India's marketing reset: Data rules, AI, and rural blind spots demand a fundamental rethink, says Kantar's Soumya Mohanty

India’s marketing and brand-building landscape is being reshaped simultaneously by stricter data rules, new TRP and audience-measurement frameworks, and the rapid mainstreaming of AI. According to Soumya Mohanty MD & Chief Solutions Officer-South Asia, Kantar, these shifts demand a fundamental rethink of how brands track consumers, build trust and scale beyond domestic markets.

DPDP-era constraints expose FMCG’s rural blind spot

Mohanty says FMCG brands still underestimate how much rural India has evolved, and how little they are tracking it in a stricter data environment shaped by rules like the TPTP framework. Only a couple of large FMCG companies track rural consumers consistently. Everyone else largely assumes that strong performance in metros equals strength everywhere.

This, Mohanty notes, is a flawed assumption. In rural markets, salience matters far more than differentiation. In urban markets, consumers need to “see what makes a brand different”. In rural markets, brands need to come to mind spontaneously. Most companies are not measuring this at all, which means they are “just playing the presence game” by being physically present on shelves, not building equity.

Another growing issue is over-reliance on dashboards and scattered signals. Mohanty warns that marketers are treating the consumer as a cluster of metrics, attribution reports and last-mile numbers rather than a human to be understood. In a stricter data regime, that creates even deeper blind spots.

New TRP rules and cross-screen ambitions run into barriers. On audience measurement, Kantar is clear that India is still far from a unified cross-screen currency.

A true integrated system would need a robust panel and reliable consent mechanisms — both challenging under new rules. As data access becomes more restricted, platform-provided metrics and first-party data will no longer be enough. Brands will increasingly need independent, third-party measurement and arbitration.

Mohanty argues that this shift strengthens the role of neutral measurement companies as advertisers navigate more complex, regulated data flows.

AI can build trust or destroy it depending on how brands use it

AI has already influenced brand value growth in India, with MakeMyTrip’s AI-powered trip planning cited as an example of how tech can enhance convenience and improve the customer experience. Kantar stresses that Indian consumers reward brands that use AI to improve usability, speed and service — not just efficiency.

Brands that use AI only to cut costs or optimize processes without reinvesting in customer relationships risk eroding trust, especially in categories like B2B tech where brand equity has already weakened.

The broader creative ecosystem is also shifting. Creator content is becoming the most dynamic and unpredictable area of marketing, and AI-generated creative is emerging as both an opportunity and a concern. Indian influencers have become an alternative trust channel as credibility in traditional advertising continues to dip. But Kantar warns that over-commercialisation — influencers promoting a new brand every few minutes — will quickly erode that trust.

Crucially, the company also flags a deeper structural risk: brands handing over the consumer relationship entirely to AI chatbots and automated systems. Indian consumers, they say, are “a high-touch, high-feel market”. If automation replaces the emotional dimension of a brand, customer trust collapses. AI can support convenience, but cannot be allowed to overwrite the emotional associations that keep consumers loyal.

2025’s standout theme: Experience beats advertising

Looking back at 2025, Mohanty says the creator economy, the rise of influencers, and AI-driven content dominated attention. Influencers function as “modern word of mouth”, offering surrogate experiences that are often more powerful than advertising in building brand associations.

The company underlines a universal truth: the strongest force in branding is still real (or surrogate) experience. Advertising alone is a “weak force” compared to trying a brand or hearing about it from trusted people. This is why creator-driven content has become so potent in India’s fast-changing media environment.

2026: Fragmentation, uncertainty and a new trust economy

Mohanty expects 2026 to bring even sharper fragmentation of media and choice. There will be far more AI across content and advertising, making it harder for consumers to distinguish what is real, credible or safe. As a result, familiarity and trust will become central themes for brands next year.

They describe India’s consumer mood as one of being “rooted and restless”. Brands that can combine aspiration with cultural grounding — “make for India, choose for India, build for India, rise for India” — will have an edge. Global playbooks won’t work as-is; India is following its own path.

Consistency, emotional connection and culturally native strategies, Kantar concludes, will become non-negotiable. In a landscape defined by uncertainty, the brands that maintain trust — even while adopting new technology — will lead India’s next chapter of growth.