CUSTOMERS ARE BRANDS, HAVE STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT

The eighth edition of the India Brand Conclave 2025 serves as a prestigious platform for industry leaders and veterans to come together and share their experiences in developing successful marketing strategies. With a focus on disruption, innovation, and the integration of next-generation technology, the conclave aims to empower businesses to create meaningful impact in today’s complex marketing landscape.

By bringing together some of India’s most reputable brands, including HUL, Mondelez, Maruti Suzuki, and LEGO, the event encourages the exchange of insights and expertise through real-life case studies. These invaluable learning opportunities help participants understand the strategies and tactics employed by successful companies and adapt them to their own businesses.

The India Brand Conclave provides a unique forum for the top management of various companies to share their success stories, enabling attendees to gain firsthand knowledge from industry veterans. Through this collaborative and engaging environment, participants can explore new ideas, gain inspiration, and develop the skills necessary to build strong, future-fit brands that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.

This year’s theme being “Redefining Brand Strategy & Customer Engagement in an Omnichannel Era”?

The current digital landscape necessitates an integrated approach to customer engagement, utilizing a combination of data, technology, and human insight. By harnessing these tools, brands can create tailored interactions that resonate with consumers and enhance their overall experience. As users seamlessly navigate multiple platforms, it is crucial for brands to anticipate customer needs, exceed expectations, and foster long-term loyalty.

At the India Brand Conclave 2024, industry leaders and experts convene to discuss strategies for brands to adapt to the omnichannel revolution. The emphasis lies in reimagining approaches to create impactful engagement and build connections that transcend individual platforms. By ensuring that each interaction contributes to a holistic and memorable brand experience, businesses can stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital world.

As the India Brand Conclave 2024 addresses the challenges and opportunities within the omnichannel landscape, it also serves as a platform for brands to exchange insights, share best practices, and explore innovative solutions. By actively engaging with these ideas and collaborating with industry peers, businesses can pave the way for a more interconnected, customer-centric future.

At the KEYNOTE ADDRESS/FIRESIDE CHAT – The Convergence Of Media: Navigating The Shifting Sands of Entertainment, HARIT NAGPAL, MD & CEO, Tata Play and Session Chaired by Dr ANNURAG BATRA, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld, Harit Nagpal, CEO of Tata Play, envisions a hybrid future for India’s media landscape where television and OTT platforms coexist, each serving distinct audience needs.

Television remains dominant with annual revenues of ₹70,000 crores, far exceeding OTT’s ₹5,000-6,000 crores, driven by live sports, regional content, and mass reach. Digital adoption is accelerating in rural India (65% of Tata Play’s subscribers), fueled by affordable bundles like Tata Play Binge (₹199 for four OTT apps), which aggregates 30+ platforms to reduce choice paralysis. Nagpal advocates for regulatory parity between TV and OTT, talent management focused on “renting” adaptable professionals, and differentiation through simplicity in user experience. Despite OTT growth, TV’s entrenched infrastructure and advertising appeal ensure its resilience, while aggregation models bridge the gap between traditional and digital entertainment.

Nagpal dismisses “disruption” as an overused buzzword, asserting that differentiation is the true competitive frontier. With content and technology increasingly commoditized, he argues that user experience—ease, simplicity, utility—is the ultimate differentiator. Tata Play’s investments in AI-driven recommendations and single-sign-on interfaces exemplify this ethos, reducing friction in content discovery and access. Similarly, the company’s targeted ad insertion technology allows hyper-local advertising, enhancing value for both brands and consumers.

Nagpal’s defense of television challenges prevailing narratives about its obsolescence. Of India’s 300 million households, 120 million lack a television entirely, often due to the prohibitive cost of a ₹6,000 device. This untapped market represents a significant growth avenue, particularly as rural electrification and disposable incomes rise. Financially, pay-TV remains the industry’s backbone, contributing ₹35,000 crores from subscriptions and ₹25,000 crores from advertising annually. By contrast, subscription-based OTT platforms collectively generate just ₹5,000-6,000 crores, though ad-supported models like YouTube account for ₹12,000-13,000 crores. These figures underscore television’s entrenched position, particularly in premium content and live sports, where engagement metrics outperform digital alternatives.

