Timing, Strategy, and Value in a Shifting Marketing World

The latest moves across the marketing world reveal a clear pattern: success hinges on timing, adaptability, and delivering real value.

Durex’s viral IPL campaign didn’t rely on flashy visuals or high-budget production  it struck a chord through timing and cultural awareness. At the same time, EY’s launch of Studio+ shows how global firms are recognizing the urgent need to integrate deeper into the customer journey, bridging data, technology, and brand experience under one roof.

But while brands and agencies move to innovate and reposition, global media inflation serves as a sober reminder: resources are tightening. With media costs rising steadily through 2026, marketing leaders must now navigate smarter choosing platforms wisely, aligning with moments that matter, and proving every campaign’s worth.

Whether through wit, structure, or spending discipline, the industry is being shaped not just by big ideas  but by intentional moves that make sense in today’s climate. The future belongs to those who can see the shift, stay grounded, and still make an impact.

Durex’s Bold and Brilliant Play: Cheeky Ad Sparks Buzz Ahead of IPL 2025 Final

In a masterclass of bold marketing, Durex India stole the spotlight ahead of the IPL 2025 final with a daring and humorous ad campaign that turned heads and trended across platforms. The campaign, launched just hours before the much-anticipated final clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), played on the fact that both franchises had gone 18 years without winning a title, cheekily referring to them as “virgins.”

The viral social media post featured the silhouettes of two lions one red, one maroon facing each other, alongside the headline:

“18 years. 2 virgins. Who will get lucky tonight?”

The double entendre was clear, clever, and perfectly in sync with Durex’s irreverent brand tone. It instantly sparked waves of laughter, shares, and applause from fans who appreciated the playful nod to both cricket fandom and the brand’s core product message—safe sex and intimacy.

Marketing Brilliance Meets Cultural Timing

Durex, known globally for its provocative but tasteful marketing, demonstrated once again that timing, tone, and cultural relevance are a potent combination. Cricket in India isn’t just a sport it’s a near-religion, with the IPL final being one of the most-watched events in the country. By piggybacking on the emotion and tension of two underdog teams finally making it to the final, Durex positioned itself at the center of a national conversation with humor, confidence, and daring precision.

“This is not just a funny post—it’s an example of strategic brilliance,” said Megha Rao, creative lead at an Indian ad agency. “They knew the cultural temperature, timed it perfectly, and delivered a punchline that only a brand with Durex’s DNA could pull off without backlash.”

Audience Reaction and Brand Engagement

Within minutes, the post caught fire. Thousands of fans commented with laughing emojis and witty comebacks. Memes followed quickly. Some RCB fans joked, “Let’s finally score tonight,” while PBKS supporters replied, “It’s been a long dry spell, we’re overdue.”

More importantly for the brand, the engagement translated to positive sentiment and viral amplification, not only among its target Gen Z and millennial demographics but also across older fans who appreciated the tongue-in-cheek creativity.

According to social media analytics firm BuzzQuotient, the campaign boosted Durex’s social mentions by over 450% within 24 hours, with the ad being reshared by influencers, comedians, and even former cricketers.

Lessons in Risk and Relevance

While humor in marketing always carries some risk especially in conservative markets like India Durex navigated the line masterfully. The reference never veered into disrespect or crassness, allowing the joke to land in good spirit with a national audience emotionally invested in the outcome of the match.

This moment underscores a growing trend in marketing: brands that take calculated creative risks and respond in real time to cultural moments often outperform those that play it safe.

As the IPL final unfolded and RCB ultimately clinched their first-ever title Durex’s campaign lived on as part of the championship story, proving that in marketing, sometimes the biggest wins aren’t on the field but in the feed.

EY Unveils Studio+ to Disrupt Creative Marketing Services Landscape

In a bold move to reshape the intersection of consulting and creative services, Ernst & Young (EY) has launched Studio+, a new global business unit that will unify its design, sales, marketing, and customer-experience technology offerings under one banner. The launch underscores EY’s ambition to compete directly with major players in the advertising and digital marketing ecosystem, including consulting giants like Accenture and Deloitte, and creative holding groups such as WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis Groupe.

With over 7,000 professionals at launch and a roadmap to grow its headcount by 10–20% within the next year, Studio+ is poised to become a serious contender in the $1 trillion global marketing and experience economy, offering integrated solutions that go beyond traditional advisory work.

Strategic Context: The Evolving Role of the CMO

The creation of Studio+ is a direct response to the rapidly changing role of chief marketing officers (CMOs). Today’s CMOs are not just brand guardians; they are also digital strategists, data leaders, customer experience architects, and growth enablers — often operating with shrinking budgets and rising expectations.

EY’s leadership believes that traditional creative agencies are struggling to keep pace with the tech-enabled, analytics-driven future of customer engagement, leaving an opportunity for professional services firms to step in with a more holistic, business-first approach to creativity and marketing.

“We see a gap in the market where CMOs are being tasked with delivering measurable outcomes across every stage of the customer journey — from brand perception to personalized experiences — and they need partners who can bring both creative muscle and enterprise-grade delivery,” said Julie Koenig, EY Global Customer & Growth Leader.

What Studio+ Offers

Studio+ will combine several key service areas under one roof:

  • Creative Strategy & Content Production

  • Customer Data & AI Personalization

  • Design Thinking & UX/UI Innovation

  • Sales Enablement & CRM Solutions

  • Omnichannel Campaign Orchestration

This integrated approach allows Studio+ to offer full-funnel capabilities — from brand positioning and media strategy to AI-powered personalization engines and post-sale customer experience management.

