MUMBAI: Print continues to be the dominant advertising medium for real estate brands. Meanwhile digital ad spends by the sector fell by 42 % in 2024 compared to 2022. Ad spend in the real estate sector peaked between August and November 2024. More than 4200 advertisers were exclusively active in Print for the Real Estate sector in 2024.
Excellent Publicity, an ad tech agency in India, has unveiled a report showcasing evolving advertising trends in the real estate sector. Analyzing data from executed media campaigns, with insights provided by TAM Media Research Pvt Ltd, the study explores 16,000+ campaigns. How the industry is leveraging diverse media platforms to attract and engage potential buyers and investors.
Key Findings:
✅ Print Media Reigns Supreme
Print continues to be the dominant advertising medium for real estate brands, capturing a significant share of total ad spend. Dainik Bhaskar led in the North and East zones, while Times of India was the preferred choice in the South and West. Nearly all real estate print ads were in color, reinforcing the importance of visual appeal in property marketing.
✅ Festive Season Drives Spending
Ad spend peaked between August and November, aligning with India’s major festive period when home buying sentiment is at its highest. Saturdays and Sundays recorded the highest ad volumes across print, TV, and radio.
✅ Digital Advertising Maintains Consistency
Unlike seasonal spikes seen in traditional media, digital advertising spend remained steady throughout the year. Major players like Forum Riviera Constructions and Signatureglobal Business Park dominated online ad placements, leveraging precise targeting and performance-driven campaigns.
✅ TV and Radio Play a Targetted Role
While TV and radio accounted for a smaller share of the total budget, they were strategically used to reach niche audiences. Music, sports, and religious channels were the most popular TV genres, whereas Radio Mirchi and Red FM emerged as top stations for real estate advertising.
“With print media continuing to hold the lion’s share of real estate advertising, brands are strategically using a mix of traditional and digital platforms to capture audience attention. Our findings reveal how advertisers are adapting to shifting market trends and consumer behaviour” said Vaishal Dalal, co-founder, director Excellent Publicity.
Television: TV ad spends experienced a moderate growth of 3% in 2024 and a dramatic 88% rise in 2023 compared to 2022. TV’s share in ad spends decreased from 6% in 2023 to 3% in 2024.
Print: Spending on Print advertising increased by 34% in 2024 and 14% in 2023 over 2022 levels.
Radio: Radio ad expenditure grew substantially by 32% in 2023 and 38% in 2024 relative to 2022.
Digital: Digital ad investments dropped sharply by 42% in 2024 compared to 2022.
Advertisers: The highest number of advertisers was recorded in Print, although this figure declined by 2% in 2024 compared to 2022. Radio advertising saw a 26% increase in the number of advertisers in 2024 versus 2022. TV experienced a10% reduction in advertiser count by 2024 compared to 2022. Television Digital platforms saw a 20% rise in the number of 20% advertisers during the same period.
On television In 2024, Magicbricks Realty Services was the largest advertiser, accounting for 23% of total Real Estate ad spending on television. In comparison to 2023, only Ananya Shelter and VGN Projects Estates were among the top ten advertisers.
Four of the top ten advertisers’ rankings improved in 2024as compared to 2023. These companies include Magicbricks Realty Services, Swargaseema Sandalwoop Farms, Casagrand Builder, and Dac Developers. Urban Tree Infrastructures and Propshell Business Solution joined the top ten list of 2024 compared to 2023.
News channels led the ad spends with a 51% share in 2024 followed by GEC & movie channels followedwith a 36% and 8% share of total ad spends. Prime Time accounted for the largest share of ad frequency followed by Afternoon and Morning time bands.
Celebrity-featured advertisements accounted for 4% of television ad volumes in the real estate market in 2024.
With 41% and 26% of the ad volumes for Casagrand Builder and Shree Siddhi Group, respectively, Sourav Ganguly and Manoj Joshi were the top celebrities.
Print: In print Casagrand Builder claimed the top spot in 2024 with a 4% share of total ad spends. New entrants to the top 10 in 2024 included advertisers ranked 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th. The Phoenix Mills showed an upward rank shift in 2024. The Top 10 advertisers accounted for 19% of total ad spends in Print. North Zone dominated with 40% of ad spends in 2024 and TheWest Zone followed with a 27% share.
In both the South and West zones,Times of India was the most popular newspaper for the real estate industry. Dainik Bhaskar ranked first in the North and East zones and second in the West.
Advertising Promotions of Real Estate Sector in Print: Sales promotions contributed 25%, driven primarily by various sales promotions. Discount promotions led with a 57% share of sales promotion spends and multiple promotions captured 19% of sales promotion spends.
Preferred Ad Location for Real Estate Sector ads: Inside Pages carried 52% of ads in 2024. Front Pages accounted for 41% of total ads. Back Pages held a smaller share of 7%. The vast majority of Real sector ads in print media were color ads. Saturdays dSundays recorded the highest ad volumes. Advertising peaked during the festive season which was August to November.
Real Estate Advertisers On Radio: Paradise Group Builders & Developers ranked 1st in 2024 with a 4% share. In comparison to 2023, Sikka Group experienced a favorablerank shift in 2024. Among the top 10, advertisers in ranks 1, 7, 8,9, and 10 were newcomers. Compared to 2023, Ruparel Realty was only included in the top 10 in 2024. Top 10 advertisers contributed 19% of total ad spends on Radio. More than 750 advertisers were exclusively active in Print for the Real Estate sector in2024. In 2024,Radio Mirchi and Red FM were the most popular radio stations among real estate advertisers. Radio advertising peaked during the festive months. Ads were distributed evenly across all days of the week with Saturdays recording the highest ad volumes.
Real Estate Advertisers On Digital: Locon Solutions led with a 13% share of total digital ad spends in 2024.Wisdom Properties improved its ranking to sixth in 2024 compared to 2023. The Top 10 advertisers accounted for 48% of total digital ad spends. With 59% of the ad spends, Facebook.com topped the list of real estate publishers, followed by YouTube.com with 6%.
Display ads dominated with 90% of total digital ad spends in 2024. The video ads constituted the remaining 10%. Digital ad spends remained consistent across all months. Advertising peaks were less influenced by seasonality. Advertising was evenly spread across all days of the week. No significant difference was observed in daily ad spends.
