MAM
Weekend Unwind with: Tanya Swetta CEO & co-founder of Id8 Media solutions
Mumbai : In this week’s edition of informal Q&As with industry execs through IndianTelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind series, we have Id8 Media solutions CEO & co-founder Tanya Swetta sharing her musings and nuggets on work and life.
With a passion for managing brands and the drive to deliver the best branding experiences in the industry, Tanya chalked id8 media solutions into reality in 2001. The groundwork for going global was laid on the East Coast of the US in 2018. Today, the agency is a full-service integrated marketing solution with a brick-and-mortar office headquartered in Mumbai and the first global office in New York. Having launched their agency in The Big Apple, Tanya also won the Indian Achievers’ Award for CEO of the Year recently. ‘Innovative’ & ‘unflappable’ is how she describes herself, even as she believes that there are no shortcuts to success.
So here goes…
A book you are currently reading/plan to read
I am currently listening to this amazing podcast “The power of your subconscious mind” by Weird Humming Bird on Spotify- it’s life-changing! Another book I just finished was the autobiography of Rafael Nadal. I am looking forward to reading about the life of Elon Musk
Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
My fitness mantra has always been – a healthy body is a healthy mind. During the pandemic, especially the lockdown, I decided to put my focus back on yoga and meditation, with a strong focus on building core strength. Usually, my exercise routine consists of a mix of yoga, swimming, walking and meditation
Your comfort food is
Always chocolate! (Everything in moderation of course)
When the chips are down a quote/philosophy that keeps you going
Remember always: Life has its shares of ups and downs, it’s cyclical and always moving. My mantras are
1. Consistency is key
2. Practice makes perfect
3. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel
4. Just do it!
5. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Your guilty pleasure
A luxurious completely pampering spa treatment
When was the last time you tried something new?
Recently, tried my hand at the sport of skiing, it was exhilarating and amazing
A life lesson you learnt the hard way
Never burn bridges
What gets you excited about life?
The beauty of our planet earth, accomplishments and achievements, inspirational stories of real-life heroes and so on
What’s on top of your bucket list?
A visit to Hawaii
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Be wise, do not give out your trade secrets, always know that there is someone right behind you waiting to take your spot, so be bang on always
One thing you would most like to change about the world
How we as human beings treat our fellow living creatures and plants
An activity that keeps you motivated / charged during tough times –
Listening to and reading inspirational stories, exercising, spending time with my family and my gal pals
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
My two daughters and my husband- my soul mate
Your go-to stress buster
The movie “Zindagi na milegi dobara”
Your Mantra for life
Be kind
MAM
Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
