The recent INMA South Asia News Media Festival showcased an incredible array of advertising innovation, with publishers showcasing everything from AI integration to creative format development to strategic data monetisation in multiple ways.

Here are 10 several of my takeaways:

First-party data as a revenue engine

South Asian publishers are rapidly activating first-party data beyond basic audience insights. 

HT Media’s tiered AI framework exemplifies this evolution. Their Rank AI tool automates SEO workflows using audience behaviour data, delivering 25% improvements in SEO yield, and 50%+ gains in targeted story traffic. 

As L.V. Navaneeth noted, “Advertisers today are not asking for slots — they’re asking for strategy. They want credibility and measurable outcomes.” (Please note I’m happy to confirm HT Media will participate in our First-Party Data Activation for Advertising Master Class in September.)

Data-driven audience segmentation

Further, South Asian publishers are pioneering sophisticated first-party data monetisation strategies that go far beyond basic demographics. 

The Hindu Group and HT Media are selling anonymised reader insight dashboards to brand partners and creating custom programmatic cohorts like “eco-conscious households in Tier 2 cities” that enable precision targeting for advertisers.

Regional publishers like Lokmat and Loksatta leverage city-tier-based segmentation to serve advertisers with hyper-local relevance, using micro-targeted WhatsApp campaigns based on readership clusters that have led to double-digit engagement gains. HT Media has adapted these principles to serve users across urban metros and vernacular regions, blending behavioural signals with regional preferences to improve advertiser outcomes.

This data-as-a-product approach demonstrates how publishers can compete with global platforms by offering cultural relevance and contextual understanding advertisers value, turning first-party data into a revenue-generating service beyond traditional advertising placements.

Premium format innovation and cross-media packaging

Creative advertising formats dominated conference discussions. 

The Times of India showcased 71 unique print formats, including AR integrations, scented pages, and QR-to-commerce experiences. Their digital innovations include AI-powered crosswords based on daily news and chatbot-driven advertising for product launches, boosting both engagement and lead capture.

Publishers are creating innovative advertising products — including QR code performance ads with integrated print-digital campaigns, moment-based campaigns (like Century Mattress’ Olympics tie-ups from IPG Mediabrands examples), and geographic bundling that combines print, digital, radio, and out-of-home advertising for comprehensive local market coverage.

Location-based ad bundling represents a future-forward approach, with EY India recommending publishers sell complete geographies (like Mumbai or Navi Mumbai) by bundling print, digital, OOH, radio, and programmatic in one package. SME-focused ad partnerships are creating new outreach models and data-sharing alliances designed to monetise India’s 63 million+ SMEs more effectively.

The conference emphasised that “print equals trust, touch, time, and thoughtfulness” — positioning premium print formats as anchors in multimedia campaigns. 

Premium print positioning and creative innovation

In fact, South Asian publishers are successfully repositioning print as a premium, trust-based advertising environment.

As Ashish Pherwani from EY India noted, while 84% of advertising growth comes from digital channels, print maintains steady revenue through credibility and affluent audience reach.

Lokmat’s category-targeted ad editions for real estate, automotive, and wellness — supported by first-party audience data and QR-linked CTAs — demonstrate how print can be data-driven. Brand-funded educational inserts are being used in vernacular papers for health, insurance, and financial literacy campaigns, while Indian Express Group has proposed “Sponsor the Edition” products — branded takeover opportunities that sponsor entire print/digital editions with thematic alignment.

AI-enhanced sales approaches

Publishers in India are deploying AI strategically across the advertising lifecycle. 

Amar Ujala has developed AI-powered ad copy suggestions that recommend alternate copy, CTA language, and layout for SME advertisers based on historical engagement data, helping smaller advertisers create more effective campaigns.

The Hindu’s advanced AI implementation tests ad performance against modeled personas, with AI rewriting copy to improve outcomes. As Nagaraj Nagabhushan noted: “We ran adversarial models to test ad performance against modeled personas then had AI rewrite copy to improve outcomes” — demonstrating how AI can optimise advertising creative in real-time.

Image-layered advertising technology at Amar Ujala uses AI filters to place display bands on images while automatically excluding infographics, maintaining editorial integrity while maximising advertising inventory. 

E-commerce integration and personalisation

South Asian publishers are leveraging e-commerce principles for audience engagement.

HT Media and The Times of India are using dynamic newsletter personalisation built around specific interests, behaviour patterns, and consumption timing to improve advertiser reach and engagement rates.

Contextual commerce integration has emerged as a key revenue driver, with HT Media and Sakal creating daily product round-ups and contextual e-commerce promotions inside e-papers, tied to current headlines (budget, festivals, sports). HT Media’s first-party interest graph tracks interest tags at user level (cricket, tax, veganism), powering recommendations and personalised ad delivery for advertisers.

Creator economy integration

South Asian publishers are also building creator networks that combine editorial credibility with influencer reach. 

Lokmat’s evolution into a multi-platform influencer model, sourcing local creators from community groups, demonstrates how news brands can compete in the creator economy while maintaining journalistic standards.

As Lokmat’s Hemant Jain said, “A local hero makes a bigger impact than a celebrity in hyper-local communities” — with their Amazon campaign scaling from 20 to 300 influencers, driving 680 million views and delivering measurable results. This suggests publisher-led creator networks can deliver superior results for regional advertisers.

Revenue model evolution

The conference also highlighted diverse revenue streams beyond traditional advertising. 

Publishers are monetising events as intellectual property (ABP’s Ideas of India Summit), creating branded content studios, and developing passion verticals around astrology, education, and matrimonials. This diversification reduces platform dependency while leveraging editorial trust for commercial partnerships.

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