 per cent each against the first quarter, with a partial recovery of 13 per cent in the fourth.
The retreat did not reshuffle the deck. Life insurance retained first place among TV categories with 19 per cent of ad volumes, mortgage loans held second with 16 per cent, and the top ten categories together accounted for 82 per cent of all BFSI television advertising. The dominance of news channels was equally pronounced: news claimed 68 per cent of ad volumes, general entertainment channels a distant 14 per cent and movies 12 per cent. Together, news and GEC captured 82 per cent of the sector’s television spend. News bulletins alone took 48 per cent of programme-genre volumes, with feature films second at 12 per cent. Prime time, between 6pm and 11pm, drew 34 per cent of ad volumes, followed by afternoon at 22 per cent and morning at 20 per cent. A full 82 per cent of all ads ran between 20 and 40 seconds.
Life Insurance Corporation of India was the sector’s biggest TV spender with 11 per cent of ad volumes. Muthoot Financial Enterprises came second with 9 per cent, followed by National Payments Corporation of India at 6 per cent, Tata AIG General Insurance at 5 per cent and State Bank of India at 5 per cent. The top ten advertisers together accounted for 51 per cent of total TV volumes. Three names were new to the top ten in 2025: Tata AIG General Insurance, IIFL Finance and Tata Capital. At brand level, Muthoot Finance Loan Against Gold led with 9 per cent share, Tata AIG Health Insurance entered the top ten for the first time, and the top ten brands together contributed 35 per cent of ad volumes.
Print: the long climb continues
Print told a different story. Ad space for the BFSI sector has grown every year since 2021, rising 16 per cent in 2022, 30 per cent in 2023, 51 per cent in 2024 and 64 per cent in 2025, all measured against a 2021 baseline. Within 2025, ad space was flat in the second quarter but surged 46 per cent in the third and 33 per cent in the fourth compared with the first. Life insurance led print categories with 21 per cent of ad space, followed by mutual funds and banking services and products at 13 per cent each, and corporate financial institutes at 11 per cent. The top ten categories together took 82 per cent of print ad space. LIC led print advertisers with 6 per cent share, and the top ten together covered just 19 per cent of ad space, a reflection of how fragmented print spending remains. Three new entrants joined the top ten in 2025, with Billion Brains Garage Ventures the only exclusive presence not seen in 2024’s list. In the top ten brands, LIC dominated with a 2 per cent share, while Nippon India Mutual Fund rose to third position from fourth in 2024. English accounted for 62 per cent of print ad space, Hindi for 20 per cent. Business and finance publications took 59 per cent of the genre split. The south zone led regional spending with 33 per cent of print ad space, Bangalore topping that zone, while New Delhi and Mumbai were the leading cities nationally.
Radio: louder than ever
Radio ad volumes for the BFSI sector have climbed steadily, rising 12 per cent above 2021 levels in 2023, 36 per cent in 2024 and 45 per cent in 2025. The quarterly pattern within 2025 was volatile: a sharp drop of 43 per cent in the second quarter and 42 per cent in the third, followed by a near-full recovery in the fourth. Life insurance led radio categories with 22 per cent of volumes, banking services and products second at 14 per cent and corporate NBFCs third at 11 per cent. LIC of India held its position as the leading radio advertiser with 20 per cent of ad volumes; the top ten radio advertisers together covered 69 per cent. Muthoot Financial Enterprises led radio brands with 10 per cent share, five of the top ten brands belonged to LIC alone, and SBI Mutual Fund made a remarkable leap to fifth position from 272nd in 2024. Evening and morning time-bands together captured 84 per cent of radio ad volumes, with evenings at 44 per cent and mornings at 40 per cent. Maharashtra was the leading state for radio BFSI advertising with 18 per cent share; Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for 43 per cent.
Digital: the five-times surge
If one number defines the 2025 BFSI advertising story, it is five. Digital ad impressions for the sector multiplied fivefold between 2021 and 2025, having already doubled in 2023 and doubled again in 2024 before the 2025 leap. Within the year, impressions dipped 19 per cent in the second quarter and 12 per cent in the third before recovering 8 per cent above the first quarter by the fourth. Banking services and products led digital categories with 27 per cent of impressions, life insurance and credit cards tied at 19 per cent each, and securities and sharebroking organisations fell from first place in 2024 to fourth in 2025. Axis Bank was the runaway leader among digital advertisers with 12 per cent of impressions, followed by ICICI Bank at 9 per cent, IDFC First Bank at 7 per cent and Kotak Mahindra Bank at 6 per cent. The top ten digital advertisers covered 59 per cent of impressions, and seven of them were new entrants compared with 2024, signalling rapid churn in the digital spending hierarchy. At brand level, Axis Bank led with 9 per cent, ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card vaulted to third place from 921st in 2024, and six of the top ten digital brands were new to the list. Programmatic buying accounted for 91 per cent of all digital BFSI transactions; combined with ad networks, it captured 96 per cent.
The data from TAM AdEx paints the portrait of a sector that still believes in the power of the television news bulletin to sell insurance to the masses, but increasingly knows that the next generation of borrowers, investors and cardholders is scrolling, not watching. The race is now on to reach them before the algorithm serves up someone else’s loan offer first.
