Digital Agencies
Pitch Madison report shows adex grew 14.6% in 2018
MUMBAI: The much awaited Pitch – Madison Advertising Report 2019 was released this afternoon at an event in Mumbai amongst a high profile audience consisting of Madhusudan Gopalan, CEO, P&G, Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director of Xiaomi India, Sunil Kataria, CEO – India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and other eminent people from the marketing and media world.
Figures at a glance:
|
Indian Advertising Market  |
||||||||||
|
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 Forecast |
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|
Medium |
In Rs Crore |
% Share |
In Rs Crore |
% Share |
In Rs Crore |
% Share |
Growth % 2018/17 |
In Rs Crore |
% Share |
Growth % 2019/18 |
|
TV |
18831 |
38% |
19650 |
37% |
23432 |
38% |
19.20% |
27649 |
39% |
18.0% |
|
|
18151 |
37% |
18640 |
35% |
19457 |
32% |
4.40% |
20429 |
29% |
5.0% |
|
Radio |
1749 |
4% |
1875 |
4% |
2144 |
4% |
14.30% |
2401 |
3% |
12.0% |
|
Cinema |
523 |
1% |
586 |
1% |
805 |
1% |
37.40% |
1047 |
1% |
30.1% |
|
Outdoor |
2910 |
6% |
3085 |
6% |
3365 |
6% |
9.10% |
3750 |
5% |
11.4% |
|
Digital |
7315 |
15% |
9303 |
18% |
11705 |
19% |
25.80% |
15612 |
22% |
33.4% |
|
Total |
49480 |
100% |
53138 |
100% |
60908 |
100% |
14.60% |
70889 |
100% |
16.4% |
Key findings of the report:
A. Overall:
1. In absolute terms, Adex has grown from Rs. 53,138 crore to Rs. 60,908 crore, an addition of 7,769 crores, the highest addition in one year in the last decade.
2. The growth rate of 14.6% achieved in 2018 is almost double the growth rate achieved in 2017.
3. TV still continues to be the largest contributor to Adex with 38% share, followed by Print at 32%, Digital at 19%. Outdoor, Radio and Cinema share has remained steady at 6%, 4% and 1% over the last 3 years.
B. TV:
1) TV grew by an unbelievable 19% to reach close to the Rs. 23,500 crore mark, reinforcing regular Advertisers’ unshakable faith in this medium, no doubt aided by the robust measurement mechanism set up by our Industry.
2) This is the highest growth TV has witnessed in last 3 years. In terms of absolute numbers, TV advertising has grown by Rs. 3,782 crore in 2018.
3) And its share in the Adex pie stands at 38%. Whilst its share has declined over the decade from 43% in 2009, it is significant that since 2015 it has increased its lead over Print and now the gap in share is as much as 6 percentage points.
4) The main categories that have fueled the overall growth of Rs. 3,782 crores in 2018 are the evergreen FMCG (Rs. 1,660 crores) and Auto (Rs. 360 crores). E-commerce category too grew dramatically by 29% to reach Rs. 1,100 crores from Rs. 850 crores in 2017.
5) FMCG continues to rule the roost contributing as much as 50% to the total Television Adex, followed by Telecom at 12% and Auto at 8%.
6) Increase in FCT has also been a big contributing factor to the overall increase of 19% in the TV Advertising Market. The overall FCT demand in 2018 has increased by 12% led by growth in frequency channels and new channel launches.
C. Print
1) India probably is the only major market where Print Adex is actually growing year on year.
2) Print grew by 4.4% during the year, marginally lower than our projection of 5%.
3) However, Print continues to be 2nd highest contributor after Television with a share of 32%. And this share of Adex is also the highest in the world.
4) The resilience of Print is brought out in the fact that it has 200,000 Advertisers and the number is growing, compared to TV which has only 12,000 Advertisers.
5) Nearly 75%, of Print’s growth of Rs 820 crores is accounted by just 5 categories – FMCG, Education, Auto, Retail & E-commerce.
6) In terms of Volume, Hindi publications continue to be ahead of English publications contributing 35% of the total volume, while share of English publications dropped by 2% and now contributes 25%.
D) Digital
1) The digital advertising market had an impressive growth of 26% in 2018. It has been growing at a compounded annual growth of 30%+ for last 10 years and 24% for last 5 years.
2) The continued growth of digital is fueled by mobile, online video and social media, which are increasingly attracting more advertising investment.
3) One of the key reasons for this growth has been the proliferation of OTT platforms. The OTT playing field has seen a 3.5x increase in number of players from just 9 players in 2016 to 30 players now.
4) Digital Adex at Rs. 11,705 crores is now 19% of Adex in 2018. It was only 9% in 2013.
5) Google and Facebook continue to dominate digital spends cornering 80% of the total digital pie.
E) Forecast
1) We are bullish about 2019 and expect a growth of 16.4% taking the total Adex to Rs. 70,888 crores. The reasons for our high forecast are upcoming Parliamentary elections, increase in government spending to showcase its achievements, the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, growth of OTT, increased spending in rural and India moving to a Consumption Society.
2) In 2019, we believe highest growth will come from Digital at 33%, followed by Cinema at 30% (although on a very small base), followed by TV (18%), Radio (12%), Outdoor (11%) and Print (5%).
Says Madison World chairman Sam Balsara, “After two dull years, 2018 has seen significant growth in Television and Digital and we expect the momentum to continue in 2019. With this growth, India has regained its pole position of being the fastest growing advertising market in the world and is expected to retain this position even in 2019.
There is no doubt that for Advertisers, Media has become a complex subject and they need competent and experienced, creative media planners, working in enabling environments, provided by good media agencies to build their Brands.”
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.
