“Hindustan is here!”
Nearly two decades ago, Madhya Pradesh Tourism and Ogilvy launched a TV commercial that not only put the state firmly on the Indian tourism map but also set a new benchmark in the advertising industry. The partnership between the state tourism board and Ogilvy India has been long-standing from 2006 to date and has benefited both parties. As per data from the Ministry of Tourism, Madhya Pradesh ranks among the top 10 states in terms of tourist arrivals for 2022. Meanwhile, Ogilvy has won numerous awards including a Silver Lion and Bronze Lion at Cannes for MP’s “Memories of Destination” ad and a Graphite Pencil award for “MP Mein Dil Hua Bacche Sa” at the 2018 D&AD Awards.
“We have set a benchmark by launching a series of innovative TVCs like ‘Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho’ in 2006, ‘MP Ajab Hai Sabse Gajab Hai’ in 2010, ‘Rang Hai Malang Hai’ in 2013, ‘MP Mein Dil Hua Bacche Sa’ in 2016, ‘MP— Memories of Destination’ in 2018 and ‘Jo Aaya Wo Waapas Aaya, Ye MP ki Maaya’ in 2023. We focus on ensuring that the TVCs are a memorable visual and audio treat for the audience,” an MP tourism official told Storyboard18. “Madhya Pradesh is undoubtedly a first choice destination for offbeat multi-purpose tourism and Madhya Pradesh Tourism plans to promote the state through strategic TV advertising campaigns,” he added.
In the age of social media, travel has seen significant growth and, according to the Federation of Indian Associations of Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), tourism will contribute $3 trillion to the GDP by 2047. Several states are also seeing potential in hidden spots and untapped art and culture. But long before the advent of smartphones and social media, Madhya Pradesh Tourism was a pioneer in promoting the state’s hidden culture and historical forts.
Anurag Agnihotri, chief creative officer at Ogilvy West, said the MP Tourism ad was “creatively satisfying” and that the whole team was keen to contribute. Agnihotri joked that MP Tourism is the only “tourism brand” that shoots everything on set, without travelling. Agnihotri recounted his experience working on the “Jo Aaya Wo Waapas Aaya” commercial, which released in September last year. He said, “We wanted to shoot the ad using the famous Gond tribal art of MP but it takes at least two years to complete one piece. So we replicated the original art, shot the ad and released it in two months.”
When it comes to promoting tourism in the state, an MP Commission official said they believe in “minimum spend and maximum branding”. “We market based on media visibility. Higher visibility means higher reach. For example, we brand on metro travel cards instead of single-post billboards. We prefer branding on digital screens at airports and railway stations. We also focus on branding at famous UNESCO World Heritage sites like Khajuraho and spiritual destinations like Ujjain,” the official said.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism has announced that it has selected 4-6 agencies and 64 media owners in various categories like photography, video production, brand management, media buying, printing, souvenir production and creative branding at national and state level to promote the state.
“National level agencies for media buying and creative branding registered with MP Tourism are agencies also registered with DAVP and the Ministry of Tourism,” it added.
According to the state financial data for FY23, the Madhya Pradesh government has allocated Rs 500 crore for tourism promotion, which includes marketing and advertising in digital and print media, event management and other activities. Of the Rs 500 crore, the department spent Rs 430 crore.
TAM AdEx, a division of TAM Media Research, exclusively provided Storyboard18 with data showing the share percentage of Madhya Pradesh based on TV and radio advertising volume, print and digital advertising space. According to this, MP Tourism’s TV commercials grew at an average exponential growth rate of 475% in 2023, up from 100% exponential growth in 2021. Further, 2023 was the highest year of growth in monthly advertising space for MP Tourism in print media, at 648% of the exponential growth rate over the past three years. In the digital space, monthly advertising grew 77 times in 2023 compared to 2021. In 2024, 993% of the exponential growth in advertising volume was seen in the digital space.
Officials said spiritual tourism in Madhya Pradesh grew three-fold last year with 1.1 crore tourists visiting in 2023 as against 3.4 crore in 2022. In 2024, 3.15 crore tourists visited India in March, of which 1.89 crore visited Ujjain. According to tourism ministry data, Madhya Pradesh secured the eighth position in both international and domestic tourism in 2021. What’s next?
Madhya Pradesh Tourism has announced that a new television commercial, currently in post-production, will be launched in the coming months. The campaign will be run through print ads, radio commercials, a cinema campaign, ads on various television channels and creatives (10-15 second video clips) at airports and railway stations in major cities. Earlier this month, the department launched an intra-state air service, PM Paryatan Vayu Seva, which currently connects eight cities – Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Gwalior, Singurauri and Khajuraho.