The unit also draws from EY’s deep bench of industry expertise and digital transformation frameworks, giving it a potential edge in providing scalable, secure, and regulation-compliant marketing solutions, particularly in industries such as healthcare, financial services, energy, and consumer goods.

Acquisitions and Global Ambition

Studio+ isn’t just a rebranding effort — it signals a major global expansion strategy. EY has hinted at upcoming strategic acquisitions to bolster capabilities in areas such as content production, performance marketing, and AI-driven personalization.

The firm has already made selective acquisitions in the marketing space over the past few years, including Doberman (Sweden), The LUX Group (US), and Frank Digital (Australia). With Studio+, these previously siloed teams will now operate in concert, offering cross-border solutions for multinational clients seeking consistent yet locally nuanced campaigns.

Competition Heating Up

EY’s move intensifies competition in an already crowded space. Accenture’s Song division (formerly Accenture Interactive), with its early acquisition of Droga5 and focus on experience-led transformation, currently leads the consultancy-creative hybrid market. Deloitte Digital and PwC’s Experience Center are also significant players.

However, EY’s differentiation lies in deep integration between financial, operational, and creative capabilities, offering CMOs a partner that speaks both the language of ROI and the language of the brand.

“What makes Studio+ unique is that it isn’t about outsourcing creativity — it’s about embedding it into business strategy,” said Leo Salgado, Creative Lead for Studio+ in the Americas.

The Broader Trend: Consulting Firms Invading Agency Territory

The launch of Studio+ marks a broader shift in the marketing ecosystem. As traditional ad agencies wrestle with shrinking margins and client churn, consulting firms have aggressively moved into their turf, leveraging their strengths in technology, analytics, and enterprise change management.

By offering end-to-end services from  transformation strategy to creative execution firms like EY are changing how companies buy marketing services and redefining what it means to be a creative partner in a data-driven world.

Global Media Inflation on the Rise: Advertisers Face Mounting Costs Through 2026

The cost of advertising is expected to climb steadily over the next two years, according to the latest Outlook Report from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). The report predicts that nine of the world’s top ten media markets will experience increased media inflation in 2025, with the trend projected to continue well into 2026   a development that is likely to reshape global marketing strategies and budget allocations.

Inflation Pressures by Market

The WFA report reveals that the United States, the world’s largest advertising market, will see media inflation grow from 2.1% in 2024 to 2.3% in 2025, reflecting modest but persistent pressure on media buying costs. Meanwhile, India, one of the fastest-growing advertising landscapes, is forecast to experience the steepest climb, rising from 8% in 2024 to a projected 9.6% by 2026. This makes India the most inflation-prone major media market in the coming years.

Other countries highlighted in the report include:

  • Brazil: rising from 4.2% in 2024 to 5.1% in 2026

  • UK: projected to rise steadily from 3.5% to 4.2%

  • Germany: climbing from 2.8% to 3.6%

  • China: holding relatively stable but still registering year-over-year increases

The only major market expected to see a temporary plateau is Japan, where media inflation is projected to remain below 2%, largely due to slower economic growth and cautious consumer sentiment.

Digital Dominance Driving Cost Increases

Digital advertising especially paid search, programmatic display, and social media — is expected to be a major driver of inflation. As more brands shift budgets into digital channels to capture attention in a fragmented media landscape, demand for premium inventory and measurable results is pushing prices upward.

“The demand for digital and video content is outpacing available inventory, especially on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and streaming services,” said Louise Thompson, a senior media economist at GlobalView. “As competition intensifies, even performance-based channels are seeing significant CPM hikes.”

Linear TV Remains Costly Despite Decline

Interestingly, traditional media — particularly linear television — continues to experience some of the highest inflation rates, despite shrinking audiences. This paradox is due to the relative scarcity of large, guaranteed-reach formats, especially for live events like sports, elections, and awards shows.

In markets like the UK and U.S., linear TV inflation is being driven by:

  • A limited supply of prime-time spots

  • A still-high demand for brand-safe, high-reach environments

  • The consolidation of media ownership, reducing negotiation flexibility

This mismatch of declining viewership and increasing costs poses a growing dilemma for advertisers.

Implications for Advertisers

The forecasted rise in media inflation presents multiple challenges for global marketers, particularly those navigating static or shrinking budgets. The WFA advises brands to:

  • Re-evaluate media mix models to ensure cost-efficiency across platforms

  • Invest in owned media and first-party data to reduce reliance on expensive ad buys

  • Leverage programmatic and AI tools to improve bidding strategies and optimize placements

  • Pursue long-term partnerships with publishers to lock in favorable rates

“Inflation isn’t just a financial issue,  it’s a strategic one,” noted Jean-Luc Moreau, Global VP of Media at a Fortune 500 FMCG brand. “Advertisers need to think smarter, act faster, and negotiate harder.”

What This Means for the Industry

This rising cost environment may widen the gap between large brands with significant buying power and smaller businesses with more limited flexibility. It may also accelerate the trend toward in-housing media buying and data analytics, as companies seek more control and cost transparency.

Additionally, as advertisers become more ROI-focused, there could be an industry-wide shift from vanity metrics to business outcomes, with greater emphasis on attribution, lifetime value, and campaign efficiency.