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Marketers play catch-up as AI runs ahead of confidence curve
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be the new creative director in advertising but not everyone’s sure how to take its orders. A new global study by programmatic media partner MiQ reveals a curious paradox: 72 per cent of marketers plan to ramp up their use of AI in the next 12 months, yet only 45 per cent feel confident doing so.
In India, the enthusiasm is even louder than the confidence. Nearly 79 per cent of Indian marketers intend to use AI more across their roles in the coming year, and 72 per cent already employ AI tools in some or all of their projects. But just 46 per cent feel fully confident that their teams can use AI to meet campaign KPIs, a gap that sums up what MiQ dubs the “AI Confidence Curve”.
The study, based on insights from 3,169 marketers across 16 countries (including 200 from India), paints a picture of an industry at the crossroads of ambition and anxiety. “Most marketers are bunched together at the early stages of the confidence curve,” said MiQ chief marketing officer Jordan Bitterman. “Usage currently outpaces readiness by 27 percentage points but that’s pure opportunity.”
MiQ India chief commercial officer Varun Mohan added that Indian marketers are “actively adopting AI across functions from creative strategy to campaign optimisation”. He noted that those who prioritise early adoption and upskilling will gain “a competitive edge that will define the next phase of data-led marketing transformation in India.”
The report shows that globally, marketers are most comfortable using AI for content creation (40 per cent), marketing optimisation (38 per cent), and social media management (38% per cent, all areas where generative AI tools like ChatGPT thrive. In India, the trend is even stronger: marketers are leaning heavily on AI for social media management, visual design, and content creation. Google’s Performance Max (69 per cent) and Canva (66 per cent) emerged as the top AI tools among Indian professionals.
Yet, confidence hasn’t quite caught up. Forty percent of marketers admitted their organisations don’t understand AI or large language models well enough, while 38 per cent blamed a lack of training. Another 44 per cent said they struggle to track AI-driven results against business goals.
India’s figures echo this unease: 69 per cent of marketers cited limited expertise and training as the top barrier to AI adoption, and 54 per cent said AI’s role in marketing remains poorly understood. Despite the buzz, many are still measuring success through old-school metrics like click-through rates (62 per cent) and website visits (57 per cent), missing AI’s wider business impact.
Still, optimism remains the dominant flavour. Indian marketers are global frontrunners in behaviour-based targeting, with 45 per cent building campaigns around browsing and shopping activity more than any other country. Youtube (80 per cent), social media (61 per cent), and digital video (58 per cent) are their preferred platforms, showing how multi-channel digital strategy has become second nature.
To bridge the confidence gap, MiQ recommends a mix of smarter tools and sharper minds:
● Break data silos: Use partner-agnostic AI systems that draw from multiple platforms.
● Tie AI to outcomes: Let algorithms optimise for real KPIs, not vanity metrics.
● Invest in AI literacy: With 44 per cent citing knowledge gaps, training is the new media spend.
● Keep humans in the loop: AI can automate, but human judgement keeps it accountable.
As Bitterman puts it, “Every marketer is trying to find the balance between learning and leading with AI. The ones who advance fastest will treat confidence as a capability built every day through connection, curiosity, and collaboration.”
For now, the ad world seems united in one truth: AI may have the answers, but marketers are still figuring out the right questions to ask.
MAM
Gurpreet Singh named President of DishTV Alumni Network
Former Dish TV executive to lead community building and collaboration.
MUMBAI: Back to the dish, but this time it’s about connections, not channels Gurpreet Singh is returning to familiar territory with a new mandate that swaps subscribers for relationships. Singh has been appointed President of the DishTV Alumni Network, a move aimed at strengthening ties among former employees and building a more engaged professional community around the Dish TV ecosystem. The initiative reflects a growing trend among large organisations to formalise alumni networks as platforms for collaboration, mentorship and business opportunities.
The appointment draws on Singh’s deep-rooted history with Dish TV, where he held multiple leadership roles over nearly a decade. As National Business Head between June 2019 and September 2020, he oversaw profit and loss as well as operations, managing revenues of Rs 6,000 crore and leading a team of around 1,250 employees across the country. His tenure included working alongside two regional business heads and 16 circle heads, underscoring the scale of operations he handled.
Prior to that, Singh served as Executive Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue from 2016 to 2019, and earlier as Senior Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue. He also briefly led international operations as Country Head for Sri Lanka, further expanding his exposure across markets.
His broader career spans leadership roles across telecom and consumer businesses, including a stint as Chief Operating Officer at Bharti Airtel’s Malawi operations, senior leadership roles at Reliance Communications, and earlier positions at Hindustan Sanitaryware and Kodak India, where he spent over a decade.
In his new role, Singh is expected to focus on reconnecting former employees, fostering collaboration, and building a structured alumni ecosystem that leverages shared experience and industry networks. As companies increasingly recognise the long-term value of their extended workforce, the DishTV Alumni Network appears set to turn nostalgia into a strategic asset, one connection at a time.
