'Advertisers can now target urban, rural audiences separately on YouTube'

Google will allow advertisers on YouTube in India to target rural and urban audiences separately for the first time, as Shorts viewership and creator ads drive ROI

Google has launched an India-specific feature for advertisers, a first such initiative which will help them target urban and rural audiences separately through its video-sharing platform YouTube, said Shubha Pai, head of brand solutions, Google India.

 

Pai said that the new offering  will address the nuances of consumer behaviour, cultural preferences, and purchasing power that often necessitate distinct marketing approaches for urban and rural populations.

 

“For the first time, advertisers can distinctly target rural and urban audiences on YouTube, a capability that doesn’t exist on TV or other OTT (over-the-top) platforms. This is a made-for-India solution, reflecting the vibrant consumer base across geographies. This empowers brands to create distinct and tailored communication strategies for these vital consumer segments,” she added.

 

This comes after YouTube Shorts reached over 650 million monthly logged-in viewers in India as of June 2025. While over 50 per cent of YouTube CTV watch time is on content that is 21 minutes or longer, as per data shared by the platform.

 

“YouTube is the only platform where viewers can watch Shorts on the big screen as well as mobile. In India, Shorts viewership on CTV has doubled year-on-year, which is a unique phenomenon. When brands adopt multi-format YouTube strategies, instead of relying on one format, they see measurable improvements in cost savings, reach, and conversion,” she added.

 

At the same time, YouTube is expected to launch a new Creator Partnerships Hub within Google Advertising.

 

With this new hub, advertisers can easily deepen existing relationships, discover new creators, and seamlessly integrate authentic creator content into their advertising strategies using Partnership Ads.

 

Pai added that partnership advertisements with creators are now driving real business outcomes. She noted that Myntra saw 20 per cent of orders during its big fashion festival come from creator-led YouTube advertisements.

 

YouTube will also introduce another feature by next year called Peak Points, which is built with Gemini. This will help brands identify the most meaningful moments within YouTube’s popular content to place a brand where audiences are the most engaged.

 

Earlier this year, YouTube had launched features like shoppable CTV (connected TV) advertisements that allow viewers to explore and interact with products directly on the big screen using QR codes and send-to-phone options.

 

On mobile, YouTube has introduced immersive mastheads to enable brands to highlight new product launches and drive engagement during key moments.