logo
ETBWS 2025: A new VUCA mindset to lead marketing in age of uncertainty

ETBWS 2025: A new VUCA mindset to lead marketing in age of uncertainty

Time of India6 days ago
Marketing must evolve to keep pace with changing
consumer expectations
. In today's VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), planning long-term strategies is increasingly difficult. With expectations shifting constantly, marketing must adapt in real time.
At the 7th edition of the Brand World Summit, organised by ETBrandEquity, a panel of leading CMOs discussed how VUCA has taken on new meaning. Once defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, it now stands for versatility, uncomfortable feelings, collaboration and agility – traits they say are critical for modern marketers.
The panel featured Ashwin Moorthy, CMO, Godrej Consumer Products; Rohit Bhasin, president and CMO, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Sunder Balasubramanian, CMO, Myntra; Virat Khullar, AVP and vertical head, marketing, Hyundai Motor India; and Milind Pathak, chief corporate marketing officer, Proximus Global.
Marketers face the challenge of applying core principles such as cost-efficient acquisition and effective service delivery while navigating a fragmented landscape.
'Media is now splintered by content formats, platforms, and how those platforms function. This fragmentation extends to distribution. Quick commerce has scaled, e-commerce is growing fast, modern trade offers multiple formats, and general trade remains strong. The task is to stay grounded in fundamentals while adapting to multiple business models,' said Moorthy.
For Balasubramanian, versatility means evolving with audiences.
'A few years ago, Myntra was seen as a brand for the urban woman. Now we cater to non-metro women too, each with different expectations. The challenge is personalising the experience for all segments while maintaining brand consistency – that is versatility.'
Discomfort, the panel said, is a given.
'When AI arrived, I felt genuinely uncomfortable as a marketer. Two things should unsettle every marketer – data use and the shift from creative to performance-driven marketing,' said Bhasin. 'Every CMO must lead the creation of a strong customer data platform with analytics and tech teams. If you are unwilling to learn and implement this, you risk becoming generic.'
He added that marketers unwilling to own the full funnel risk being replaced – not by AI, but by those who understand the customer journey better.
Pathak said collaboration has replaced complexity as a defining challenge.
'Marketing is perhaps the only team able to take a four- to eight-quarter view. We have formed multi-year partnerships with Microsoft and Infosys, where both sides co-invest in product development and align to meet market needs. Such collaboration drives sustainable growth.'
'While sales and distribution teams focus on today's revenue, marketers must think three or four quarters ahead. Actions taken now that appear in the profit and loss statement a year later are what drive saliency.'
He added that future marketers will need to work seamlessly with AI agents, complementing and extending their capabilities.
The final trait, agility, has replaced ambiguity. Marketers must update campaigns, retarget loyalty efforts, and adjust communications frequently to match shifting consumer behaviour.
'Take car buyers. Is the decision-maker the father, the mother, or the children who influence the brand and model? Understanding how they consume content is crucial. Are they just scrolling reels, or engaging with material where purchase decisions happen?' said Khullar.
'Cars have long lead times. Agility is vital not only for understanding evolving preferences, but for tracking sentiment, anticipating competitors and responding quickly. Organisations must move faster to market than rivals.'
'Agility is no longer a differentiator, whether you are in FMCG, e-commerce, or a high-involvement category. Consumers are upgrading faster than ever. Agility is not a strategy; it is a way of life – for marketers and for organisations,' Khullar concluded.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Britannia's Siddharth Gupta on brand magnetism, uncomfortable ideas, and four Cs
Britannia's Siddharth Gupta on brand magnetism, uncomfortable ideas, and four Cs

