1. At this time last year, we were all discussing the impact and future possibilities of a cookie-less world. Are there any specific trends and market shifts you’d like to highlight that you think will be the major ones of the year?
Since 2020 after announcement of cookie deprecation by Google, deadlines have shifted multiple times, but marketers have remained vigilant. In 2023, a major step was Google’s transition from GA3 to GA4, signalling a strong intent to prepare for a cookie-less environment. However, in July 2024, Google surprised many by revising its approach, introducing a new Chrome experience focused on informed user consent for tracking. While this adjustment offers some breathing room, the reality is that most users are likely to opt out of tracking, leading to inevitable signal loss. This development does not mean marketers can relax; in fact, it underscores the importance of readiness. Even if users are given the choice to opt into tracking, we know from past experience that most will decline, resulting in inevitable signal loss.
Marketers who aim to stay ahead are proactively adapting their strategies. Key focus areas include:
1. Investing in Customer Data Platforms (CDPs): To make the most of their own data. These platforms enable brands to centralize and utilize first-party data, ensuring marketing remains relevant and effective without third-party cookies.
2. Exploring Contextual Targeting: Finding ways to deliver relevant ads without relying on user tracking. Experimenting with non-invasive targeting methods that don’t rely on user tracking.
3. Creative Excellence: Building more compelling, personalized campaigns that drive engagement without cookies.
4. First-Party Data Strategies: Strengthening relationships with customers and capturing consented data directly. The focus is now on creating a privacy-first approach that earns user trust while delivering effective marketing. It’s a shift, but one that’s pushing us all toward smarter, more sustainable solutions.
2. Many platforms and agencies have published reports on 2025, and every single one of them mentions Artificial Intelligence. Could you please shed light on the potential impact of AI in 2025, both for better and worse?
AI is shaping up to be the biggest game-changer in 2025, offering both exciting opportunities and challenges that require careful navigation.
The Bright Side
1. Hyper-Personalized Experiences: AI is transforming how brands connect with audiences by delivering hyper-relevant and personalized content. Gone are the days of relying solely on traditional DCO campaigns. Today, APIs and AI analyse vast datasets in real-time to make communication more engaging and impactful.
2. Efficiency Gains: AI-driven automation is streamlining processes from planning to reporting, allowing marketers to save critical time. Tasks that once took hours can now be handled in minutes, freeing up teams for more strategic initiatives.
3. Creative Support: Generative AI tools are enabling faster content creation, fostering creativity, and reducing production timelines and costs. For instance, during IPL 2023, we leveraged AI to generate over 2,700 creatives for a DCO-based media campaign—a feat that would have been impossible with traditional methods.
The Flip Side
1. Risks in Regulated Industries: In highly regulated sectors like BFSI, AI-driven campaigns that automate hyper-personalized messaging can unintentionally breach compliance guidelines. This could result in penalties or damage to customer trust, highlighting the need for human oversight in such industries.
2. Overdependence: While AI is powerful, relying too much on it can limit human creativity and strategic thinking—things machines can’t replicate.
3. What advice would you give to brands looking to stay ahead in the digital space in 2025 and make the most of the opportunities it presents?
In 2025, staying ahead in the digital space will require brands to adapt quickly, stay customer-focused, and embrace innovation responsibly. Here’s my advice:
1. Prioritize First-Party Data:
As third-party cookies phase out, building direct relationships and earning trust through value exchange will be critical. First-party data is key to navigating stricter privacy regulations.
2. Utilize AI Strategically:
AI enhances efficiency in areas like campaign optimization and content creation but should complement, not replace, human creativity. Balancing automation with authentic engagement is crucial.
3. Be Selective with Emerging Technologies: Technologies like AI and AR are reshaping marketing. But if we look at VRhandset, YouTube’s 360 videos or Metaverse are some of the examples ofemerging tech which faced adoption challenges and scalability issues.Brands should evaluate new technologies based on relevance to theiraudience, business goals, and potential for lasting impact to ensure theirinvestments drive real value.
4. Gaming & CTV: A Growing Synergy
Gaming has already established itself as a significant market in India, but until recently, the technological infrastructure was lacking. With the rise of Connected TV (CTV), I see a strong synergy emerging between CTV and the gaming industry. Over the next year or two, as CTV gradually replaces traditional linear TV sets, we can expect a major gaming boom in India. This shift will create new opportunities, especially as gaming experiences become more integrated into the larger digital entertainment ecosystem.
5. Stay Agile:
The fast-changing digital landscape demands a test-and-learn approach. Adapt quickly to new platforms, trends, and consumer behaviours to stay ahead of the curve.
4. Please enlighten us on the trends you see emerging, as media industry spending across various mediums is rapidly changing. Connected TV is projected to capture a larger share of media spending than any other medium in 2025. What factors do you believe are driving this shift?
I remember when I stepped into the advertising industry in 2016, there were only a handful of media platforms that we could literally count on our fingers. Since then, the digital revolution has transformed the landscape, leading to unprecedented media fragmentation and the emergence of a highly personalized media ecosystem.
From the rise of Connected TV (CTV) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the unstoppable growth of short-form content platforms, these shifts are largely driven by mass audience adoption. However, a silent hero behind many of these advancements is programmatic advertising—a backbone technology without which the evolution of CTV and digital outdoor media would not have been possible.
