Strategy · 3 min read
Why vertical video is now non-negotiable for Indian brands
India is a mobile-first, vertical-first market. If your ad is landscape, you're literally using a fraction of the screen your audience is holding.
The screen real-estate argument
A 9:16 reel fills the whole phone; a 16:9 ad letterboxed into a feed uses ~40% of it. More pixels = more attention = better recall.
The algorithm argument
Reels, Shorts and TikTok all surface native vertical content first. Vertical ads ride the same distribution your organic content does.
How to make it work
Shoot or reframe to 9:16, put text in the safe zone (away from UI overlays), and design the first frame to stop the scroll. AdsDial edits vertical-first by default.
FAQ
Should ads be vertical or horizontal in India?
Vertical (9:16) for social — Reels, Shorts, TikTok. Keep a 16:9 cutdown only for YouTube in-stream or connected TV.
Can landscape footage be turned into a vertical reel?
Yes — AdsDial reframes, crops and adds motion graphics so landscape source works as a native 9:16 reel.