Decoding India’s complex, evolving entertainment marketing space

New Delhi: India’s entertainment industry continues to expand rapidly, fueled by marketing engines that propel movies, shows, and similar content to audiences across the country and abroad. However, these marketing engines remain fragmented and unorganised, observed Tamagna Ghosh, Managing Director (APAC) of Trailer Park Group.

The evolving entertainment marketing ecosystem

Pointing to India’s diversity, Ghosh emphasised the complexities and opportunities within the entertainment marketing space.

“Unlike mainline agencies globally, which operate with an organised corporate structure, Indian entertainment marketing remains highly unorganised. There is no corporate system from a marketing perspective,” Ghosh shared with BestMediaInfo.com.

He explained that while cities like Mumbai may show signs of semi-organised workflows, regional and vernacular markets are still dominated by boutique agencies and individual contributors.

“It’s complete madness out there. Since the market is boutique-driven, scaling up is extremely challenging. Moreover, this creates intense competition,” Ghosh noted. His mission at Trailer Park Group is to introduce structured corporate workflows to streamline and professionalise the entertainment marketing space in India.

Content is not a product

Ghosh drew a sharp distinction between marketing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and entertainment content. “Marketing films and shows require specialised agencies like ours,” he remarked.

He elaborated that entertainment content demands a deep understanding of its narrative. “You need to anticipate the type of stories that will attract audiences to watch a show or movie. No matter how many branded or creator collaborations you execute, if the storytelling is weak, the content won’t appeal to audiences,” Ghosh explained.

At its core, entertainment marketing relies heavily on creative assets such as trailers, key art, and other visual elements. According to Ghosh, storytelling must remain the centrepiece of any campaign to create differentiation and ensure the success of the content.

Change and challenges

The rise of streaming platforms has profoundly transformed entertainment marketing. Ghosh explained how this shift has intensified the pace of marketing campaigns.

“Earlier, with theatrical releases, a studio would release three or four films in a year at most. In streaming, however, there is a new release almost every Friday, often across multiple languages,” Ghosh shared, recalling his time at Amazon Prime Video. “When I joined Prime in 2016, there was one release the entire year. Today, it’s a release every week.”

This rapid content churn has shifted the focus from long-term, big-budget campaigns to shorter, more frequent marketing efforts.

At the same time, India’s entertainment marketing sector is fiercely competitive and highly fragmented. Ghosh pointed out that the country’s heterogeneity—defined by audiences spanning Tier A (metros), Tier B (smaller towns), and Tier C (rural areas)—presents unique challenges.

“India A behaves like America, but India B and C are vastly different,” Ghosh noted. “When working on pan-India properties, you need to tailor campaigns for different pockets of audiences using distinct strategies.”

Another challenge is the “clutter” of constant new announcements in the entertainment space. “The need for marketing is to stand out and think differently. Breaking through the noise is essential,” he said.

Learning from the West

Comparing India to international markets, Ghosh highlighted how countries like the US and the UK have more homogeneous audiences, enabling greater experimentation and structured planning.

“International marketers are exceptionally well-planned, especially in Hollywood. Big corporate agencies handle entertainment marketing there, and Trailer Park is one of them. India urgently needs a similar approach,” Ghosh asserted.

He also noted that international teams dedicate more time and energy to creating high-quality assets, something Indian marketers must adopt.

Tailoring campaigns for India

Given India’s immense diversity, Ghosh stressed the importance of localised and segmented marketing. “India A is primarily digitally savvy, so much of the experimentation happens there. But with localisation and dubbing, India B and C are opening up to innovative marketing strategies,” he explained.

Regional content, local traditions, and cultural humour are key to capturing audiences in Tier B and C regions. “Whatever you do in marketing, it must align with local values and languages. The more local flavour you can add, the better,” Ghosh emphasised.

Gen Z and the rise of cultural currency

Discussing younger audiences, Ghosh highlighted the significance of Gen Z’s preferences in shaping modern marketing trends. “Gen Z gravitates toward content that feels raw and authentic. The moment you offer them overly polished content, they reject it,” he said.

Memes, for instance, have emerged as a “cultural currency” for Gen Z. “Shabbily produced, humorous memes resonate with this demographic. They value shareability and humour over high production quality,” Ghosh explained.

Additionally, snackable content formats like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are becoming increasingly popular among young viewers, including those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.