MMA India Board Shares 8 Key Marketing Insights For Growth In Tough Times

As businesses navigate a rapidly changing landscape marked by evolving consumer behaviour, disruptive market dynamics, and the need to balance short-term gains with long-term growth, staying ahead of the curve has never been more crucial. In this challenging environment, MMA Global India continues to empower marketers with actionable strategies and insights to drive value-based marketing that fuels business growth.

At a recently concluded board roundtable, MMA Global India unveiled eight key insights aimed at helping marketers navigate this complexity with agility and purpose.

The board members included, Moneka Khurana, Country Head and BOD Member, MMA Global India; Amit Jain, Chairman, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare; Chandan Mukherjee, Director and Executive Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Communication, Nestle, India; Deepak Bakshi, Managing Director and Lead – India Market Unit, Accenture Song in India; Deepali Naair, Group Chief Marketing Officer, CK Birla Group; Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle India; Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director, India, Snapchat; Rohit Dadwal, CEO, MMA Global APAC, Global Head of SMARTIES WW and BOD Asia Pacific, MMA Global Asia Pacific; Sunita Bangard, Group Head- Consumer Insights and Brand Development, Aditya Birla Group; Soumya Mohanty, MD and Chief Client Officer- South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar; Arvind R P, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonalds India (West and South); Rohit Bhasin, President and Head- Propositions and Chief Marketing Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank India; Devika Sharma, VP and GM- India, Glance; Bhaskar Ramesh, Director- Omnichannel Businesses, Google India; and Manish Aggarwal, Head- Growth and Monetisation, Sony Pictures Networks India.

This kickoff meeting spotlighted the narrative of growth hacking in challenging times and that value-first and value-based marketing is central to the marketer’s role. The board expressed the need to factor in macroeconomic factors, such as the K-shaped economic recovery, shifting consumer aspirations, and growing digitisation, whilst taking critical business decisions that impact the P&L and enable growth. The roundtable sought perspectives on actionable strategies that enable marketers to tackle these priorities head-on and create sustained growth opportunities.

1. Gen This, Gen That – New realities for marketers

As legacy models crumble under pressure from a new generation of consumers, how can marketers adapt to Gen Z’s fragmented decision-making and redefine brand relevance?

Insights from the Board:

• Gen Z is rewriting the rules of brand loyalty, favoring agile, emerging brands over legacy players.
• New challengers, including both D2C and offline disruptors, are scaling rapidly with VC backing, reshaping competitive dynamics.
• Legacy models of media and distribution are faltering under the pressure of this shift.
• Decoding Gen Z’s complex value-driven decision-making is critical for brands aiming to maintain relevance.

2. Quick commerce reshaping FMCG and e-commerce

Quick Commerce, once a novelty, is now a key pillar of business strategies. How can marketers navigate the opportunities and challenges posed by this fast-evolving trend?

Insights from the Board:

• Legacy FMCG brands are struggling to compete in the Quick Commerce ecosystem, facing margin dilution and cost pressures.
• Established players like Amazon must address scrutiny over delayed Quick Commerce adoption and clarify their strategic roadmaps.
• Marketers need to innovate and position themselves profitably within the Quick Commerce value chain, balancing speed with sustainability.

3. Bridging the urban-rural consumption gap

The consumption gap between urban and rural markets continues to widen. How can marketers capture hyper-targeted opportunities across these fragmented segments?

Insights from the Board:

• Rural markets are outperforming urban growth, with diversified income streams driving a 6% rural consumption increase in Q3 2024, compared to urban’s 2.8% growth.
• Hyper-localised campaigns tailored to rural consumer preferences must leverage a mix of digital and offline strategies.
• Urban markets, facing slowdowns, demand affordability-driven growth strategies to address middle-income consumer needs.
• Leverage granular data to reimagine mid-tier product offerings that balance affordability with perceived value.

4. Fit-for-purpose premiumization strategies

Premiumization is no longer a trend; it is a defining consumer behavior. How can brands build premiumization strategies that address both emerging aspirations and category challenges?

Insights from the Board:

• Premiumization has transitioned from a post-COVID anomaly to a sustained behavior reshaping market segmentation across categories like SUVs, FMCG, and two-wheelers.
• Strategic Priorities:
  • Elevate core product offerings to meet rising consumer expectations.
  • Launch fit-for-purpose brands tailored to premium segments.
  • Example – Nescafé introduced Nespresso to serve premium consumers while maintaining its core positioning.
• Premiumization is not just about raising prices – it’s about delivering differentiated, experiential value.

5. Reinventing brand differentiation in a fragmented market

With brand loyalty fading and rising fragmentation, how can brands stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape?

Insights from the Board:

• Differentiation is critical for both premium and non-premium brands.
• Premium brands thrive by delivering unique emotional value (e.g., adventure, indulgence), while non-premium brands must prioritise salience and visibility.
• Example – SUVs like Mahindra Thar and Maruti Brezza carved distinct emotional spaces – one focused on adventure, the other on family functionality.
• Non-premium brands must justify long-term investments by innovating around visibility and relevance amidst D2C competition.

6. Evolving CMOs into financial leaders

In a challenging financial climate, how can CMOs transform into strategic financial leaders who align brand impact with business profitability?

Insights from the Board:

• Financial acumen is essential for CMOs to lead boardroom discussions and align marketing actions with measurable ROI.
• The Brandonomics framework connects marketing investments to business profitability, equipping CMOs to demonstrate measurable returns.
• Transition from campaign KPIs to ROI-driven metrics that resonate with CFOs and CEOs.

7. Decoding aspirations and consumer behaviour shifts

As consumer aspirations evolve, how can marketers invest in insights to stay ahead of the curve?

Insights from the Board:

• Aspirational brands are thriving as consumers increasingly trade up to premium offerings. Example – SUVs now dominate 54% of the automobile market, driven by first-time buyers leapfrogging entry-level vehicles for premium options.
• Women, particularly in urban markets, are prioritising personal investment (e.g., lifestyle and beauty) over traditional spending categories like groceries.
• Some brands cannot premiumise, requiring the creation of “fit-for-purpose” brands tailored to evolving consumer needs. Example – Unilever’s acquisition of Minimalist highlights the importance of creating distinct premium offerings.

8. Leveraging AI to drive personalization and engagement

AI is redefining consumer engagement. How can brands ensure AI-driven strategies remain human, relevant, and impactful?

Insights from the Board:

• Generative AI offers transformative potential by enabling humanized personalization at scale. Consortium for AI Personalisation (CAP) framework helps improve ad effectiveness through AI-driven personalization.
• The Movable Middles Growth Framework focuses on the 60% of audiences most likely to convert, helping brands optimize ad spends and drive measurable business outcomes.
• Marketers must use AI to build empathy and relevance in mid-funnel strategies, ensuring deeper consumer connections.

Broader implications and action points

1. Decode GenZ: Build sharper frameworks to understand their fragmented decision-making and create brand strategies that resonate.
2. Leverage AI and Data: Use frameworks like the Movable Middle Framework and Brandonomics to optimize targeting and ROI alignment.
3. Balance Quick Commerce with Profitability: Innovate to maintain competitive positioning while protecting margins.
4. Reignite Mid-Tier Relevance: Invest in salience, affordability, and differentiation to drive mid-tier brand growth.
5. Unlock Untapped Demographics: Explore high-growth opportunities among women, affluent seniors, and other underserved consumer groups.
6. Purpose Beyond Campaigns: Embed purpose as a core brand philosophy to build long-term trust and loyalty.