CMO’s job today is to build brands that can withstand geopolitics & AI: Abhinav Kumar, TCS

As Global Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Abhinav Kumar has been at the forefront of reshaping how one of the world’s largest IT services companies is perceived globally. Over the past decade and a half, he has led TCS’s brand transformation, helping it grow from a relatively low-profile B2B player into a globally recognized brand, now valued at $21.3 billion.

In this in-depth conversation with e4m, Kumar breaks down the strategy behind this evolution, ranging from TCS’s high-stakes global marathon sponsorships and executive engagement programs to its emphasis on data-led brand measurement, digital presence, and thought leadership in emerging technologies. He also speaks about how the marketing function at TCS has moved from support to strategy, playing a key role in customer relationships, reputation management and narrative building in a world increasingly influenced by AI, stakeholder capitalism, and geopolitical flux.

Excerpts:

TCS’s brand value has soared from $2.3 billion in 2010 to $21.3 billion in 2024. What are the strategic levers behind this rise?

It’s been a long journey and we are proud of where we stand today. We started tracking brand value with Brand Finance back in 2010. At the time, TCS was valued at $2.3 billion and there was little internal understanding of what brand valuation meant. Over time, we built that understanding. I told our board then, think of it this way: if you sold the brand but kept the company, what would someone pay just for the brand? That hypothetical lens helped shift internal perceptions.

Since then, we have taken deliberate steps to build brand equity, through global marathon sponsorships, executive engagement summits, expanded trade show presence, focused digital campaigns, and above all, long-term client relationships. Today, our brand awareness among business executives is 95%, up from just 29% in 2010.

Among all the platforms available, what made TCS focus on marathons?

The marathon is not just another sponsorship. When we entered sports marketing, we experimented with many avenues, IPL, Formula 1 with Ferrari and Tour de France. But marathons stood out because our clients don’t just watch them, they participate. That emotional connection is profound.

Today, TCS is one of the largest sponsors of marathons globally, including New York, London, Boston and 14 others. In fact, five of the seven 'World Marathon Majors' are TCS partnerships. These events create deep bonds with clients, foster wellness among our 600,000+ employees and strengthen our visibility in major cities where our clients and operations are concentrated.

How do you quantify the impact of marathon sponsorships?

The impact is both measurable and intangible. Tangibly, we have seen a 40-point increase in brand consideration among marathon runners. These runners include top business decision-makers, 3% are board members, 14% are C-suite executives and 16% are senior directors. These are precisely the people we want our brand to connect with.

We also build community engagement, 12,000 runners (employees and clients) participate annually. Our app, built in-house, enables real-time tracking and even AI-generated video experiences, such as simulating a finish-line moment at Buckingham Palace. It’s emotional marketing at scale, backed by tech.

What’s the story behind TCS’ internal adoption of running culture?

One-third of TCS’ workforce, around 200,000 employees, are now active runners. It started with our 'Fit for Life' initiative, which encouraged wellness. But once marathons became our brand platform, employees saw running as part of our identity. This isn’t just branding. It’s culture. And when culture and brand align, magic happens.

How does TCS make its largely invisible B2B tech services tangible to audiences?

That’s our biggest creative challenge. Our product is invisible. You don’t 'see' the tech we build for Virgin Atlantic or ING Bank. We use experiences, trade show innovations, client summits, and marathon apps to make the invisible visible. Our branding is deeply experiential.

We even built a digital twin of marathoner Des Linden’s heart to optimize her performance. Imagine a future where everyone has a digital twin of their heart on their smartphone, monitoring wellness. That’s the kind of futuristic tech story we want our brand to represent.

TCS works with numerous Tata Group companies. How do you market internally while preserving your external-facing identity?

First, we don’t get any special treatment. Every Tata Group company has to choose vendors based on merit. We win those projects the same way we do externally, by proving capability.

But there’s an emotional commitment. These are companies we are invested in, not just financially, but culturally. It's the hardest to serve at home as I like to say. But our alignment with the Group’s tech-forward vision under Mr. Chandrasekaran has opened up new strategic opportunities.

AI has become central to every conversation. How does TCS position itself in this landscape without blending into the tech noise?

We are very clear on this: AI is augmentation not replacement. We have been working with AI since the 90s. But with the rise of LLMs and consumer tools like ChatGPT, the conversation has accelerated.

TCS has its own responsible AI framework. We don’t deploy AI without human oversight. We believe AI should improve productivity, but the human in the loop is non-negotiable, especially when you are building critical systems for governments, banks and airlines.

How are you incorporating AI into your own marketing functions?

Research is the big one. AI dramatically reduces research time. We are exploring similar applications in marketing for faster drafting, campaign planning and even message testing, but always with human refinement.

Amid geopolitical volatility, how do you build brand narratives that resonate globally?

Every market is politically sensitive today. The key is to have unwavering core values. Interests may change, but values shouldn’t. We don’t compromise on those, even if it means walking away from business.

We are seeing increasing regulatory pressure across markets, DEI mandates in the U.S., varying stances in the Middle East, trade tensions between regions. As brands, we must define red lines clearly and act consistently. That’s the only way to retain credibility in a fragmented world.

You mentioned the sea of sameness in B2B tech messaging. How do you differentiate TCS?

I tell my team this: if you can replace the TCS logo on a creative with another company’s and it still works, start over.

Differentiation doesn’t always mean being louder. It means being truer. TCS stands out because of three things: our long-term client relationships, our ability to execute large-scale, complex projects, and our rapid application of emerging tech. These aren’t taglines. They are truths.

What does the next decade of B2B marketing look like, especially in tech?

The B2B space is taking a leaf from B2C, more storytelling, more emotion and more immersion. The tech sector dominates brand value rankings now, and marketing will only become more central.

But B2B marketers also face unique challenges. Our products are often invisible. So experiences become our biggest canvas. Expect more experiential marketing, more content-led engagement, and a relentless focus on trust. Brands that understand this intersection of credibility and creativity will win.