Time of India

time18 hours ago

  • Time of India

Britannia's Siddharth Gupta on brand magnetism, uncomfortable ideas, and four Cs

It's often said that everyday moments can inspire creativity and bring peace. Siddharth Gupta , General Manager – Marketing at Britannia , firmly believes in this philosophy. In a conversation with ET Brand Equity, he shares the simple things that keep him going. Spending time with his kids not only brings him immense joy but also keeps him grounded, he says. After all, leading the marketing function at a legacy homegrown brand like Britannia is no piece of cake. 'I find a lot of value in visual content. It helps me stay curious and keeps the ideas flowing,' he adds. Once he gets into work, he juggles different roles. In February this year, Gupta was given a larger portfolio of work to handle. 'The focus is more on strategic themes like premiumization, the evolution of e-commerce and quick-commerce, and ensuring Britannia stays at the forefront of innovation. These broader perspectives are increasingly important to drive long-term, sustainable growth,' he tells us. We also asked Gupta to take us through some of Britannia's defining marketing moments this year (so far) and the creative bets he has placed for it. He also picked two game-changer campaigns for the brand in the last 12 months. It's been a few months since you took over a larger role at Britannia. What has really changed for you at work, and what's something that's still the same? Over time, the canvas has naturally expanded. While earlier the focus was on specific categories, I now lead the team that drives marketing initiatives across Biscuits, Crème Wafers and Salty Snacks , shaping priorities that cut across the portfolio. The focus is more on strategic themes like premiumisation, the evolution of e-commerce and quick-commerce, and ensuring Britannia stays at the forefront of innovation. These broader perspectives are increasingly important to drive long-term, sustainable growth. What hasn't changed is the way I work with teams. I continue to believe in empowering people and giving them the space and support they need to do their best work. That approach has remained consistent, and I see it as a key part of how we build and grow together. Also, what's a key learning about leadership you've had in these past few months? One of the most important leadership lessons I've had reaffirmed over the past few months is something I've been shaping in my mind for a while now, a framework I call the four Cs: Character, Consistency, Courage, and Curiosity. These are values that I believe deeply in, and they've only been reinforced through recent experiences. Character, to me, is about staying grounded in ethics and values, especially when facing tough decisions. Consistency is about being a stable force for your team in dynamic circumstances, staying true to your values regardless of external pressures. Courage is crucial, whether it's in backing your team during difficult conversations or taking risks with bold ideas. And finally, curiosity is what keeps me open to learning in an environment that's evolving faster than ever. These four elements together form the foundation of the leadership I try to practise every day. Could you share what you consider your most defining marketing moment has been this year (so far), and tell us about the biggest marketing bets you've placed so far? I've always been a big believer in backing bold ideas. For me, if an idea makes me slightly uncomfortable, that's usually a sign it's worth taking a risk. And when those bets pay off, they become defining moments. I've been fortunate to have a few of those this year. One such moment was bringing National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on board for Marie Gold HerStartup 5.0. It was an ambitious thought and needed to be built ground-up. Standing on stage at Kaushal Bhawan in Delhi to sign the MOU with government officials was a real milestone, for the brand and for me personally. Another was cracking a first-of-its-kind F&B licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBGCP), and using that to launch Britannia's first e-comm exclusive innovation: Pure Magic Choco Frames. It's created a completely new template for how we approach innovation at Britannia. And then there was Avani's Gold, a truly special idea that required us to redesign the actual Marie Gold biscuit. That kind of product change usually takes 6–8 months, but we wanted to make it live for Women's Day, which gave us just two. The way teams across the company came together to make that happen was magic. Definitely another defining moment. Beyond this, to stay ahead of the curve, we've been building out dedicated e-commerce and quick-commerce verticals with specialised teams, creating portfolios suited to digital platforms, and shaping go-to-market strategies that are channel-specific. This is helping us respond more sharply to emerging consumer behaviour, especially in high-frequency, convenience-led consumption moments. It's also allowing the brands to show up in more relevant, distinctive ways across platforms while creating a strong base for future growth in these channels. Marketing as a function is highly creative-led. What do you do to stay inspired at work? Inspiration, for me, comes from a mix of small, everyday things. Morning workouts help clear my head and often give me space to think more freely. Time with my kids brings a kind of joy and perspective that keeps me grounded. There's something about their excitement over the simplest things that's really motivating. I also try to stay connected to what's happening creatively around the world, whether it's watching Super Bowl ads or going through the work coming out of Cannes. I may not be an avid reader, but I find a lot of value in visual content. It helps me stay curious and keeps the ideas flowing. Britannia is an institution where many marketers have climbed the ladder and made a mark in the industry. What is your approach to building a high-performing marketing team in a fast-evolving landscape? My approach to building a high-performing team is grounded in three core principles. The first is business centricity. Great marketing is rooted in creating meaningful business impact, and that focus helps drive sharper strategy, thinking and execution. The second principle is what I call brand magnetism. At Britannia, we are fortunate to have iconic brands in our portfolio, and it's important to keep them contemporary and culturally relevant, while also nurturing newer brands that reflect emerging consumer needs. Finally, we place a strong emphasis on bold thinking. Encouraging big, brave ideas has become part of our culture, and we see technology as an enabler to bring these ideas to life, whether it's through AI, AR, or content innovation. In a world where many brands are trying to work with one agency for efficiency, Britannia's approach has been different. Could you walk us through how this helps your brands? At Britannia, we've consciously chosen a different model when it comes to agency partnerships. While we do have agencies on record, we also work closely with a range of digital-first, creative and specialised partners. This diversity gives us access to distinct creative strengths, whether its strategic thinking, culture marketing or high-impact storytelling. By tapping into these varied capabilities, we're able to stay agile and keep our creative output well-rounded and future-ready. A big advantage of this model is the healthy sense of competition it encourages. Teams know they're part of a broader creative ecosystem, which often brings out their best work. Most importantly, this setup supports a culture of collaboration and idea-first thinking. A digital partner isn't hesitant to pitch a mainline idea because what matters is the strength of the idea, not where it comes from. It's created an open and inclusive environment where great work is recognised for what it is. Can you take us through a campaign or two that you think was a game-changer for Britannia in the last 12 months, from insight to execution? There are two campaigns that have stood out for me over the last year. The first one that I believe was truly game-changing for Britannia was Marie Gold x Avani Lekhara Special Edition pack. This campaign was a tribute to Avani Lekhara, India's first woman to win Olympic gold at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. For the first time in 18 years, the Marie Gold biscuit was redesigned to match the size and shape of Avani's target, and each biscuit was etched with her winning shots. The pack itself told her story, and the campaign was brought to life through a full-funnel mix of product innovation, design and digital storytelling. It was simple, powerful, and deeply rooted in Britannia Marie Gold's long-standing proposition of Do More. Be More Another campaign is Britannia A-eye , an AI-powered retail solution designed to make the shopping experience more accessible for the visually impaired. Using Google Cloud's multimodal AI, we built a tool that lets a smartphone camera guide the user through the store, reading the aisle, identifying products and and reading out key information like price, ingredients, and expiry dates. The idea is to remove the need for external assistance and make the shopping experience more independent. After a successful pilot, we're now expanding it across more stores and product lines. Together, these two initiatives, one rooted in purpose, the other powered by technology, show how aligning brand belief with consumer need can shift both perception and experience. Siddharth Gupta, General Manager - Marketing, Britannia, bagged the 'Marketer Of The Year' title at the ET Shark Awards 2025.

