The size of the Indian ad industry was INR 2 crore in 1945, when seven agencies thought it fit to organise themselves and set up the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in Kolkata. It inched to INR 5 crore by 1953 and touched INR146 crore by 1980. The first seeds of liberalisation saw it grow to INR 17,000 crore by 2005, before shooting up to INR1.3 lakh crore by 2025.

Along the way, the AAAI has had a critical role to play in shaping the industry, stated the association’s president Srinivasan Swamy, as it marked its 80th anniversary on the eve of Goafest 2026. 

He underlined AAAI’s commitment to lead the charge in an era of uncertainty, alongside industry stakeholders Vivek Gupta of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), Sunil Kataria of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and I Venkat of the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) on stage. 

Several past presidents spoke at the gathering of senior industry practitioners at the event in Goa on 19 May 2026.

“The AAAI had a role to play in several important things that shaped the industry, like the creation of ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India), the first National Readership Survey and the creation of BARC. Today, we have challenges of growth, challenges posed by technology. Something like DPDPA (Digital Personal Data Protection Act) changes the game completely – it’s a minefield that people don’t know how to navigate. AAAI has to take the lead,” Swamy emphasised.

“Another important area is cross-media measurement. We will sit with partners to make that possible. AAAI will continue to remain relevant and continue to shape the industry,” he added.

Past president Sam Balsara noted that the body had evolved over time to embrace entities like media (only) agencies after due deliberation. "The AAAI was involved not only in setting up IBDF but also established a committee that met each month to monitor outstandings," he stated.

Balsara too underlined the need for cross-media measurement and said, “One of the burning issues we need to address is cross-media measurement, working with the ISA and others.”

Ramesh Narayan highlighted the role of the AAAI in helping agencies recover dues, while underlining the importance of it working with partners like INS and IBDF for the same.

Narayan touched upon another facet of AAAI. He cited the case of a juror at the International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Olive Crown Awards, who revealed to Narayan that it was AAAI that had selected him through a contest and sent him abroad when he was a kid, helping him grow as a professional. The AAAI has been organising the national qualifying competition for the Cannes Young Lions since 2001.  

Enduring partnerships

Madhukar Kamath recalled his term as president when AAAI and The Advertising Club helmed by Dr Bhaskar Das joined hands to host the Abbys at Goafest in 2007, forging a partnership that continues to the present day. 

Underlining the role of AAAI in building the industry, Colvyn Harris stated, “It has been about a set of people who did their best, so that people who came after us would have a pathway to follow.”

Viewing the industry from the outside, it was evident that there are challenges, said Harris, while reminding the gathering of the enduring relevance of creative content.  

Nagesh Alai emphasised on the role of the industry in shaping conversations, building brands, inspiring aspirations and growing the economy, and the role of AAAI in partnering other industry bodies for measurement and research. He noted that the future will demand even more accountable, responsible and authentic advertising.

Several speakers touched on the camaraderie and collaboration between AAAI members and other industry stakeholders.

Reflecting on his experience in helming the body, Ashish Bhasin said, “While we compete fiercely, we also cooperate for the betterment of the industry.”

The North Star 

The ad industry has seen several issues that set it abuzz, like the move from  agency commissions to retainers and separation of the media agency, noted Bhasin. 

He added, “Through it all, there has been one North Star – the AAAI. It has been evolving and adapting, but it has been there like a Banyan Tree. Now, in this relatively difficult environment, agencies actually need to come together. That’s where AAAI comes in.”     

“Till there are brands, there will be advertising. Till there is advertising, there will be ad agencies. Till there are ad agencies, this industry association will continue to be relevant,” surmised Bhasin.

Speaking of glass ceilings, Anupriya Acharya, who became the second female president of AAAI and saw it through the pandemic times, emphasised on the supportive ecosystems that make the industry inclusive. 

“Ceilings are not broken by individuals alone,” she stated, underlining the role of an industry in creating space for capability building of talent, for stereotypes to get broken.

She thanked Bhasin for mentoring her on the journey to become president of the body, and added, “But for him, I would have been happy to stay on the periphery.”

Capturing the spirit of the AAAI, Acharya concluded, “What matters is not the individual – the baton gets handed over with candour, with commitment. Agencies have to think beyond individual organisations to move into the next era. There has never been a more interesting time to join this industry.”