MAM
Wizcraft wins big at the Asian Brand and Leadership Summit in Dubai
MUMBAI: The inaugural edition of the Asian Brand and Leadership Summit saw Wizcraft International Entertainment win the award for Asia’s most promising brand. Known in Indian and international circles as a pioneer in the field of events and experiential marketing in India, Wizcraft has been doing well over the years.
Asia’s Most Promising Brands and Leaders 2012-2013 flagged off The Asian Brand and Leadership Summit 2013 in Dubai. Held over two days, 26 -27 August 2013, the event is an initiative by World Consulting and Research Corporation (WCRC) and ibrands 360 research.
Speaking on the win, Wizcraft International Entertainment director Sabbas Joseph said, “This is a moment of great pride for Wizcraft, we have always strived to make a difference in the events and experiential marketing sector. We have come a long way in the past 25 years and we hope to continue creating bigger, historic and memorable brand events and properties.”
Wizcraft has been in the forefront of some of the largest events and entertainment spectaculars including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the National Games Opening and Closing ceremonies, the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the Opening and Closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the ICC World Cup Opening and Closing ceremonies.
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“This award speaks of the hard-work and determination we have shown as a company over the years. We sincerely thank WCRC and our Wizcraft Team.” added Wizcraft International Entertainment director Viraf Sarkari.
In its 25 years, Wizcraft has ventured and created many brands and International Property Rights in the film and music industry, including the International Indian Film Academy Awards and Weekend. In 2010, the GiMA (Global Indian Music Academy) Awards were initiated as a platform to honour and applaud talent in Indian music, celebrating multiple genres across film and non-film music in the country.
On winning the award Wizcraft International Entertainment director Andre Timmins said, “At Wizcraft we deliver true brand experiences to clients time and again and the Asia’s Most Promising Brand Awards is a true testament of our strategic approach. Our strength are the people behind the magic, our greatest resource.”
Wizcraft’s brand activation prowess is seen across the work done for brands such as Coca Cola, Microsoft, Nokia, IBM, Pepsi, Tata, Renault, Chevrolet, Dell, Cisco, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover, Hindustan Unilever, P&G, Star Television Network and Sony Entertainment Television, among others.
With the theme ‘Rise of Asia’, a total of 200 brands were featured across 50 industry categories to form the Most Promising Brands of Asia, which brings to the fore companies that have shown tremendous growth in the past few years. The two day Summit felicitated brands and their leaders. 200 Most Promising Brands in Asia, Legends of Asia, Awards for the Most Promising Leaders in Asia, Special Awards in Marketing & Business were awarded for their innovation and contribution to Asia. The focus was on Brands (with revenues less than $10 billion) that are successfully taking on and beating their competitors in their respective fields through their steady growth and presence. For the first time ever, it also brought out Leaders who have led the way to make their companies ‘The Most Promising Brands’.
Speaking about the Asian brand and leadership summit World Consulting and Research Corporation editor and MD Abhimanyu Ghosh said, “This is a massive project with extensive research that has identified brands and leaders that are set to be the super-powers of tomorrow. They have been featured for the first time a singular platform aptly titled Asia’s Most Promising. With Wizcraft being the giant that it is in the activation sector, they could be ignored.”
Asia’s Most Promising is supported by Heaven on Earth Developers, Gitanjali, LR Active, WizSpk PR | Communication as the communication partner, Bright Outdoor, 360 Arc, Lama Tours, NDTV Profit, The Daily Star, Crystal Arc and Sri Hanumant Gram.
MAM
India’s financial sector spent less on TV ads in 2025 but flooded the internet
Banks, insurers and lenders cut tv ads as digital jumps, LIC and Muthoot lead tv and Axis Bank tops online
MUMBAI: India’s banking, financial services and insurance sector, one of the most prolific advertisers in the country, delivered a split verdict on media in 2025. It spent less on television, held its nerve in print, turned up the volume on radio and deluged the internet with a ferocity that left every other medium looking pedestrian. The picture that emerges from TAM AdEx’s cross-media report for the BFSI sector is of an industry in transition, still wedded to the news bulletin but increasingly seduced by the algorithm.
Television: a retreat with caveats
TV ad volumes for the BFSI sector fell 16 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, a sharp reversal after two years of consistent growth that had pushed volumes 16 per cent above 2021 levels by 2023 and a further 7 per cent higher by 2024. Within 2025 itself, the drop was concentrated in the middle of the year: the second and third quarters saw ad volumes slide 35 per cent each against the first quarter, with a partial recovery of 13 per cent in the fourth.
