INDIA INC ON AN AD-RENALINE RUSH! AS FIRMS BET BIG ON BRAND VISIBILITY, CUMULATIVE ADVERTISING AND PUBLICITY SPEND OF BSE 500 COMPANIES HIT 80,000 CRORE

IN HIS 1963 BOOK, Confessions of an Advertising Man, David Ogilvy articulated an interesting insight: "The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit."

- V. KESHAVDEV

This insight seems to be reverberating through the corporate corridors of India Inc. today, where a growing number of companies are pouring immense resources into advertising and publicity, each striving to carve out a distinct identity in the minds of consumers.

In the heart of Mumbai, the towering billboards of Tata Motors' latest electric vehicles stand as bold signals of this ongoing advertising blitz. As the third-largest passenger vehicle player and the leading electric vehicle brand with a market share of over 70%, Tata Motors has emerged as the nation's largest advertiser, investing a remarkable *9,221 crore on 'publicity' in FY24. This aggressive spend, which accounts for 2.11% of its net sales, underscores Tata's strategic push to dominate the automotive sector both in traditional vehicles and EVs..

"We are focusing on retail acceleration backed by effective marketing campaigns, micro market focus, and targeted product interventions," shared Shailesh Chandra, managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, during a recent earnings call.

But Tata Motors isn't alone in its pursuit of consumer attention. Analysis of 280 companies from the BSE 500 universe reveals that India's corporate giants are ramping up their marketing spend like never before. The cumulative expenditure on advertising and publicity among these companies surged from ₹54,288 crore in FY14 to an impressive ₹79,488 crore in FY24, marking a 46% increase over the past decade, and 30% jump over ₹70,542 spent in FY19.