.jpg)
At the WAVES 2025 Summit held on May 2, industry leaders from top global platforms and creative powerhouses came together for a high-octane discussion on the evolving advertising landscape. The panel, titled ‘The Hyper Personalised Ad Revolution’, explored how technology, regional diversity, and human storytelling are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers. Moderated by Chetan Krishnaswamy, Vice President of Public Policy at Amazon India, the conversation brought together Rishabh Sharma, Head of Brand Strategy, APAC, X (formerly Twitter); Prasoon Joshi, Chairman - APAC McCann Worldgroup; Satya Raghavan, Director, Marketing Partners, Google India; CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, WPP India; and Arun Srinivas, Director, Head of Ads Business, Meta India.
Krishnaswamy opened the session by underscoring the potential of hyper-personalisation in India's $$13 billion digital advertising market—expected to double in the next four years. “With 1.4 billion people, India offers a dynamic learning lab for marketers,” he said, setting the stage for a conversation that would balance data and emotion.
Representing X, Rishabh Sharma highlighted the importance of regional storytelling in today’s fragmented media landscape. “For a country that has such a diverse linguistic framework, it is important that we, as a platform, expand the creative portfolio—text, video, audio, live,” he said. Sharma emphasized that regional content often outperforms national narratives. “If you think about a reality show, Bigg Boss Tamil actually gets far more conversation than the actual Bigg Boss show,” he noted, adding that regional trends are now global conversations in disguise.
Sharma urged brands to tap into vernacular and voice content. “90% of India appreciates voice and vernacular in the way brands speak to them,” he said. He encouraged creative leaders to pivot toward more agile and locally relevant campaigns. “Measure, listen, and if your communication is not resonating, be agile enough to pivot.”
Satya Raghavan, Director of Marketing Partners at Google India, brought a sharp consumer behavior lens to the discussion. He introduced a framework that Google uses: consumers today are “streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping”—often simultaneously. Raghavan illustrated this with a cricket reference, observing, “While 90% of the people who watched the Mumbai Indians match last night were also on a second screen, they were doing all four of these activities at once.”
He added that personalization must be paired with responsibility. “With relevance comes responsibility,” Raghavan emphasized. “As a platform, we allow users to choose what ads they want to see. It's not just about targeting harder—it's about targeting smarter.” He also shared that on platforms like YouTube Kids, targeting underage users with personalized ads is prohibited. “Power is in the hands of the consumer,” he said.
The conversation then turned more philosophical, led by Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup APAC. Known for his lyrical approach to advertising and cinema, Joshi reflected on the limits of personalization. “Human psychology is not that simple that if you know me too well, you will be able to market too well,” he said.
Drawing from his personal experience writing the iconic song “Tujhe sab hai pata hai na maa” for Taare Zameen Par, Joshi explained how deeply personal storytelling can strike a universal chord. “The first line I wrote was: Main kabhi batlata nahi, par andhere se darta hoon main maa. That was a confession from my childhood. I didn’t know it would connect with so many people.”
He cautioned that hyper-familiarity can feel invasive. “Sometimes, too much familiarity is not seen well by the consumer,” he said. “There is a distinction in that consumer’s mind between what I want to be told and what I don’t want to be told.”
CVL Srinivas, Country Manager for WPP India, brought the conversation back to fundamentals. “Let’s not forget, consumers today are far more informed and empowered. They have a voice and can talk back to brands in real time,” he said. For brands to succeed, he emphasized consistency, authenticity, and adaptability. “You need a clearly defined brand identity that’s consistent across every touchpoint—digital, traditional, long or short format,” he said. “And your strategy must be agile. If something isn’t working, pivot the same day. Don’t wait three months for a research report.”
CVL Srinivas also made a case for the enduring value of creativity. “Despite all the talk around AI and disruption, what still moves the needle is raw creativity. There is nothing more powerful than a creative idea that truly connects with the consumer.”
Arun Srinivas, Director and Head of Ads Business at Meta India, took a creator-first view of the ecosystem. “Reels is the largest short-form video platform globally, and India is the top contributor,” he said. Arun Srinivas noted that creators now operate across 14–15 languages—not even counting dialects—and have the power to shape buying decisions across categories like beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.
“Most young users today look for authenticity. They are influenced more by a creator’s voice than by traditional ads claiming to be the best car or makeup brand,” he said. Meta recently launched the Edits app to help creators produce ultra-high-definition short-form content. “We clearly see creators as a pivotal part of the future of marketing.”
As Sharma remarked, “India is the world’s largest focus group.” And if the insights from this panel are any indication, the future of advertising in India will be hyper-personalised, deeply regional, and unapologetically creative.
.jpg)
