‘We don’t sell GRPs anymore, we’re crafting campaigns that are contextual & result-driven’

At the e4m Revenue Leaders Summit, Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL), shared insights on how one of India’s largest media conglomerates is navigating the evolving advertising landscape. 

In a conversation with e4m's Senior Correspondent Chehneet Kaur, Sehgal unpacked ZEEL’s strategy across AI adoption, data privacy, regional content, and the transformation of revenue teams into consultative partners for brands.

Opening with the topic of third-party cookie deprecation, Sehgal reframed the challenge as a growth opportunity. 

He stressed that the shift away from cookie-based targeting allows for a more privacy-first approach, driven by the company’s deep reserves of first-party data. "Through platforms like Zee5 and interactive formats like contests, we’re collecting data in a compliant and meaningful way," he said. 

The real advantage, according to him, lies in decoding not just demographics, but consumer sentiment, understanding what resonates emotionally and building communication around that insight.

Artificial Intelligence, particularly generative AI, has become central to how Zee enhances efficiency and personalization. While it helps accelerate content generation and campaign execution, Sehgal was quick to clarify that it is not a substitute for human creativity. 

“AI doesn’t replace the human mind, it enables it,” he noted. 

By automating repetitive tasks, AI frees up teams to think more strategically, helping them respond faster with tailored solutions across functions, whether in content creation, brand partnerships, or sales.

Sehgal, who has nearly three decades of experience in media sales, observed that while advertiser expectations around ROI haven’t changed, brands still want maximum impact for minimal cost, the path to achieving that has grown far more complex. 

Gone are the days when a couple of ad spots on television were enough to drive mass awareness. In today’s fragmented media environment, advertisers expect full-funnel, platform-agnostic solutions that directly tie back to business growth. Even early-stage startups, he said, are demanding sharper, ROI-based strategies that help them cut through the clutter.

To address these demands, ZEEL has been investing in the upskilling of its internal teams. The traditional sales mindset has given way to a more consultative approach, where revenue leaders operate like marketers. 

“They need to understand not just our inventory, but also the client’s brand lifecycle, product positioning, and audience behavior,” Sehgal said. “We’re not just selling GRPs anymore, we’re crafting campaigns that are deeply contextual and results-driven.”

A key pillar of ZEEL’s strategy remains its commitment to regional content. With over 50 channels spanning 11 languages, the network places a strong emphasis on building stories that reflect the diverse cultural and linguistic realities of Indian audiences. Sehgal described India as a country of ‘many Bharats,’ each with its own consumption patterns and preferences. 

Zee, he said, is not just a content producer but a storyteller that aims to connect with viewers on their terms, regardless of platform or geography.

The company’s platform-agnostic content approach includes innovations like Bullet, a microdrama app targeting the short-form, dopamine-driven consumption patterns of younger audiences. 

Even in this space, ZEEL maintains a family-viewing ethos. “We’re staying away from heuristic or hyper-personal content,” Sehgal explained. “Whether it’s romance, thriller, or action, we want our stories to be shared experiences, something you can watch and then talk about with your friends or family.”

Looking ahead, Sehgal said the future of ZEEL rests on two clear priorities: Building an omnichannel ecosystem and creating consumer-first content. He acknowledged that today’s viewer wants to feel personally seen and heard. There has to be a ‘me’ in every ‘us’. 

This insight, he said, is being woven into the fabric of Zee’s storytelling approach. “We’re building stories that are for everyone, but that also touch the individual’s heart,” he said.