Connected TV (CTV) is indeed an evolution of the traditional TV set, but it goes far beyond being just an upgrade in technology. The scale is coming because certain factors:
1. The Power of Personalized Video on Demand (VOD):
CTV enables viewers to access vast libraries of content at their convenience, breaking away from fixed schedules. For advertisers, this means reaching engaged audiences in a non-linear format while leveraging data-driven targeting and interactivity. The result is a more dynamic and consumer-centric entertainment ecosystem where VOD thrives as a key player in shaping modern media consumption.
2. The Rise of Ad-Supported Video on Demand (AVOD):
AVOD has played a pivotal role in CTV’s growth. In 2024, AVOD surged by approximately 21% compared to 2023, with AVOD content now constituting 69% of CTV viewing compared to SVOD’s 27.5%. Sports, especially cricket, has been a major driver of this trend. For example, JioCinema’s move to offer IPL 2023 on an AVOD model not only expanded the IPL’s reach but also significantly boosted JioCinema’s user base. As a result, IPL is now recognized as one of the largest annual events in terms of media spending.
3. The Role of Programmatic Advertising:
Programmatic advertising has been critical to CTV’s success, bringing precision, scalability, and efficiency to the platform. By leveraging data-driven strategies, programmatic enables advertisers to target specific audience segments with precision, ensuring ads reach the right viewers at the right time. This level of personalization improves the viewer experience by reducing ad fatigue and boosting engagement. Moreover, programmatic’s ability to allow real-time ad optimization simplifies the buying process, making it an attractive choice for brands aiming to achieve measurable ROI. Without programmatic advertising, the seamless integration of personalized VOD experiences and large-scale campaigns would not have been possible.
5. How is 2024 different for the media industry? This is a year full of major events, and we’ve seen their impact on advertising. With events like World Cup, Olympics, Euro Cup, and the ultimate election year—where 64 countries are holding national elections—how do you think these factors are shaping the media landscape?
According to the latest FICCI-EY report, the media and entertainment (M&E) sector in India is expected to grow by 10.2% in 2024, reaching ₹2.55 lakh crore. This growth is driven by the ongoing digital boom, with digital media projected to surpass television in terms of revenue by the end of 2024. This shift marks a significant milestone in India’s media landscape, where digital consumption is growing rapidly, particularly with the rise of OTT platforms, online gaming, and digital advertising. Looking ahead, the media sector’s projected growth rate is expected to continue at 10% CAGR, reaching ₹3.08 lakh crore by 2026.
India’s love for diverse events whether its sports, political milestones, religious celebrations, or patriotic moments, has consistently driven higher engagement across all genres.
Events like elections and Ram Mandir launch pushed marketers to make their Omni-channel strategy stronger as multiscreen viewing habit and the time spent by consumer had increased significantly on news and social media. Brands also leveraged different tactics to create experience for users to build Top of the mind (TOM) with help of contextual, hyper-personalization and real time advertising. For Instance, at my previous media agency, for one of leading cement brand, I created a campaign where we mapped 20,000 polling booths across Mumbai and Delhi on Google maps and built hyper personalized ads for users by showing them the location of their polling booth. It was first of its kind initiative which helped the brand to promote their infrastructure narrative innovatively.
These trends indicate a more dynamic, consumer-first approach to media in 2024 and beyond, where innovation, storytelling and adaptability are critical to staying ahead.
6. What would be your guide to meeting the needs of millennials and GenZ??
1. Large and growing consumer base, requires personalization:
Millennials and Gen Z together make up over 50% of India’s population, with Gen Z alone accounting for around 40% of India’s total population. As per the KPMG India report, millennials and Gen Z together are expected to contribute to more than 50% of India’s GDP by 2030, underlining their economic importance. Hence, they are the very important segment for majority of brands. However, this heavily populated market is also cluttered with too many brands to offer similar service or products, hence personalization becomes the key to capture their attention and build Top of Mind (TOM).
2. Digital Natives with High Engagement:
Traditional marketing methods no longer resonate with them. Both millennials and Gen Z are known for driving trends and influencing purchases through social media.
According to a Nielsen report, 80% of Gen Z and 70% of millennials in India actively with social media influencers and are likely to make purchase decisions based on social media recommendations. This highlights the importance of influencer marketing.
3. Winning the Trust of Digital Natives: Balancing Values, Engagement, and Responsibility Millennials and Gen Z are digital natives—highly informed, opinionated, and quick to voice their perspectives. They actively engage on social media platforms, creating a space where their opinions can gain rapid traction, either in support of or against a brand.
According to a BCG report, 78% of Indian millennials and 71% of Gen Z prioritize sustainable and ethical brands. This highlights how values like diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility strongly resonate with these cohorts, making it critical for brands to align themselves with these principles to foster loyalty and long-term trust.
On the flip side, we increasingly witness cases where brand leaders share personal beliefs or workplace policies on LinkedIn, sparking controversy and sometimes backlash. In today’s hyper connected world, brands and their leaders must exercise caution in their online presence. A misstep in communication, even unintentional, can lead to the rapid spread of a negative narrative, causing significant damage to a brand’s reputation.