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Scaling & Growth4 min readDecember 7, 2025

BEYOND BANGALORE: WHY ENGLISH ADS FAIL IN TIER 2 INDIA

You can't scale a DTC brand on "South Bombay" vibes alone. To win the mass market, you need vernacular street content.

You have captured the top 1% of India. The English-speaking, credit-card-swiping crowd in Indiranagar and Bandra. Congratulations.

Now, how do you grow?

Most DTC brands hit a wall here. They try to run the same "premium" English ads to audiences in Coimbatore, Indore, or Kochi. And they fail miserably.

Speak Their Language (Literally)

Tier 2 India has money. They want quality products. But they don't want to be talked down to in a foreign accent.

Vernacular street content is the bridge. Seeing someone speak Malayalam, Tamil, or Hindi while using your product signals accessibility.

It says: "This brand is for you, not just for the elites in the metro cities."

If you want to unlock the next 100 Crore market, you need to leave the English bubble. And the streets are where you find the real voice of India.

The Lisn Editorial

Marketing Strategy Team

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BEYOND BANGALORE: WHY ENGLISH ADS FAIL IN TIER 2 INDIA | LISN Agency Blog