What’s powering Diwali: Google India’s Shubha Pai on YouTube and CTV Campaigns

As India winds down from weeks of festive cheer and gears up for the grand finale, Diwali, advertisers are rounding off one of the busiest periods on the calendar. Campaigns have been live across screens, creators have been in overdrive, and brands have been vying for attention across multiple devices and moments.

This year’s festive playbook has looked very different from even a few seasons ago. Connected TV (CTV), once considered an add-on, has taken centre stage in campaign planning. Globally, CTV ad revenues are projected to hit INR 4.26 lakh crore by 2029, nearly half the size of traditional broadcast TV, according to PwC. India has been catching up fast, with CTV ad spends jumping from INR 450 crore in 2022 to INR 1,500 crore in 2024, marking a 233% rise in just two years. By 2027, it’s expected to cross INR 3,500 crore.

That growth has reflected in how brands have approached the festive season this year.

Shubha Pai, Head of Brand Solutions, Google India, shares how marketers have been using YouTube’s full ecosystem, from Shorts to CTV, to engage audiences through the season and as Diwali campaigns roll out.

From linear to layered

Festive storytelling once revolved around prime-time TV and full-page print ads. Digital was the afterthought. That hierarchy has flipped.

“A few years ago, advertisers used to treat connected TV as a nice-to-have,” said Pai. “Festive planning revolved around linear TV or print, and then digital was added later. The single biggest shift has been how integral CTV has become to overall campaign communication, be it marketing, launches, announcements, or sales.”

Today, nearly 75 million users watch YouTube on connected TV screens in India, transforming the platform from a mobile-first destination into a living-room staple. For brands, that shift has demanded a multi-device festive strategy, especially as family viewing habits continue to migrate to digital platforms.

Pai pointed to Flipkart as an example, noting that YouTube CTV has become a core part of its festive media playbook during events like the Big Billion Days.

“YouTube on connected TV is the most-watched streaming service on TVs in India,” she added. “With that kind of attention and engagement, CTV has gone from being a tick-box addition to being central to campaign communication during the festive season.”

With CTV now established, the focus for Diwali has been on timing, catching the right wave of attention as audiences move from celebration to shopping.

Timing and sequencing

According to Pai, one key learning from this festive season has been the importance of identifying regional high points.

“Festivals start early in the South, Naag Panchami or Varma Lakshmi often mark the beginning. Then come Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Dhanteras, and Diwali. So, while the festive calendar is long, marketers need to identify their moments of maximum relevance,” she explained.

Brands that mapped campaigns to these local peaks saw better resonance. Jewellery brands, for instance, went live around Varma Lakshmi. Smartphone launches and e-commerce sales, on the other hand, were timed around broader festive surges.

“As the season progressed, marketers who balanced short bursts of awareness with sustained engagement across formats stood out,” Pai noted.

“If you needed fast awareness, you went all out, activated CTV, Shorts, and in-stream campaigns together. For categories with longer relevance, pacing visibility and frequency mattered more. The idea is to use every surface intentionally.”

Regional relevance

Another defining trend this festive season has been the rise of culturally rooted, regional storytelling.

“One of the most important lessons from this year is that engagement remains seamless across devices, but it’s culture and context that make campaigns memorable,” said Pai.

She cited examples where brands partnered with regional creators for local festivals. “During Pongal, Oreo worked with Tamil Nadu creators to launch a new variant. It wasn’t just a translated ad, it was contextual, culturally grounded, and amplified by local voices. That authenticity made all the difference.”

Long-term creator partnerships, she added, have also emerged as a way to build trust. “When brands collaborate with a set of creators for six months or a year, it signals seriousness. Creators understand their communities deeply, and audiences value their recommendations. It avoids tokenism and builds resonance.”

According to Pai, the most effective festive campaigns this season have paired a high-impact CTV film with a sustained Shorts strategy, allowing for both emotional storytelling and continuous recall.

Personalisation, AI, and the next frontier

As the season’s final leg unfolds with Diwali campaigns, technology is continuing to shape how brands personalise and localise at scale.

Pai observed that AI has been helping advertisers create sharper, more culturally nuanced communication. “AI can personalise creatives if the festival’s cultural context is respected,” she said. “Diwali looks different across regions, AI can adapt the messaging, making it more natural, not forced.”

She pointed to new tools that have been helping brands plan more precisely. “We’ve launched an urban-rural planning feature within YouTube’s Reach Planner. Advertisers can now tailor messaging for urban and rural audiences distinctly, which was difficult earlier.”

Shopability on CTV has also been a big innovation this season. “For the first time, CTV ads could include QR codes or product feeds, letting viewers act instantly. From awareness to conversion, the entire journey could happen on the same screen,” she said, citing a Kia campaign where a CTV QR code drove a 3.6x higher OTP-verified conversion rate.

For Pai, the formula for festive success remains timeless, even as tools evolve.

“The basics still matter, reach your core audience, maintain frequency, and plan with intent. What separates memorable campaigns is creativity, collaboration with creators, and cultural respect,” she said.

Her message to marketers going into Diwali:

“CTV is no longer optional. Treat it as core. Respect culture, leverage creators, and experiment with formats and tools. The festive season rewards effort and insight, and those who’ve done it right this year are already being remembered.”