<p>Your columnist recalls a time when advertising had no choice but to try harder. It arrived between programmes, in long commercial breaks, and asked for the one thing the viewer could withhold, attention. Nobody mistook it for content, and precisely because it was clearly an advertisement, it had to justify its presence. Campaigns relied on wit, music and narrative to stay with the viewer well after the break ended. In India, spots such as chocolate maker Cadbury’s “Kuch Khaas Hai” or adhesive giant Fevicol’s long-running films did not interrupt viewing so much as become part of it, remembered and often repeated. Weak advertising, by contrast, was immediately apparent, it filled time but left nothing behind.</p><p>That discipline faded as media multiplied. Audiences moved from a handful of channels to an endless stream of feeds, clips and scrolling surfaces. The economics changed. Digital media now accounts for roughly a third of India’s media and entertainment revenues and has overtaken television as the largest segment. Advertising followed towards digital media, as reach became granular and measurement became immediate. Creative ambition gave way to technical efficiency. The modern marketer no longer had to hold attention for thirty seconds, they had to survive five. On platforms like YouTube, the viewer can skip after that point, and many do. Advertising, in much of the digital era, has been optimised to secure a few seconds of attention, not to build lasting recall.</p><p>This did not make advertising unimportant. However, advertising did become narrower. The ad became shorter, faster and more transactional. Digital now accounts for close to 65-70% of global ad spend, and the system rewards what can be counted instantly. Campaigns are optimised in real time, retargeted relentlessly and segmented to the level of individual behaviour. The gains in efficiency are obvious, but the loss which advertising faced is quieter. Advertising stopped entertaining with the same seriousness. It stopped trusting that recall and persuasion could justify themselves even when they did not appear cleanly on a dashboard.</p><p>The next phase blurred the line further, as influencer marketing and native formats allowed advertising to blend into content rather than sit apart from it. The commercial message did not disappear, but it became less explicit in how it presented itself. This helped extend reach and engagement, but it also introduced a degree of scepticism among consumers. Edelman’s 2025 findings indicate that trust now ranks alongside cost and quality in shaping purchase decisions, while ASCI’s early 2025 review in India found that 69% of investigated influencer posts did not meet disclosure norms. Over time, as these practices become more common, the lack of clarity begins to affect how audiences interpret both the message and the brand behind it.</p><p>The market is now resetting. Streaming platforms are rebuilding premium video environments with advertising built in. Netflix reported 94 million users on its ad-supported tier by mid-2025, up sharply within six months. Amazon and JioHotstar are expanding similar models, offering mid-roll formats ranging from 10 to 60 seconds. These are spaces where brands can tell fuller stories again.</p><p>Context, as it turns out, still matters. Thinkbox's, a marketing body for commercial TV, research shows that professionally produced content drives 60% higher ad recall and increases trust in advertising by 44%. In the right viewing environment, recall can be over 6x higher. A consumer leaning back into a programme is not the same as one flicking through a feed. As attention behaves differently, so should advertising. This is not a return to the past. Most advertising will remain short. Performance metrics will remain central. But the balance is shifting. The Kantar Group, a market research agency, published 2025 India findings which show declining ad receptivity, particularly among younger audiences, and a renewed importance of creative quality. In a low-receptivity market, poor advertising does not just fail. It conditions the audience to disengage faster the next time.</p><p>Advertising is entering a stricter phase. Consumers still accept it. They reject what feels careless, concealed or unnecessary. Premium streaming environments offer brands a second chance, but under tighter conditions. The viewer is no longer captive. She is selective, sceptical and quick to exit. Advertising will therefore need to recover an older skill under newer constraints. It will have to entertain again, out of necessity instead of nostalgia.</p>
<p>Your columnist recalls a time when advertising had no choice but to try harder. It arrived between programmes, in long commercial breaks, and asked for the one thing the viewer could withhold, attention. Nobody mistook it for content, and precisely because it was clearly an advertisement, it had to justify its presence. Campaigns relied on wit, music and narrative to stay with the viewer well after the break ended. In India, spots such as chocolate maker Cadbury’s “Kuch Khaas Hai” or adhesive giant Fevicol’s long-running films did not interrupt viewing so much as become part of it, remembered and often repeated. Weak advertising, by contrast, was immediately apparent, it filled time but left nothing behind.</p><p>That discipline faded as media multiplied. Audiences moved from a handful of channels to an endless stream of feeds, clips and scrolling surfaces. The economics changed. Digital media now accounts for roughly a third of India’s media and entertainment revenues and has overtaken television as the largest segment. Advertising followed towards digital media, as reach became granular and measurement became immediate. Creative ambition gave way to technical efficiency. The modern marketer no longer had to hold attention for thirty seconds, they had to survive five. On platforms like YouTube, the viewer can skip after that point, and many do. Advertising, in much of the digital era, has been optimised to secure a few seconds of attention, not to build lasting recall.</p><p>This did not make advertising unimportant. However, advertising did become narrower. The ad became shorter, faster and more transactional. Digital now accounts for close to 65-70% of global ad spend, and the system rewards what can be counted instantly. Campaigns are optimised in real time, retargeted relentlessly and segmented to the level of individual behaviour. The gains in efficiency are obvious, but the loss which advertising faced is quieter. Advertising stopped entertaining with the same seriousness. It stopped trusting that recall and persuasion could justify themselves even when they did not appear cleanly on a dashboard.</p><p>The next phase blurred the line further, as influencer marketing and native formats allowed advertising to blend into content rather than sit apart from it. The commercial message did not disappear, but it became less explicit in how it presented itself. This helped extend reach and engagement, but it also introduced a degree of scepticism among consumers. Edelman’s 2025 findings indicate that trust now ranks alongside cost and quality in shaping purchase decisions, while ASCI’s early 2025 review in India found that 69% of investigated influencer posts did not meet disclosure norms. Over time, as these practices become more common, the lack of clarity begins to affect how audiences interpret both the message and the brand behind it.</p><p>The market is now resetting. Streaming platforms are rebuilding premium video environments with advertising built in. Netflix reported 94 million users on its ad-supported tier by mid-2025, up sharply within six months. Amazon and JioHotstar are expanding similar models, offering mid-roll formats ranging from 10 to 60 seconds. These are spaces where brands can tell fuller stories again.</p><p>Context, as it turns out, still matters. Thinkbox's, a marketing body for commercial TV, research shows that professionally produced content drives 60% higher ad recall and increases trust in advertising by 44%. In the right viewing environment, recall can be over 6x higher. A consumer leaning back into a programme is not the same as one flicking through a feed. As attention behaves differently, so should advertising. This is not a return to the past. Most advertising will remain short. Performance metrics will remain central. But the balance is shifting. The Kantar Group, a market research agency, published 2025 India findings which show declining ad receptivity, particularly among younger audiences, and a renewed importance of creative quality. In a low-receptivity market, poor advertising does not just fail. It conditions the audience to disengage faster the next time.</p><p>Advertising is entering a stricter phase. Consumers still accept it. They reject what feels careless, concealed or unnecessary. Premium streaming environments offer brands a second chance, but under tighter conditions. The viewer is no longer captive. She is selective, sceptical and quick to exit. Advertising will therefore need to recover an older skill under newer constraints. It will have to entertain again, out of necessity instead of nostalgia.</p>
