Real estate bets big on influencers as festive AdEx goes hyper-digital

New Delhi: As India’s festive quarter kicks in, the real estate industry is making its advertising play with renewed vigour. Traditionally a period of high sentiment and strong conversions, the festive season in 2025 is seeing developers lean decisively towards digital-first strategies, while still balancing the credibility of traditional media.

Digital claims the lion’s share

For many developers, advertising budgets this year have expanded significantly compared to last year. “Nearly 80% of our festive AdEx is now digital, while print, OOH, and television are deployed selectively for impact. Overall budgets have grown by 50% compared to last year, driven by new luxury launches and strong demand. With Shah Rukh Khan as our brand ambassador, our campaigns this season are designed to inspire aspiration and trust, amplifying our message of lifestyle-led value and credibility,” Vidhi Attri, Head-Marketing, Elan Group, noted.

For Runwal Realty, this festive season, nearly 45% of their ad spend is digital, compared to around 35% last year. “Our budgets are higher by about 12–15% compared to last year. Additionally, spending increased by 15% as new inventory arrived, which necessitated stronger visibility across markets. That’s been driven by marquee launches in prime locations, buoyant demand at the top end of the market and a competitive landscape that makes visibility non-negotiable,” Rima Kirtikar, CMO, Runwal Realty, highlighted.

Aarize Group is splitting its budgets equally but tailoring them by city tier. “Digital has taken precedence over traditional/ATL. We've allocated almost 50% to digital this year. Within the traditional medium, print has been reduced while OOH, as a recall medium, takes about 25-30% of our budget,” said Renu Singh, Director (Sales & Marketing), Aarize Group.

Meanwhile, the House of Abhinandan Lodha is pursuing a more balanced approach. “There is a lot of one-on-one personalised communication that digital helps you to create. Digital has become mainstream in many more ways, allowing you to communicate with different cohorts in distinct ways. That is the big advantage. Influencer marketing, too, has started playing a big role in bringing everything together,” Pawan Sarda, Chief Growth Officer of the House of Abhinandan Lodha, explained. 

According to him, the AdEx mix today is almost 50-50 between digital and traditional. “Traditional will never go away, because the press plays a big role in showcasing the largeness of projects, and even in creating immediate conversion. Billboards also play a big role in communicating the vision of a project. Large-screen, large-format showcasing will always be there. But digital now stands equally strong,” Sarda asserted.

Realty bets big on influencers

Developers are moving beyond visibility to craft sharper, more aspirational campaigns this festive season.

“Over the last few years of festivities, our approach towards placing ads has shifted significantly. While print still holds its place, especially in premium editions, the real momentum is now with outdoor, particularly digital outdoor, in high-income corridors where visibility matters. However, the biggest transformation has been digital. Performance campaigns, immersive virtual walkthroughs, programmatic targeting and influencer-led storytelling have become central to how we connect with the audience,” Rima Kirtikar highlighted.

“While traditional media still gives us that sense of scale and prestige, celebrity campaigns amplify the project and drive deeper engagement across digital platforms,” Kirtikar added.

For Elan, the emphasis this year is on precision and aspiration, backed by a growing appetite for luxury projects. “Festive is always an auspicious time for Indian homebuyers, and we see this season as a key driver for stronger emotional connect and higher conversions. At Elan Group, our advertising mix in 2025 reflects evolving consumer behaviour with a decisive tilt towards digital-first engagement through targeted ads and influencer-led storytelling,” Attri shared.

According to eXp Realty India, advertising is no longer about visibility alone; it is about building authentic connections, instilling confidence, and guiding families as they make one of the most important investments of their lives. “2025 is shaping up with unmatched momentum. What’s different this year is how developers are blending credibility with reach. Print and television continue to anchor trust, OOH is capturing urban visibility, while digital has firmly become the core driver for precision targeting and engagement. This sharper multi-channel approach mirrors the broader industry shift towards digital-first, collaborative ecosystems where agents and developers work together to deliver value,” Sam Chopra, President & Country Head, eXp Realty India, said.

“The festival season has historically served as a crucial timeframe for the real estate sector, and 2025 is expected to adhere to this trend. Currently observable is a transformation in the methods employed by developers for advertising; although conventional mediums like print, television, and outdoor platforms retain significant importance, there has been a notable transition toward digital-centric campaigns,” B K Malagi, Vice Chairman, Experion Developers, said.

Data-driven strategies steer festive campaigns

Real estate advertising this season is also more data-driven. For example, Aarize Group uses CRM systems to measure effectiveness across the funnel. “We use CRM to track everything, including revisits, lost leads to closed sales if any, etc., to find out how effective any digital campaign is, so that tweaking can be done to get to desired matrices and numbers,” Singh explained.

Similarly, Sarda highlighted how different funnels play distinct roles. “The upper funnel is largely about engagement, building an audience that can potentially become a customer. The bottom funnel is about leads and conversions. The mid-funnel, again, is about engagement and consideration,” he said.

“Effectiveness isn’t just about creating noise but also about the quality of engagement. We look closely at metrics like qualified leads, engagement on virtual experiences, site visits, booking conversions and even geo-lift from outdoor campaigns to understand how advertising directly accelerates sales velocity,” Kirtikar added.

Festive campaigns lean on local storytelling

“Festive marketing strategies are now focused not merely on visibility but also on fostering qualified inquiries, facilitating site visits, and promoting authentic engagement. The implementation of virtual walkthroughs, precision-targeted advertisements, and influencer-driven interactions enables a deeper connection with younger homebuyers and families residing in metropolitan areas as well as Tier II and III cities,” Malagi asserted.

Sarda of Lodha also highlighted how regional campaigns are now impossible to ignore. “Regional cannot be avoided today. That’s where the growth is happening. English is still used to talk to everyone at large, but regional is where the personalisation happens. That is growing dramatically, both in digital and in print. Regional is a big shift, and it’s definitely growing in India overall,” Sarda said.

“In metros like Mumbai, we focus on premium outdoor and targeted digital, while in Tier-II and III markets, festive sentiment is often strongest, so we use regional print, OTT platforms and digital funnels to reach homecoming buyers and NRIs,” Kirtikar added.

“Festive season gets preferential allocation based on expected buoyant demand. Every region and city consumes ads differently, while tier 1 is more into social media and digital-led, we still see in tier 2 cities the RoI on traditional media is still higher in percentage points than tier 1,” Dr. Renu Singh, Director- Sales & Marketing, Aarize Group, explained. 

Will next-gen GST boost housing affordability?

Beyond advertising, the policy climate also matters. Developers are cautiously watching whether the government’s next-gen GST reforms, expected to ease input costs, will translate into more affordable housing. While media budgets may not change immediately, Singh pointed out, “We will have to see if this entails a reduction in our input costs vis-à-vis other costs like land, licenses, etc. Media spending and advertising will not be changed as such.”

“As for GST 2.0, from a marketing perspective, it would shift the way we communicate with buyers. Instead of highlighting product or location, focus would be on helping people understand how affordability, ownership costs and long-term value are impacted,” Kirtikar noted.

“As a sector, we maintain an optimistic outlook that forthcoming policy advancements, such as the next phase of GST, will further enhance affordability and bolster buyer confidence,” Malagi concluded.

Together, these perspectives paint a clear picture that real estate AdEx in 2025 is no longer dominated by any single channel. Digital is ascendant, influencer storytelling is central, but traditional media remains indispensable for largeness, trust, and recall. If the numbers hold, 2025’s festive quarter could mark one of the most digitally charged, emotionally resonant, and commercially critical advertising seasons in India’s real estate history.