Tata Play’s internal data reveals a seismic shift in consumer behavior. Over six years, the proportion of subscribers recharging online surged from 15% to 82%, while daily customer service calls plummeted from 140,000 to 35,000. This transition reflects broader digital literacy trends, accelerated by UPI adoption and vernacular interfaces. Nagpal highlights that 65% of Tata Play’s subscribers reside in India’s 600,000 villages, dispelling myths about rural resistance to technology. The company’s focus on mobile-first solutions, such as SMS-based recharge alerts and WhatsApp support, has been instrumental in this penetration.

Summary of Omnichannel Marketing Panel Insights:

Storytelling > Scale: Prioritize emotionally resonant narratives over channel sprawl. Campaigns like Ageas Federal’s Sachin Tendulkar partnership blend legacy trust with AI-driven personalization.

TV + Digital Synergy: Merge linear TV’s mass reach (e.g., Star Plus) with OTT’s niche targeting. Shemaroo repurposes classic films into TikTok/YouTube shorts, balancing nostalgia with trends.

Rebranding for Clarity: Runwal Realty’s rebrand unified its portfolio (residential, malls) via omnichannel campaigns, mirroring Mahindra’s logo refreshes to signal evolution without losing core identity.

Conversational Trust: Real-time WhatsApp chats (e.g., Lupin’s OTC FAQs, Ageas’ insurance bots) turn queries into loyalty drivers by simplifying jargon and guiding decisions.

AI as Equalizer: Tools like DigitUp’s Digit Cube auto-adapt content across platforms, while deepfake personalization (Ageas) balances tech with human empathy.

Metrics That Matter: Track brand lift (sentiment analysis) and conversation depth (resolution time) over mere clicks. Lupin measures OTC success via repeat buys and pharmacy advocacy.

Key Takeaway: Omnichannel success lies in weaving tech, consistency, and adaptability into a human-centric brand story. As Amit Verma noted, “Scale meaningfully, not mindlessly.”

A special session – Breaking The Mould : How ACKO Changed The Approach To Building An Insurance Brand, ASHISH MISHRA, Chief Marketing Officer, Acko discusses with TASMAYEE LAHA ROY, Editor, exchange4media.

Summary of ACKO’s Strategy Under Ashish Mishra –

1. ACKO’s brand evolution unfolded in three phases: aggressive growth (2020–2021) via IPL sponsorships and catchy campaigns, followed by positioning as a holistic protection ecosystem (2022–2024), culminating in a minimalist Möbius strip rebrand (2025) to cement trust and maturity.

2. The brand disrupted insurance norms by blending humor and nostalgia—reviving Bollywood’s *Munna-Circuit* characters and partnering with Sachin Tendulkar—to simplify jargon, driving 34% higher recall and metro market share growth.

3. AI powered dynamic pricing (saving customers ₹36K–80K) and WhatsApp-based claims, slashing acquisition costs by 40% while resolving 70% of queries without human intervention.

4. Omnichannel strategies like QR codes in Mumbai trains drove 12% app installs, while bundling bike insurance with Zomato Pro tapped millennials.

5. Metrics focused on sentiment analysis (3x positive mentions) and conversation depth (65% WhatsApp-to-sale conversion), moving beyond premium tracking.

6. Campaigns like *“Health Insurance ki Subah ho gayi Mamu”* won Effie Awards (2024), reflecting Mishra’s “bold DNA” philosophy prioritizing agility over tradition.

7. Hiring emphasized adaptable talent (“renting skills”) to sustain innovation, mirroring ACKO’s tech-driven, customer-centric ethos.

8. The result: ₹2,000Cr+ revenue by 2025, proving even conservative sectors thrive with humor, AI, and audacity. As Mishra noted, “We sell peace of mind through playfulness.