MAM
Sanjiv Mehta re-appointed as jury president for Marquees 2018
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club’s second edition of award ceremony Marquees has reappointed Hindustan Unilever CEO and MD Sanjiv Mehta as jury president.
The other jury members include industry stalwarts and media mavens like WPP India country manager CVL Srinivas, RPG Enterprises chairman Harsh Goenka, Taproot Dentsu founder and chief creative officer Agnello Dias, TPG Capital senior advisor Naveen Chopra, Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak andPerfect Relations founding partner and group chairman Dilip Cherian.
The awards will be held on 29 August 2018 at St Regis, Mumbai.
The Advertising Club Madison Communications and president Group CEO Vikram Sakhuja said, “The Ad Club launched the Marquees in 2017 to celebrate Excellence in Marketing. In its second year, we are happy to have the same stellar jury chaired by Unilever’s Sanjiv Mehta deciding on this year’s laurels. The Ad Club sets the gold standard for excellence in creativity through Abbys, effectiveness through Effies, media through Emvies and now marketers through Marquees. Stay tuned to see the winners in each category and the Special awards on August 29.”
BARC India CEO and chairman Partho Dasgupta says, “Marquees has been able to carve out a niche for itself and I am glad to be a part of this journey. After a successful debut edition last year, I am looking forward to some great entries this year.”
“As they say, an award is as good as its jury and in this case the jury can’t get better than this. The jury with its years of experience and wisdom will be able to recognise the extraordinary work done by marketers over the past one year,” he added.
The event had huge success in the last year with 300 top marketers of the country gathered to receive awards.
The award is known for its brands that showcase resilience and emerge successful in the face of numerous adversaries, thus iterating the well known adage. Marquee is all set to bring all the leaders and industry veterans from advertising, marketing and media fraternity.
MAM
GUEST COLUMN: How strategy and creativity drives ROI in digital campaigns
Why engagement, AI, and integrated strategy are redefining ROI in digital campaigns
MUMBAI: As digital marketing matures, the benchmarks of success are undergoing a fundamental shift. Reach and visibility, once the primary indicators of campaign performance, are no longer sufficient in a landscape defined by fleeting attention spans and evolving consumer behaviour. Today, brands are being challenged to move beyond surface-level metrics and focus on meaningful engagement, relevance, and long-term impact. ForAkhil Nair, founder and CEO at BigTrunk Communications, this transition from visibility to value reflects a deeper change in how campaigns are conceived, executed, and measured. In this piece, Nair explores why traditional metrics fall short, how AI and integrated thinking are reshaping campaign effectiveness, and why creativity, context, and agility are essential to driving real return on investment in modern digital campaigns.
The shift from visibility to value
For a long time, digital campaigns were judged by how many people saw them. If lots of people looked at it and the numbers were good, it meant things were going well. Impressions and clicks were what mattered. Over time, that didn’t feel like enough. Just because someone sees something doesn’t mean it makes an impact. People scroll through content quickly and often do not really notice what they have just seen. This has changed how we think about campaigns today.
There has been a shift in how brands look at this. It is not just about reaching people, but also about what happens after that, whether someone stops, engages, or remembers the brand later. That is what matters more. This moves the focus from visibility to value.
Some metrics we have relied on for years do not tell the full story. A campaign can reach a large audience and still fail to create a real connection. On paper, it may look strong, but in reality, it does not do much. That is why engagement and intent have become more important, especially whether people are interacting with the content or simply scrolling past it. Even small actions, like spending a few extra seconds or clicking through, matter more.
AI is helping brands understand how people behave and interact with them. It helps brands make better decisions so they can create campaigns that truly connect with people, not just reach a large audience. AI can also predict what will be popular and help refine campaigns, which makes marketing more effective. This allows marketing teams to focus more on generating ideas. In this way, AI supports both creativity and strategy.
Why integration and context matter
Another important factor is how well everything comes together. Campaigns often fall short when strategy, media, and creative are developed separately, because that lack of alignment is noticeable. When everything is aligned from the start, the campaign feels more natural and the message comes through clearly. It also fits better within the platform where it appears.
This matters because people behave differently across platforms. The way someone watches a video is not the same as how they search or read longer content. These differences may seem minor, but they can significantly impact performance. Paying attention to context helps campaigns feel more relevant and effective.
Creativity, agility and long-term impact
There is a common assumption that performance-driven campaigns leave little room for creativity, but that is not the case. The most effective campaigns often feel simple and real. People tend to ignore anything that feels overly polished or forced. Instead, they connect with content that feels familiar and relatable, something that reflects how they think or speak.
At the same time, campaigns do not always go as planned. Audience behavior, trends, and platform dynamics can shift quickly. What works initially may stop working later. That is why it is important to continuously track performance and make adjustments. Small changes over time can improve outcomes, and campaigns that stay flexible tend to perform better.
While short-term results matter, consistency over time plays a bigger role. When a brand shows up in a relevant and consistent way, it builds familiarity. Over time, that familiarity turns into trust.
Digital marketing has evolved, and expectations have evolved with it. Visibility still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. What truly drives impact is whether a campaign connects, leaves a lasting impression, and leads to action. Being seen is easy, but being remembered is what really counts.
