Author: Kashmeera Sambamurthy

Adidas aims to inspire women in sports with grassroots programs and role model partnerships: Neelendra Singh

"Partnership with BCCI is a good example of leveraging cricket to reach deep into India. Leveraging Indian athletes to tell global stories is another example of where the story or the campaign is global but the faces and the athletes we use are local. Once again through distribution product and marketing campaigns, we believe we have the best combination to reach the best consumer," says Neelendra Singh, General Manager of Adidas India.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Neelendra Singh, General Manager of Adidas India, emphasised the brand’s dedication to fostering inclusivity through grassroots programs and by partnering with prominent role models in the sports community.

2025: Building Learning Organisations, emerging brands, India stack and more…’ says Unny Radhakrishnan, Digitas India

"AI-assisted tools help create targeted content for micro-audiences, improving customer engagement and driving purchases. AI also enables personalised ad messages and visuals tailored to individual consumers at scale, improving advertising relevance," stated Unny Radhakrishnan, CEO, Digitas India.

Unny Radhakrishnan, CEO, Digitas India, on how 2025 will see new brands enter the market across categories and price points and building a learning organisation.

How Fevicol egg advertisement was a ‘turning point’ in the brand’s creative journey

The ad film had consciously avoided driving home the over-the-top message: Fevicol has the strongest bond. Prasoon had left it to the imagination of the public to fill in the blanks and endorse its “strong bond” image. (Stills from the ad film)

Storyboard18 catches up with veteran adman Piyush Pandey and ad filmmaker Prasoon Pandey, who reminisce about the genesis of the 1996 iconic ad film and how it was run up to 12 times a year for a total brand recall.

Don’t lose focus. Don’t chase fads: Kunal Sharma, KRBL

"It's easy for a marketer to lose focus and kind of get swayed by fads and trends. We're all tempted to do what everybody's doing and do great work there. But I think it's important to keep the focus on the consumer, keep listening to them, keep going back to them and you'll keep doing the right things," said Kunal Sharma, head of marketing & business head, modern trade and e-commerce, KRBL.

Kunal Sharma, the head of marketing & business head, modern trade and e-commerce, KRBL, holds forth on maintaining a work:life balance to prevent burnout. He also touches upon the advice he would like to give to GenNext marketers, the marketing-related content he consumes, life hack and a lot more.

Bookstrapping: Tech Savvy but what about depth?

Long form reading of books is known to enhance both working memory and episodic memory. However, scrolling mindlessly and skimming digital environments for sensational news, exceeds our cognitive capacity, highlights Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta. (Image Source: LinkedIn)

Scrolling, skimming – as opposed to long form reading – may lead to shallow processing and forming convenient conclusions. This is the barrier to deep productive work that identifies and solves the problems of the world, states Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta.

2025 – The Year Of…: First-party data, mindful hedonism in premiumization, gaming, says Hephzibah Pathak, Ogilvy India

"Generative AI will bring down perspiration but create more space for inspiration. Technology will always be an enabler and support to the human mind. Human imagination is the most essential currency. AI enables anyone to participate but without human imagination, it can homogenise the creative process," highlighted Hephzibah Pathak, executive chairperson, Ogilvy India.

Hephzibah Pathak, executive chairperson, Ogilvy India, also highlighted how first party data will fuel branded personalised experiences and optimise content throughout the consumer journey.

2025 – The Year Of…: Authenticity, co-creation, purpose-driven campaigns, says Sai Narayan, Policybazaar

"Gen AI helped us curate tailored content across languages which addressed diverse consumer preferences and needs more effectively. Our team also leveraged AI to process vast datasets which helped us identify emerging trends and optimise our campaigns," Sai Narayan, chief marketing officer, Policybazaar.

Sai Narayan, Chief Marketing Officer of Policybazaar, discussed the strategic integration of AI in the company’s operations, emphasizing how it has enabled the team to identify emerging trends and optimize their campaigns.