Digital Agencies
Six months of struggle but 6 golden years ahead for digital marketing
NEW DELHI: It has been stressed enough that Covid2019 has come as a catalyst for the digital marketing industry. However, this growth is not going to be visible in the immediate CAGR this year, but instead in the increasing share of the overall advertisers’ marketing pie, noted the eminent panel discussing the widening scope of digital marketing in the new world in an exclusive discussion with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari over a digital webinar.
The panel consisted of Team Pumpkin co-founder and CBO Swati Nathani, Zoo Media and FoxyMoron co-founders Suveer Bajaj and Pratik Gupta, White Rivers Media CEO and co-founder Shrenik Gandhi, iProspect India AVP-strategic solutions Nihal Nambiar and Wavemaker India chief client officer and head–west Shekhar Banerjee.
Nambiar noted, “Digital, in 2020, will definitely not have a similar CAGR of 27 to 30 per cent as it has been recording for the past few years.” But he is looking forward to some positive quarters ahead in terms of brands moving to digital platforms.
Nathani mentioned that the Covid2019 period saw a lot of influx by brands, including the more traditional ones in the digital domain and that will enable the industry to make up for more than what was lost in the past quarter in the coming months.
Gupta insisted that the funnel moving downwards on advertisers who were using all the options that digital provides as a marketing tool was very low earlier and because of the exposure that the advertisers got to the digital realm during Covid2019, this number will now go up quickly.
Gandhi added, “Going ahead, it is six months of struggle for the digital agencies (given the dip on ad expenditure by advertisers) but six golden years ahead.”
The panel also discussed the new trends and technologies that will be dominating the digital marketing domain in the coming years, including blockchain, IoT, and online events.
Speaking about the massive popularity that online events earned during the lockdown, Bajaj quipped, “Obviously there is a cost-reduction of around 65 per cent in taking an event online for the event companies, and they have to sell the tickets at reduced rates as well, but at the same time they can get more and more people come online and watch the event.”
He added, “BookMyShow expanded its base dramatically by introducing online theatre shows and treasure hunts etc. And then Paytm Insider took it a notch higher by offering live shows, and even various classes including photography.”
Banerjee cited the example of his client 5Stars Do Nothing show that they did with OML. “The show managed to reach an audience of fifty million digitally, which wouldn’t have been possible in the case of an offline event.”
Nathani added an interesting insight as she noted that not only brands are collaborating with event companies to curate these shows, or running ads there, but are themselves also running training classes or entertainment events as they have realised a vast pool of opportunities lies in the online events space.
The panel also extensively touched upon the topic of IoT opening newers realms of marketing opportunities for the brands.
While Nambiar was of the view that IoT is still at a very nascent stage and is more of a utility than marketing platform, Banerjee highlighted, taking his experience of working with Vodafone in account that the roll out of 5G will lead to an explosion of IoT in the country.
Bajaj insisted that marketing will greatly benefit from the contactless experience that IoT will soon bring forth, as the brands will have more targetted information about the consumer as it starts relying on technology even for most basic needs like grocery shopping.
Nathani seconded the thought as she noted, “What IoT will be doing is creating hyper-personalised data, thus seamlessly helping the brands to reach out to the consumers with very targetted needs and that is the space we as marketers and brand consultants will need to explore.”
Watch the full discussion here:
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BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
