Print adex set to exceed festive season spends of last two years: Satyajit Sengupta of Dainik Bhaskar

New Delhi: Every festive season, key sectors like real estate, automotive (both four-wheelers and two-wheelers), education, retail, lifestyle, jewellery, FMCG, and BFSI significantly boost their advertising budgets on the print medium.

This year, the increase is expected to surpass that of the last two years, according to Satyajit Sengupta, Chief Corporate Sales & Marketing Officer at Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper Group.

Explaining the rationale behind the anticipated growth in print advertising expenditure, Sengupta said, “At Dainik Bhaskar, we're seeing strong consumer engagement across our core markets—MP, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Our data shows that readers are not just skimming through ads but actively engaging with them. This heightened involvement amplifies the impact of advertisements, indicating that our audience finds real value in our print content.”

In an interaction with BestMediaInfo.com, Sengupta highlighted that advertising in newspapers is on a strong growth trajectory and conversations with them reveal a clear trend: they’re increasingly turning to newspaper audiences for impactful results. “This was notably evident in the recent 15th August campaign, which saw an impressive around 30% increase compared to last year. This growth is driven by both corporate and retail clients,” he said. 

Amidst the overwhelming noise of digital advertising, many brands are finding renewed value in print media. “Newspapers, with their high-impact positions and large ad sizes, are making a comeback. Categories such as FMCG and BFSI are leveraging smaller, frequent ads for consistent messaging, aiming to cut through the digital clutter,” suggested Sengupta.

He further said, “In today’s saturated digital landscape, standing out has become increasingly difficult. While digital platforms provide flexibility, their crowded environment often dilutes ad effectiveness. Audiences, primarily using social media for entertainment, are less likely to engage with marketing messages, making print a powerful alternative for delivering impactful and memorable advertisements.”

Sengupta also said that newspapers offer unparalleled reach and effectively engage hyper-local and niche audiences, delivering your brand message with greater depth and resonance. 

He added that newspapers are ideally suited for tactical advertising or various sales promotion schemes. “Moreover, 70% of our advertising is hyperlocal, where newspapers prove to be the most effective medium for outreach,” Sengupta commented.

Sengupta said that newspapers offer a unique blend of detailed messaging, trade motivation, and sales generation, and Dainik Bhaskar, with its connections from dealers and distributors to marketing teams, delivers actionable insights and results-driven ideas. 

“Our innovative approaches and fresh formats ensure that high-end and premium products receive the ideal exposure in the most engaging content environments,” he said.

Sengupta also highlighted that newspapers attract affluent and educated people, making them the perfect platform for promoting high-end and premium products. “We are creating innovative formats and curating premium content environments for such categories to gain higher impact and engagement for their advertising,” he commented.

He concluded, “Newspapers credibility and trustworthiness make it a first preference for all media planners and advertisers. Further newspapers deliver the best of the eyeballs for the advertisers.”