India ranks third globally in advertising fatigue, with 70% of consumers saying they are weary of viewing the same advertisements multiple times on a single channel. This places India behind only the United States and Australia, and slightly above the global average of 68%, according to a report titled The Untapped Opportunity of Omnichannel by ad-tech firm The Trade Desk.
The report attributes this growing fatigue to increasing fragmentation in media consumption. On average, Indian users now spend nearly nine hours daily across 5.4 different media platforms, including OTT/CTV, streaming audio, news websites, gaming, and more, creating challenges for marketers in managing frequency and reach.
“While media fragmentation poses a real challenge, our research shows that brands that embrace it through an omnichannel approach can better manage frequency across channels, publishers, and platforms,” said Tejinder Gill, Managing Director, The Trade Desk India.
According to the findings, omnichannel campaigns reduce ad fatigue by 2.2 times compared to isolated media efforts, while improving persuasive impact by 1.5 times. When five or more channels are integrated into a campaign, brands see a 77% improvement in return on investment, the report noted.
OTT and CTV for the win
OTT and connected TV (CTV) emerged as the most effective media for brand discovery in India. Nearly 73% of Indian users said they discovered new brands while streaming content, well above the global average of 51%. Additionally, 66% of respondents said they trust the ads they see on CTV/OTT platforms, with 69% able to recall the brands featured.
Streaming audio also fared strongly, with 71% of users reporting brand discovery through the format, and 66% recalling the brands advertised. The rising consumption of podcasts, particularly among younger demographics, has contributed to this trend.
Gaming tops
Gaming is another fast-growing channel, especially among Gen Z and millennials. More than 80% of respondents from these cohorts reported playing games weekly, higher than the national average of 74%. Many indicated they were open to engaging with advertisements in exchange for in-game rewards.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising continues to have strong visibility, with 47% of Indian consumers noticing formats such as digital billboards and posters daily. According to the report, DOOH serves as a high-impact complement to digital campaigns by amplifying reach in public spaces.
Millennials showed higher mid-funnel engagement through display ads, with 71% brand recall. Gen Z users responded more favourably to online video formats, with a 72% brand recall rate, particularly during moments of passive content consumption., particularly during moments of passive content consumption.