Marketing now demands blend of adaptability & market understanding: Industry heads 

The recently held MartechAI summit saw an insightful panel discussion on ‘Marketing in a Non-Linear, AI-Accelerated Era’. 

Moderated by Deepak Dhingra, Senior Director – Brand & Content Strategy at 91mobiles, the conversation focused on how marketing teams today are required to operate with sharper responsiveness, faster decision cycles, and clearer strategic direction. The panellists set out to examine how modern marketing teams must evolve to remain effective. 

Titled ‘Agility Meets Intelligence: Marketing in a Non-Linear, AI-Accelerated Era’, the session brought together senior marketing leaders to examine how organisations must evolve to stay competitive in a rapidly shifting marketplace. 

Dhingra opened the session by noting that the traditional linear approach to planning has become increasingly inadequate in an environment shaped by expanding data sets and unpredictable consumer behaviour. His introduction established a clear framework for the discussion: agility is not simply about acting quickly, but about aligning speed with informed judgement. 

Providing the first set of insights, Rohit Gupta, Marketing Lead at AMD, spoke about how the role of marketing has expanded as organisations adopt more technology-driven models. He explained that timelines which once required extensive planning and manual execution have now become significantly shorter, allowing teams to shift their focus toward strategic clarity and long-term brand value. 

Gupta highlighted that technology today enables faster interpretation of market movements, which improves both creative output and operational efficiency. “AI turns weeks of work into minutes, revealing that true marketing mastery lies where agility meets intelligence.” 

Adding to this perspective, Megha Manchanda, Head of Marketing – Strategic Growth at HP for India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, emphasised the need for balanced decisionmaking. She stated that rapid action is only beneficial when guided by strong insight and structured evaluation.  

According to her, agility and intelligence must operate side by side to ensure that marketing decisions are not only fast but also responsible and aligned with business goals. Her view was summarised in her remark: “Agility is the ability to make fast decisions, and intelligence guides what we decide, how we act, and the outcomes we aim for.” 

The discussion was further strengthened by Vivek Joshua, Head of E-commerce Experience and AI Marketing at Samsung Electronics, who spoke about the increasing complexity of customer journeys in a digital-first environment. 

He explained that consumers now interact with brands across fragmented touch points, making real-time understanding essential for growth. Joshua pointed out that organisations must build systems capable of responding to market shifts as they occur, rather than relying on fixed campaigns or quarterly cycles. 

According to him, the companies that succeed will be those that embed constant learning, data interpretation, and adaptive execution into their marketing operations. As he stated, “In a non-linear, AI-accelerated world, agility is impossible without intelligence.” 

Together, the panelists conveyed a unified message: marketing leadership in the current era demands a disciplined blend of adaptability, market understanding, and continuous refinement. Their combined insights offered a clear direction for organisations seeking to elevate their capabilities and remain competitive in an increasingly fast-moving landscape