As India’s audiences grow younger, more digitally engaged and increasingly fragmented across multiple platforms, brands face a profound creative challenge. Attention is no longer a given. Audiences scroll through social media, stream video content, listen to podcasts and engage with news simultaneously, creating an environment where mere visibility cannot build lasting impact.
Artificial intelligence is transforming how content is discovered and prioritised, placing a premium on credibility and trust. Yet, even as algorithms shape what users see, human connection remains the cornerstone of meaningful storytelling.
This evolving landscape formed the backdrop for the launch of the 10th edition of the Dentsu Digital Advertising Report 2026. The event convened industry leaders to examine how creativity can move beyond campaigns to foster cultural capital, trust and community belonging. Discussions explored how brands can respond to a younger, more expressive audience, leverage purpose-driven narratives, and integrate immersive technologies without losing emotional resonance.
One of the panel discussions, titled ‘Storytelling that Builds a Nation: Purpose, Culture and the New Creative Imagination’, brought together leaders from banking, healthcare, insurance, digital commerce and social platforms. Gaurav Mehta, Senior Director, Marketing and Strategic Capabilities at Eli Lilly and Company (India); Ashish Moroney, Executive Vice President and Head, Brand, Marketing Communications and Retail Marketing at HDFC Bank; Mayura Nayak, Co‑Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Huella; Santosh Krishnamoorthy, Head of Strategic Accounts, India at LinkedIn; and Ravindra Sharma, Chief Brand, Corporate Communications and CSR at SBI Life Insurance shared insights under the moderation of Yosuke Murai, Head of Sports and Entertainment at Dentsu India.
Purpose Beyond Campaigns
Murai opened the discussion by saying, “In today’s fragmented media landscape, capturing attention is harder than ever. Brands must think beyond campaigns and focus on stories that connect with culture and human emotion. We want to explore how purpose, participation, and technology come together to create meaningful engagement.”
HDFC Bank’s Moroney highlighted that defining an organisation’s purpose requires a deep understanding of the category in which it operates. He explained that for banks, this involves examining how consumers view and interact with money and how these interactions shape their futures and societal behaviour. According to him, aligning storytelling with a clear societal purpose not only creates affinity with audiences but also provides a sense of meaning for the organisation itself.
“When you talk about culture and purpose, it is not necessarily CSR. Today we need to look beyond just the commercial purpose of the organisation to the purpose of the organisation. If I am a bank, how do consumers look at money? How can they interact with money? How is money shaping their future, their societal culture, their behaviour?” he said.
Meanwhile, SBI Life Insurance’s Sharma noted that generational transitions have redefined aspiration in India. While previous generations were motivated by basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter, younger audiences seek brands that resonate with their personal ambitions and social consciousness.
“Now the generation has shifted again. What motivates them? That is where purpose comes in. It builds the thrust which gives them the motivation to pick up a brand and get attached to it,” Sharma said. He added that emotional fundamentals such as authenticity and motivation remain constant despite evolving aspirations.
Eli Lilly’s Mehta added a perspective on the power of elevated storytelling. “I think human beings are primed to respond to elevated storytelling for a purpose. When a person starts to believe in what you’re talking about, that’s where irrational love towards your brand really starts to emerge,” he said.
He also reflected on the healthcare sector and its challenges in connecting with audiences:
“Healthcare hasn’t done a great job connecting with consumers on real-life problems. It’s about ensuring their emotional, psychological, and social needs are addressed, and that’s where purpose-driven content makes a difference,” Eli Lilly’s Mehta explained.
SBI Life Insurance’s Sharma also stressed that purpose cannot be confined to advertising alone. Visual communication, digital platforms and human engagement together deliver meaning and impact. “Purpose is not delivered only by advertising. It is delivered by three critical factors. One is visual communication. Second is digital. Third is humans. If I am able to bring my brand purpose seamlessly across these three pillars and connect with the consumer, it will have far better results than limiting it to just communication,” he said.
According to him, purpose-driven storytelling also helps organisations themselves maintain clarity. Aligning the company’s broader vision with societal impact ensures that every campaign contributes to building culture rather than simply promoting products.
Attention as a Strategic Currency
The panel emphasised that in today’s media landscape, attention is the most valuable currency. With audiences consuming content on multiple devices simultaneously, traditional advertising no longer guarantees engagement. The sheer volume of content has created a cluttered environment, where standing out requires more than creative execution.
LinkedIn’s Krishnamurthy explained that platforms like LinkedIn play a crucial role in guiding audiences towards authentic and credible content. He noted that trust has become a defining differentiator in a dual-screen world, where users watch, read and listen at the same time.
“The responsibility is not just with brands. The responsibility lies with platforms as well. As a platform owner like LinkedIn, we have to make sure that purpose is spoken well and that storytelling comes out authentically. Today there is a huge clutter of content. People are working on dual screens. They are watching something, reading something, listening to something else. In that environment, how does a brand stand out? I think it is more important that the brand is true to its purpose and is actually doing purpose-led stories,” he said.
LinkedIn’s Krishnamurthy added that artificial intelligence is both a challenge and an opportunity. Algorithms increasingly determine what users see, which places an onus on brands and platforms to ensure the information presented is accurate, credible and engaging.
