Abhishek Mehta, Lead – Digital Marketing at Dabur, brings over 14 years of cross-industry digital marketing experience, from agency roles to brand leadership. At Jubilant FoodWorks, he launched and scaled the D2C brand ChefBoss, and now at Dabur, he champions data-first campaigns that blend heritage with modernity. Recognized among India’s emerging digital leaders, in this conversation he shares his perspective on navigating digital transformation, breaking industry myths, and shaping marketing strategies that balance creativity with measurable outcomes.
From QSR to FMCG, your career has navigated vastly different consumer mindsets. What have been the biggest learnings in adapting brand narratives for such diverse audiences?
The biggest learning has been that while product categories may differ, consumer motivations are deeply human and surprisingly consistent. In QSR, the focus was on immediacy — convenience, indulgence, and quick gratification. In FMCG, especially in health and wellness, the driver shifts toward trust, credibility, and long-term value. The challenge lies in adapting the narrative lens without losing authenticity. For example, a QSR brand might win with playful storytelling and sensory appeal, whereas an FMCG brand must balance heritage with modern relevance. The key is cultural sensitivity — understanding how the same consumer shifts contextually: the individual seeking indulgence at lunch may look for health-conscious choices at dinner. Learning to respect these dualities and translate them into campaigns has been invaluable. It has reinforced my belief that brand-building is less about “selling” and more about “fitting seamlessly into evolving consumer lifestyles,” whether the need is spontaneous or deeply rooted in tradition.
Dabur’s marketing sits at the intersection of health, heritage, and modern lifestyle. How do you ensure campaigns resonate with both traditional and digital-first consumers?
This balance is central to Dabur’s identity. For us, heritage is not a constraint — it is a foundation of trust. The challenge is presenting that trust in formats that today’s consumers engage with. Traditional consumers respond to reassurance: lineage, authenticity, and product efficacy. Digital-first audiences seek relatability: contemporary storytelling, influencers, and snackable formats. We ensure resonance by adopting a dual approach. At a strategic level, every campaign starts with a single core truth that is timeless — say, the natural goodness of Ayurveda. Then, tactically, we express it differently across cohorts. For TV or print, the emphasis might be on credibility and longevity. On digital, the same truth is translated into micro-moments — engaging reels, regional storytelling, or user-generated content that feels participatory. The intersection lies in consistency: no matter where you encounter Dabur, the message feels authentic. That blend of rootedness and modernity is what allows the brand to stay trusted by families while still engaging the digital-native generation.
The FMCG sector is witnessing a content explosion — short-form videos, micro-moments, regional storytelling. How do you prioritise and measure impact across formats?
The reality is that not all formats are created equal, nor do they serve the same role in the funnel. Our approach is rooted in clarity of objectives. For awareness, short-form video and regional storytelling are powerful levers, because they create cultural proximity and immediacy. For engagement, interactive formats like polls, challenges, or snackable content drive participation. For consideration and conversion, longer narratives and influencer-led explanations still matter. Measurement, therefore, is tiered. Instead of chasing vanity metrics, we look at what each format is supposed to achieve: reach and recall for awareness content, time spent and shares for engagement, and uplift in purchase intent or sales for conversion. Regional storytelling, for instance, may not trend nationally, but it delivers disproportionate trust in specific markets. Prioritisation is about marrying these objectives with business imperatives — which product, which market, which consumer journey stage. By focusing on outcomes, not just outputs, we ensure that our content ecosystem delivers both width and depth of impact.
Having worked in both start-up environments and large corporations, how do you merge agility with scale in your marketing approach?
Start-ups teach you the value of speed, experimentation, and staying obsessively close to the consumer. Large corporations demand consistency, process, and long-term thinking. The sweet spot lies in taking the best of both. At Dabur, for example, we operate like a portfolio of “mini start-ups” within the larger system. Each brand is encouraged to test quickly — whether it’s piloting a regional influencer campaign or launching limited-edition packs — but those experiments are scaled only when they demonstrate clear ROI. Culturally, this requires fostering teams that are empowered to move fast, yet disciplined in measuring impact. Agility without direction can become noise; scale without agility risks irrelevance. The merger of the two is in building a test–learn–scale model: fail small, win big. In a digital-first landscape where consumer attention cycles are shrinking, this ability to pivot quickly while still leveraging the muscle of a large organization is what sustains both relevance and leadership.
In an era where consumer trust is fragile, what strategies truly move the needle in building authentic, long-term brand relationships?
Trust today is not built by what brands say but by what they do. In FMCG, authenticity begins with product integrity — consumers expect transparency in ingredients, sourcing, and claims. Beyond that, the needle moves when communication reflects lived realities. For instance, regional nuances and honest storytelling often resonate more than polished national campaigns. A second lever is consistency. In an age of fragmented attention, consumers notice when a brand’s voice remains true across touchpoints — whether it’s packaging, advertising, or customer service. Finally, trust demands dialogue, not monologue. Two-way engagement through social listening, rapid grievance redressal, and co-creation with consumers fosters a sense of belonging. It’s important to recognize that trust is cumulative and fragile — one misstep can undo years of equity. For me, the most effective strategy is to treat consumers not as “targets” but as partners in the brand journey. That mindset shift is what sustains authentic, long-term relationships.
What’s one marketing myth you’ve seen repeatedly in the industry that you believe needs to be debunked?
The myth that “digital is cheap” is one that needs urgent debunking. For years, there has been an assumption that digital campaigns can achieve impact at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. While digital certainly allows sharper targeting and real-time optimisation, true impact at scale requires serious investment. Quality content, influencer partnerships, data analytics, and sustained engagement all come with costs that rival — and often exceed — traditional channels. Moreover, with the explosion of short-form content, consumer attention has become even more expensive. Treating digital as a low-cost alternative often results in underfunded, fragmented campaigns that fail to build equity. The reality is that digital is not “cheap media” but “smart media” — it offers unparalleled measurability and adaptability, but only if it is approached with the same seriousness as TV or print. Debunking this myth is essential for brands that aspire to build lasting impact in today’s landscape.
