ET Shark Awards 2025: RoI, AI, and purpose-driven storytelling take centrestage
ET Shark Awards
served as a powerful barometer for the evolving landscape of Indian marketing. The
shortlisted entries
indicate that work emerging from across the country is increasingly sophisticated, data-driven, and deeply attuned to consumer needs.
According to India's leading marketing heads, who formed the jury for this year's ET
Shark Awards
, the campaigns that stood out underscored a strategic pivot towards impact and consumer connection. This suggests that brands aren't moving away from the fundamentals, and perhaps never will.
Presenting the top trends spotted by our esteemed jurors
Hearting consumers, always
At the core of all effective campaigns, as repeatedly emphasised by the jurors, lies an intense focus on achieving and maintaining relevance with the consumer. This goes beyond superficial engagement, delving into a profound understanding of audience needs. The jurors reviewed several campaigns that identified a clear problem and uncovered deep consumer insights before proposing a solution.
Abhishek Gupta, Chief
Marketing Officer
, Edelweiss Life Insurance, highlighted, 'What I could see is the ability of marketers to use consumer insights and then come up with solutions. It is not just a solution, it is a consumer insight solution. There is a problem, for that problem there is an insight, and for that insight there is a solution.'
Anvesha Poswalia, Head of Marketing – Digital Business at Shemaroo Entertainment, reinforced this, stating that a lot of the good work (that she evaluated at the ET Shark Awards this year) had a very simple consumer insight at the heart of it.
Regional nuances get refined
A significant shift identified by the jurors was brands' acute awareness of India's diverse cultural fabric.
Rumi Ambastha
, VP - Marketing at Mila Beauté, noted how brands have started to understand the importance of diving deep into different pockets of India. This signifies brands' move towards tailoring messages to local sensitivities for deeper resonance. Ambastha observed that several brands are going on the ground to do research on what really works for the regional cohorts.
Madhu Singh, VP - Electric Mobility, TVS Motor Company, also observed that a lot of the work entered into the ET Shark Awards this year featured several regional nuances. Another trend he saw clearly shaping up was age-based targeting by brands.
Maturity hits RoI-centric marketing
The prevailing sentiment among the jurors was a strong pivot towards measurable business outcomes, signalling a mature approach to marketing investment where profitability takes centrestage. A key observation was the industry's return to business fundamentals and profitability. While stellar insights drive a campaign far and beyond the corners of social media, what brings it home is execution, aligning it to the right business objectives.
Neha Rao, VP - Marketing, Bikaji Foods International, said, 'Today, everybody's become really cognizant of RoI-driven marketing. While I don't think that sort of takes away the soul of it, it also gives it a newfound purpose.' This indicates that while creative brilliance is valued, its ultimate purpose is now often assessed by its contribution to the brand's financial health.
According to
Gaurav Ramdev
, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, Protean eGov Technologies, many brands today are looking at marketing communication from a 360-degree lens. This points to a cohesive and synchronised effort across all touchpoints, ensuring a consistent brand experience, he opines.
AI for amplified creativity
Technology's role in marketing has become undeniably central, but the jurors at the ET Shark Awards saw brands using it as a strategic application rather than for its own sake.
Tejnoor Grover
, Associate Director, Marketing - MPL, was particularly impressed with the multi-channel approach taken by several brands. He observed that digitisation is now used as a tool to reach mass audiences. That said, Grover also highlighted how brands are rolling out sophisticated deployment across various digital touchpoints, elevating experiences.
The increasing use of AI was a notable observation for most jurors. AI for distribution, creativity, and scalability has been the focus of many brands whose work was entered at the ET Shark Awards this year. The elevated use of technology with AI layers stood out for many jurors. Marketers are of the opinion that brands are now looking at AI as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and strategic thinking.
Focus on purpose-driven storytelling
Amidst the analytical rigour, the jurors affirmed the enduring power of compelling narratives, particularly those rooted in strong brand purpose and a clear message.
Santosh Singh, President & Global Head – Marketing & BE, Tata Technologies, made a close observation. According to him, brands are focusing on purpose more than ever before. Even the newer ones on the block are looking at establishing their brand purpose very early on. 'This indicates a strategic shift towards building deeper, values-based connections with consumers,' he added.
Chirag Kishan Aga, Chief Marketing Officer, Godrej Pet Care, shares similar views. Insight-led storytelling continues to positively impact campaigns. This reinforces that the most impactful stories are those that emerge directly from a profound understanding of the consumer, making them relatable and authentic, he said.
Ratnesh Kumar Pandey, Director & Head – Marketing, Lauritz Knudsen, highlights that even with complex execution, a strong, simple core idea can resonate most powerfully. That means, at the end of the day, it's all about that one idea.
The takeaway from the work entered at the ET Shark Awards is that marketers are demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of a fragmented media landscape, orchestrating integrated campaigns and bravely exploring unconventional avenues to engage with consumers.
Note: PwC India, the Knowledge Partner for the awards, conducted meticulous due diligence for all entries, shortlisting them for a three-city jury process. These shortlisted entries were then evaluated against predefined parameters by a panel of over 100 CMOs, marketing heads, and creative leads from leading brands in India.The shortlisted entries were later evaluated by a panel of Grand Jury members comprising India's top CEOs, MDs, and founders. The Grand Jury was chaired by Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestlé India — a name that truly needs no introduction in the Indian business fraternity.The awards ceremony will be held on July 4, 2025, at Grand Hyatt, BKC, Mumbai, where the winners will be revealed and their work will be celebrated.
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