Onam 2025 adex grows 15–20% across mediums as brands target Kerala and Malayali diaspora

New Delhi: Onam 2025 is on track to be Kerala’s biggest advertising season in recent memory, with spends projected to rise 15–20% over last year. Strong monsoons, improved consumer sentiment, rising foreign remittances, and government festive allowances are fuelling a surge in retail consumption. Brands are responding with bigger, earlier, and more integrated campaigns.

While television continues to anchor festive media plans, OTT and digital platforms are growing at the fastest clip, with influencer-led storytelling, regional OTTs, and diaspora targeting now standard in Onam strategies.

Television: Still the core of Onam adex

Malayalam GECs remain the biggest beneficiaries of Onam budgets. JioStar expects 15–20% growth in spends over 2024, driven by a premium slate headlined by Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 7 hosted by Mohanlal, blockbuster premieres such as Empuraan and Padakkalam, a Mahasangam crossover episode, and Onam-themed cookery specials.

“There is always a higher number of impact content, especially reality shows, during this time, enabling advertisers to break clutter and stand out,” said a JioStar spokesperson. “With over three weeks to go before Onam, 20 brands have already associated with Bigg Boss Malayalam.”

Zee Keralam is also betting big on high-engagement formats. “Reality and format shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, comedy shows, and celebrity-driven formats see strong demand during Onam,” said Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer – Advertisement Revenue, ZEEL. “Traditionally, Onam accounts for 18–22% of the annual ad revenues for Malayalam GECs and news channels, making it the single largest festive window for Kerala’s media industry.”

Both networks are offering integrated campaigns that merge TV, OTT, social media, and on-ground activations. JioStar is pushing interactive ad formats like Megablast, brand integrations, and celebrity-led social conversations via JioStarverse. Zee Keralam is rolling out CTV-specific solutions such as Masthead placements and Pause Ads for premium partners.

“We are seeing brands use Bigg Boss Malayalam as a cultural touchpoint. The scale of integration this season, be it in-show placements to network-wide festive vignettes, reflects how television still delivers impact unmatched by any other medium in Kerala,” the JioStar spokesperson added.

“Onam is the single most important period for Malayalam entertainment advertising. With our reality and format shows, we’re seeing advertisers eager to integrate into content rather than just buy inventory, because it builds deeper festive connect and higher recall,” Sehgal commented.

OTT and digital: Growth leaders

While TV holds the lion’s share, OTT is the fastest-growing channel this Onam. JioStar reports a 50–60% surge in OTT ad consumption this year, calling it “not just a seasonal spike but a strategic growth engine.” 

Zee Keralam is seeing early double-digit OTT growth, especially for talent-led formats paired with linear buys.

Market-wide, digital platforms are attracting 40–45% of Onam budgets, according to Ratnakar Bharti, VP – Media, Mudramax, driven by performance-led campaigns and youth engagement. 

Influencer marketing is trending, especially micro-influencers with strong regional resonance, said Binu Thomas, Managing Partner – Investments & Buying, Havas Media India.

“Onam kicks off the festive marketing calendar for India. It’s a testing ground for how national brands can adapt to deeply regional markets without losing scale,” Thomas added.

“The big shift this year is not just in channel mix but in creative strategy: micro-influencers, vernacular creatives, and diaspora targeting are no longer experiments; they’re essentials,” said Bharti.

Publishers see multi-platform momentum

Kerala remains one of the few Indian markets where print’s impact is formidable. “While digital and OTT have grown, print remains foundational, especially in Kerala,” said Devika Shreyams Kumar, VP – Operations, Mathrubhumi. She reported a 15–20% growth in overall festive ad spends across platforms, with print maintaining its share due to trust, hyperlocal reach, and cultural relevance.

“This Onam, brands aren’t just buying space, they’re buying trust. In Kerala, that trust is still rooted in traditional media like print, even as digital provides the frequency and targeting for younger audiences,” Devika added.

Boby Paul, Senior GM (Marketing) at ManoramaOnline, pointed to Kerala’s adaptability in balancing traditional and new media. “Kerala is very much a multi-media-friendly state where traditional and new media complement each other. Digital, which is leading growth in Indian AdEx, will reflect the same trend in Kerala this Onam, driven by personalisation-powered e-commerce and D2C pushes,” he said, adding that time spent on digital has now overtaken traditional media.

“Kerala’s audience seamlessly consumes news and entertainment across print, digital, and social. Advertisers who embrace this multi-platform reality will see their festive campaigns deliver stronger results,” Paul said.

Category trends and consumption spike

Kerala typically sees a 20–30% jump in retail consumption during Onam, according to Trishul Bhumkar, Managing Partner, Zenith India. Jewellery, FMCG, and auto remain dominant categories, while real estate, BFSI, e-commerce, and electronics are increasing festive allocations.

“Retail, jewellery, and FMCG will remain volume drivers, but auto, BFSI, and e-commerce are treating Onam 2025 as a launchpad for year-end campaigns,” Bhumkar added.

Local–national balance and global reach

Regional advertisers still dominate 60–65% of spending, but national brands in consumer durables, auto, and e-commerce are scaling up Kerala-specific campaigns. Both JioStar and Zee Keralam note that Onam is no longer state-bound; it’s now a pan-India and global opportunity, with brands targeting Malayali audiences in metros like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai, as well as across the GCC and US, through geo-targeted digital campaigns and Malayalam creatives.

Hybrid campaign planning becomes the norm

The consensus among broadcasters, publishers, and media planners is clear: Onam 2025 is a hybrid media market. TV and print deliver cultural trust and mass reach; OTT and digital bring targeted precision; influencer collaborations add engagement. Campaigns are launching earlier, balancing emotion-led storytelling with measurable performance metrics, and treating diaspora targeting as central to festive strategy.

If these projections hold, Onam 2025 could be both Kerala’s biggest AdEx moment and a blueprint for India’s festive season at large, where cultural hooks and the right media mix unlock sentiment and sales at scale.