“What is written stays written.” This timeless quote by the renowned Roman poet, Horace reflects the lasting impact and credibility often associated with print media. In a world scrolling at the speed of light, something remarkable is happening, brands are pausing to turn the page. Literally. Print, once seen as the dying face of advertising, is staging a bold comeback. From double-spread jackets that stop readers in the middle of sipping their morning chai to QR code integrations that take a reader from broadsheet to buy-now in seconds, print advertising is not just surviving the digital age, it’s evolving within it.
In an era of scroll fatigue and algorithm overload, Print is delivering something rare – undivided attention. Because sometimes, the most human way to be heard is still in black and white. In this special feature, IMPACT speaks with publishing powerhouses and forward-thinking marketers who are rediscovering the value of old-school media, to trace why Print is making a powerful comeback in the brand playbook.
The Resurgence
According to the Pitch-Madison Advertising Report 2025, print media has witnessed a steady upward trajectory, with AdEX spends rising from `18,470 crore in 2022 to `19,250 crore in 2023, and reaching ` 20,272 crore in 2024, comfortably surpassing pre-pandemic levels. What’s interesting is that not just ad volumes, the ad rates are also seeing a jump.
“What we’re seeing right now is a significant correction in print ad rates—English dailies have gone up by 10–20%, and vernacular titles by as much as 25% in some markets. This is the first big revision in years, and it’s being led by a mix of renewed advertiser confidence and sustained demand, especially post-COVID,” explains Amita Srivastava, Vice President – West, Carat India while adding that it’s not just about spending more, it’s about spending smart.
“We have seen both impact and frequency driven campaigns - more structured bursts of 3–5 insertions, and a clear preference for formats like jackets, gatefolds, and half-page innovations also backed by the mid-sized ad campaigns. Volumes are up 15–20% year-on-year in Q1, and the momentum feels very real,” she shares.
Srinivas Rao, Chief Investment Officer, Wavemaker India, shares that categories like Auto, Education, and Real Estate have driven double-digit growth for Print, valuing its credibility and regional reach, “Traditional sectors are allocating 10–15%, emerging categories around 5%, and premium brands up to 20% of their budgets to the medium.” Also exuding optimism about Print’s revival Girish Agarwal, Promoter & Director of Dainik Bhaskar Group states, “All newspapers in India, including us, have grown well in the last 2-3 years. What was lost during COVID has been recovered faster than expected, and we expect this momentum to continue.”
On recent price hikes in print advertising, he says, “There’s been talk of Print raising rates by 10-25%, but it’s a ‘rate correction’. We hadn’t increased rates for nearly five years, especially since 2020 due to COVID. With annual inflation of 5-6%, we lost out on almost 30%, so we’re just catching up. I urge agencies and clients to support this necessary correction.”
Interestingly, India has beaten the global share of Print to the AdEx by a very large number, it stands at 19% vs the global average of 3%. Germany is the only other country which matches up to India, where Print has not lost its steam.
Another regional biggie, Sakal Media Group which has been in existence since 1932 claims that its flagship newspaper Sakal has experienced a double-digit growth in print revenue. Uday Jadhav, Chief Executive Officer, Sakal Media Group says, “We’ve observed a moderate yet consistent increase in ad rates in the range of 8–12% across key editions, with certain high-demand categories now exceeding even pre-COVID levels.” He attributes the growth to a content-first approach with revamped city and district pages, localised supplements, and community-driven journalism. Jadhav adds, “Rising urbanisation and migration have created new regional markets and expanded the advertiser base, especially among SMEs who now view regional urban hubs as high-potential zones.”
Deleise Ross, SVP & Head of Business at Mudramax, highlights that while Print’s share in the overall AdEx has stayed steady, core sectors like Auto, Banking, and Real Estate continue to drive growth. In contrast, categories like E-commerce and Alcoholic Beverages have scaled back their print spends. Budget allocation varies widely—BFSI, for example, still commits nearly 60% to print, whereas FMCG spends just 20–30%.
The credibility meter
With the recent tensions between India and Pakistan, social media pages were filled with commentary on war and TV news screens clouded by boisterous voices screaming opinions, while misinformation was spreading like wildfire, the morning newspaper was still the trusted choice for the most credible lowdown on what transpired between the two countries across borders. Print even today scores high on the credibility meter.
“We’ve seen a marked uptick in advertiser interest across categories over the past year. From BFSI, education, FMCG, healthcare, retail to even D2C, brands are returning to Print with renewed interest. Surprisingly, we’re also seeing startups and tech-first brands explore Print as a credibility enhancer, especially in regional editions,” explains Srinivasan B, Managing Director, Vikatan Group while adding that overall print ad volumes have grown steadily over the past two years, and Vikatan’s own year-on-year print revenue has shown a significant shift in numbers, led by festive campaigns and regional innovations.
