Day 2 of Goafest 2023 kicked off with a line-up of informative and inspiring sessions. Each discussion offered insightful and unexplored information, from knowledge seminars to presentations.
The first session of the second day was presented by India Today, discussing the Future of Connected Devices and Cross Channel Measurement with moderator India Today Television consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai with panellists Comscore VP of sales & head Asia Pacific Geet Lulla, Chrome DM founder & CEO Pankaj Krishna, and ITGD CEO Salil Kumar. The session focused on the future of connected devices, highlighting seamless integration, effortless communication, and sophisticated cross-channel measurement for effective strategies.
Thereafter, Disney Star presented a knowledge seminar titled “The Evolving Economy And The Future Of Startups” with independent journalist Anuradha SenGupta leading the conversation with Sequoia Capital & Surge MD Rajan Anandan. The dialogue highlighted the evolving economy that has become a conducive environment for startups and Anandan’s belief in the profitability of growth-stage companies in the near future.
This discussion was followed by yet another seminar powered by The Hindu Group, “Supercharging Creative Effectiveness: Unleash The Potential Of Your Campaigns” led by WARC APAC’s MD Ed Pank. He presented several thoughts and insights on the need for original creativity. Pank spoke about and presented several instances where parameters like inclusive marketing, sound mnemonic, and authentically participating cultures and subcultures play a consequential role in a creative impact.
The second half of the day began with digital creator & stand-up comic Aiyoo Shraddha, filling the room with uncontrollable frolic and laughter.
This session was followed by seminar titled “Data-Driven Marketing – Are We Walking The Talk?” powered by InMobi in association with Dainik Jagran. It showcased moderator Madison Media & OOH group CEO Vikram Sakhuja with panellists Nestle India director & executive VP Chandan Mukherji, Good Glamm Group’s group co-founder and Good Media Co CEO Priyanka Gill, and HDFC’s CMO Ravi Santanam and MakeMyTrip COO Vipul Prakash. This session discussed in-depth numerous elements that need to be factored into the workings of the world of data-driven marketing, to which Mukherji aptly added, “Data is helping brands make real-time marketing decisions.”
The session also, through the panel discussion, assessed the utilisation of the relevant data, aggregated, and personalised as well as the shift from traditional approaches because of available data and its analysis. Gill rightly added, “Data today is a blunt instrument, but with time and teams learning to use data sufficiently, it could become a sharper tool.” Similarly, this interaction underlined the importance of enriching data collection on parameters that are relevant to a brand. In this case, informed hypotheses will help brands with growth in conversion rate because consumer behaviour patterns are being learnt and evaluated like never before.
Later, OMS Digital, a part of the Times Group presented the ASCI creators session, titled “Creator Calling Creator” – a session curated by the Advertising Standards Council of India moderated by ASCI former chairman and BBH & Publicis Worldwide, India former CEO Subhash Kamath. The panellists included Leo Burnett, SouthAsia, India chief creative officer and CEO & Publicis Groupe – South Asia, creative council chairman Rajdeepak Das; FilterCopy, Pocket Aces head Shreya Agarwal; L’Oreal and Maybelline AGM Smruthi Rajagopalan; and beauty, fashion, body positive & lifestyle influencer Prableen Kaur Bhomrah. This session narrowed down the connection between content creators, collaborators, inspiration and the need to foster a thriving creative community.
The questions posed also garnered answers and information that tallied the sentiment of brand-agency relationships today and their applicability during campaigns. The collaborators, whether digital or mainline, all partner, bringing their expertise to the table along with recommendations for other platforms as well. Das rightly added, “Ideas can come from anywhere, the only thing that matters is how we make it big. For that to happen, all the collaborators need to have one goal – to make the idea big.”
In summary, the conversation underlined the power of creators coming together to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and elevate their craft, collectively.
The concluding session titled “Unearthing Future Talent: The Rise of Indian Cricketers from the Grassroots” was by Disney Star. In conversation with sports presenter and commentator Manish Batavia, Indian cricket legend and member of parliament Harbhajan Singh revealed so many components that make a cricketer, starting with self-belief, his experiences on-field and off-field, moving on to his journey beyond cricket, and then finally his upcoming book. The discussion highlighted the immense talent pool in the country and the effectiveness of nurturing young players at the grassroots level. Singh fondly remembered, “I tried my hands at Judo and badminton, but cricket was very close to my heart; I wanted to be like Kapil Dev!”
Responding to Batavia’s question about coaching, Singh said, “Coaching is one thing, honest management of talent is what is required today.” He believes that through dedicated coaching programs, infrastructure development, and a passion for the sport, India’s young cricketers will make their mark on the international stage, paving the way for a promising future in cricket. This interview with Singh showcased the potential for India to consistently produce skilled and competitive players who can contribute to the success of India. Finally, he shared his insights on consistent practice and focus on a single goal. He also spoke about his learnings from failures and how he used them to do better at his game. He exited with the same gusto as his entry!
Parallelly, in the latter half of the day, the lineup of masterclasses began with Convosight, “Unleashing the Voice of Your Customers: Building Brand Advocacy in Communities” by Tamanna Dhamija, Rajan Anandan & Shuvadip Banerjee. The speakers emphasised how brands and consumers can co-exist and create opportunities for each other whilst stressing the power of online communities. This was followed by the “Maximizing Your Advertising Potential on Flipkart” masterclass, where Flipkart Ads senior director Vaibhav Kapur shared his experience and knowledge on how brands can weave effective digital ads from a company’s marketing and advertising perspective. Last, in line, the “India Today Group: The Lallantop Adda” masterclass primarily focused on the future of video content. Saurabh Dwivedi used references from film to deliver an entertaining masterclass about what successful video content will look like, going forward.
The day concluded with a gala dinner and after-hours party with DJ Savio Joseph Mendez powered by MASTIII in association with Absolut Glassware.
ABBY awards highlights:
- COG Culture was awarded as the Design Specialist Agency of The Year, with a total of 16 metals. The category saw a total of three gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze Metals along with 17 Merits.
- Leo Burnett India was recognised as the Digital Specialist Agency of The Year with a total of 15 Metals. The category saw a total of six gold, 15 silver, and 37 bronze Metals. There were six Merits in the category. Leo Burnett India was awarded a Grand Prix for Airtel’s ‘Airtel 175 Replayed’ campaign.
- With a total of three Metals, Mindshare was recognised as the Mobile Specialist Agency of The Year. The category witnessed a total of 15 Metals with two gold, five silver, four bronze and four Merits.
- Mindshare was also recognised as the Technology Specialist Agency of The Year with four Metals. The category had three gold, six silver, seven bronze and four Merits being awarded.
- FCB Group India was recognised as the Direct Specialist Agency of The Year with 10 Metals in total. The category saw a total of three gold, 12 silver, 13 bronze and 10 Merits being awarded.
- FCB Group India was recognised as the Public Relations Specialist Agency of The Year with eight Metals. The category had six gold, nine silver, seven bronze, and four Merits in total.
- With a total of nine Metals, Zee Entertainment Enterprises was awarded as the Broadcaster of The Year Award. The category witnessed a total of six gold, eight silver, four bronze and one Merit.