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Tonic Worldwide’s research division GIPSI launches ‘The Festive Report’ part one
Mumbai: GIPSI, the HI+AI insights division of Tonic Worldwide has launched ‘The Festive Report’ part one. The report captures unique insights which are a mix of popular sentiment and undercurrents. The insights will give marketers hacks on SM, content and commerce and also what lingo to use. GIPSI will also launch part two of the festive report focusing on performance insights.
Speaking on the findings of the festive report, national strategy director and GIPSI co-head Anjali Malthankar said, “Part one of the report can be a marketers-ready reckoner for the 2024 festive calendar. This year’s report highlights several, specific, actionable insights relevant to the festive season which marketers can benefit from. My favourite is ‘Unusual Activities’ as it explores unique, untapped pockets of festive activities. We will soon be releasing part two of The festive report which will focus on the performance insights of the festive season. Every year GIPSI produces festive reports in unique avatars eg. last year we produced Indian Festive Gifters. This year we have The Festive Report in two parts to delight marketers.”
Tonic Worldwide co-founder and CSO Unmisha Bhatt expressed, “In the ever-evolving digital world, there is a an opportunity for brands to deepen their engagement with consumers during the cluttered festive season. With Gipsi’s festive edition, we aim to share ways to deepen engagement, building consideration. In the next edition, we focus on the business side by highlighting ways and means to constantly nurture leads further translating to conversions and advocacy. The goal is to enable brands to maximise their share of the basket when consumers are in a mood to indulge.”
GIPSI, uses a unique methodology of HI+ AI which triangulates multiple data points to decode and deliver actionable insights. The model applied for this report is GIPSI deep listening which scans through multiple data points.
Report highlights:
Festive season hacks on digital: In recent times, digital has introduced new updates & new content formats for brands to experiment with. We see that notifications are desirable with an eight times rise in conversations about innovative notifications by apps since Jan’24. You will find hacks like live streaming exclusively for close friends, new interactive stickers on Instagram Stories, and fresh opportunities to engage with the audience.
Match My Lingo: With over six million GRWM posts on Instagram, 120K mentions of the phrase ‘just dropped’, the next generation’s dictionary of lingos keeps updating every passing day. By tracking and incorporating emerging lingo into festive strategy brands can optimize content for the season with the right keywords and resonate with the audience. Check out 20+ lingos to vibe with your audience this festive season.
OG vs AG: Consumers are having mixed feelings about AI and how it may be used this festive season. While 30 per cent conversations happened around using AI as a festive planner, there is a 189 per cent increase in negative memes around AI which suggests a corresponding rise in apprehension. With a 629 per cent rise in conversations about learning to identify AI-generated content, consumers are increasingly questioning the authenticity of digital information, asking the question, “Is it safe or sus?”
Unusual festive activities: Watch out for festive dating this season which is likely to replicate last year’s pattern of rise (171 per cent) in matching with partners during the festive season. Indians will not just travel home this festive but also explore other locations and new experiences. There is a 23 per cent rise in discussions around planning cruise holidays with family.This season, we may also see a dual-spending scenario by consumers as the wedding & festive seasons’ timeline overlaps.
Discover new content & commerce: With a 16x rise in discussions around livestream shopping, we see consumers hop to shop at a new destination. Seeking inspiration from festive content, consumers are increasingly exploring ‘eco chic fashion’ and healthier alternatives to festive snacking. Moreover, they are loving ‘cheat sheets’ for hard-to-find products from offline & online stores as we see a 278 per cent rise in conversations around ‘festive finds’, making this a festive season of discovery and conscious consumption.
MAM
Netflix Q1 2026 earnings ad growth and content spending in focus
Streaming giant set to report results on Thursday after walking away from Warner Bros Discovery takeover.
MUMBAI: Netflix is about to hit play on its latest quarterly numbers and investors are hoping the plot thickens in all the right ways. The streaming leader reports its first-quarter 2026 earnings on Thursday, marking its first set of results since it walked away from a proposed takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. That failed bid would have handed Netflix prized franchises such as Game of Thrones and Friends on a silver platter, sparing the costly effort of building its own library. Instead, the company now faces tougher competition from a potential $110 billion Warner Bros-Paramount Skydance combination, should that deal close.
Analysts polled by LSEG expect Netflix to post a 15.5 per cent rise in revenue to $12.18 billion, with advertising contributing $634 million. The company raised US prices in March, a move some believe could prompt an upward revision to its full-year revenue forecast and nudge more subscribers towards the faster-growing ad-supported tier.
Netflix shares have climbed 13 per cent so far this year and are up roughly 26 per cent since the company stepped back from the $72 billion Warner Bros deal. With the merger drama behind it, the spotlight now shifts to how aggressively Netflix can expand its advertising business and live programming.
“We’re kind of entering another phase for the ad business, where they are becoming one of the largest scaled global advertising platforms,” said Gabelli Funds portfolio manager John Belton, which holds Netflix shares.
During the quarter, Netflix beefed up its live slate with a BTS concert streamed from Seoul that drew 18.4 million viewers worldwide and the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which became the most-streamed baseball game globally. Investors are watching for signals that the company will lean further into sports and other live events to fuel ad revenue growth.
The results come at a pivotal moment. Having dodged what could have been a debt-heavy acquisition, Netflix has the freedom and the cash to double down on its core strengths: original content spending and building a robust, scaled advertising platform. Whether the numbers deliver a binge-worthy performance or leave viewers wanting more, one thing is clear: the streaming wars are far from over, and Netflix is determined to keep its crown.
Expect plenty of drama when the figures drop after all, in the world of streaming, every quarter is its own cliffhanger.
