Published on: May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026: Day 2 of Goafest 2026 transitioned into a deep dive of industry transformation, focusing on the “Agentic Era” of AI, the evolving dynamics of television, and the social responsibility of breaking creative bias. The day featured a high-octane mix of data-driven keynotes and debates on the future of India’s ₹2 lakh crore advertising potential.
The morning commenced with ‘AI Washing: The Truth About AI’, where Gulrez Alam (Affle), Niraj Ruparel (WPP), and Smriti Mehra (Network18) discussed the transition from experimentation to outcome-driven AI. Alam noted that data must move from a “rearview mirror” to a “GPS,” while Mehra warned that media will continue to verify corporate AI claims to call out “AI washing.”
Building on this, Google’s Satya Raghavan delivered a keynote on the ‘Agentic Era’, noting that we are moving from “an app for everything” to “an agent for everything.” He emphasized that AI agents are now performing tasks across workflows, allowing humans to focus on high-value creative work. Similarly, Smriti Sharma (Comscore) highlighted India’s “jugaad ecosystem,” where consumers trust creators and AI recommenders over traditional polished advertising.
In the session ‘The Hook: The Craft, The Culture, The Conversation’, Rohit Kapoor (Swiggy) dropped a significant industry metric, stating that “today’s ads may last only around 10 days,” requiring a shift toward faster, more agile production.
Rahul Kanwal (NDTV) and Darshana Shah (Aditya Birla Capital) discussed the move toward culture-led storytelling, citing viral moments like the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ and ‘Melody’ as branding that money cannot buy. While Rana Barua (Havas) distinguished between “meaningful” and “desirable” brands, Sam Balsara (Madison World) cautioned that performance marketing cannot replace long-term brand building, despite the need for monthly ad refresh cycles.
A fireside chat between Dheeraj Sinha (McCann Group) and Annurag Batra (BW Businessworld & e4m) revealed a highly optimistic outlook. Batra projected the industry will grow from ₹75,000 crore to over ₹2 lakh crore, with agencies evolving into “marketing transformation companies.”
Sinha noted that while global markets project 4% growth, India is projecting 15%. He described the future agency model as a “cloud kitchen”—leaner and technology-led—and urged agencies to move from 12-month cycles to 24–36 month transformation cycles.
In ‘THE WAR ON DATA’, leaders from Parle, Mondelez, Indian Express, and Coca-Cola debated the DPDP Act. Sanjay Sindhwani explained the publisher shift to first-party data ecosystems, while Anjali Madan warned that over-focusing on ROAS can weaken long-term brand equity. Mayank Shah noted that while data is key for high-involvement categories, FMCG still relies heavily on mass branding.
The IAA Voice of Change panel addressed conscious marketing. Veetika Deoras (IHCL) and Riya Joseph (Britannia) emphasized representation as a social responsibility. Prasun Kumar (MagicBricks) noted that women are now primary decision-makers in real estate, yet narratives often fail to reflect this. Preeti Jhangiani called for narratives to reflect modern women as entrepreneurs and leaders, noting that society in small towns is changing faster than brands assume.
The session ‘New Games, New Gods’ featured Aditi Chauhan, who shared her journey of playing for West Ham United F.C. for 16 years, and Parvinn Dabass, who noted that Pro Panja took inspiration from the multi-million dollar darts industry. Sameer Pathak highlighted the rapid growth of Pickleball across metro and tier cities.
Simultaneously, the session ‘TV Is Dead. Long Live TV’ provided definitive data: TV still reaches 900 million viewers across 190 million homes, with penetration growing at 6% annually. Akshay Agarwal (Sony) and Rajiv Dubey (Dabur) noted that TV remains the safest platform for brands, while Arpan Biswas (Ajio) argued that the focus should be on content effectiveness across all distribution channels.
Day 2 also hosted several expert-led sessions:
LinkedIn: ‘The Creator Playbook’ by Preethi Ramamoorthy, Benjamin Joy, and Abhishek Patil (GrowthX).
AFAA: ‘Algorithm of the Heart’ by Bharat Avalani.
MediaKart: Rich media context by Shahad Anand.
MICA: Mastering the attention-deficit economy by Falguni Vasavada.
Insight Chaser: ‘Small Is The New Big’ by Shaziya Khan.
With lunch presented by Vijayavani, Day 2 concluded by reinforcing that the “Reset for Growth” is being powered by a mix of human originality and “agentic” technology.
Read more: All About Ads: Swiggy, NDTV, and Industry Leaders Debate ‘The Hook’ at Goafest 2026
