AD Agencies
Kolkata advertisement industry cashes in on Sachin frenzy
KOLKATA: As Sachin Tendulakar got ready to draw the curtains on his glorious international Test cricket career of 24-years, the fervor started building up. And the people who gained the most from this fan frenzy are the advertisers in the City of Joy, who have increased the ad rates by approximately 30 per cent according to analysts.
Interestingly, companies like Allahabad Bank, Century Ply, Exide, Hero, Rupa, Pincon, Ultra Tech Cement among others didn’t have an issue to cough up extra for the cricketer’s 199th match that kicked off at the Eden Garden on Wednesday.
According to sources, Kolkata-based advertising company Sporting Frontier has charged around Rs 30 lakh for a package that includes two billboards and site-screen.
“Advertisers did not mind in coughing up the extra amount being demanded,” said analysts, who think that the interest of the advertising fraternity around the event has been really high.
Arun Sign Service director Ashif Kumar Biswas, said that it may be not be a very good time for the advertising industry but since the viewership has shot up drastically, companies are ready to spend extra. “However, ad rates are generally higher for cricket matches,” he added.
And it’s not just the advertisers, many others too have benefitted from this interest-driven event. Arun Sign Service signed a deal with the Kolkata Police and the Cricket Association of Bengal to put up directional and way-finding signage and road direction campaign in and around Eden Gardens.
Sources have confirmed that for the 50 signage that the company has put up, they have charged Rs 20 lakhs.
Since the analysts believe that Sachin’s last competitive Test match in Kolkata has the same appeal as a world cup match with India in the finals, advertisers in Kolkata have not negotiated much. It seems when it comes to Sachin, money isn’t a big concern
Biswas recalls the condition of Out of Home advertising in Kolkata a few months ago. Most of the billboards were just white spaces with telephone numbers, he said. “The advertising industry suffered because of the subdued economy. Usually, with the onset of the festive season, Kolkata’s advertising business awaits new opportunities. But it wasn’t the same this year,” said Biswas, also bringing to fore how as compared to last year, the clients this time reduced their ad spends by more than 40 per cent because of weak economy.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
