The festive quarter is no longer just India's peak consumption season; it is increasingly becoming a testbed for brands to experiment with new campaign formats, platforms, and consumer behaviours that will shape marketing and advertising strategies in the year ahead. VDO.AI, a leading global advertising technology innovator, today released the 'Festive Marketing Playbook 2025', spotlighting how evolving shopper behaviours, media consumption habits, and rising aspirations are reshaping festive season brand storytelling.
The most striking insight from the report, drawn from a survey of over 1400 Indian shoppers, reveals that 81% of festive consumers say short video ads capture their attention the most. For brands, this reaffirms that the battle for consumer mindshare will be won on formats that are not only visual and snackable but also immersive and measurable. This underscores that CTV, alongside OLV, will be pivotal in festive season brand campaigns, with premium audiences increasingly embracing interactive, shoppable ad formats that merge entertainment with commerce.
VDO.AI's Marketing Playbook 2025 also maps the forces that will shape festive spending, each with direct implications for marketing and advertising strategy:
41% of consumers plan to spend more than last year, making high-impact video and CTV campaigns essential to capture rising demand.
₹15,000–₹30,000 is the sweet spot for 32% of shoppers, calling for creatives that balance aspiration with pragmatism.
70% are open to premium buys, urging brands to craft aspirational messaging and leverage premium CTV inventory.
28% of Tier-1 shoppers will spend above ₹30,000, and 13% will cross ₹50,000, making metros the epicentre of premiumisation and high-value targeting.
Two-thirds of Tier-2 and Tier-3 shoppers plan to spend ₹15,000 or less, requiring data-driven segmentation and value-led messaging.
Over 60% will buy again within six months if their festive experience is positive, proving that campaigns must nurture loyalty, not just sales.
Commenting on the findings, Amitt Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of VDO.AI, said, "Festive marketing today is no longer about uniform, mass campaigns. What we are witnessing is a marketplace split between aspiration and thrift, metros leading premiumisation, while smaller towns focus on value. For brands, this festive season represents more than a sales uplift; it is a defining opportunity to reimagine consumer engagement and set the tone for long-term growth."
Mehak Chawla, Director - Marketing and Growth, VDO.AI, added, "Our Festive Marketing Playbook 2025 makes it clear that consumer attention is shifting towards formats that inspire action, short video, and CTV being at the forefront. For brands, this presents an opportunity to move beyond awareness and drive measurable business impact. At VDO.AI, we are working with marketers to turn these insights into campaigns that not only capture festive demand but also build a pipeline for growth into the next quarter."
VDO.AI's Festive Marketing Playbook 2025 serves as a blueprint for brands navigating this complex yet rewarding landscape, where attention is currency, CTV is the new living-room billboard, and data-driven AdTech is the bridge between aspiration and action across both marketing and advertising.
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