Reimagining the media mix in 2026 with scale, signals and service

At the e4m India Brand Conclave 2026, industry leaders convened to interpret what omnichannel truly signifies in an environment where digital is accelerating quickly, yet offline still commands a substantial share of consumption.Moderated by Vineet Shah, Vice President - Digital, Madison Media, the session titled “Omnichannel Delivery: Reaching Consumers Wherever They Are” featured Abhishek Kumar Srivastava, Chief Marketing Officer, Piramal Consumer Healthcare; Gunjarav Nayak, Chief Sales Officer - Hindi Movies, Digital & IP Business, ZEEL; Neelima Burra, Chief Strategy Transformation and Marketing Officer & Business Head - Ecommerce and Organised Retail, Luminous Power Technologies; Priyancka Puri, Senior Vice President - Marketing, HRIPL; Rishabh Verma, Head of Marketing, Lotte Havmor Ice Cream; and Saurabh Golani, Country Head, PrsmX by Mobavenue.

Framing the discussion, Shah highlighted the structural evolution underway in media habits.“Last year, we observed that digital has nearly emerged as the largest medium in the ecosystem,” he said. He added that digital now stands on the verge of contributing over half of Indian AdEx, propelled by changes in both content consumption and buying behaviour.While recognising digital’s ascent, Shah noted that television will retain relevance, with connected TV reshaping big-screen viewing and other formats continuing to matter. He stressed that the pressing challenge is how brands curate the optimal omnichannel mix.

Opening from an impulse-category perspective, Rishabh Verma positioned the debate as one between “minimum viable omnichannel versus over-engineering.”“I believe every marketer navigates this trade-off, and choices must align with business realities,” he said. For ice creams, he explained, omnichannel strategy is dictated by category traits and the shopper journey. Seventy per cent of consumption occurs in the top 30 towns, and 80 per cent happens at the point of sale, predominantly offline and impulse-led. Meanwhile, per capita ice cream consumption in India remains about one litre annually, lower than certain neighbouring markets, indicating significant growth potential.

Against this backdrop, Verma said digital allows precise targeting in priority towns, while summer periods see television “sit on digital” to maximise high-consumption occasions.However, he underscored that retail preparedness is paramount. “The final conversion happens at the point of sale,” he said, highlighting the necessity of cold-chain networks and prominent freezer visibility.“For us, over-engineering would mean investing in media and campaigns without evaluating our retail reach, or deploying pan-India media with excessive spillover,” he added.

Priyancka Puri expanded on the consumer-first lens, identifying two distinct pivots for omnichannel planning.“The first is how you ensure your brand is mentally available,” she said, explaining that channels for building mental presence vary by cohort, from television to YouTube. The second pivot, she noted, is engagement, particularly in an era where delivery timelines have compressed to minutes and physical proximity has narrowed dramatically.

Through brand illustrations, she showed how platform roles differ by audience and category. “Any brand strategy requires two pivots—mental availability at scale and engagement at depth. That blend truly delivers,” she said.The conversation then examined television’s relevance within a changing ecosystem. Srivastava described the media mix dilemma as “a very big question in the boardroom today.”

Representing categories such as OTC, baby skincare and beauty, he reiterated television’s enduring importance. “TV delivers scale. TV also delivers trust at scale,” he said, especially for OTC brands where chemists serve as destination outlets and distribution remains robust.Yet for baby and beauty brands concentrated across 30 to 50 key markets, the equation shifts. Srivastava shared that his organisation transitioned from being 90–95 per cent TV-led to nearly a 50-50 split between TV and digital.

“The shift is evident, and the transformation isn’t hurting business,” he said. “I’m likely spending less than earlier, but sales scores remain strong, market share gains continue, and distribution is expanding.”Describing integrated media as the future core, he added that while TV suits certain brands, others demand a sharper digital orientation.From a broadcaster’s viewpoint, Nayak addressed recurring concerns around television’s longevity. “For us, omnichannel doesn’t mean being everywhere. It means being wherever the consumer is,” he said.

He characterised ZEEL’s ecosystem as “TV plus plus,” spanning linear TV for mass reach, YouTube for additional scale, ZEE5 for deeper engagement, live events and an extensive influencer network.Nayak also highlighted regional customisation. With multiple language offerings on ZEE5, he noted that even local brands can segment audiences through vernacular content. “We operate across every part of this ecosystem,” he said.

