Find Advertising, Marketing and PR expertise in India

Large advertising, marketing and PR consultancy firms are located in all of India’s major cities. The advertising sector has emerged as a major industry in the country and is increasingly placing itself on the global map, with an estimated value of Rs 255,940 million in 2011. Political parties contribute considerably to advertising spend, around Rs 8,000 million in 2011.

India’s advertising and marketing industry is being reshaped by the huge technological changes sweeping the country, and through the inclusion of private firms in the various media. A combination in all of these factors has resulted in a boom. Up to 10 agencies dominate the market, and thus gain the most high profile clients. These include local branches of the global agencies Ogilvy & Mather and JWT, and Mudra Communications Pvt. Ltd, part of India’s largest integrated marketing communications network. The advertising industry is represented by the Advertising Agencies Association India, the official national organisation of advertising agencies.

Public Relations is quickly becoming very important in India, especially with the boom in the Indian media, and as a result of the globalisation of Indian companies. The combination of these factors has made the need to form a clear and distinct brand essential. The real roots of the industry expansion began to take shape in the early 1990s, although some small companies had been in operation many years. The Public Relations Society of India is the national association of PR practitioners, established in 1958 to promote the profession.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (2012-13) placed India 48^th out of 144 countries in terms of the extent of marketing. It was given a value of 4.4 out of 7, above the world mean of 4.1, suggesting that the use of sophisticated marketing tools and techniques by companies in the country is slightly more extensive than average. This was reflected in the buyer sophistication category, placing 53^rd with a value of 3.7 out of 7, slightly above the mean of 3.5, with 7 indicating that buyers in the country make purchasing decisions based on a sophisticated analysis of performance attributes, rather than based solely on price.

Advertising spends across media in 2011 were estimated to be Rs 300 billion, which accounted for 41% of the media and entertainment industry’s revenues. The sector continues to be dominated by two media – television led the advertising sector in 2011, with a share of 44.8%, although this was followed closely by print media with a share of 42.2%. However, the growth in the share of internet advertising was the greatest, rising to 3.8%. Radio claimed 3.1% share, outdoor ads 5.1% and cinema 0.5%. The online advertising market is expected to continue to expand rapidly in the current climate.