Mumbai: A new study released by global advertising technology platform, The Trade Desk, titled “The Untapped Opportunity of Omnichannel,” reveals that 70% of Indian consumers are fatigued by repetitive ads on a single channel. This places India third globally in ad fatigue, following the United States and Australia, and exceeding the global average of 68%.
The findings make a strong case for brands to adopt omnichannel advertising strategies that reflect today’s fragmented media consumption. Indian consumers now spend close to nine hours daily across 5.4 media channels, including OTT/CTV, music streaming, websites, gaming, and more—presenting new challenges for marketers aiming to optimize engagement and reduce fatigue.
“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. “By placing the audience at the center and aligning with how they actually consume media, omnichannel campaigns not only improve the ad experience but also drive stronger brand outcomes.”
The study differentiates multichannel from omnichannel strategies. While multichannel campaigns often run in silos, omnichannel strategies integrate three or more digital channels—such as display, video, audio, DOOH, or OTT/CTV—into a unified experience, optimizing message sequencing and frequency based on user behavior.
The impact is significant:
- Omnichannel campaigns reduce ad fatigue by 2.2x and boost persuasive impact by 1.5x.
- Brands using The Trade Desk’s platform saw 1.7x increase in purchase intent when three channels were connected.
- ROI rose by 77% when five channels were integrated across the open internet.
The report further identifies the strengths of key media channels in India’s omnichannel ecosystem:
- CTV/OTT: A standout discovery and trust-building platform. With 73% of Indian viewers discovering new brands through streaming (vs. 51% global average), and 66% expressing trust, it offers emotional storytelling at scale.
- Streaming Audio: With 71% discovering and 66% recalling brands, audio is gaining rapid momentum—especially with podcasting among Gen Z and Millennials.
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH): Seen daily by 47% of consumers, DOOH offers high-frequency, low-intrusion brand building, complementing digital touchpoints.
- Gaming: With 80% of Gen Z and Millennials gaming weekly, and openness to reward-based ads, gaming is now mainstream and highly immersive.
- Display & Online Video: Display resonates with Millennials (71% recall), while online video is Gen Z’s go-to passive format (72% recall), allowing brands to balance funnel positioning with audience targeting.
The full report, “The Untapped Opportunity of Omnichannel,” provides a strategic blueprint for marketers to navigate fragmented audiences, reduce ad fatigue, and improve media ROI with data-driven omnichannel planning.
