Marketing Must Be a Bridge of Values and Trust

Your career spans industry roles and research ranging from preadolescent consumers to IoT-driven advantage and fintech models like CRED. How is the role of marketing evolving amid rapid technological disruption and rising consumer expectations?
I believe the world is changing at an unprecedented speed, driven by rapid technological disruptions, social media, and shifting consumer expectations. Today’s consumers, especially Gen Z and younger millennials, choose and trust brands that truly align with their values and ethos. For marketers, this means the role has expanded beyond creating demand; it’s about embedding purpose and responsibility across the entire value chain.
The need of the hour is to design offerings that are not only profitable but also healthy for both people and the planet. That includes integrating sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and mindful consumption into brand strategy. But most importantly, this integration must be authentic and systemic, not cosmetic. Consumers are quick to spot tokenism. The evolving role of marketing, therefore, is to act as a bridge between technological innovation, consumer values, and societal well-being, creating long-term trust while driving business growth.

Given India’s rapid digital growth, cultural heterogeneity, and evolving regulatory landscape, what market nuances do multinationals frequently underestimate? And how does qualitative research add strategic depth beyond big-data and algorithmic
insights?
India is indeed a fascinating market with digital acceleration, cultural depth, and evolving regulations, making it both highly attractive and highly complex. Multinationals often overlook three important aspects of the Indian market. First, there are “many Indias” within India — consumer behaviour is deeply fragmented across regions, languages, income groups, and cultural values. What resonates in urban metros may fall flat in tier-2 or tier-3 towns. A one-size-fits-all strategy usually underperforms here.
Second, India is still a developing country, and hence, customers are largely value-conscious yet aspirational. Indian consumers are highly price-sensitive, but that doesn’t mean they want “cheap”. They aspire to global quality, status, and experiences, but expect them at accessible price points. This value-aspiration duality is often underestimated.
Third, with digital platforms and fintech booming, trust becomes the real differentiator. Consumers are cautious with data, payments, and promises. They reward brands that combine convenience with credibility and penalise those that overpromise or appear exploitative.
So, the big insight is this: India is not just a large market — it’s a mosaic. Success comes not from replicating global playbooks, but from localising authentically, balancing affordability with aspiration, and building deep trust with consumers. I see qualitative research as the human lens that complements the scale and precision of big data and algorithmic insights. While big data can tell us the “what” and “how much,” it often struggles to explain the “why”. That’s where qualitative research becomes invaluable.
For example, algorithms might reveal that a certain fintech app has high churn rates among younger users. But only through qualitative research — interviews, focus groups, ethnographic studies — can we uncover whether that’s driven by trust issues, usability gaps, or cultural perceptions around money. In my view, the most effective strategic decision-making comes from blending the two: breadth from big data and depth from qualitative insights.

Your work explores not only consumption patterns but also the formation of consumer identity, particularly among adolescents. How important is it for brands to move beyond transactional relationships towards purpose-driven or community-oriented strategies when engaging younger generations?
Adolescents and younger consumers don’t just buy products; they use brands as building blocks of identity. That’s why it’s no longer enough for brands to focus on transactions. For younger generations — Gen Z and Gen Alpha — brands that succeed are those that act like communities or platforms of meaning. They expect brands to embody purpose, whether that’s sustainability, inclusivity, or social impact, and to create spaces where they can co-create, express, and connect with like-minded peers.

Moving toward purpose-driven and community-oriented strategies is not just “good to have”; it’s essential for building long- term loyalty. A purely transactional relationship is fragile, but when consumers feel a brand reflects their values and offers a sense of belonging, the relationship becomes durable and emotionally sticky. So, for younger generations, marketing isn’t about selling to them; it’s about partnership, co-creation, customisation, and fostering brand communities, alongside heightened expectations of transparency, authenticity, and social responsibility. That’s the shift brands must embrace.

Fintech firms like CRED are rewriting traditional notions of consumer trust and financial behaviour. Based on your research, what are the most overlooked behavioural or structural challenges these firms face in scaling sustainably within the Indian financial ecosystem?
Fintech firms like CRED have indeed redefined consumer trust by gamifying finance, building aspirational communities, and turning routine financial behaviour into lifestyle engagement. But when we look at their ability to scale sustainably in India, there are several overlooked challenges — both behavioural and structural.
Behavioural challenges include consumers’ financial literacy gap and their short attention cycles. While digital adoption is high, financial awareness remains uneven. Many users engage with fintech apps for rewards or status but don’t always translate that into responsible financial engagement. Moreover, younger consumers experiment quickly, but loyalty might remain shallow if value propositions don’t continuously evolve.
Structural challenges include regulatory fluidity and infrastructure disparities. India’s financial ecosystem is still catching up with the pace of innovation. Constantly evolving compliance requirements around data privacy, KYC, and lending norms can constrain scalability. Additionally, while digital penetration is deepening, tier-2 and tier-3 markets still face patchy connectivity and trust in traditional intermediaries, making expansion beyond metros more complex.

