On Day 3 of Goafest 2025, Tejas Apte, Head of Media and Digital Marketing at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), took the stage to address a pressing issue facing marketers today: the need to build a safer, smarter, and cleaner media ecosystem. In a session moderated by CNBC-TV18’s Shibani Gharat, Apte highlighted how the digital world—while full of opportunity—is still grappling with deep-rooted challenges like fraud, fake views, and misused data.
Apte pointed out a startling reality: up to 30% of digital impressions might be fake or non-human. This not only wastes advertising budgets but also undermines trust in digital media. Legacy media had a balanced model of ad- funded and subscriptions models. Digital, being heavily ad-funded, carries a higher responsibility to protect both brands and consumers,” he said.
To address these gaps, Apte walked the audience through the Indian Society of Advertisers’ (ISA) four-point media charter—
1. Safe placements for brands and users.
2. Viewability standards to filter fake impressions.
3. Fraud prevention across formats and platforms.
4. Responsible use of first-party data with proper consent.
This charter wasn’t built in isolation. HUL and ISA have worked hand-in-hand with major platforms like Google and Meta to co-create consistent standards and expectations. As a result, advertisers and agencies now speak a common language—differentiating between input metrics (like clicks or impressions) and actual business outcomes. This shift has led to more meaningful measurement and better-aligned goals across stakeholders.
Apte also spoke about how AI and automation are changing agency roles. Instead of simply delivering services, agencies must now focus on driving business results. While in-housing of digital media functions is growing, he believes agencies will continue to play a crucial role, particularly in creative strategy and integrated planning.
The success of ISA’s media charter, Apte noted, will not be measured just by uptake among advertisers but by widespread adoption across the industry and a tangible drop in ad fraud and unsafe ad placements. Automation and AI are transforming agency roles; agencies must move from service delivery to business impact. The future of agencies lies in evolving their function toward delivering business outcomes, not just campaign execution. HUL has already applied these principles within its own ecosystem. By improving its first-party data practices and exploring new, trustworthy media partners, the company is setting an example for others to follow.
Apte’s message was clear: trust is the real metric that matters in building a smarter media future.
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