AI is making huge impact on digital marketing decisions and Ad spends

In an AI-driven media ecosystem, media houses are transforming content creation, distribution, and monetization. While AI enhances personalization, ad targeting, and consumer engagement, it also raises concerns about transparency, content credibility, and the role of publishers. The next panel discussion at the DNPA Conclave 2025 shed light on this topic and was moderated by Delshad Irani, Editor at Storyboard 18. The panel comprised Mr. Manavdeep Singh, Founder, Publive; Mr.Sanjay Sindhwani, CEO, Indian Express Online Media; Mr. Vinod Thadani, Chief Digital Officer, Mindshare Worldwide; Mr. Sunny Sen, Co-Founder & CEO, Conscent.ai; Ms. Ranjana Mangla, Sr. VP & Head of Ad Revenue, Sony LIV; and Mr. Hemant Jain, President & Head of Digital Business, Lokmat Media.

Mr. Swarup began by pointing out a new challenge today’s marketers face—determining whether a bot or a human is visiting their website. While this development benefits end users, who no longer need to visit multiple websites for solutions or products, it presents a dilemma for marketers, who now must optimize their websites and SEO not just for humans, but also for bots, in order to be discoverable by the right audience. He initiated the conversation by inviting insights from Mr. Rajiv and Mr. Sai on how they are exploring AI tools in brand marketing and how the brand-agency ecosystem is adapting to this evolving landscape.

Mr. Rajiv illustrated AI’s current limitations with a simple example—asking a voice assistant to sell a product wouldn’t work. He explained that selling involves multiple steps, from understanding consumer needs through market research to demand forecasting, supply chain management, and compelling marketing.Despite Dabur India’s vast reach—1 billion customers, 21 crore households, an 80 lakh outlet distribution network, and 450+products (only 100 advertised)—success still hinges on strategic execution across these areas.

He highlighted AI’s role in analyzing customer sentiment on social media,predicting demand, optimizing ad spend,and understanding behavior for better retention. Summing up, he said, “At the end of the day, my job is to sell products repeatedly and stay relevant. AI streamlines the process, but it doesn’t sell for me—at least not yet. Hopefully, one day, it will.”

Mr. Sai shared an anecdote about hispersonal experience with AI. He spoke about attending a Google event to launch Gemini. After hours of discussions on AI, he asked how it could help his business acquire new customers—however, the conversation continued in circles without any definitive answers.

At PolicyBazaar, Sai explained, they have deployed AI in two ways—Embedded AI for operational efficiency and Generative AI for customer engagement. As a digital-first company, they adopted Embedded AI early,leveraging chatbots, optimizing call scripts through call analysis, and using AI-driven insights to enhance UX/UI for better conversions.

He discussed the insurance industry’s challenge of policy renewal, where customer interaction is minimal post-purchase. To address this, they introduced Click-to-WhatsApp, ensuring a seamless buying experience while keeping customers engaged within the same digital space—boosting both acquisition and retention. He added, “We’ve also implemented Conversion APIs to enhance ad performance. While brands initially hesitated to share lead signals with platforms like Google and Meta, we realized that controlled data sharing helps AI optimize conversions more effectively—delivering better results.” Mr. Sai offered an interesting perspective—AI isn’t the future; it’s already shaping our lives. He pointed to personalized Spotify playlists, curated food suggestions, and AI-driven marketing. He concluded, “The real challenge isn’t waiting for AI to transform the industry—it’s embracing it now and using it to drive better results.”

The next part of the panel discussion shifted to Mr. Mohit Joshi, who is often approached by clients seeking the right AI technologies and tools. Mr. Swarup invited Mr. Joshi to share what, in his experience,has worked when it comes to AI in today’s world.

Mr. Joshi began by noting that we've been using AI for years—in tools like Google Maps—but what’s new is the ability to interact with AI instantly and independently to generate outputs. This shift has sparked both excitement and concern across industries. One of the leading worries among professionals is whether AI will replace them. However, he chat further or connect with an employee.This led to queries surging from 60 to over 2,000 a month, enhancing engagement without the pressure of lead generation. Sai noted that AI deployment also boosted SEO, organic growth, and brand recall. He concluded, “Rather than chasing immediate impact, we think five to ten years ahead. We’re building a community,and its true value will unfold over the next decade.”

