Nikhil Sharda serves as AVP at The Marcom Avenue, leading operations, creative strategy and storytelling across brands. A Film Studies graduate from Huddersfield University (UK) and an M.Phil from Jadavpur University, he’s also the author of Sans Destination and has directed over 20 short films showcased at global festivals. As founder of eFiction India, he turned stories into films and poems into songs. In this interview, Nikhil talks about the role of creativity in marketing, “creative accountability,” and how agencies must adapt to a digital, performance-led era.
You’ve held leadership roles across creative, digital, and operational functions. How has this multidimensional journey shaped your perspective on modern marketing?
One thing has become abundantly evident from my experience in these verticals: marketing is a complex web of execution, analytics, and storytelling today. Through my experience with digital acceleration, operational scalability, and creative ideation, I’ve learned how to make a connection between a big idea and its financial impact. I now firmly believe in “creative accountability,” which measures the best work that deserves awards in terms of leads, engagement, and uplift. Execution without insight is noise; strategy without execution is fiction.
You bring a consulting lens to brand and business strategy. In your view, what role should agencies play in guiding clients through today’s post-digital marketing landscape?
Instead of merely serving as communication partners, agencies now need to accelerate business. We must assist brands in identifying invisible growth drivers, such as audience intelligence, platform selection, and product-market fit, in a post-digital world where digital is the norm. To guide clients through growth loops rather than linear campaigns, agencies must combine real-time data with long-term brand equity. We must act like creators, think like consultants, and produce like technologists.
With agencies moving toward integrated and full-stack offerings, how do you see the balance between creative strategy and performance metrics evolving?
The interaction of evidence and empathy will produce the best work. Agencies need to create cross-functional pods where media planners inform story arcs and data scientists sit next to art directors. Campaigns supported by behavioral data have been shown to increase engagement by 22–30%. Performance will mold and enhance its impact, but creativity will always take the lead.
In a world ruled by short-form content and shrinking attention spans, how do you ensure depth and impact in storytelling?
You accomplish your goal by developing modular storytelling, in which a brand’s essence can be captured in just six seconds. Shallow does not equate to short-form. According to my theory of “message density per second, each frame should pique interest and evoke strong feelings, or provide a hook. These days, storytelling is a narrative ecosystem that spans reels, tweets, calls to action, and community responses rather than a 90-second movie.
You’re also a published author and independent writer. How has your experience with long-form storytelling influenced your approach to brand narratives and campaign design?
Writing for extended periods teaches you to create with subtlety rather than noise. It’s about giving layered takeaways, defining motivations, and arranging arcs—all of which are critical for the majority of campaigns. My background as an author encourages me to delve further into the “why” before diving into the “what.”. My campaigns typically feature well-developed character arcs, with the call to action serving as more like a nudge than just a push.
What’s one underrated tactic or mindset shift you believe marketers and agency leaders should embrace more seriously in 2025?
Marketers should function similarly to product managers. Marketers must embrace continuous feedback loops, MVP launches, live dashboards, and agile sprints. Those who can test quickly, pivot quickly, and scale sustainably will be the ones who can resist change. Experience will drive retention, but emotion will always drive recall. This is where marketing needs to change from being “feel-good” to being important.
