Bata lifts ad spends over 4%, aims for younger India

Bata India is spending more on advertising, but its new leadership is treating budget size as the easy part. The footwear company lifted advertising expenditure by over 4% in the first half of FY27. On the Q2 earnings call on 4 November, managing director and CEO Sanjay Rao shifted the conversation from how much Bata spends to where the money goes and what it returns.

“While I understand and agree with you, the percentage is important; we also need to make sure we deploy this in the right and most efficient way,” Rao said when asked whether the increase was enough to attract younger consumers.

01 · Community as Bata’s moat

Instead of leaning only on bigger campaigns, Bata is betting on a relationship it already owns. Rao described community building as the central marketing target and called the company’s deep roots in India its competitive advantage. “This is our moat, and we want to build on this,” he said.

That is a meaningful positioning for a brand that has been part of Indian retail memory for decades. The moat framing matters because it turns heritage into a marketing asset, not an excuse to stay the same.

02 · Rightsizing marketing spend

Bata is also “rightsizing where we need to spend in marketing,” Rao said. Spending is growing in absolute terms, but the company is pressing for channel efficiency. The CEO noted that marketing has changed dramatically in the AI age, with consumer behaviour shifting rapidly over the past 12 to 18 months.

• Spend efficiency: advertising is rising, but each rupee has to justify its place.
• Community moat: Bata is leaning into its India roots and local connections.
• Sneaker-led reset: new product lines and price points target younger consumers from H2 FY27.

Bata reported an increase in overall reach and website hits, though it did not give a channel-wise breakdown.

03 · Closing the sneaker gap

Product relevance, not persuasion, is the sharper test. Rao admitted Bata had missed the “sneakerisation” trend and is now doubling down on the category. “We missed the bus,” he said.

The fix is not simply more sneaker styles. Rao pointed to product line, price points and youth exposure to global media, and described the upcoming range as “bang on target.” Most new product lines are expected in the second half of FY27.

04 · What brand leaders should watch

For CMOs, this is a useful case of pairing a modest budget uplift with discipline and a product correction. Community may protect Bata’s current bond with India, but younger shoppers will need a strong product reason to return.

The real test is measurable consumer pull. If community-led engagement and a sharper sneaker range deliver, Bata turns a 4% spend increase into a broader brand reset. If not, it has spent more on the same disconnect.

Source: Indian Television Dot Com

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.