Account planning is recognised as a best practice in British and American advertising. Despite reports of its global growth, information on its use around the world is limited. This study focuses on account planning in India, a region of considerable importance to international advertisers and advertising agencies. Using a two-stage organisational innovation diffusion framework, it examines planning initiation and assimilation in the Indian ad industry. It also investigates the impact of organisational factors on its diffusion. Results from the web survey (154 respondents from 101 agencies) indicate that, while initiation is widely reported in India, planning assimilation in agency activities is limited. Size and global agency affiliation (structural variables) affect initiation; leadership commitment and agency innovativeness (managerial and cultural variables) impact both initiation and assimilation. Similarities and differences with account planning use in UK and US agencies are discussed.