As the festive season approaches, brands are turning to AI to craft campaigns that are smarter, faster, and more personalized than ever. But while data-driven insights allow precision targeting and real-time optimization, marketers are mindful of preserving creativity and emotional resonance. The challenge lies in blending analytical rigor with authentic storytelling that truly connects with consumers during this high-stakes period.
Soumabha Nandi, EVP – Creative Strategy & Growth, Social Panga.
AI isn’t replacing creativity this festive season, it’s remixing it. It’s the co-writer who knows which emotions are trending and which aren’t. The smartest marketers are using AI to choreograph chaos where one is blending instinct with insight so every festive story feels both familiar and freshly personal. Emotion is still the hook, AI just tunes the rhythm.
Omkar Sardessai, Head – Brand & Communications, Tally Solutions.
AI today is a marketer’s best friend, speeding up everything from idea generation to prototyping and campaign rollout. However, it is important to understand that AI is only as good as the thought and care we put into prompting, training and directing it. While AI brings efficiency and scale, the real impact comes from a solid consumer insight. During the festive rush and in a crowded media environment, authentic storytelling rooted in purpose and delivered with a fresh creative take is what cuts through. The real power lies in blending smart technology with heartfelt stories that connect and inspire.
Chirag Raheja, Co-founder of Human Global.
I think with AI lending itself to research, competitive and behaviour analysis, initial ideation, as well as media rollouts, most marketers are working with pretty much a fully-baked cake. To begin with. All that’s missing is the craft – the cherry on the top. That, I feel, is where the next wave of distinction will come from. The ingenuity of the idea, and the elegance of the craft. That’s how brands will separate themselves from AI-generated noise.
Shashwat Vatsa, AVP, Brand, Olyv
AI allows brands to create highly targeted holiday campaigns by using real-time data to understand consumer behavior and optimize messaging. The challenge is to strike a balance between that consideration and creativity that connects emotionally. The best campaigns combine data-led insights with genuine stories, ensuring that holiday marketing is personal, cultural, and meaningful, not just transactional.
Abhijeet Rajpurohit, COO and Co-founder, CloudTV
As AI shapes festive campaigns, marketers are blending data and creativity to deliver more relevant, authentic stories—faster. As a publisher, we simplify this data-driven creative journey by helping brands quickly turn insights into impactful campaigns. Beyond speeding up creative production, AI enables real- time performance tracking and quick strategy tweaks. Tools like brand lift studies help brands understand audience preferences in advance, while precision targeting allows ads to run in specific locations, with creatives tailored in vernacular languages for deeper local resonance.
Kishor Fogla, Founder, Yellow Slice
Data enables marketers to catch glimpses of previously obscured patterns, what audiences are resonating with, when they’re most attuned, and what actually matters to them. But numbers themselves don’t stir people. Insight must accompany imagination. When creative teams use data as a compass, not a script, they can create campaigns that are timely, salient, and human. Actual power is in precision fueled by emotion, that’s what turns a congratulatory campaign from white noise to something remembered.
Vivek Bhargava, co founder , Consumr.ai.
True creativity today begins with understanding behavior. For instance, A ₹2 crore net-worth consumer may see a Toyota Corolla as a status symbol, while a ₹200 crore one sees it as value. At consumr.ai, our AI Twins decode how and why people actually behave and feel, what inspires, motivates, or even pauses them, turning behavioral data into creative intelligence. That’s the next frontier where AI is amplifying human intuition with precision and purpose.
Shashi Bhushan, Chairman of the Board, Stellar Innovations
Data is able to tell you a lot about what people are doing, but not necessarily why. That is where storytelling and creativity come in. Emotional resonance, cultural relevance, and genuine narratives are what get people to recall a campaign. AI can monitor engagement and assist with optimizing delivery, but it cannot replace the human element. What this really does mean is that campaigns can be targeted and earnest, precise without being stilted, and remain the kind of emotionally resonant that makes seasonal campaigns worthwhile.
Manas Chhabra, Marketing Consultant
AI is impacting businesses. In the marketing industry, it is changing the way festive campaigns are now being planned and executed. It is helping us gain a better understanding of the audience, predict customers’ buying patterns, and fine-tune real-time campaigns. This helps us reach the right people, with the right message, at the right time. AI can bring us the direction to lead with precision and speed, but creativity ensures campaigns feel personal.
