Goafest Day 2: AI, inclusivity, storytelling & sustainability take centre stage

Day 2 of Goafest 2025 began on a lively note with a musical performance by singer and composer Raghav Sachar. His act, Ignite Hungama, set an upbeat tone for a packed day of discussions on innovation, and conversations about shaping the future of advertising and media.

The day’s first big discussion was a panel titled From Code to Commerce: Growth in the AI Age, presented by Meta and Saptharushi. It featured senior leaders from Swiggy, MakeMyTrip, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), and Voltas, with journalist Anuradha SenGupta moderating. The speakers explored how artificial intelligence is transforming business. 

Voltas CMO Pragya Bijalwan said AI “humanises technology” and helps personalise products and services. HUL’s Tejas Apte explained how AI tools are used across the company, from smart factories to local marketing. MakeMyTrip’s Sanket Tulangekar spoke about their AI assistant, Myra, and the need for safety checks like content moderation. Arjun Choudhary of Swiggy called AI a core life skill, saying it's now used by teams across functions—from dashboards to product demos.

At the Gyaan Podium, WARC and Andersen Consulting unveiled their new research report ‘The Pace Principle’. The session, led by Biprorshee Das and Sujeet Kulkarni, presented a fresh approach to measuring marketing effectiveness. Kulkarni said marketers should stop separating brand building and performance marketing—instead, they should focus on brand-time-performance, where time helps drive long-term results. 

Das added that successful campaigns in Asia strike a 50:50 balance between branding and performance, and that consistent, integrated strategies deliver better results over time.

Later, at the AdAsia Macau Road Show hosted by MakeMyTrip, Srinivasan K Swamy, Chair of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, announced that AdAsia 2025 will be held in Macau on August 27. He encouraged Indian delegates to attend in large numbers, promising familiar food and hospitality at the global event.

The discussion then turned to evolving gender roles with the panel ‘Mardon Wali Baat: A Discussion on Masculinity in Advertising’, supported by ASCI. Nisha Singhania from Infectious Advertising and Karthi Marshan from Marshan.Ink Kotak joined moderator Manisha Kapoor to examine how Indian advertising portrays men. 

Singhania urged brands to move away from outdated clichés, like men being “fixed” through marriage. Marshan argued that attention-grabbing ideas—not just long campaigns—can drive engagement, and said advertisers often underestimate how progressive audiences already are.

Another key session, Merging Boundaries: From Placement to Partnership, featured experts from Google India, Starcom, JioStar and Tata Commercial Vehicles. The panel, moderated by Kartik Sharma of Omnicom, focused on how brands and agencies must collaborate more deeply. Google’s Satya Raghavan said brands should think beyond lead generation and focus on storytelling. Starcom’s Rathi Gangappa added that agencies today must connect stories across platforms. JioStar’s Ajit Varghese said OTT is a major opportunity for personalised content, while Tata’s Shubhranshu Singh stressed that agencies are vital to support overstretched internal teams.

Gender inclusion remained in focus with Beyond Pink and Blue, a session led by IAA and moderated by Megha Tata. The panel included Darshana Shah of Aditya Birla Capital, Rubeena Singh of Neil Patel Digital, and P.G. Aditiya of Talented. Shah highlighted how gender bias starts young and called for broader representation across age, body type, and identity. Singh pointed to Gen Z’s evolving views on gender and urged senior decision-makers to keep up. Aditiya said brands should go beyond surface-level fixes and build new, inclusive narratives from the start.

In a meaningful moment for sustainability, Goafest partnered with Earthday.org to host a tree plantation ceremony. Industry veterans like Sam Balsara, Shashi Sinha, Anupriya Acharya, and Raj Nayak took part, highlighting the ad world’s commitment to the environment.

Creativity took the spotlight at the Bioscope – Cinema Room, where Ashish Khazanchi of Enormous encouraged creatives to focus on honest, immediate storytelling rather than chasing awards. He emphasised the importance of personal expression, strong craft, and clear messaging. 

Day 2 ended with the Abby Awards 2025, celebrating the best in specialist work. Enormous won both Digital and Mobile Specialist Agency of the Year. Y&H won for Design, while Leo India and Mindshare shared the Technology award. Leo also won in the Direct category. Zee Entertainment was named Broadcaster of the Year once again. FCB India took home the Public Relations Specialist Agency award, along with the night’s only Grand Prix for its Lucky Yatra campaign for Central Railways.

From AI to inclusion, creative partnerships to cultural shifts, Day 2 of Goafest 2025 brought bold ideas and industry recognition to the fore.