Festive print advertising puts focus on audience, geography & language

Print advertising’s festive-season story is often told through the language of reach, circulation and premium placements. But this year, another question deserves closer attention: which newspaper is reaching the right consumer, and in what language?

While English dailies remain relevant for brands targeting premium, urban audiences, inputs from publishers and advertisers point to the importance of Hindi and regional-language newspapers in reaching readers across diverse linguistic and geographic markets. For some brands, the decision is driven by the geography of their stores. For others, it comes down to the product’s price point, the audience’s socio-economic profile or the need to communicate offers at scale.

The distinction matters in a festive season when advertisers are balancing cautious spending with the need to be visible at a time of heightened purchase intent.

Print navigates a cautious festive market

At DB Corp, festive advertising revenue is tracking at around double-digit growth so far, with the publisher expecting to close the season at around the same level as last year. The performance comes against a high base, after last year’s festive period received a boost from GST cuts and a corresponding surge in consumer communication.

“Print has entered the festive season on a strong footing. At DB Corp, festive ad revenue is around double-digit growth percentage so far, and we expect to close the season around the same vs last year. The significance lies not just in the growth, but in what is driving it,” said Mayar Penkar, Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Sales, DB Corp.

The broader advertising market is expected to grow, but the publisher’s outlook is more measured.

“The economic environment remains challenging, with retail inflation rising to 5.54% in September and global geopolitical uncertainty weighing on sentiment. Yet brands continue to invest in the festive season, when purchase intent is at its peak,” Penkar said.

“Industry estimates project festive advertising expenditure across media at ₹60,000–62,000 crore, representing growth of 13–17%. For advertisers, the festive period remains a critical window to influence purchase decisions across automobiles, jewellery, financial services and retail,” he added.

Sumit Modi, Chief Operating Officer, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, DB Corp, also described a cautious environment for print. “This year, the mood is more cautious. Rising oil prices and inflation have dented consumer purchasing power, and advertisers are being circumspect with their spends across media, print included. Ad volumes in print have stayed more or less flat so far this season.”

Yet, flat volumes have not necessarily translated into weaker revenue for the publisher.

“Notwithstanding this, we have grown both revenues and yields. The credit goes to the value-adds we offer advertisers: frequency targeting, multi-market bundling, innovative solutions and ground activations. With about a fortnight still to go before Diwali, the peak of the festive season, we are hopeful that demand will pick up and bring better volumes as well,” said Modi.

The distinction between volume and yield is important. In a market where advertisers are becoming more selective, premium inventory, bundled offerings and local activations can influence the value of a campaign even when overall ad volumes remain subdued.

Geography shaping print media choices

The case for regional print is not limited to publisher claims. Advertisers say publication selection is closely tied to the audience they want to reach, and the geography in which they operate.

Mayank Pravinchandra Shah, CMO, Parle Products, also linked publication selection to the product proposition and target audience. “The selection of publications largely depends on the brand objectives and the requirements of the plan. Based on the target audience, in terms of demographics, socio-economic class and geography, we decide on the publications. For a premium product, you would look at English dailies, where your ideal consumer would be a more evolved consumer belonging to a higher socio-economic class in urban India. Whereas, if you are looking at value products or affordable brands, you have a much larger mass to cover, and hence you look at vernacular dailies. So, it completely depends on the objective of the brand and the brand proposition.” 

For Forevermark India, the regional component is particularly important when advertising around its retail locations. Mallikarjuna Reddy Yarabolu, Managing Director, Forevermark India, said, “We are a very young brand, and we wanted to invest money where our stores are. We don't want to go pan-India with everything, but want to essentially concentrate on these 12 locations where we are present. When we do our advertising, be it print media, hoardings, influencers, CTV or social, we are essentially concentrating nearby.

For a jewellery brand with a defined store footprint, the logic is straightforward: a campaign needs to reach consumers in the markets where they can actually visit and make a purchase. Language becomes part of that local connection, rather than simply a format choice.

Yarabolu further explained, “That is something we are very focused on, even if it is a simple liner wishing consumers a Happy Puja. We keep it rooted. We will be more keen on where the circulation is higher as compared to a notional circulation, which we always carry in mind. The regional component is very important when you plan your media mix around print.”

For brands with a local retail presence, the language of the publication can also help make the communication feel closer to the market it is addressing.

Who is spending on print this festive season?

Publishers suggest that traditional festive categories continue to account for a significant share of print demand, even as the advertiser base broadens.

 At Malayala Manorama, traditional categories remain central to festive bookings in Kerala, although the advertiser base is widening. “As always, traditional categories are still driving print bookings in Kerala this year but definitely the advertiser base is widening. Retail, jewellery, automobiles, consumer durables etc.. are still leading the way big time,” said Varghese Chandy, Vice President Marketing, Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd.

The publisher also sees consumer durables and retail networks using print to communicate offers and gifts. “Since the festival season is dominated by consumer durable clients & the retail networks are all out with large format advertising with offers and gifts, print has improved its share & volume without affecting the yield. This is what we saw during Onam & that must be the case across markets for all festivals,” Chandy added. 

For DB Corp, real estate is the largest revenue contributor this festive season, particularly in local markets, while jewellery remains active during its peak buying period. Consumer durables, electronics and lifestyle advertisers are also warming up ahead of the wedding season.

Penkar said, “The encouraging shift this year is the breadth of advertising demand. Growth is not confined to automobiles; several categories are stepping up their print presence.”

He also pointed to the continued presence of digital-first businesses in newspapers, saying, “The continued activity of e-commerce brands in print is particularly significant. It reinforces the medium’s relevance even for digitally native businesses looking to build awareness, trust and reach beyond online audiences.”

