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Howdy Modi Summit in Houston leads to Spike in Number of Online Searches reveals SEMrush study
MUMBAI: After winning the last election in the biggest landslide in Indian electoral history, PM Narendra Modi’s popularity hasn’t yet peaked globally shows a recent SEMrush study. Though everyone in India knows PM Modi, his popularity globally is still on the ascent. The Indian PM was welcomed at the Howdy Modi summit in Houston organized by his fans in the Indian American community. The Howdy Modi summit was held on September 22nd, 2019 and that date, online searches for “Narendra Modi” and “PM Modi” spiked 346% and 725% respectively.
No doubt many in America took to Google to learn more about Narendra Modi, the SEMrush study captured this well. Of course, Indians searched for him as well. The sentiment expressed on Twitter was overwhelmingly positive. From September 15th-25th the SEMrush study showed that 66.37% of the sentiment expressed online about PM Narendra Modi had positive connotations and 18.42% of sentiment had neutral connotations. Only 15.22% of online sentiment about PM Modi during the same period had negative connotations.
Emojis shared in tweets that had the words PM Modi and Narendra Modi during the mentioned period radiated positive sentiments. In tweets that used the words PM Modi and Narendra Modi, the most common emoji was a birthday cake; it was used a total of 4,865 times. The second most common emoji was one every Indian recognises, the folded “Namaste”; it was used a total of 4,858 times. The third most common emoji was a human face bursting with laughter with tears of joy falling from each closed-eye. The fourth most common emoji was a bouquet of flowers.
Hashtags such as #howdymodi, #happybdaypmmodi, #watch, #happybirthdaynaredramod, #modi, #modiinhouston, #modiinusa were used a total of 12824, 3736, 2474, 2391, 1933, 1824, and 1750 times respectively. As PM Modi’s birthday is on 17th September, it’s understandable why #happybdaymodi and emojis with birthday cakes were used, Indian Americans wanted to wish the Indian PM a belated happy birthday. Twitter handles where PM Modi was mentioned most included that of American president Donald Trump who, calling the Indian PM a friend let him know he would be with him during the Howdy Modi summit in Houston. Engagement on the American Presidents tweet to PM Modi stood at 134982. Tweets by Indian politicians and Bollywood stars congratulating PM Modi during the Howdy Modi summit enjoyed considerable engagement as well.
Speaking about the rising global popularity of PM Narendra Modi Mr. Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush, said "No Indian PM ever has enjoyed the huge popularity in India and overseas that Narendra Modi does today. While Narendra Modi’s popularity in India is understandable his popularity in the US and other foreign countries is unprecedented for an Indian politician. His popularity in the land of the free and close friendship with Donald Trump is all the more remarkable considering that just over a decade ago he was denied a US visa. Today he’s welcomed in America as a great friend and global leader, that’s statesmanship.
He further added, I believe that our study captures the evolving global political landscape in which the popularity of national leaders isn’t confined to their own countries; rather great leaders today win admirers among the masses even in countries whose interests they aren’t elected to represent”.
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.
