Amidst gloom and doom and slowing economy owing to pandemic, there’s something to cheer about.

A Broadcast India Research Council India (BARC India) report reveals that total ad volumes in the first two months of 2021 (Jan-Feb) is at an all time high since 2017, registering a growth of 21 per cent compared with the same period in 2020.

This growth was despite a decline in the count of advertisers and brands during Jan-Feb 2021.

Interestingly, movies and music+youth genres registered a higher growth than the average growth of 21 per cent in overall ad volumes.

Along with Top 10 advertisers, the next 40 also grew significantly, the report, released yesterday, stated.

Ecom category has shown a consistent growth in ad volumes year on year. Other categories like retail and building, industrial and land materials are also showing a steady growth.

Brands like Whitehat Jr., Harpic Power Plus and Vaseline Intensive Care are the new entrants in this period in 2021. Non-FMCG brands increased their presence on TV during Jan-Feb 2021 vs 2020.

Lizol, Dettol and Harpic emerged as the most advertised brands during Jan-Feb 2021.