Many firms focus heavily on short-term campaign performance metrics —clicks, conversions, sales — but your research suggests deeper dimensions of brand engagement. What should strategic marketing leaders focus on instead to build enduring brand equity in volatile markets?
Many firms get locked into short-term metrics like clicks or conversions. Those are important for operational efficiency, but they don’t necessarily translate into enduring brand equity — especially in volatile and fast-changing markets. Most marketers suffer from “marketing myopia,” a conservative approach that fixates on short-term goals like sales and immediate profits over building lasting relationships with customers.
Strategic marketing leaders need to broaden their lens and focus on three deeper dimensions: Trust and authenticity: In times of volatility, consumers anchor themselves to brands they perceive as transparent, reliable, and aligned with their values. Authenticity is a stronger long-term currency than campaign ROI. Cultural relevance and identity: Brands need to go beyond selling products and actively participate in cultural conversations, allowing consumers — especially younger ones — to use the brand to express who they are and what they stand for.
Community and experience: Enduring equity comes when consumers feel part of something larger than a transaction. Purpose-driven communities, meaningful experiences, and co-creation opportunities deepen engagement in ways no click- through rate can capture.

Across your academic and industry experience, what has been the most surprising insight about consumer behaviour in India that defied your expectations — and what does it suggest about the future of marketing in emerging markets?
One of the most surprising insights I have encountered in studying Indian consumers is the paradox of value consciousness and aspiration. I initially expected affordability to dominate choices for Indian consumers, but if you look around, even highly price-sensitive consumers are willing to stretch for brands that deliver status, meaning, or emotional resonance. For example, a middle-class family in a tier-2 city might bargain aggressively for everyday groceries yet proudly spend on an iPhone. What this reveals for the future of marketing in emerging markets is that growth doesn’t come from treating consumers as “low-end” or “budget-seekers”. Instead, it comes from understanding how aspiration coexists with constraints, and designing offerings that balance accessibility with pride, identity, and experience. Brands shouldn’t simply localise global models at lower price points, but innovate meaningfully at the intersection of affordability and aspiration.

In your view, what are the key blind spots in how business schools today teach marketing strategy, particularly in preparing students to navigate the intersection of technology, behaviour, and society? What changes would you advocate for in curriculum design?
I think one of the biggest blind spots is that the curriculum often treats technology, consumer behaviour, and society as separate silos — when in reality, they’re deeply intertwined.
Gaps and suggestions:
Students master 4Ps, STP, Python, and analytics but don’t always learn how technologies like AI, IoT, or fintech reshape human behaviour and social norms. We risk producing managers fluent in tools but not in context. Business schools should integrate consumer psychology, sociology, and behavioural science alongside marketing strategy. New-age themes like DEI, sustainability, and ethics are not properly emphasised or integrated. These must become foundational lenses, not afterthoughts.
Pedagogically, the learning environment has evolved. Generative AI has become integral to project work, while students’ attention spans are shorter. Traditional methods — like long-form case studies — may no longer ensure effective learning outcomes. Business schools should make learning more engaging through simulations, games, and collaborative tools. For example, Lego construction or AI applications can be integrated to enhance teamwork and learning experiences.

Platforms like Xplore promote cross-sector dialogue around leadership, innovation, and societal impact. How do you see such forums enriching the practice of marketing, especially in helping leaders think holistically about brand purpose, stakeholder alignment, and systemic challenges?
Forums like Xplore are invaluable because they act as guiding lights for future leaders and innovators. Too often, marketing is seen narrowly — as campaigns, positioning, or consumer insights. But when you bring together voices from business, policy, technology, and civil society, you begin to see marketing not just as a function, but as a connector of systems. Cross-sector dialogue opens a platform for broader discussions on sustainability, inclusion, and digital ethics in marketing. Moreover, marketing can’t succeed if it only resonates with consumers; it must also align with employees, regulators, investors, and communities. Forums like Xplore create the space to hear and integrate these perspectives. Above all, issues like climate change, data privacy, or misinformation are bigger than any one company. When leaders across sectors engage through platforms like Xplore, they become better equipped to craft marketing strategies that are resilient, responsible, and future-oriented.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the most pressing or underexplored questions in marketing research — areas where theory could more directly inform managerial practice or public policy?
There are a few pressing questions where marketing research could play a more impactful role in shaping both managerial practice and public policy: The ethics of personalisation and AI-driven marketing: As algorithms shape choices, how do we balance hyper-personalisation with autonomy, consent, and consumer well-being? Research here could guide not just firms, but regulators.
Sustainability and mindful consumption: We still don’t fully understand how to shift consumer behaviour from intention to action. What interventions, nudges, incentives and narratives actually help consumers make sustainable choices without creating fatigue.
Trust in digital ecosystems: With fintech, social commerce, and platform economies booming, how is trust built, transferred, or broken in digital-first contexts? This has direct implications for financial inclusion, platform governance, and brand equity.