Kotak Mahindra Bank rolls out Solitaire programme with pre-approved credit line upto  ₹8 crore for home, personal loans
Kotak Mahindra Bank rolls out Solitaire programme with pre-approved credit line upto  ₹8 crore for home, personal loans

Mint

time19 hours ago

  • Mint

Kotak Mahindra Bank rolls out Solitaire programme with pre-approved credit line upto ₹8 crore for home, personal loans

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Solitaire, an exclusive invitation-only programme, offering top tier privileges, access to advanced investment tools, and personalised services tailored for affluent customers. The eligibility for this programme is salaried individuals maintaining a relationship value of ₹ 75 lakh with the bank, and ₹ 1 crore for those who are self-employed. 'it's not about account balances — it's about total relationship value across deposits, investments, loans, insurance, and demat holdings offered by the bank and it is calculated at a family level,' the bank said, adding that 'Solitaire' is available by invitation only. 'Customers are invited based on their relationship value and engagement across Kotak's ecosystem,' the bank said. The bank carried out a soft launch of this programme around two and a half months ago and has also received encouraging response so far. 'We have pivoted from a product-centric organisation to being a customer-centric organisation, and 'Solitaire' programme is our first scalable attempt to demonstrate that,' said Rohit Bhasin, president – head of Affluent, NRI, and Business Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank. 'It has been built across products that we have manufactured ourselves, and products that we distribute on behalf of our group companies and various other partners. We have got a dedicated team of relationship managers, who have been specially recruited and trained to manage this cohort of affluent customers, both who exist in the bank today, and the customers who we would acquire over the next few years,' he added. Fewer than than one per cent of the bank's overall 53 million customers are from the affluent segment, and they contribute over 35 per cent of the overall business. The bank's market share in the affluent segment is 4 per cent, as compared to its 2 per cent overall banking market share, and the aim is to grow beyond 4 per cent with offerings like 'Solitaire'. We have 4 per cent share in the affluent market. So, 96 per cent of the market is not with us, but with other banks. So, that's the affluent ecosystem that exists. And it is growing at twice the rate of the non-affluent segment. Over the course of five years, we see a huge number of affluent customers being created, he said. Under Solitaire, the bank is offering around ₹ 8 crore pre-approved credit lines across home loans, personal loans, and credit cards. The Solitaire credit card will have no annual fees, and unlimited lounge access, zero forex markup among other things. Disclaimer: Mint has a tie-up with fintechs for providing credit, you will need to share your information if you apply. These tie-ups do not influence our editorial content. This article only intends to educate and spread awareness about credit needs like loans, credit cards and credit score. Mint does not promote or encourage taking credit as it comes with a set of risks such as high interest rates, hidden charges, etc. We advise investors to discuss with certified experts before taking any credit.

Myntra in trouble? ED issues Rs 1,654 crore FEMA notice for FDI violation
Myntra in trouble? ED issues Rs 1,654 crore FEMA notice for FDI violation

Indian Express

time21 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Myntra in trouble? ED issues Rs 1,654 crore FEMA notice for FDI violation

Flipkart-owned fashion e-commerce giant Myntra is facing heat from the Enforcement Directorate, India's financial crime watchdog, for violating the country's foreign investment rules. Myntra, one of India's largest fashion e-commerce brands, has received a notice from India's financial crime watchdog for allegedly violating the country's foreign investment rules. On Wednesday, July 23, the Enforcement Directorate stated that Flipkart -owned e-commerce platform Myntra received foreign investment worth Rs 1,654.35 crore by claiming to operate a 'wholesale cash and carry' business, but instead sold most of its goods to Vector E-Commerce Pvt Ltd, which then sold them to the consumers. According to the Enforcement Directorate, Vector E-Commerce Pvt Ltd and Myntra Designs Pvt Ltd belong to the same group of companies.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store