Digital
Vdo.ai round table helps make sense of the Gen Z ad code
MUMBAI; In a world where Gen Z tunes out the moment an ad feels off, Vdo.ai is on a mission to turn advertising from an interruption into an interaction. The video ad tech powerhouse just hosted a high-stakes roundtable, pulling together marketing’s sharpest minds to crack the Gen Z conundrum—how to sell to a generation allergic to brand loyalty, sceptical about data tracking, and always on the lookout for the next big trend.
Vdo.ai co-founder & CTO Arjit Sachdeva set the tone. “Advertising is evolving fast, and Gen Z is calling the shots. If your ads aren’t immersive, interactive, and tailored to them, they won’t just scroll past—you won’t exist.”
The event drew heavy hitters from brands that shape how we eat, drive, and shop: Arpita Gandotra (avp marketing, Reliance Digital Retail), Varun Sethuraman (business head, Nestlé), Anshuman Goenka (global director – incubation brands, Bacardi), Sneha Jha (head of media and CLM, KFC), Sakshi Malhotra (head – digital marketing & d2c, PNB MetLife), Anuj Somani (senior marketing manager, Volvo Cars), Karan Kumar (cmo, Hero Realty), Jitendra Choudhary (head of digital, Honasa Consumer Ltd – Mamaearth), and Himanshu Sirohi (head of digital marketing & credit card business, Apollo 24×7).
Some of the nuggets that emerged from the roundtable included:
The numbers don’t lie:
* 60 per cent of Gen Z disengage from ads they find irrelevant or overly personal.
* Just 9.6 per cent feel any real brand loyalty—they care more about price and trends.
* 43 per cent are wary of being tracked online.
* A mere five per cent say product quality or cost matters more than a killer brand experience.
What’s hot, what’s not:
* Repeating an ad doesn’t build reputation anymore—it just builds resentment. Brands need sharp, engaging storytelling.
* AI-driven content is rewriting the rulebook on audience targeting.
* Digital-first touchpoints aren’t a nice-to-have, they’re the whole game.
Vdo.ai chief business officer Akshay Chaturvedi pointed to the $1.8bn consumption potential Gen Z will bring to the table by 2035. “If brands want in, they need AI-powered, hyperlocal and immersive experiences—because attention is the new currency, and Gen Z isn’t handing it out for free.”
As the conversation wrapped up, one thing was clear: the advertising playbook is being rewritten in real time. And keeping pace with that is crucial if one wants in with the GenZ audience.
Digital
OpenAI to roll out ads for free ChatGPT users in the US
Criteo tie-up signals shift as OpenAI explores ads to fund growth
CALIFORNIA: OpenAI is set to introduce advertisements for users on the free and Go versions of ChatGPT in the United States, marking a notable shift in how the platform plans to fund its rapid growth.
The move, confirmed by a company spokesperson in a statement to Reuters, follows earlier reporting by The Information and signals OpenAI’s deeper push into advertising as a revenue stream.
At the heart of this rollout is a partnership with Criteo, an advertising technology firm now integrated into OpenAI’s pilot programme. The company provides tools that help advertisers buy placements and sharpen targeting, suggesting that ads shown to users will be increasingly tailored.
According to reports, Criteo has been pitching advertisers on commitments ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, hinting at serious commercial intent behind the experiment. OpenAI has also advised advertisers to supply multiple versions of ad copy and visuals, a move designed to boost visibility and improve campaign performance.
The development comes as OpenAI looks to diversify its income streams. With ChatGPT’s popularity surging globally, the company is grappling with rising costs tied to computing infrastructure, even as competition in the generative AI space heats up.
For users, the change may soon mean a more familiar internet experience, where conversations come with the occasional commercial break.
