The event was hosted on 26th November 2023 and was graced with the presence of Mr. Deepak Mohanty, Vice President, Strategic Business Change, HSBC; Ms. Shivani Talim, Ad Sales, Jio Cinemas; Ms. Abhilasha R Gupta, Brand Manager - East Cluster, Vodafone Idea Limited; Mr. Nithin Monteiro SJ, Doctoral Scholar, School of Gover- nance & Public Affairs, who shared their valuable insights with the audience.

The session commenced with the speakers lighting the lamp, followed by Prof. Francis Tho- mas Castelino, moderator for the day addressing the audience. The first speaker of the day, Ms. Shivani Talim, Ad Sales, Jio Cinemas, empha- sized the prevalent FOMO in the industry. She added, “The reason an ad is so successful is not just because of great screenplay, or audio but, because it is backed by data". Illustrating her journey from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar, she highlighted experiencing a remarkable 400 diverse types of communication across various touchpoints within just half a day

The second speaker for the day was Mr. Deepak Mohanty, Vice President, Strategic Business Change, at HSBC. He highlighted several strategies, including adopting a push approach, leveraging pull-through advertising, developing customer profiles and segmentation, and ensuring alignment of communication with the customer's journey. Mr. Deepak stated, "A multi-channel communication approach is a new way to address challenging problems. Tokenization, NFT and Blockchain are the new frontiers explored even by traditional sectors like banks”.

The third speaker for the day was Mr. Nithin Monteiro SJ, Doctoral Scholar, School of Governance & Public Affairs. He showcased ads from major brands, illustrating how unique communication attempts can sometimes backfire. He also highlighted cases where the same brands took different stances in separate ads. Mr. Nithin stated, "In today's age, we are confronted with a multitude of choices, and the onus of decision-making rests on our shoulders”. He emphasized that disruption is the process of breaking down established systems to pave the way for something entirely new and innovative.

The fourth speaker for the day was Ms. Abhilasha R Gupta, Brand Manager - East Cluster, Vodafone Idea Limited. She emphasized crafting clear communication, maximizing exposure across channels, using brand banter for attention, and tailoring communication for each medium in effective brand strategy. Ms. Abhilasha stated, "Know where your TG spends their time and use a multi-channel approach to maximize the exposure effect and break the clutter”. She also stressed connecting with millennials through tailored communication, using multiple channels to maximize exposure, and emphasizing emotional connections for brand memorability.

Following the insightful presentations by distinguished speakers, the eagerly anticipated question and answer session unfolded, featuring the inquisitive minds of XIM University. Engaging questions delved into Marketing, Brands, Consumers, and explored topics such as Influencer Marketing, Omnichannel Strategies, and Customer Experience Optimization.

The summit concluded with an ending note by Prof. Francis Thomas Castelino, Associate Dean – Career Advisory Services, XIM, and a vote of thanks from Amiya Anupam, the IlluminatiX coordinator.

Source : Press Release