India’s digital advertising outlook is uncertain. Brands are facing funding shortages, inflation, and global instability. In response, they’re cutting budgets, demanding more results, yet still chasing unrealistically high ROAS targets like it’s 2021.
We’re in a moment where the glittering certainty of digital-first everything is being slowly replaced by cautious recalibration. And as any media planner will tell you: ad rates don’t live in a vacuum.
"The current economic headwinds have created a two-tier effect on India's digital advertising landscape," says Gopa Menon, Chief Digital Officer at Successive Digital. “Premium inventory in finance, luxury, and tech sectors has seen rates increase on an average by 10–15% despite broader economic pressures. These industries consider digital advertising essential, not discretionary.”
At the same time, he adds, “FMCG and mid-market retail sectors have adopted more conservative approaches, negotiating harder on rates and demanding greater performance guarantees. These are pushing CPMs down by approximately 8–12% in these categories compared to late 2024.”