MAM
GUEST COLUMN: How conversational AI is helping adtech brands maximize advertising ROI
Mumbai: The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in adtech has become pivotal over the years. It started with simple bots that helped customers with basic queries and requests through voice or text & now has evolved into sophisticated conversational AI. It is capable of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for taking voice inputs and formulating a context-specific response in real-time. After all, understanding natural language and providing a meaningful response is the key to creating a seamless experience for customers, and this is where conversational AI comes into play.
Traditional online advertising was not successful in engaging customers
As digitization has exponentially increased in the past years, it has become difficult to cater to customer demands manually, and automation has been widely experimented with in the adtech sector. The drawbacks of conventional chatbots ranged from being disengaged and irrelevant to frustratingly non-conversational. The seemingly robotic nature of digital advertisements led to a lot of digital campaigns going to dust.
The result often used to be a loss in customers rather than a hike due to an uncontrolled and unthoughtful message being conveyed via the use of ineffective chatbots. A general lack of understanding of the customer’s intent and providing them with a specific solution were the topmost issues in the area of customer support. A lot of brands are now trying to implement conversational AI into their existing AdTech stack with varying levels of success. Some are doing it right, while others still have a long way to go.
The modern-day consumer demands more than being sold a product
Personalisation can be boosted from the very inception of a customer journey through predictive analysis. This innovation helps companies in customer personification, giving them access to a lot of structured data throughout the customer journey. The AI can analyse all the data available on a particular customer and predict what they want based on past behaviour. This enhances the prospects of call-to-action, directly impacting the revenues by 21 percent organically.
The customer’s AI-generated avatar helps build a personalised experience in an omnichannel ecosystem for advertisements. The analysis is effective across these channels, and the consistent brand voice communicated to the customer imparts a sense of connection that aligns with the customer’s mindset. This plays a critical role in keeping them engaged as building upon previous impressions becomes easier and cost-effective due to reduced cost per acquisition (CPA). Customers are no longer just numbers on a spreadsheet; they are individuals with unique goals and needs. This is why conversational AI is such an essential technology for advertisers today.
Conversational AI uses intuitive technologies to interact with their customers
Conversational AI is a game-changer for the adtech industry. It is creating new opportunities for brands to maximise their advertising ROI. It offers in-depth customer insights that help adtech companies understand, adapt and respond to customer needs, thereby improving engagement and sales.
It helps businesses create targeted audiences based on data analysis around various factors, including age, gender, location, and more. This helps deliver specific content to different groups of people, boosting engagement and sales. Predictive analysis by AI significantly reduces turnaround time, making it easier for companies to meet deadlines without sacrificing quality or spending more money on additional resources like hiring full-time employees for each department (like marketing).
Conversational AI can analyse conversations between consumers and brands, which allows businesses to predict what their customers want next. This data can then be used to personify a consumer’s identity as part of their journey through the sales funnel so that they feel more connected than ever before.
Summing up
As the industry moves towards conversational commerce, it has become clear that conversational AI will play a fundamental role in driving this change. And because it’s built into an existing CRM system, the existing infrastructure can be used without having to make significant changes or upgrades. AI-powered chatbots are, therefore, the future of customer service, with the industry poised to reach a whopping $14 billion by 2025.
The author is Amitt Sharma, Founder and CEO, VDO.AI
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