The role of print in communicating promotions is a recurring theme in the advertiser and publisher responses. Offers, product ranges and festive gift packs can require space and visibility, particularly when brands want to showcase multiple products within one campaign.

For Parle Products, the festive period is also a time when the brand uses print to communicate its gift range. Shah said, “Typically, the festive season in India starts around August 15 and goes up to Diwali, and probably at times even extends till Christmas. During that particular period, a significant part of our advertising happens. There is a 10-15% increase in advertising in print this year.”

The front page still has its pull

While language and geography shape publication selection, the format within a newspaper is another important consideration. Front-page jackets, wraps and full-page advertisements continue to attract advertisers looking for visibility, particularly during the festive period.

For Forevermark, the preference is tied to the visual nature of the product and the need to stand out in a crowded category. “We are very focused on print media, but it has to be clutter-free. Our creatives have to be absolutely clutter-free because, when it comes to the festive season, every jeweller and every brand has too much to write. But we still want to remain simplistic,” said Yarabolu.

“One thing we always want to do is be on the front page, either through a wrap or a quarter-page or half-page advertisement. It has to be on the front. That is non-negotiable for us. We generally prefer a glossy format because diamond jewellery is more aesthetic from a glossy perspective as compared to a matte one,” he added. 

Parle Products, meanwhile, differentiates between high-impact placements for launches and campaign introductions, and inside-page inventory for sustained or promotional communication. Shah said, “Obviously, a jacket or a front-page placement is always premium inventory. Depending on the kind of impact you want to create, whether it is a launch or a new campaign, we largely look at a jacket, a cover, a flap or front-page inventory. If it is more of a sustenance campaign or a promotional campaign, talking about promotions and such things, then you can even look at Page 3 or Page 5 inside.”

DB Corp is also seeing demand for premium formats. Modi said, “We are seeing a strong trend towards premium formats. Advertisers want the most impact for every rupee, and are choosing front-page jackets and full-page ads. To meet this need, we are also proposing print innovations such as the French Window, Seamless Panorama etc.

“These formats are more premium, but they offer superior recall and a longer shelf life, which significantly improve advertisers' return on investment.”

Malayala Manorama is seeing a similar preference for front-page inventory. Chandy said, “Demand for premium print formats starts shooting up weeks before the actual festive season begins. Front page jackets are most sought after, as they are a ‘no chance to miss’ option. We are seeing advertisers place greater value on high-impact, differentiated print inventory, while using integrated packages and tighter pricing discipline to convert this demand into better yields.”

The format, however, is not a standalone decision. It is shaped by the objective of the campaign, the product being advertised and the audience the brand wants to reach.

Print is no longer selling itself on paper alone

Print is increasingly being packaged with digital, television, radio and on-ground activations, allowing advertisers to extend their presence across consumer touchpoints. “As mentioned, discounts & offers are the key elements of festival advertising, and these are most effective in print advertisements. So print is able to compete effectively with e-commerce & quick-commerce by delivering highest visibility, trust and regional scale,” said Chandy.

“As usual, activations & local supplements were helping this year as well. Also we tried multimedia packages that include print, digital, TV, FM & activations and it really worked. Currently it is only reaching the target customers that matter & not the medium. That’s where multimedia packages play a vital role, which actually maximises the touch points,” he added. 

DB Corp is also emphasising local reach and activation. “The local market reach of Dainik Bhaskar is legendary, and it remains our USP in attracting advertisers. Over the past year, we have also doubled down on our activation bandwidth and capabilities, which is helping us draw incremental spends. To extend an advertiser's audience further, we also offer add-on visibility on our digital platform through the e-paper, at no extra cost,” said Modi.

For Medusa Beverages, print plays a selective role in entering new markets. “Print plays an important role for us when entering new markets. As we expand into new regions like we did in Haryana and Karnataka, newspapers help us reach audiences beyond major urban centres, particularly in markets where print continues to be an important source of information. Our investments are guided by local readership patterns and market relevance. Print helps us establish brand presence in newer markets, while digital plays a larger role in storytelling and audience engagement,” said Gaurav Sehgal, Vice President-Marketing, Medusa Beverages.

Sehgal also underlined how language choices reflect the intended audience. “The choice between English and regional publications ultimately depends on the audience a brand wants to engage. English dailies offer access to urban and premium readerships, while Hindi and regional-language publications can provide stronger cultural and linguistic familiarity in specific markets. For Medusa, regional relevance is particularly important.”

The language is becoming a media-planning decision
The festive print market is not moving in one direction uniformly. Publishers are reporting different patterns in volumes, revenues and yields, while advertisers are choosing publications based on audience profile, store locations, product positioning and campaign objectives.

The perspectives from Hindi and regional publishers, alongside advertisers, suggest that print's value is not being assessed simply by the language or category of a newspaper. It is being measured by how effectively it connects a brand with the consumer it wants to reach.

For publishers, the task is to demonstrate that local readership, premium inventory and integrated offerings can deliver value in a cautious spending environment. For advertisers, the decision is more precise: whether an English daily, a Hindi newspaper or a regional-language publication is best suited to the market, the message and the product.

As festive campaigns compete for attention, the bigger question is not whether one language of print will outperform another. It is whether publishers can continue to make the case for the right audience, in the right market, with the right format. That may ultimately determine where print maintains its place in the media plan.

e4m reached out to several English dailies to understand the festive advertising trends and spending patterns they are witnessing this season, but had not received responses at the time of publishing.