Latest news with #TejasApte
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Goafest 2025: Without real views, digital advertising loses its business impact, Tejas Apte
HighlightsTejas Apte, head of media and digital marketing at Hindustan Unilever, emphasized the urgent need for a trustworthy media ecosystem to combat the pervasive issue of fake impressions and fraudulent practices in digital advertising. The Indian Society of Advertisers launched the Media Charter, which focuses on four key pillars: Brand Safety, Viewability, Fraud Prevention, and the Ethical Use of First-Party Data, to address challenges in the digital advertising landscape. Apte highlighted the critical role of long-term partnerships with agencies, such as GroupM, in driving innovation and success within Hindustan Unilever, while acknowledging the impact of automation and in-housing agency functions. Tejas Apte , head of media and digital marketing at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and chair of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA)'s Media forum, emphasised the critical need for a more robust and trustworthy media ecosystem, particularly in the digital realm. Speaking at Goafest 2025 on day 3, Apte highlighted that the pervasive issue of "fakes" – fake views, fake news, and fraudulent impressions – poses a significant threat to business effectiveness and the long-term health of the digital advertising industry. Apte articulated that the primary concern stemming from these "fakes" is the diminished effectiveness of advertising campaigns. He also shared that up to 30 percent of digital impressions may be fake or non-human, leading to major business inefficiencies. "The real loss here is that you invested a certain amount in the media. In the old days of television and print, the ad would physically appear in front of a real consumer. Today, with digital advertising, there's no guarantee the ad actually reaches a real person. If it doesn't, it can't have a tangible impact on the business. Ultimately, it's the digital ecosystem that suffers." He further pointed out that the predominantly ad-funded nature of digital media, in contrast to the more balanced subscription and advertising models of legacy mediums, makes it imperative to ensure brand safety and eliminate fraudulent impressions. "If all of your digital is going to be advertising driven, then making it safe for consumers, getting rid of any and every fake impression of a consumer is essential for the health of digital as a medium," Apte asserted. To address these pressing challenges, the ISA, in collaboration with various industry stakeholders, launched the Media Charter, built on four key pillars. The first is Brand Safety, which ensures that advertisements appear alongside content that is safe for both consumers and brands. The second is Viewability, aimed at guaranteeing that ad impressions are genuinely seen by consumers and not lost to hidden placements or fraud. Fraud Prevention forms the third pillar, targeting deceptive practices such as "ad buffering" that artificially inflate impression counts. Lastly, the charter emphasises the Ethical Use of First-Party Data, advocating for transparent, consent-driven collection and responsible utilization of consumer data. Apte also acknowledged the ongoing work on a fifth pillar: cross-media measurement, recognising the evolving landscape where TV and digital increasingly coexist. A significant aspect of the ISA Media Charter 's success, according to Apte, lies in its collaborative development. The playbooks accompanying the charter were co-created with major players like Google, Meta, DoubleVerify, and others, fostering a shared understanding of industry standards and advertiser expectations. This collaboration helps bridge the gap between input metrics provided by platforms and the business outcomes advertisers seek. Regarding the evolving relationship between advertisers and agencies, Apte underscored the critical role of agencies in HUL's success. He shared an example of GroupM and HUL which has been working for around 28 years. He emphasised the importance of long-term partnerships built on trust and the ability to constructively challenge agencies to innovate. "The service which is offered right now may not hold six months, two years, five years down the line," he remarked, referring to the impact of automation and AI. On the growing trend of in-housing agency functions, Apte acknowledged different degrees of implementation across clients. He highlighted the upsides, including easier data flow, improved business decision-making, and greater control over automated work. However, he maintained that core creative ideas and strategic media planning brilliance will continue to reside with agencies. "The big creative idea will still come from the creative person. The right inputs on the media plan will also come from the media planner." Apte also addressed the raids conducted by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in March on several media agencies and industry bodies, including the ISA. While avoiding speculation due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and the lack of public information about its origins, he noted, 'Nobody knows what triggered it or what exactly is being investigated. There's still nothing in the public domain that clarifies the reasons behind the raids or the direction of the investigation.' Measuring the success of the ISA Media Charter, Apte stated, will involve observing a decline in overall ad fraud and an increase in brand safety across the industry, particularly among smaller advertisers. He also expressed optimism for progress on cross-media measurement in the near future. Within HUL, Apte noted that the co-creation process of the charter led to the discovery of new partners and ideas, particularly in areas like brand safety and ethical first-party data collection, ultimately contributing to improved media quality for the organization.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Goafest 2025: AI moves beyond tech to empower every team
