Diageo India Raises Ad Spend 57% to ₹378 Crore Ahead of the Festive Season

United Spirits, the Indian arm of Diageo, spent ₹378 crore on advertising and promotion in the September 2026 quarter, up 57% from ₹241 crore a year earlier, as it stepped up spending ahead of the festive season, BestMediaInfo reported from the company's results.

Marketing rose to 11.6% of net sales value from 7.6% a year earlier, while net sales value grew 2.8% to ₹3,258 crore from ₹3,170 crore.

The quarter in numbers

• Advertising and promotion: ₹378 crore, up ₹137 crore.
• Net sales value: ₹3,258 crore, up 2.8%.
• EBITDA: ₹643 crore, down 4.3%, with the margin down 146 basis points to 19.7%.
• Prestige and Above brands: ₹3,065 crore, up 6.3%, or 94.1% of net sales value.

Why it spent more

The company called the increase "conscious pro-active A&P spending ahead of season" and linked it to the lower margin, BestMediaInfo reported. Chief executive Praveen Someshwar described the quarter as resilient and said the company kept investing behind its brands despite regulatory headwinds.

Liquor advertising is banned in India, so companies spend through brand extensions, sponsorships, events and retail promotion. The jump puts Diageo India with the consumer companies raising budgets this season, such as Nestlé India, up 46%, and against HUL, which cut its ad spend 9%.