Gauging the Value of Enthusiam of Digtal, Ad:Tech 2019 Concluded

It is been close to ten years since the fast pace of digital media is getting measured at ad:tech. This year also, after two days full of insights, knowledge and networking, the 2019 edition of ad:tech New Delhi concluded. The event saw digital enthusiasts, marketers, entrepreneurs, and agencies attending in large numbers.

The two-day event was filled with various sessions on myriad topics including how marketing in India has yet to explore untapped markets for exponential growth; how agency models can be under threat; how to build and market products& strategies for the GenZ; the role of content in the digital age; death of mobile engagement and several others. The various workshops also helped the audience to understand how to be future ready in advertising.

Some of the notable speakers who were part of the event include David Freeman, Executive Vice President, Star India, Tushar Vyas, President Group M South Asia, Lalit Bhagia, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, Anupriya Acharya CEO, Publicis Media, Bhupendra Chaubey, Executive Editor, Network 18, Babita Baruah, Managing Partner, GTB, Kunal Shah, Founder Freecharge and CRED, Cyrus Broacha, Kubbra Sait, among others.

Commenting on the admirable showcase by players across segments, Jaswant Singh, Country MD at Comexposium India said, “The response to the 9^th edition of ad:tech has been phenomenal. This edition of ad:tech focuses on the growth imperatives for winning the future.  The Indian market remains the brightest spot in the world today and is the fastest growing economy. ad:tech has provided a platform for businesses across marketing, technology and media to connect and network and share trends and insights that is shaping the mar-tech ecosystem.”

Day one kicked off with a keynote session by David Freeman, Executive Vice President, Star India on how the future of digital marketing is ruled by emotions. While sharing some techniques for developing hard-hitting digital campaigns, he said “The best types of stories are the ones where you make the other person’s life better which can be done through emotions.”

During an exciting session on whether the agency models are under threat, Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director, Zirca said, “Agency models are not under threat. If anything, this model has the opportunity to evolve.” Adding further to it, Lalit Bhagia, CEO, Dentsu Aegis opined, “The kind of diverse talent present in an agency is seldom found in-house. Agencies know the craft of their function better than anybody else.”

Building for GenZ session saw some really stirring comments from the panelists. Nikhil Rastogi, Director & Head – Marketing & Digital Sales, CITI said, “Keeping things simple and transparent does the trick with GenZ. Banks and financial institutes are trying to re-wire and re-tune to be transparent and user-friendly in order to help the GenZ save, grow and invest.”

Vishwas Mudgal, Author of ‘Age of Kalki’ and CEO of GoodWork Labs concluded the day with an interesting session on how brands can use identities of superheroes to create powerful marketing ideas.

Day-two started off with a stimulating session by Kunal Shah, Founder Freecharge and CRED on how new age internet companies grow exponentially without ads, he said, “If you look at the human history, the newer generation has always been smarter than older one but we are not ready to accept it.” While talking about on the need for creating content which worth sharing, he said, “If you create something which is not worth sharing, people won’t share it.”

Said Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, part of Justice Shri Krishna Committee, on the need for data protection laws, “We want people to have control of their data. Consent will be a lawful basis of processing and it should be free.”

Vikram Tanna, VP, Head of Advertising Sales and Business Head of Regional Clusters, Discovery during his session on how superfans will drive total video consumption said, “It is very important to talk audience in their native language.” He believes that consumers are more than demographics and that we need to look at passionate communities. “If content is the king, gone are the days of demographic targeting. Passionate consumers are the advocates that help a brand grow.”

Day 2 ended with a session by Rajesh Sawhney, CEO and Founder Innerchef talking about the rise of challenger brands in India during which he said, “In the last 10 years, the evolution of ecommerce platforms have led to digital explosion.”

Ad:tech 2019 saw a participation of around 5500 delegates and exhibitors including Google, Olx, TikTok, Voot, Taboola, Way2news, Times Internet, among others.