Colgate-Palmolive India has shifted around 60% of its advertising spend to digital channels as the oral-care major steps up brand investments and recalibrates its media mix to match evolving consumer behaviour.
The company said digital now accounts for the majority of its advertising expenditure, reflecting the growing weight of online video, social platforms, creators and other digital touchpoints in reaching today’s consumers.
This shift comes as Colgate doubles down on its core brands while pushing beyond conventional toothpaste and toothbrush categories into newer oral-care segments, ramping up marketing support to drive category growth and premiumisation.
Colgate’s media mix mirrors a wider shift in Indian advertising, where digital has steadily eaten into traditional media’s share, now accounting for roughly 60% of overall ad expenditure, driven by rising smartphone penetration and performance-driven media.
Television hasn’t been sidelined, though. Colgate continues using TV for mass reach while leaning on digital to target specific consumer cohorts and build personalised messaging around premium toothpastes, electric toothbrushes, mouthwashes and other specialised products, even as it sharpens communication around science and efficacy amid rising competition from both legacy FMCG rivals and digital-first personal-care brands.
