BW Marketing World, in association with BW Businessworld, is hosting the inaugural edition of the Brandcraft Conference 2026 today at New Delhi. It brings together perspectives from across industries, including consumer goods, automotive, technology, financial services, real estate, hospitality and lifestyle. The diversity of participants reflects the extent to which marketing challenges now cut across traditional sector boundaries.
Whether the subject is AI adoption, personalisation, the role of creators or the effectiveness of the marketing mix, the underlying challenge remains consistent: how can brands adapt to new technologies and consumer expectations without compromising the distinctive identity that makes them recognisable?
The conference’s agenda places these questions within a broader discussion about the future of marketing leadership.
The central question for marketers is no longer simply how to capture attention, but how to convert it into sustained brand relevance and measurable business growth.
Changing Rules Of Brand Building
The conference will feature a keynote by Utsav Malhotra, COO of Noise on ‘Long Live Marketing’.
AI’s expanding role in marketing takes centre stage in a session, ‘AI in Marketing: What’s Actually Working Right Now’. The discussion features Amit Jawar, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Patanjali; Ajay Kaul, former Global Head of Growth Marketing at DiDi Global; and Abhijit Bhattacharya, CMO and Senior Vice President at DLF.
The discussion is expected to examine the practical applications of AI in marketing, moving beyond experimentation to its use in growth, customer engagement and commercial decision-making.
As AI tools become more accessible, marketers face a dual challenge: increasing the speed and efficiency of execution while ensuring that technology strengthens, rather than dilutes, brand identity. The question of how brands can use automation without losing the human insight and distinctive voice that underpin effective communication runs through the conference’s broader agenda.
Personalisation is another key theme. The session Personalisation or Personal Creep? brings together Udit Malhotra, Head of Marketing, JSW MG Motor India; Amandeep Malhari, Head of Marketing, JK Cement; Pawan Jagnik, Head of Marketing–India, Pladis Global; and Deba Ghoshal, Founder of Boardwalk & Co and Senior Business Advisor at Bosch Home Comfort India.
The conversation will address a growing tension in data-led marketing: consumers expect relevant experiences, but excessive targeting can raise concerns about privacy and the extent to which brands use personal information.
The programme also features a standalone session, Beyond the Ad: How AI Is Changing the Craft of Brands, by Niraj Ruparel, Creative Technology Lead at WPP and WPP Media, India. The session focuses on the implications of AI for creativity and the wider process of building brands beyond conventional advertising.
Is Consumer Attention Really Shrinking?
The conference turns to the question of consumer attention and the effectiveness of traditional marketing approaches.
The session The Not So Always Attention-span Myth brings together Harshit Agrawal, Marketing Head, Aviva; Archi Gogoi, CMO, Ai+ Smartphone; Zeenah Vilcassim, Global CMO, Daily Objects; Abhinav Sinha, CMO, Renault India; Nitin Malhotra, CMO, Livpure India; Himanshu Khanna, Group CMO, CKA Birla Group; and Sujatha V Kumar, former CMO at Visa, Coca-Cola and Google.
The session will examine whether marketers have overestimated the decline in consumer attention spans or whether the challenge lies in the way brands approach content, media planning and engagement.
The conference will also examine the changing role of the marketing mix through a session titled ‘The Marketing Mix Is Having A Mid-life Crisis’.
The panel features Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing–APAC, Motorola Mobility; Ullas Vijay, CMO, Duroflex; Binit Kumar, Head of Marketing for Health Supplements and Hydration, Baby Care at Dabur; Debasree Dasgupta, CMO, Pernod Ricard; Tushar Malhotra, Director–Sales & Marketing, Bisleri International; and Shruti Kaushik Agrawal, Group Chief Marketing Officer, DivyaSree. Chandan Mukherji, CEO of Engrowi, will moderate the discussion.
The session will explore how marketers are reassessing conventional approaches to media, channels and consumer engagement as technology and changing consumption patterns reshape the marketing landscape.
The programme concludes its conference sessions with a fireside chat titled Scripts and Strategies: The Right Way of Setting Narratives in the Coming Decade, featuring Aditya Uppal, actor, marketeer and host, recently seen in Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar 2.
The Awards Night
Beyond the conference discussions, the programme includes the second edition of the BW Marketing 30 Under 30 Awards, scheduled for the afternoon, celebrating emerging talent in India’s marketing sector.
The day will conclude with the inaugural edition of the BW Marketing World Power Brands of India Awards 2026, recognising brands for their achievements in brand building, innovation, consumer trust and market leadership. The awards will also spotlight direct-to-consumer brands using digital-first strategies, consumer engagement and innovation to build businesses and accelerate growth.
