Indian brands now demand ROI guarantees on every ad spend, says WPP Media's Priti Murthy

WPP Media's South Asia client solutions head says inflation is pushing advertisers to seek ROI-guaranteed spends. FMCG budgets stay conservative but steady, while the festive season remains the biggest bet with strong H2 momentum expected in consumer durables and automobiles.

— Source publishedFri, 3 Jul, 2026, 21:37 IST·First seen Fri, 3 Jul, 2026, 21:48 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

WPP Media's Priti Murthy says Indian brands now demand ROI-guaranteed ad spends amid inflation. FMCG spend stays conservative but continues; festive season is

Why this matters

The advertiser pivot to ROI accountability makes performance-measurement and attribution capabilities attractive acquisition targets, especially those tied to FMCG, durables, and auto verticals with H2 momentum.

What to watch

  • Q3/festive ad-spend growth data for durables and autos
  • WPP/holdco commentary on outcome-based contract adoption rates
  • FMCG quarterly ad-to-sales ratios signaling budget discipline
  • Inflation/CPI prints affecting discretionary category demand
  • Retail-media revenue disclosures from platforms and e-commerce players
  • Agencies pitch guaranteed-ROI/outcome-based contracts with embedded measurement dashboards
  • Media owners expand retail-media and commerce-linked inventory to offer trackable attribution
  • Brands reallocate H1 experimental budgets into concentrated festive-season buys
  • Investment in MMM (marketing mix modeling) and clean-room attribution tooling rises
  • Consumer durables and auto marketers lock premium festive placements early