MAM
Real estate marketing cos allocate 30% spends on digital marketing
KOLKATA: Over the last few years, advancement of technology has been swift and comprehensive. The digital world, which has changed the way people search and research for property, has led to real estate marketing companies earmarking around 30 per cent of the budget on digital marketing as compared to around five per cent some five years ago.
Additionally, print advertising, which was the only way to sell property, saw companies striving for billboards and signages until a few years ago. However, now the focus is more on social media marketing as well as cross-promotion on different websites.
“A company without an online presence is a rare and dying breed and social media is changing the way businesses are communicating with their customers. The print and hoarding spent, which was around 80-85 per cent, has come down to less than 50 per cent in last five years as people in the age group of 30 years-40 years can be targeted easily through digital marketing and advertisements,” said NK Realtors managing director Pawan Agarwal, who is a real estate marketing consultant in West Bengal.
“The digital space, which could attract around five per cent of the marketing budget has been increased to 30 per cent in last five years,” informs Agarwal.
Cross promotion on different websites has also gained traction over the last few years. “Till some years ago, if our product was not in the newspaper, we did not get noticed. Marketing today has become a highly digitised experience, especially when compared with what was happening even five – six years ago,” said Pioneer Properties CMD Jitendra Khaitan.
Smartphones and tablets will continue to impact on the way property is marketed and also the information available at a buyers’ fingertips, said a city-based real estate marketing executive.
The analyst, referring to a recent advert featured, implying that house hunting has become that easy with a mouse, said house hunting with a mouse is the next hot thing after matrimony and job sites and it is poised to take over the print media in the coming years.
“House hunting on digital platform had already happened in the US and it was bound to happen here. Most builders predict a bright future for online property deals and thus, have their own websites for the purpose even,” he said.
“Buying a home is not a piece of cake for most of us. Sparing time from our busy schedules to visit the various properties and then making the final decision makes it real tough. So digital or online scrutiny of the project helps a help,” Agarwal added.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