Neelima Burra redirected attention to a technically nuanced category like solar and inverter batteries, where purchase cycles extend from one to one-and-a-half years. “Omnichannel as a philosophy began with the aim of delivering a seamless brand journey,” she said. In her space, discovery and research are largely digital, deeper evaluation often occurs offline, and conversion may conclude on either channel.

Digital, she said, anchors discovery and consideration, complemented by TV for awareness in crowded segments and other media for sustained engagement. “The journey is extended, and it demands engagement across platforms,” she said.Burra added that AI, agentic AI and chatbots are enhancing conversion paths by assisting consumers in navigating technical information. “The learning systems we’ve built are enabling consumers to purchase,” she said, especially in a market where information overload can generate confusion.Returning to digital’s expansive function, Puri argued that digital transcends being just a channel.

“It’s an operating system in itself,” she said.From awareness and influence to transaction, she described digital as covering the full funnel. Crucially, it provides a feedback mechanism absent in legacy media. “Digital allows us to pivot within weeks,” she said, enabling faster optimisation and sharper consumer experience.While the final sale may happen in-store or via quick commerce, she observed that “the entire decision-making and influencing now takes place on digital.”On the debate between precision and reach, Srivastava advocated beginning broad. “Imagine if some FMCG brands we recognise today were built by speaking to only five per cent of India. I’m not sure that would have worked,” he said.

He proposed that brands start wide, then narrow based on traction and conversion cues. For categories with extensive offline distribution across thousands of chemists, broad reach remains critical before funnel convergence. Saurabh Golani reinforced this with an analogy. “Signals don’t determine what traffic comes in,” he said. Brands should expand reach, optimise intelligently, and allow signals to dictate entry and exit at various price points.“Your approach must be broad initially, and then refine down the funnel,” he said, cautioning that a lower acquisition cost does not necessarily signify new users but may reflect remarketing.He added that consumers don’t exist in silos. “You can’t categorise a consumer as coming from branding or performance. Ultimately, I must win my consumers and ensure they return,” he said.

The discussion then explored the role of creators in impulse-driven segments. Verma warned against treating influencers purely as media channels.“Everyone wants to work with content creators because we fear missing out,” he said, noting escalating collaboration costs. Viewing them solely as media, he cautioned, would be inefficient.“For me, a content creator brings relevance and meaning to the brand,” he said. Over-scripted communication dampens engagement, whereas granting creative freedom within guardrails leads to “higher engagement and more organic conversations.” “I believe brands should see them as creative collaborators, not just media vehicles,” Verma concluded.

As the session advanced, attention shifted to messaging consistency in an omnichannel environment. With platforms demanding varied formats, tones and durations, how do brands define constants? Srivastava was unequivocal that the core remains inviolable. “Brand messaging—whether brand purpose or campaign idea—must transcend channels, regardless of medium. That’s non-negotiable,” he said.

While the core stays intact, he stressed that each channel must fulfil a specific role. Television provides scale, salience and trust. Platforms like Instagram, particularly for beauty and skincare, enable demonstration of routines, usage contexts and applications—elements less suited to traditional TV.The era of producing a single 30-second film and broadcasting it universally is waning, he argued.

“Those days of creating one 30-second and airing identical content across TV, digital, YouTube, Instagram and everywhere are fading. Even if it happens now, it won’t last long,” he said. What endures is the brand essence and campaign idea; what adapts is execution. Srivastava described this as a natural evolution across categories, from sensitive products like i-pill contraceptives to widely distributed beauty and baby brands.

Burra addressed the issue from a category where post-purchase reassurance is equally critical as purchase.“For us, communication must integrate the company’s credibility in service and installation,” she said. In solar solutions, she noted, buying is often the simplest step. The true concern lies in durability and service continuity.“If you install a solar roof today, it should last 25 years, but the company that installed it may not,” she said. Hence, brand trust and long-term service assurance are central to messaging. Burra noted that consumers now face excessive information—from government updates and influencers to aggregators and institutions.In such segments, channel selection must match the task. While digital supports discovery, it doesn’t always aid shortlisting.hysical engagement—through distributors, retailers, system integrators, expos and exhibitions—remains essential for assessing requirements and evaluating spaces.

E-commerce, she added, plays a decisive yet concluding role. “It helps drive that final-mile conversion,” she said, once trust is built and consumers grasp the complete service offering, including installation, AMC and maintenance.Across both viewpoints, the consensus was clear: the brand’s foundational idea must stay constant, but execution should flex according to platform, purpose and consumer context.