HighlightsThe panel discussion on 'From Code To Commerce: Growth in the AI Age' showcased how Artificial Intelligence is transforming business operations, featuring insights from industry leaders like Arjun Choudhary, Vice President of Swiggy, and Tejas Apte, Head of Media and Digital Marketing at Hindustan Unilever. Pragya Bijalwan, Chief Marketing Officer at Voltas, highlighted AI's role in personalizing consumer experiences and driving predictive maintenance, emphasizing its impact on energy efficiency in India's cost-conscious market. Sanket Prakash Tulangekar, Director of MakeMyTrip, discussed the advancements of their AI assistant, Myra, which enhances user experience through conversational interfaces and multi-agent orchestration, making travel planning more seamless. The sun-kissed shores of Goa once again played host to the brightest minds in advertising and business as Goafest 2025 kicked off its exhilarating Day 2. Attendees, still buzzing from the previous evening's festivities, were treated to a soulful start with a captivating live performance by the renowned Indian singer and composer Raghav Sachar, whose melodies set a harmonious tone for the day. But the real symphony began with the day's inaugural session—From Code To Commerce: Growth in the AI Age. This high-energy panel discussion dove headfirst into the very heart of the global business revolution: Artificial Intelligence. Moderated by independent journalist and producer Anuradha SenGupta, the session brought together industry leaders including Arjun Choudhary, vice president, Swiggy , Sanket Prakash Tulangekar, director, MakeMyTrip, Tejas Apte, head of media and digital marketing at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Pragya Bijalwan, chief marketing officer at Voltas. From the quiet hum of back-end analytics to the vibrant roar of consumer engagement, these top executives illuminated how AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a tangible, transformative force actively reshaping their operations and redefining the very fabric of commerce in India. 'In the HVAC space, AI has changed how consumers interact with appliances,' said Bijalwan from Voltas. She further added, 'Our systems now personalise room temperatures through app-based learning and voice assistants like Google and Alexa. It's about humanising technology.' Beyond comfort, she noted that AI is driving predictive maintenance, enhancing energy efficiency, and enabling CDP-driven service readiness—all critical factors in India's cost-conscious consumer market. Apte offered a sweeping view of AI's penetration. 'We began in R&D,' he said, referring to HUL's Agile Innovation Hub, where AI spots global CPG trends, mixes sample product formulations, and even 3D-prints prototypes. 'Now, AI is in our supply chain, sales apps like Shikhar, and even in marketing—where we recently deployed 150,000 personalised video ads using actor Arshad Warsi's voice for kirana stores,' shared Apte. The company's marketing teams are also producing fully AI-generated digital assets using platforms like Pencil Pro, enabling quicker campaign rollouts and experimental content strategies. On the travel front, MakeMyTrip is revolutionising the user experience with extensive AI integration. Tulangekar, detailed how their AI assistant, Myra, is at the forefront of this transformation. Myra leverages AI-driven review summarization to quickly provide users with holistic insights into accommodations. It also employs natural language interfaces, allowing users to converse with the platform for seamless queries. Beyond simple interactions, Myra features agentic frameworks that simulate real-world multi-agent collaboration. This sophisticated system guides users through complex tasks like booking flights and hotels, and even planning entire itineraries. Tulangekar emphasised Myra's use of multi-agent orchestration to handle a wide array of queries related to hotels, flights, and activities. 'The future of travel assistance is conversational,' said Tulangekar. 'We've trained AI agents to specialise in hotels, flights, local transport, and destination discovery—all working together behind the scenes.' Food delivery platform—Swiggy is also investing heavily in AI. Choudhary, revealed internal transformations such as sales co-pilots, AI-generated PRDs, and automated meeting summarisation into podcasts. 'We've democratized AI,' he said. 'It's no longer just for tech teams—business folks are generating product demos and user journeys on their own.' Yet, the discussion wasn't without concerns. As generative AI content floods marketing channels, ethical questions are rising. Should AI-generated advertisements be labeled? How do brands ensure authenticity, especially when content is personalised at scale? 'Labeling AI content may not always be necessary unless it's misleading,' said Choudhary. 'But when it comes to sensitive content like food imagery, we prefer authentic photos over generated visuals.' Bijalwan highlighted a successful example from Voltas: a personalised video campaign featuring its mascot 'Murthy' addressing channel partners by name. The campaign saw 98% click-through and 87% video completion rates—a testament to the power of AI-personalised engagement. Meanwhile, regulatory clarity remains a work in progress. While the U.S. and EU are pushing for stricter AI governance, India continues to promote a self-regulation model. Eventually, we'll need clearer guardrails, admitted Choudhary, referencing content duplication and misuse issues. 'But responsible AI use starts with how we treat consumer data and intellectual property,' he added. Despite the open questions, the mood on stage was overwhelmingly optimistic. 'AI won't replace jobs—it will transform them,' said Bijalwan in her closing remarks. 'The onus is on both individuals and organisations to upskill and adapt. AI will be function-agnostic—it's not just for tech, marketing, or operations. It's for everyone.'