The retreat did not reshuffle the deck. Life insurance retained first place among TV categories with 19 per cent of ad volumes, mortgage loans held second with 16 per cent, and the top ten categories together accounted for 82 per cent of all BFSI television advertising. The dominance of news channels was equally pronounced: news claimed 68 per cent of ad volumes, general entertainment channels a distant 14 per cent and movies 12 per cent. Together, news and GEC captured 82 per cent of the sector’s television spend. News bulletins alone took 48 per cent of programme-genre volumes, with feature films second at 12 per cent. Prime time, between 6pm and 11pm, drew 34 per cent of ad volumes, followed by afternoon at 22 per cent and morning at 20 per cent. A full 82 per cent of all ads ran between 20 and 40 seconds.
Life Insurance Corporation of India was the sector’s biggest TV spender with 11 per cent of ad volumes. Muthoot Financial Enterprises came second with 9 per cent, followed by National Payments Corporation of India at 6 per cent, Tata AIG General Insurance at 5 per cent and State Bank of India at 5 per cent. The top ten advertisers together accounted for 51 per cent of total TV volumes. Three names were new to the top ten in 2025: Tata AIG General Insurance, IIFL Finance and Tata Capital. At brand level, Muthoot Finance Loan Against Gold led with 9 per cent share, Tata AIG Health Insurance entered the top ten for the first time, and the top ten brands together contributed 35 per cent of ad volumes.
Print: the long climb continues
Print told a different story. Ad space for the BFSI sector has grown every year since 2021, rising 16 per cent in 2022, 30 per cent in 2023, 51 per cent in 2024 and 64 per cent in 2025, all measured against a 2021 baseline. Within 2025, ad space was flat in the second quarter but surged 46 per cent in the third and 33 per cent in the fourth compared with the first. Life insurance led print categories with 21 per cent of ad space, followed by mutual funds and banking services and products at 13 per cent each, and corporate financial institutes at 11 per cent. The top ten categories together took 82 per cent of print ad space. LIC led print advertisers with 6 per cent share, and the top ten together covered just 19 per cent of ad space, a reflection of how fragmented print spending remains. Three new entrants joined the top ten in 2025, with Billion Brains Garage Ventures the only exclusive presence not seen in 2024’s list. In the top ten brands, LIC dominated with a 2 per cent share, while Nippon India Mutual Fund rose to third position from fourth in 2024. English accounted for 62 per cent of print ad space, Hindi for 20 per cent. Business and finance publications took 59 per cent of the genre split. The south zone led regional spending with 33 per cent of print ad space, Bangalore topping that zone, while New Delhi and Mumbai were the leading cities nationally.
Radio: louder than ever
Radio ad volumes for the BFSI sector have climbed steadily, rising 12 per cent above 2021 levels in 2023, 36 per cent in 2024 and 45 per cent in 2025. The quarterly pattern within 2025 was volatile: a sharp drop of 43 per cent in the second quarter and 42 per cent in the third, followed by a near-full recovery in the fourth. Life insurance led radio categories with 22 per cent of volumes, banking services and products second at 14 per cent and corporate NBFCs third at 11 per cent. LIC of India held its position as the leading radio advertiser with 20 per cent of ad volumes; the top ten radio advertisers together covered 69 per cent. Muthoot Financial Enterprises led radio brands with 10 per cent share, five of the top ten brands belonged to LIC alone, and SBI Mutual Fund made a remarkable leap to fifth position from 272nd in 2024. Evening and morning time-bands together captured 84 per cent of radio ad volumes, with evenings at 44 per cent and mornings at 40 per cent. Maharashtra was the leading state for radio BFSI advertising with 18 per cent share; Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for 43 per cent.
Digital: the five-times surge
If one number defines the 2025 BFSI advertising story, it is five. Digital ad impressions for the sector multiplied fivefold between 2021 and 2025, having already doubled in 2023 and doubled again in 2024 before the 2025 leap. Within the year, impressions dipped 19 per cent in the second quarter and 12 per cent in the third before recovering 8 per cent above the first quarter by the fourth. Banking services and products led digital categories with 27 per cent of impressions, life insurance and credit cards tied at 19 per cent each, and securities and sharebroking organisations fell from first place in 2024 to fourth in 2025. Axis Bank was the runaway leader among digital advertisers with 12 per cent of impressions, followed by ICICI Bank at 9 per cent, IDFC First Bank at 7 per cent and Kotak Mahindra Bank at 6 per cent. The top ten digital advertisers covered 59 per cent of impressions, and seven of them were new entrants compared with 2024, signalling rapid churn in the digital spending hierarchy. At brand level, Axis Bank led with 9 per cent, ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card vaulted to third place from 921st in 2024, and six of the top ten digital brands were new to the list. Programmatic buying accounted for 91 per cent of all digital BFSI transactions; combined with ad networks, it captured 96 per cent.
The data from TAM AdEx paints the portrait of a sector that still believes in the power of the television news bulletin to sell insurance to the masses, but increasingly knows that the next generation of borrowers, investors and cardholders is scrolling, not watching. The race is now on to reach them before the algorithm serves up someone else’s loan offer first.
