MAM
Axis My India appoints Vishal Kamath as business head for partnerships & consumer insights
Mumbai: India’s consumer data intelligence company Axis My India announced the appointment of Vishal Kamath as the business head for partnerships & consumer insights. Kamath brings over 18 years of extensive experience in the media industry making him a seasoned business leader.
In his current role Vishal Kamath will be instrumental in leading the business and delivering invaluable insights to clients across diverse categories. With a dedicated focus on empowering clients through data-driven decisions using Axis My India’s extensive data coverage across India, Kamath will oversee growth strategy, new product development, and PNL management for both Government and Corporate clients. Concurrently he will be actively engaged in cultivating strategic B2B partnerships for ‘a’ the organization’s super app designed as a People Empowerment Platform (PEP). Kamath’s overarching mission is to establish Axis My India as the unparalleled source of trusted and authentic consumer data intelligence contributing daily to the positive transformation of a billion lives.
Axis My India, super app ‘a,’ leverages Google technology to bring about a significant change in people’s awareness, accessibility, and utilization of various services benefitting up to Rs 250 million Indian households. The platform, utilizing Google Cloud’s generative AI (GenAI) technology aims to provide relevant information about government schemes and desired communication to citizens based on their needs. The app set to launch in early 2024 on both Android and iOS devices, aligns with Axis My India’s Mission Himalaya – Unchi Udaan roadmap initiative representing a transformative step towards a future where data-driven decisions positively impact lives.
Before Axis My India Kamath spent 12 years at Nielsen ascending from manager to executive director & head – audience measurement. There he oversaw various solutions, including digital ad ratings, digital content ratings, mobile analytics, cross-media reach measurement, and digital ad effectiveness.Before joining Nielsen Kamath contributed significantly to Info Edge India online classifieds company where he worked for six years. Kamath holds a Master’s in Management Studies (Marketing) from the University of Mumbai.
Sharing his thoughts on the appointment, Axis My India chairman and managing director Pradeep Gupta said, “We are excited to welcome Vishal Kamath to Axis My India. With his wealth of experience and strategic insights, we are confident that he will play a key role in driving our business forward. His expertise in partnerships and consumer insights aligns perfectly with our vision, and we look forward to achieving new milestones under his leadership”
Commenting on the appointment, business head for partnerships & consumer insights Vishal Kamath stated, “Deeply immersed in the nuances of the consumer insights market, my vision for Axis My India is rooted in authenticity and trust. I see our role as more than just data providers—we’re on a mission to positively impact a billion lives. This journey involves forging meaningful B2B partnerships, especially through ‘a’ our super app—a genuine People Empowerment Platform (PEP). Together, we’re not just collecting data; we’re shaping a future where insights make a difference”
A Harvard Business School case study, Axis My India has a robust physical presence across India, engaging over 250 million households immediately. The company, rooted in its belief of fuelling data-driven decision-making, annually publishes a Consumer Trust Index covering 45 consumer and product categories and surveying 1 million respondents.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
