Digital media is witnessing unprecedented growth in India. And it’s no surprise that the main drivers for digital media in India are video, mobile and social, considering that these domains are without doubt the realm of the young and the restless. Add to this the staggering fact that India has an enviable and unparalleled youth demographic – 65% of India’s 1.3 billion population is either 35 or below 35, while half of the country’s population is below 25 years. Figures like these are pushing the digital growth story in India and you can safely conclude that with mobile and Internet penetrating deeper into the heartlands of rural India – which alone constitutes 70% of India’s population, we are still to witness some of the most incredible digital stories yet.

As far as the advertising industry is concerned, among all the media digital continues to show the maximum growth when compared to TV, Print, Radio and OOH. Moreover, industry pundits have forecasted a 37 per cent increase in digital media spend in 2015. Brands are now ‘consciously’ focussing a significant portion of their media spend on digital, and this is evident from the fact that digital has been growing at an average rate of 35 per cent over the last two years in India.

Furthermore, brands have evolved their thinking from a “social only” mindset to a much broader canvas when thinking digital. This is evident from the evolution of online promotions we got to see in the festive season that just passed us. Brands have graduated from basic Facebook posts to full-on digital engagement, including branded/viral content. What is really encouraging is the fact that we are seeing a lot of local brands stepping up on the digital stage to make their presence felt. Their confidence is definitely a positive signal for our industry and engaging them will definitely lead to further innovation in the digital space, apart from widening our canvas as creative professionals.

Let me leave you with one such brand that I came across last Christmas Eve – Lia, a domestic air freshener product company, which created a YouTube video (youtu.be/Ba6zB-kBtnQ) to showcase their product’s ‘capabilities’ and a responsive microsite (www.thehohoho.com) to promote their products in the ‘true’ spirit of Christmas. Enjoy!