There are few categories that have embraced the digital age as completely as education. The student journey today can begin with a Google search, move to a YouTube explainer, continue through online reviews, and end with an application submitted entirely online. Institutions can target students by geography, course interest, exam intent and even browsing behaviour. On paper, quite literally, print should have become an increasingly difficult sell.
And yet, the education sector continues to buy it.
The latest TAM AdEx data offers a striking reminder of that contradiction. Print advertising space in India declined by just 2 per cent in January-July 2026 compared with the same period last year. But education emerged as the largest sector, accounting for 20 per cent of total print ad space, ahead of Services at 15 per cent, Auto at 14 per cent and Banking, Finance and Investment at 11 per cent.
At the category level, Multiple Courses alone accounted for 8 per cent of print ad space, making it the second-largest individual category. Coaching/Competitive Exam Centres contributed another 4 per cent, while Schools accounted for 3 per cent. Three of the top 10 categories therefore came from education.
For a sector selling the future, its continued dependence on a medium often described as part of advertising’s past perhaps indicates that print is no longer about mass reach alone. For education, it is about making the institution feel credible enough to be considered in the first place.
Why education still chooses print
Education is an unusual advertising category because the decision rarely belongs to one person, happens instantly or ends with the first impression. A student may be the ultimate consumer, but parents, guardians and sometimes other family members can influence the choice.
