ETBWS 2025: A new VUCA mindset to lead marketing in age of uncertainty

Time of India

2 days ago

Marketing must evolve to keep pace with changing
consumer expectations
. In today's VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), planning long-term strategies is increasingly difficult. With expectations shifting constantly, marketing must adapt in real time.
At the 7th edition of the Brand World Summit, organised by ETBrandEquity, a panel of leading CMOs discussed how VUCA has taken on new meaning. Once defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, it now stands for versatility, uncomfortable feelings, collaboration and agility – traits they say are critical for modern marketers.
The panel featured Ashwin Moorthy, CMO, Godrej Consumer Products; Rohit Bhasin, president and CMO, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Sunder Balasubramanian, CMO, Myntra; Virat Khullar, AVP and vertical head, marketing, Hyundai Motor India; and Milind Pathak, chief corporate marketing officer, Proximus Global.
Marketers face the challenge of applying core principles such as cost-efficient acquisition and effective service delivery while navigating a fragmented landscape.
'Media is now splintered by content formats, platforms, and how those platforms function. This fragmentation extends to distribution. Quick commerce has scaled, e-commerce is growing fast, modern trade offers multiple formats, and general trade remains strong. The task is to stay grounded in fundamentals while adapting to multiple business models,' said Moorthy.
For Balasubramanian, versatility means evolving with audiences.
'A few years ago, Myntra was seen as a brand for the urban woman. Now we cater to non-metro women too, each with different expectations. The challenge is personalising the experience for all segments while maintaining brand consistency – that is versatility.'
Discomfort, the panel said, is a given.
'When AI arrived, I felt genuinely uncomfortable as a marketer. Two things should unsettle every marketer – data use and the shift from creative to performance-driven marketing,' said Bhasin. 'Every CMO must lead the creation of a strong customer data platform with analytics and tech teams. If you are unwilling to learn and implement this, you risk becoming generic.'
He added that marketers unwilling to own the full funnel risk being replaced – not by AI, but by those who understand the customer journey better.
Pathak said collaboration has replaced complexity as a defining challenge.
'Marketing is perhaps the only team able to take a four- to eight-quarter view. We have formed multi-year partnerships with Microsoft and Infosys, where both sides co-invest in product development and align to meet market needs. Such collaboration drives sustainable growth.'
'While sales and distribution teams focus on today's revenue, marketers must think three or four quarters ahead. Actions taken now that appear in the profit and loss statement a year later are what drive saliency.'
He added that future marketers will need to work seamlessly with AI agents, complementing and extending their capabilities.
The final trait, agility, has replaced ambiguity. Marketers must update campaigns, retarget loyalty efforts, and adjust communications frequently to match shifting consumer behaviour.
'Take car buyers. Is the decision-maker the father, the mother, or the children who influence the brand and model? Understanding how they consume content is crucial. Are they just scrolling reels, or engaging with material where purchase decisions happen?' said Khullar.
'Cars have long lead times. Agility is vital not only for understanding evolving preferences, but for tracking sentiment, anticipating competitors and responding quickly. Organisations must move faster to market than rivals.'
'Agility is no longer a differentiator, whether you are in FMCG, e-commerce, or a high-involvement category. Consumers are upgrading faster than ever. Agility is not a strategy; it is a way of life – for marketers and for organisations,' Khullar concluded.