By Saurav | sauravdoesmarketing.com Every D2C founder I talk to is asking the same question: Meta CPMs keep rising, Google is getting more expensive, and everyone's talking about OTT. So where should the money actually go? Here's an honest breakdown — not the "use all channels" non-answer, but what actually makes sense based on where each platform sits in the funnel and what it costs to be there. The State of Meta and Google Right Now Meta CPMs for D2C brands in India rose 22

By Saurav | sauravdoesmarketing.com IPL on JioHotstar is India's biggest advertising event of the year. Over 600 million viewers. 74 matches. Brands spending crores to get 10 seconds of attention. But is IPL advertising actually worth it for a D2C brand — or is it a vanity play that only makes sense for Tata, Havells, and Google? Here's a clear-eyed breakdown. The Scale Is Genuinely Unmatched The India vs Pakistan match at the 2025 Champions Trophy drew 611 million views on J

By Saurav | sauravdoesmarketing.com For years, advertising on JioHotstar (formerly Disney+ Hotstar) required going through a media sales team, negotiating contracts, committing to large budgets, and waiting weeks to launch. It was enterprise advertising — accessible to Tata, not to a growing D2C brand doing ₹50L/month in revenue. That changed in 2026. JioHotstar launched a self-serve advertising platform — and it's a bigger deal than most Indian brands have realised. What the