Insights
Field notes from live budgets.
Short, opinionated pieces on what we're seeing in Indian ad accounts right now — what's working, what's broken, and what we'd do about it. No listicles padded to hit a word count.
- Insights
- 37
- Awareness
- 19
- Consideration
- 9
- Decision
- 9
Awareness (TOFU)
How the platforms, audiences and rules work. Start here if a topic is new to you.
MeasurementDPDP Rules for marketersConsent, notices, retargeting lists and children's data — in plain language.Open →SEO & AI searchHow India searchesRomanised Hindi, voice and 'near me' — and how to plan keywords around them.Open →Paid mediaHow the Meta ad auction worksWhy the highest bid doesn't always win, and the levers you actually control.Open →StrategyMarketing to Tier 2 and Tier 3 IndiaTrust, COD, RTO, language and delivery — and how to plan for them.Open →CreativeRegional-language ads in IndiaWho to test them for, how to make them, and how to measure the difference.Open →CreativeShort video and the discovery funnelWhy the first three seconds matter more than the logo, and how to measure video properly.Open →Paid mediaWhy Google Ads CPCs differAd Rank, auction-time quality and why the top bidder can pay less.Open →CreativeWorking with creators in IndiaChoosing creators, briefs, usage rights, ASCI disclosure and measurement.Open →Paid mediaFestive season ad planningWhy most festive budgets are spent too late — and a timeline that fixes it.Open →MeasurementYour ROAS is lying to youWhy adding up platform ROAS produces revenue you never earned — and what to use instead.Open →eCommerceThe RTO cost your dashboard isn't showing youWhy platform ROAS counts orders that never arrive — and how to fix the maths.Open →Real estateWhy real estate leads go coldThe follow-up gap and the missing feedback loop behind poor property lead quality.Open →MeasurementSeven GA4 mistakes Indian brands keep makingDuplicate purchases, gateway referrals, lost UTMs and four more fixable errors.Open →CRMWhy Indian funnels should be WhatsApp-firstForms are a Western habit. Indian buyers would rather chat.Open →SEO & AI searchAI answers are changing searchWhich searches AI is absorbing, which still earn clicks, and what to do now.Open →eCommerceShould a new brand launch on quick commerce?When the ten-minute shelf helps a new brand — and when it quietly burns cash.Open →StrategyHow to split budget across the funnelWhy the right split depends on how much demand already exists.Open →CreativeA creative testing frameworkConcepts, hypotheses and a weekly cadence that turns ad tests into learning.Open →MumbaiMonsoon marketing in MumbaiFootfall, deliveries, site visits and creative — how four months of rain shift the plan.Open →
Consideration (MOFU)
Planning, testing and measurement: how to decide what to do, and how to judge whether it worked.
CreativeBriefing performance creativeA one-page template that gets better ads, faster.Open →MeasurementChoosing your main marketing KPIPick the number that matches how your business makes money.Open →Lead generationLead form qualifying questionsA little friction in the right place saves your sales team hours.Open →MeasurementOffline conversions, explainedTeach the platforms which leads became customers, so they find more of them.Open →Paid mediaRetargeting without annoying peopleWindows, frequency, exclusions and messages that move people forward.Open →CRMRetention flows that pay for acquisitionWelcome, post-purchase, replenishment and win-back — the flows that compound.Open →Paid mediaSizing your first ad testWork back from cost per result and the number of results you need to learn.Open →CROYour first landing page A/B testTest big ideas, wait for enough data, and write down what you learn.Open →StrategyHow to choose a performance marketing agencyTwelve questions that separate operators from pitch decks.Open →
Decision (BOFU)
Choosing, briefing and working with a performance marketing agency.
Working with agenciesAgency contract terms to checkScope, fees, ownership, data, confidentiality, notice and exit — in one checklist.Open →Working with agenciesAgency proposal red flagsGuarantees, vague scope, account ownership and the metrics to be wary of.Open →Working with agenciesHow to read an agency reportThe numbers that matter, the ones that flatter, and what should never be missing.Open →Working with agenciesJudging agency case studiesBaselines, time frames, attribution and the questions that separate results from spin.Open →Working with agenciesPerformance marketing audit checklistTracking, structure, waste, creative, pages, CRM and economics — in one list.Open →Working with agenciesPreparing for an agency callGoals, numbers, access and history — so the first call produces a real plan.Open →Working with agenciesSwitching agencies: the handover checklistOwnership, access, pixels, history and a calm transition month.Open →Working with agenciesThe first 90 days with an agencyWeek-by-week expectations, what you provide, and when to judge results.Open →Working with agenciesWhat a retainer should includeDeliverables, people, reporting and what's usually priced separately.Open →
What you'll find here
Practical pieces on what's changing in Indian ad accounts, organised by where you are in the buying journey:
- Awareness (TOFU) — how the Meta and Google auctions work, the DPDP Rules, regional-language and Tier 2 marketing, short video, creators, and how India searches.
- Consideration (MOFU) — test budgets, offline conversions, lead-form questions, creative briefs, KPIs, retargeting, A/B tests and retention flows.
- Decision (BOFU) — what a retainer should include, proposal red flags, audits, the first 90 days, switching agencies, reading reports, judging case studies and contract terms.
Each one ends with what we'd actually do about it.
For deeper, step-by-step coverage of a channel, see the guides; for definitions, the glossary.
Topics we cover
- Paid media — Meta, Google, YouTube and marketplace changes, and how they affect cost per result
- Measurement — attribution, GA4, server-side tracking and the gap between dashboards and revenue
- Creative — testing frameworks, hooks and formats that are working in Indian feeds
- D2C economics — COD, returns, contribution margin and retention
- Local and real estate — lead quality, speed to lead and micro-market planning
- AI search — how AI Overviews and assistants change discovery for Indian brands
Every piece follows our editorial policy: claims come with a number, an example or a source, and market ranges are labelled as ranges.
Keep learning
Go deeper with a full playbook.
Our guides are written from live campaign experience — frameworks, benchmarks and checklists you can use today.