FMCG raises digital ad spends to 64%: dentsu-e4m report

FMCG advertisers sharply accelerated their digital push between 2024 and 2025, marking a decisive inflection point in media planning for India’s largest advertising category. Higher digital spends, rising digital allocation and a deeper concentration within video- and social-led formats point to a structural shift, with digital now firmly anchoring FMCG advertising strategies.

In 2024, FMCG was the largest contributor to India’s digital advertising market, with digital ad spends of Rs 16,606 crore, accounting for 34% of total digital advertising. Digital formed 53% of FMCG’s overall media mix, indicating a category in transition, where digital had overtaken television but traditional media continued to play a material role. By 2025, FMCG’s digital ad spends rose sharply to Rs 23,243 crore, even as its share of total digital advertising moderated slightly to 32% amid faster growth in other sectors. More importantly, digital allocation within FMCG media plans increased to 64%, firmly establishing digital as the category’s primary medium.

According to the 2026 dentsu-e4m digital advertising report, FMCG’s digital growth is being driven by rising mobile-first consumption, increasing use of short-form video and creator-led ecosystems, and a sharper focus on performance-driven marketing alongside brand-building objectives.

The internal composition of FMCG’s digital spends also tightened between the two years. In 2024, FMCG allocated 44% of its digital budgets to online video, followed by 30% to social media, 16% to display banners and 8% to paid search. 

By 2025, FMCG doubled down on high-impact formats, with online video accounting for 45% of digital spends and social media maintaining a 30% share, together making up around three-fourths of FMCG’s digital budgets. Display banners accounted for 15%, while paid search stood at 8%. The shift indicates growing use of digital for upper-funnel brand building and high-frequency engagement, while paid search and display continued to play supporting, tactical roles.

Traditional media slips as digital consolidates leadership in FMCG media plans

As digital strengthened, FMCG’s reliance on traditional media declined. In 2024, television accounted for 40% of FMCG media spends, serving as a strong secondary channel alongside digital, while print contributed 4% and OOH around 3%. By 2025, the gap widened significantly, with television’s share falling to 29%, print declining to 3%, and OOH to 2%, reinforcing the shift away from traditional mass media towards digital-led planning.

The 2026 report added that while television continues to deliver mass reach for FMCG advertisers, digital’s ability to combine reach, frequency and measurability has led to a gradual rebalancing of media priorities in favour of digital-led planning.

Overall, the 2024–2025 comparison highlights a clear structural reset for FMCG advertisers. With digital ad spends rising by over Rs 6,600 crore, digital allocation crossing 60%, and online video and social media dominating digital formats, FMCG has transitioned decisively to a digital-first advertising model, with television, print and OOH now playing clearly secondary, support-led roles.