Sonam Pradhan, Head of Media & Digital Marketing South Asia at Kellanova (Kellogg’s), is a marketing leader with nearly two decades of cross‑industry experience.From Madison to Mindshare to Mahindra Automotive she has built consumer‑first strategies that drive growth and engagement. Recognized in “40 Under 40,” Sonam also serves on ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council and balances her professional passion with pursuits as a TEDx speaker, certified sports nutritionist, and marathon runner. In this conversation, she shares her views on building brands with heart and vision through depth over duration, collaborative partnerships, and outcome‑focused innovation.
With over 17 years in media and digital marketing, how would you describe your journey?
My journey has been anything but linear, and that’s exactly what makes it rich. From traditional media planning in the early days to leading digital transformation at scale, I’ve had the privilege of evolving alongside the media ecosystem. At Kellanova, I lead Media & Digital Marketing for South Asia, where the balance of consumer insight, data, and brand storytelling fuels everything we do. Prior to this, my stints across agencies and Mahindra Automotive sharpened my cross-industry lens and made me agile, curious, and collaborative. It’s been a journey of continuous learning, with the North Star always being: “How do we deliver business outcomes while building enduring brand love?”
If you had to bet on one major disruption that will redefine media and marketing in the next five years, what would it be?
I’d bet on the convergence of AI and consent-led personalization. With consumer trust at the centre and AI at the backend, brands will shift from “targeting” to “tuning into” consumer needs in real time—responsively, ethically, and empathetically. This isn’t just about martech stacks or predictive algorithms, but about reimagining content, media, and commerce as one fluid experience. The disruption won’t be in the tech itself; it’ll be in how human the experience becomes.
Experiential marketing creates memorable consumer interactions. Could you discuss a recent experiential campaign and its impact on brand perception?
One campaign that stands out is the Pringles Duck Lips Challenge—a playful, creator-led, UGC-driven initiative that moved from online entertainment to offline engagement. We used social media as a platform, but created real-world participation through college fests, retail activations, and influencer engagements, making it tactile and talk-worthy.
The result? A +4pt lift in brand memorability and a significant uptick in spontaneous recall among Gen Z. It reinforced that experiences, when rooted in brand truth, don’t need to be massive, just meaningful.
With declining attention spans, how do you craft media strategies that sustain engagement over time?
We plan for “depth, not just duration.” It’s not just about holding attention but rewarding it. Our strategy rests on three pillars:
1. Fit-for-format storytelling – tailoring creative to each platform’s native behaviour.
2. Contextual amplification – making sure media meets mindset, not just reach goals.
3. Sequential engagement – using media as a story arc, not a one-shot burst.
At Kellogg’s, we’ve moved from media calendars to engagement journeys, and that’s helped us outperform benchmarks on both view-through rates and interaction.
Many media leaders talk about collaboration, but you’ve celebrated your internal and agency teams publicly. What makes for a truly successful client-agency partnership in your eyes?
Mutual trust, transparent conversations, and shared ambition. A good client-agency relationship goes beyond briefs and reviews; it’s about co-owning both the problems and the glory. At Kellanova, we treat our agency partners as an extension of our team. They sit in on business reviews, challenge our thinking, and are empowered to say “no” when needed. That’s when magic happens—when accountability meets creative freedom.
From EMVIE wins to standout brand campaigns, your work consistently reflects innovation and impact. What does it take to lead a high-performing media team that delivers both creativity and business results?
It takes vision, but also vulnerability. I believe in setting clear outcomes, but leaving room for experimentation. My role is part-coach, part-conductor, giving my team the space to push boundaries while ensuring we stay outcome-focused. At Kellogg’s, we champion cross-functional collaboration, where media is not just a support function, but a strategic growth lever. Recognition like EMVIEs is a byproduct but the real reward is when media drives market share and brand salience hand-in-hand.
