India is now the fourth largest consumer of online video, delegates at the 8th Marketing Conclave organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India have heard.
"Internet is no longer the medium that brands invest in when they do not have budgets for TV," said Shubharanshu Singh, Visa's marketing director for India and South Asia. Fragmentation of television and the online preference of young people has, he said, led to this shift in attitude.
"For this medium to be used to its potential, the offline and online planners need to work hand in hand. The content creation for this medium needs to be done creatively and not simply picked from that generated for TV," Debadutta Upadhyaya, vice president of Vdopia Media told delegates.
With online advertising, the time taken for a viewer to see the promotion then search for the product is between five and ten times faster than with offline advertising, said Singh.
Television, however, remains a strong medium for advertising, stressed K A Srinivasan, co-founder, Amagi Media Labs.
"Television penetration is only going to increase in the future. Also as we adopt new technologies, television will be able to provide targeted regional advertising options. This will give the marketers a chance to change the message according to the demography and geography," Srinivasan said.