Dabur India has been building a community for 140 years and now leverages AI-driven tools to generate actionable insights. He shared how Dabur Honey faced negative publicity, requiring an immediate response.Using Brandwatch, they filtered market noise from actual customer sentiment and found that loyalty remained strong. This insight shaped their communication strategy, helping them grow market share beyond 55% while reinforcing their brand position—demonstrating the power of consumer-driven insights through social listening.

In closing remarks, the panelists discussed the key things they were excited about in this field in the foreseeable future. Mr. Mohit shared a personal example when they were caught by surprise realizing they didn’t have a theme song for Havas Media’s annual event. He leveraged a tool called Suno.ai and, after providing some basic information, the tool was able to generate a theme song in just 3 minutes, which they then used for the event. However, he shared a word of caution about the use of AI, urging people to be empowered by AI and not become lazy.

Mr. Rajiv recalled moderating a tech panel,struggling with panelist backgrounds and conversation flow. Using CoPilot, he retrieved LinkedIn insights and generated tailored questions. While some panelists disagreed with certain questions, the experience reinforced the value of human insight. He concluded by praising AI’s evolution beyond traditional search engines, sharing how he used it to compare car insurance policies—saving 50%

Mr. Sai shared his excitement about the work they are doing with Google and GenAI. He also
elaborated on PolicyBazaar’s next innovative solution: “One of the most exciting projects is taking Ask PB to the next level by introducing a virtual ambassador, training a voice model to engage users interactively.” He also highlighted his belief that Gemini for Workspace is the next big thing and encouraged everyone to try it for increased productivity.

Ms. Mayura reflected on how Gemini is making strides in publishing by enabling users to generate content in different tones for various audiences. Although not used as-is, it offers a strong starting point. She also mentioned enhanced audio transcription platforms that isolate speakers during heated debates, helping to extract meaningful content.emphasized that before asking such questions, it’s crucial to embrace and understand AI, which can help alleviate some of those fears.

As CEO of Havas Media Network India, Mr.Joshi highlighted AI’s role in advertising—enhancing consumer insights, refining client strategies, and enabling smarter execution. He emphasized AI’s strength in automation,from data analysis to brand comparisons,boosting efficiency and productivity. He added, “AI is just a tool—we need to use it correctly. Right now, it’s overhyped,
creating confusion about its true impact.

This is similar to the early days of digital marketing. Years ago, everyone was talking about 'going digital,' but in reality,marketing plans were still offline-heavy.Over time, businesses learned how to integrate digital effectively.

The same shift will happen with AI. As we move forward, we’ll see more meaningful implementations, ensuring AI becomes a valuable asset rather than just a
buzzword,” concluded Mr. Joshi.

Ms. Mayura weighed in on the publishing side of things, where she believes AI is still in an experimental stage. Even though AI is widely used to understand audience insights, drive cost efficiencies, optimize spending, enhance digital platforms, and streamline basic tasks, Mayura believes that the core functions of a publishing house still require the human touch. She adds that the human element is of paramount importance, especially when it comes to customer acquisition and engagement. While AI can support decision-making with research and data analysis, it does not replace strategic thinking and creativity. She believes that, when it comes to AI, we have only just scratched the surface and that further experimentation and refinement are necessary—particularly in reducing bias in AI-generated solutions. This improves data sensitivity, promotes the ethical use of AI, and balances automation with human expertise.

Mr. Swarup then steered the conversation towards studies or examples where brands have seen success with the use of AI—whether in customer acquisition, engagement, or even brand awareness.Before delving into the use case, Mr. Sai outlined three key objectives that he believes AI should achieve: namely, driving efficiency, enabling improvement through embedded AI, and supporting customer acquisition and engagement across the customer journey to enhance conversions.