In a time when advertising is being redefined by audience fragmentation, platform fatigue, and AI, South Asia’s news media companies are quietly leading a creative renaissance. 

At last week’s INMA South Asia News Media Festival in Mumbai, a potent mix of legacy brands, tech firms, and media disruptors unveiled bold new ideas that are reshaping the rules of marketing and brand storytelling.

The great recalibration, from ads to outcomes

“Advertisers are no longer asking for slots,” L.V. Navaneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, told attendees. “They’re asking for strategy. They want credibility. They want outcomes.”

Echoing this, EY India partner Ashish Pherwani laid out the scale of the shift: While India’s ad market crossed ₹1.2 lakh crore in 2024, nearly 84% of that growth came from new media. Print didn’t decline, but it didn’t see a surge either. What’s emerging, he said, is a hybrid future, one that combines the trust of legacy media with the targeting power of digital.

“We need to stop selling space. We need to start selling geography, bundling print, radio, OOH, and digital as one localised, high-impact solution,” Pherwani urged. He also championed brand-funded communities as the next frontier. “We’re not just selling reach. We’re selling insight, trust, and access.”

Why print still punches above its weight

A spirited panel led by Vanita Kohli-Khandekar explored whether print still has its mojo. 

Indian Express Executive Director Anant Goenka argued the medium’s impact remains unmatched: “If an article doesn’t appear in print, its societal impact is diminished. Print amplifies journalism.”

Ashish Bhasin, founder of The Bhasin Consulting Group, took a historical lens: “Print was once built on powerful editorial personalities and societal influence. To reclaim relevance, we must lead with trust and start believing in ourselves again.”

Partha Sinha, former president of The Times of India Group and now senior advisor at McKinsey, put it succinctly in another panel: “Print has brand memory. The only medium where the message lingers even after the medium is gone.”

The power of personalisation

The Mumbai study tour gave delegates a close look at brands that don’t just advertise with media — they build their own.

At Dream11 and FanCode, personalisation is engineered at massive scale. With more than 213 million users, Dream11’s machine learning systems optimise everything from onboarding to contest selection. AI models track payment behaviour, churn risk, and even contest stress levels to improve user retention.

FanCode, meanwhile, has gone from rights-buyer to content creator, with in-house production, commentary, and streaming. Their campaigns blur the lines between media and marketing.

When story is the strategy

Another study tour highlight was Friday Filmworks, the creative powerhouse behind hits like A Wednesday and Special Ops. What stood out was their fierce commitment to story-first thinking.

“We use data for learning, not for greenlighting,” their team said. “Marketing can attract, but only a great story retains.”

Their refusal to chase trends or insert unnecessary tropes (“no item songs unless the story needs one”) resonated deeply with visiting media executives. For media companies eyeing branded content, the message was clear: The narrative must lead, not follow.

Ideas that touch hearts and wallets

In one of the most quoted moments of the festival, Josy Paul, chairman of BBDO India, reframed marketing itself: “We are not in the business of creating ads. We are in the business of creating acts.”

The most powerful campaigns arise from deep listening, Paul said. “It’s not about making up ideas. It’s about discovering the tension that already exists in culture, then responding to it with humility and creativity.”

He cited the “Share The Load” campaign as an example — not just a message but a movement. “The best marketing doesn’t sell. It serves.”

When news becomes a product

At the INMA Mumbai study tour, fintech brand Upstox offered a master class in how brands can turn news into a marketing product.

Their partnership strategy hinges on value-adding content. “We co-create explainers, tools, and editorial formats with newsrooms,” said a spokesperson. “Our ask: Don’t run our ad. Run content that solves a problem.”

For news publishers, this is a window into performance-based models. “One publisher told us: ‘Pay only if traffic increases by 10%.’ That’s the level of accountability that builds trust,” the brand noted.

The brand leaders’ perspective

At the conference marketers’ panel, Jaimit Doshi, formerly CMO of Lenskart and CEO of Hustlr, and Rajan Bhalla of BrandsAbility offered a rare inside look at how advertisers choose media partners and the importance of knowing your audience. 

“We don’t want platforms. We want partners,” Doshi said. “It’s not about impressions anymore. It’s about influence. Show me how your brand builds mine.”

Bhalla emphasised credibility and customisation: “News brands must understand our segment better than anyone else. Speak our language. Solve our problems. That’s value.”

Where martech meets purpose

The study tour visit to Wondrlab showed the future of marketing infrastructure. Through platforms like WISR, they’re helping schools monetise their physical inventory (canteens, auditoriums, washrooms) in exchange for brand partnerships on mental health, hygiene, or sports.

One campaign with the brand NUA embedded period education in girls’ washrooms, using doctors and storytelling to drive change. Another partnered with Luxor to promote handwriting skills through samples distributed directly to students.

“This is not about banner ads,” a Wondrlab team member said. “This is contextual, purpose-driven media with real ROI.” 

Why marketers still believe

Several conference panels and keynotes brought together brand and agency veterans to provide insights on marketing, notably where print fits in the marketing mix.

“Trust is print’s superpower,” Juzer Tambawalla of Franklin Templeton said. “Print has rebuilt belief.”

Vikram Karwal, senior director of marketing of Mondelez, speaking from an FMCG lens, pointed out that print still drives discovery: “In Tier 2 and Tier 3, print is the Internet. It sets the agenda.”

Surinder Chawla of The Times of India added a hybrid note: “Print works best when it’s integrated with digital. Our best campaigns use both, not either/or.”

Balancing short-term impact with long-term brand value

In a sharp and insightful conference panel, marketing leaders emphasised that while digital pressures and moment marketing dominate the current landscape, long-term brand-building remains essential — especially for media companies. 

Sneha Beriwal of AND Marketing warned that “if you keep living only in the short-term, you never get off the treadmill,” urging brands to ensure that everyday marketing actions contribute to long-term equity. 

Aditya Kanthy of Omnicom Advertising Group echoed this, noting a crisis of purpose in the industry and calling for marketing to be treated as a strategic asset: “If you’re not building a brand that delivers long-term growth, you’re not doing your job.” 

The panel underscored that media fragmentation, shrinking attention spans, and shifting board room priorities are forcing brands — including news media — to constantly prove their value. 

Yet, as Pradeep Dwivedi of Eros Media World pointed out, “consistent short-term action, rooted in brand purpose, is what sustains long-term impact.” For publishers, the takeaway is clear: They must be active partners in brand strategy, not just sellers of inventory — offering integrated solutions that combine reach, trust, and storytelling.

Reinventing media: from campaigns to communities

From AI-powered quiz engines to local influencer networks, the message from the INMA conference and study tour was clear: South Asia's media ecosystem is reimagining the role of marketing. Not just as a channel but as a conversation. Not just as advertising but as acts of service.

As Partha Sinha put it: “A newspaper doesn’t just inform. It performs.”

In this hybrid future, credibility, creativity, and community will win. And South Asia’s media brands — armed with legacy trust and a new playbook — are well positioned to lead the way. 

This article was written with the assistance of AI tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by a human editor to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.

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