e4m RealTime Conference: ‘Very soon you’ll see programmatic as a way of life’

At the e4m RealTime conference, industry leaders came together for a panel discussion on ‘The Rise of CTV, DOOH & Retail Media – The New Digital Formats’, highlighting how programmatic and new-age formats are transforming the advertising landscape.

The panel featured Girish Hingorani, Vice President – Marketing (Cooling & Purification Appliances) & Corporate Communications, Blue Star Limited; Jiteen Aggarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Hettich India; Richa Singh, Managing Director – India & Middle East, Natural Diamond Council; and Rohiet Ghildyaal, AVP Business Development, Eyeota. The discussion was moderated by Nikhil Kumar, Chief Growth Officer, mediasmart.

Programmatic’s growing clout

Kicking off the conversation, Nikhil Kumar underscored the scale of programmatic adoption in India.

“Advertisers are spending nearly 1 crore every 15 minutes programmatically… It already accounts for 44% of India’s digital ad spend and is projected to hit 50% next year,” he said. He added that the real shift is not just about big numbers but about “smarter storytelling, delivering exactly when and where it matters most.”

Luxury shifts from frequency to emotional connection

Richa Singh said programmatic has become vital for luxury marketing, where relevance and context matter more than deals or discounts.

“It cannot be just one message. Consumers are distracted by the minute,” she explained, stressing that luxury purchases are processed, long-term decisions, making precision targeting critical.

Cooling appliances: short window, big opportunity

For Blue Star, seasonality is the biggest challenge. Hingorani pointed out that 70% of AC sales happen between March and June, making visibility crucial in a crowded market.

“All media is slowly merging with digital. Digital is no longer a separate channel, it is the backbone,” he said. While the brand is already active on connected TV during IPL, he noted that CTV buying remains largely traditional. “Very soon you’ll see programmatic as a way of life. I think entire linear TV will shift to CTV in no time.”

Consumer journeys are fragmented

Aggarwal of Hettich said that even for categories dependent on physical experience, digitization of media is impossible to ignore.

“The consumer journey today is fragmented and multi-screen. The point is, how do you maintain continuity in your storytelling across mediums? That’s where programmatic becomes important,” he said.

Data drives personalization

Rohiet Ghildyaal of Eyeota emphasized the growing role of audience insights in programmatic adoption.

“There are two sides of digital advertising—where to advertise and who to advertise. That’s where Eyeota comes in,” he said. “In India, the uptake of data-led campaigns has increased significantly. Advertisers are now using insights to personalize and then activate campaigns more effectively.”

The bottom line

The panel agreed that connected TV, digital out-of-home and retail media are moving, rapidly emerging to mainstream. With programmatic delivering automation, precision and personalization, brands across sectors are preparing for a future where every screen is smart, measurable and seamlessly connected.