Vaibhav Jain serves as Business Head – Media (Paid and Organic) at First Economy, where he leads full-funnel performance strategies across brands. With experience spanning e-commerce, AdTech, real estate, and marketplaces, he combines data-driven thinking with a human-centered approach to marketing. Known for blending tech with heart, Vaibhav helps brands grow in ways that are both scalable and meaningful. In this interview, he shares his views on the evolving digital landscape, the power of relevance over reach, and why growth needs both curiosity and balance.
With nearly a decade in digital media, how has your perspective on planning and buying evolved in today’s outcome-driven ecosystem?
When I started out, digital was already showing signs of being a performance-led space, but it wasn’t taken that seriously by the larger media ecosystem. Back then, there were fewer publishers and internet penetration wasn’t as deep, so the approach was more experimental. Still, the fact that it was measurable made it exciting. Post-COVID, digital shifted gears completely. It’s now a key part of brand strategy — not just an add-on. What’s changed the most for me is how media today is integrated with business outcomes. We no longer chase impressions for the sake of it — we build full-funnel strategies grounded in data and intent signals. Planning today feels more like orchestrating a journey than just placing ads.
With performance becoming the core metric, how has your strategy evolved to deliver both scale and impact in media planning?
Performance has always been central to how we work at First Economy. But with so much noise out there now, we’ve had to get sharper about how we define success. We’ve moved to more focused, audience-led frameworks that lean on real signals — not just demographics. That helps us talk to the right people in the right way, and at the right time. It’s less about chasing every eyeball, and more about making every impression count. Scale is important, yes — but not at the cost of relevance. Our goal is to create media journeys that not only drive numbers but also leave a mark.
You’ve led the development of AI-, ML-, and CRM-powered tools. How do you see technology transforming media decision-making in the next few years?
Tech’s made our lives easier — and a lot faster. What used to take hours to analyze and plan, now happens in real time. We’ve been using AI to help with quick decision-making, but what we’ve learned is: it’s only as good as the data behind it. That’s why having clean, real-time data is such a game-changer. CRM tools have helped us understand audiences better — not just as segments, but as people. And the future? I think it’s going to be about using tech not just to react quickly, but to predict what’s coming next. Still, I believe human judgment will always play a role — it keeps the strategy grounded.
How do you ensure data, automation, and creativity work in sync when scaling strategies across diverse clients or sectors?
Honestly, it starts with getting everyone in the same room early. Too often, teams work in silos and that slows things down. We’ve built a process where data folks, creative minds, and media planners all huddle right at the start. This helps us shape campaigns that are not only scalable but also emotionally in tune with the audience. Automation helps with the heavy lifting — but the storytelling? That needs context, and that comes from collaboration.
In a cluttered digital space, what defines true media differentiation — and how do you help brands achieve it?
Differentiation today isn’t about being louder — it’s about being more relevant. A brand that understands its audience’s mindset will always connect better. We try to make brands speak like humans — using language, tone, and timing that resonate. We avoid cookie-cutter templates and instead map messaging to where the user is in their journey. Sometimes, it’s about being timely. Other times, it’s about being emotionally on-point. Either way, the magic is in the nuance.
As AI becomes more embedded in media processes, how do you preserve the role of human creativity and intuition in shaping campaigns?
AI can speed things up and take over a lot of repetitive stuff — but it still doesn’t get nuance. That’s where people come in. Our job is to make sure the storytelling feels real. We use AI for optimization, testing, even generating creative variants — but the big ideas, the emotional pull, that still comes from real human insight. If anything, AI helps free up more time for the creative team to focus on what really matters: connecting with the audience in a way that feels honest and memorable.
