Campaign India's most-read stories of 2025

Here they are, the year's top stories as read by you, the Campaign India readership. With mega-mergers and restructuring galore this year, there was no shortage of big agency holding company news this year.  You also took note when accounts moved, sponsors changed, and key global brands shortened their pitch lists.

When it came to marketing, you couldn’t resist a great campaign or a smart tactic. Industry heads also took note whenever generative AI was mentioned (or deployed).

As we've seen over the years, our most read list always has one campaign that stood out through the clutter and this year was no exception. Two smart marketing tactics made our annual popularity list this year. 

But it should come as no surprise that the most popular story of all should relate to India’s largest streaming platform, a media behemoth that now claims 300 million paying subscribers.

Enjoy this year's most-read list: 

JioStar unveils JioHotstar, merging JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar

The landmark JioHotstar merger marked a significant shift in India’s entertainment and advertising landscape, bringing together an unprecedented mix of content, scale, and technology. For advertisers, it opened new frontiers in targeted digital marketing, but concerns around market concentration and pricing power remained. This was the most read story in 2025 by a sizeable margin.

AI’s double-click: More speed, less soul?

Indian enterprises are not just playing catch-up when it comes to generative AI; they are racing ahead. According to Adobe's 2025 AI and Digital Trends India snapshot, nearly one in four Indian businesses (23%) has already realised measurable ROI from generative AI implementation — the highest rate in the Asia-Pacific region. But are we witnessing a gradual trade-off between creativity and convenience? Industry heads debated.

Akasa Air puts ground crew in the spotlight

In a sector that leans on celebrity charm, the airline company flipped the script with a campaign starring its airport teams. Spotlighting the real supporting cast of aviation, the campaign served as both a cultural marker as well as a marketing play. It was the most clicked campaign analysis in The Work section.

Kuku FM launches Kuku TV targeted at mobile-first viewers

With Kuku TV, a video OTT platform targeted at mobile-first audiences, Kuku FM aimed to target a rich 15 crore-plus pool of paying consumers. India has over 90 crore internet users and according to a recent Lumikai report, 52% of them download a new app weekly.

Apollo Tyres replaces Dream11 as Team India jersey sponsor

Earlier this year, Apollo Tyres became the new lead sponsor for the Indian Cricket Teams (men's & women's) through an INR 579 crore, 2.5-year deal with the BCCI, replacing Dream11 after the online gaming ban.

The dinosaurs of advertising are running out of time

Dentsu’s sale, WPP’s turmoil, Omnicom and IPG’s $9 billion merger chase all point to the fact that the giants of advertising are stumbling. As TrinityP3's Darren Woolley argues, this is natural selection at work.

From cookies to clicks: ITC Foods’ multi-speed marketing play

ITC’s strategy isn’t built on a single playbook. Instead, it combines micro-segmentation, data-driven experimentation and omnichannel flexibility—allowing the brand to thrive in a media and retail landscape where every rule is temporary. For marketers and media planners navigating the same terrain, the takeaway is clear: it’s not about choosing between data and instinct, ATL or q-commerce, reach or relevance—it’s about designing a system that can do it all, without losing sight of the brand’s purpose.

Why is PVMA missing ‘U’?

PUMA’s rebranding to ‘PVMA’ was temporary, but its impact was long-lasting. This bold marketing tactic cleverly positioned PUMA as a key player in the growing badminton market in India while appreciating PV Sindhu’s achievements. The move even resonated within Puma’s global headquarters, with other countries reaching out to congratulate Puma India on this “branding coup de maître”.

Adani seeks single agency for INR 600-crore media overhaul

The news that the Adani Group was seeking to consolidate its massive INR 500-600 crore integrated media mandate was one of Campaign’s most clicked articles.

South Indian films dominate box office in 2024: Ormax report

Rounding out the list is an Ormax report on the Indian cinema sector, which netted its second-highest annual box office collection -- INR 11,833 crore in 2024 -- despite a 3% revenue and 6% footfall decline. This was driven by substantial changes in market shares across language segments: South Indian cinema dominated revenues, while Hindi and Hollywood cinema dipped. Malayalam and Telugu cinema posted standout growth.