“AI is transforming how audiences discover content. It allows scale and efficiency, but trust remains the differentiator. Platforms and brands must maintain authenticity to ensure that purpose-led stories reach the right people,” he explained.
Participation as the Key to Engagement
Fragmented attention has also elevated the role of participation. Modern audiences do not simply consume content; they interact, respond and co-create meaning.
Huella’s Nayak argued that engagement is essential for purpose-driven communication. She observed that storytelling becomes truly powerful only when users actively participate, contributing to both local and global narratives.
“Purpose cannot come simply without participation. The best way to drive that attention is to get today’s users to participate in the communication. Simple storytelling can be amazing. The more local you get, the more global storytelling happens. But how do you bring participation of the user into that storytelling? By driving engagement. For us, attention drives interaction and therefore engagement,” she said.
According to Huella’s Nayak, brands that successfully embed participation create content that resonates across regions and languages. She cited examples from South India, where local storytelling has gained national and even global attention because of authentic engagement and creative execution.
AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement
The conversation turned to artificial intelligence, reflecting its growing influence on marketing and content creation. Panelists agreed that AI is a powerful tool for automating routine tasks, generating efficiency and scaling output. However, it cannot replace human creativity, emotional nuance or purpose-driven storytelling.
HDFC Bank’s Moroney described AI as a productivity tool that allows marketers to focus on higher-level creativity. “If AI can automate performance marketing and direct marketing tasks, it frees up my bandwidth as a marketer to create more engaging stories across segments. Used smartly, it enhances productivity and creative output,” he said.
SBI Life Insurance’s Sharma cautioned against over-reliance on AI for narrative work, emphasising that emotional resonance remains a human domain. “If you really start using AI for everything, the purpose is gone. You may get a tinge of it, but the human purpose, the narrative that drives emotion, becomes limited. AI cannot deliver human connection. It cannot make me cry. Yes, it can do tactical work. But purpose and emotional storytelling still belong to humans,” he said.
Huella’s Nayak added that AI amplifies scale and speed but requires human oversight to ensure authenticity. “AI largely will drive scale and speed, but it cannot replace human intervention. Having said that, AI is doing what humans are feeding it to do. So the more we feed it, the more human-like it can become eventually,” she said.
Murai reflected mid-discussion on AI’s role. “Artificial intelligence is changing how audiences discover content. It can scale campaigns and enhance efficiency, but it cannot replace human connection. The challenge for brands is to use AI without losing authenticity and purpose,” he said.
Co-Creation and Collaborative Storytelling
Brands are increasingly collaborating with creators and agencies to develop authentic content. Treating creators as co-authors rather than mere channels fosters richer narratives but requires alignment with brand purpose.
Eli Lilly’s Mehta emphasised that true collaboration often sparks insights brands wouldn’t conceive internally. “Sometimes a creator or director brings a perspective that completely transforms how a story is told. The best work happens when we listen and integrate their vision rather than dictate it,” he said.
SBI Life Insurance’s Sharma explained that brands do not control the script, but ensure that content aligns with their personality. “If you are coming with something which is not meeting the brand personality, I will not take that forward because there I am changing as a brand. There is no subject of fear or that someone is trying to dilute the content creator’s creativity. It is just not fitting my requirement,” he said.
Eli Lilly’s Mehta shared an example from his time at OLX India, where a director suggested a tagline that the company had not originally considered. “Bejte became super strong for the brand and became part of everyday language. It did not come from us; it came from a director who understood the brand and contributed to the story,” he said.
HDFC Bank’s Moroney added that experienced creators often understand the audience deeply and produce authentic content when given creative freedom. “If we give them freedom, there is more authentic and interesting content that gets created. The challenge comes with smaller creators, where control becomes an issue, but for large partners, the magic happens when knowledge is shared,” he said.
LinkedIn’s Krishnamurthy highlighted the scale of content production on platforms, noting that in India, LinkedIn generates fifteen times more content than job postings, driven largely by Gen Z users. “Today’s generation wants to be associated with purpose-led organisations. Platforms like ours are becoming partners in their personal and professional journeys,” he said.
Cultural Nuance and Protecting the Core
As storytelling evolves, panelists emphasised the importance of respecting cultural context while remaining authentic. Global brands increasingly tailor campaigns to Indian audiences, recognising local nuances and expectations.
Sharma argued that while formats and delivery may change, the emotional fundamentals of storytelling authenticity, motivation and relatability must be preserved. “Even if you think of a grandmother telling a story, the elements of emotion, motivation and reality were there. Brands connecting today must retain these constants. Purpose is delivered through visuals, digital and human connection, not through communication alone,” he said.
The panel concluded that storytelling in India must balance technology, culture and human emotion. AI and immersive platforms can extend reach, but purpose and authenticity remain human responsibilities. In a complex and diverse country, participation, trust and emotional resonance are what allow brands to move from short-term campaigns to building lasting belief.
Murai closed the discussion, adding, “Participation, trust, and emotional resonance are central to meaningful engagement. Technology and AI can extend reach, but human purpose and creativity will always remain at the heart of storytelling.”