Interestingly, as per TAM AdEx print advertising report, Deepavali was the top festival with 28% share of ad space in Print during FY2024 followed by Navratri/Durga Puja and Christmas/New Year with 21% and 15% share respectively. Moreover, 73000 plus advertisers & 97000 brands exclusively advertised during FY2024 in Print compared to FY2023.
Digital Integration
The most promising future for Print doesn’t pit it against digital, it fuses the strengths of both. From QR code integrations and AR activations to personalized regional campaigns, the medium is proving it can be both tactile and tech-savvy. Here’s how legacy charm and new-age innovation are coming together to shape the next chapter for print advertising.
“Through innovations like gatefolds, fragrance-infused printing, QR code integrations, and augmented reality, we’re tapping into the full sensory potential of Print,” says Sivakumar Sundaram, CEO - Publishing, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (The Times of India Group) which houses key newspaper brands like Navbharat Times, Economic Times, Times of India etc. He highlights successful campaigns, such as the mango fragrance for Swiggy Instamart, which doubled sales in Mumbai on the ad’s launch day. He also mentions the AR-enabled QR code for Skoda India, offering an immersive experience with the Škoda Kushaq, and Flipkart Minutes, which used hydrochromic ink to reveal hidden brand messages. “Our print innovations often spark online conversations, social media shares, and influencer discussions, turning a single print execution into a cross-platform amplifier with strong ROI and lasting brand equity.” It comes as no surprise that BCCL’s print advertising revenue reached `6,238.8 crore in FY 2023-24, marking an 11.4% year-on-year growth, also registering a profit of Rs 1500 cr+.
Meanwhile for another big newspaper Group, headquartered in the capital-- HT Media, the Q2 FY25, saw its ad revenue rising by 14% year-on-year to `181 crore, and jumping 26% quarter-on-quarter from `143 crore. Sameer Singh, CEO, HT Media Group attributes it to Print’s effectiveness across the full funnel of marketing, “Print effectiveness is measurable at all stages, from brand awareness to mid-funnel consideration and lower-funnel actions like QR codes and offers. The future of print lies in combining trust with new-age intelligence, enabled through HT One Audience, our proprietary data platform.” He adds, “Marketers focus on consumers, not just mediums. Today’s most effective campaigns are audience-first, format-fluid, and platform-neutral. When powered by data, print continues to deliver deep value, reasserting its relevance as a medium of trust and effectiveness.”
On the other hand, Rao says, “By pushing creative boundaries, brands are transforming Print into a dynamic, interactive, and highly effective medium driving engagement, relatability and ROI on impact.”. He adds that this fusion of tradition and innovation is fuelling sustained interest in print. “Print is no longer just a legacy medium, it’s emerging as a strategic part of the media mix. Beyond short-term tactics, its strengths in trust, regional reach, and focused engagement make it a valuable long-term asset. With ongoing innovation, strong brand-media collaboration, and cultural relevance, Print is well-positioned to remain a vital part of media plans in the years ahead.”
Ruling the heartland
While metros chase metrics, Bharat still trusts the morning paper. In India’s small towns and semi-urban pockets, print isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving, thanks to deep local connect, sharp regional targeting, and a credibility digital can’t always match.
MV Shreyams Kumar, MD of Mathrubhumi Group, a dominant newspaper group from Kerala, believes that there has been a revival in print with brands returning for its impact on brand building and local reach. “We’ve seen that some categories which had moved away from Print have started coming back. We’re able to cover upmarket areas with multiple local editions. Kerala is a mix of rural and urban, so the urban-rural divide is narrow. Also, our efforts to onboard smaller clients like textile stores in various towns, have reduced our dependency on a few large advertisers.” While ad revenues are still at about 80% of pre-COVID levels, he notes steady growth, with auto driving this upward trajectory. It is especially true for EVs like Tata which accounts for 20% of EV sales in Kerala, and Ather, making them strong contributors to the print story.
Sameer Singh also affirms how heartland markets are witnessing growth. He says, “As demand sees an upside, premium media start to reclaim their value; so, we are seeing healthy improvements in perceptions of value. This reflects both advertiser confidence and Print’s proposition specifically in terms of trust, impact & brand safety. This resurgence is evident not just in English and Business dailies but also in regional media. Hindustan (our Hindi daily), for example, is seeing robust traction in the Hindi heartland markets where Print is often the most trusted source of daily information.”
Agarwal opines that India’s heartland remains undervalued in media spends despite contributing significantly to national sales. “Markets like MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Chandigarh, and Maharashtra together contribute 40–55% of any product category’s total sales. But advertisers still pay more to English dailies in metros. Our rates are correcting, but we haven’t reached parity yet. It will happen, it must,” he says.
As brands search for trust and attention in an increasingly noisy world, Print in English and India’s many languages is finding its voice again, strong, steady, and more relevant than ever. With its deep roots and fresh outlook, the medium is showing us that sometimes, the old ways still have a powerful story to tell.
