Goafest 2025 debates AI, creativity and gen-Z

The Advertising Agencies Association of India and The Advertising Club, Goafest 2025, jointly hosted the 18th edition of the three-day Goafest 2025, which began on 21 May 2025. 

Media and marketing professionals gathered over the first two days to examine how advertising must reinvent itself across formats and generations while staying creatively grounded.

The opening keynote from Rishad Tobaccowala set a critical tone, arguing that AI is still underhyped and urging agencies to look beyond it. “AI will become like electricity—essential but not a differentiator,” he said, adding that the real advantage lies in “HI—human ingenuity, intuition, inspiration, and Inventiveness.” Tobaccowala challenged marketers to “burn the old ways of thinking” and invest top talent in what could replace existing business models. “In times of rapid change, scale can become a liability,” he cautioned.

Later, a panel discussion addressed how to connect with gen-Z. Amarjit Singh Batra, managing director of Spotify India, said, “They are an interactive generation that looks deeply into brands. Once convinced, they are incredibly loyal.” Geetika Mehta of Nivea India described gen-Z as “not distracted—they’re discerning,” while Vikram Mehra of Saregama India emphasised, “Celebrity endorsements don’t cut it anymore—it’s the micro-influencer with shared values who wins their attention.”

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In a fireside chat, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan reflected on how her now-iconic line “Main Apni Favourite Hoon” has shaped her outlook. “Self-love is not just a phrase—it’s the foundation of everything,” she said, addressing topics from risk-taking to motherhood in an industry that still wrestles with legacy assumptions.

On Day two, the spotlight turned to the role of creative leadership. “If you're not in an agency where the CCO is central, you're in the wrong one,” said Bobby Pawar, framing the creative head as an ‘instigator-in-chief.’ Lulu Raghavan argued for expanding the remit of the CCO to include talent development and strategic clarity. “CCOs must evolve and inspire while remaining creatively grounded,” she said. Senthil Kumar reinforced the idea of the CCO as a ‘playing captain’, while Sonal Dabral called for courage and independence. “Creative leadership must be the supreme role in any agency,” he asserted.

In another session, cricketer Gautam Gambhir offered a contrasting view from the world of sport, rejecting numerical success in favour of impact. “10,000 runs don’t matter—it’s match-winning moments that define you,” he said, calling on leaders to embrace failure and conviction.

Amazon MX Player positioned itself as a central player in the digital ad landscape, with Karan Bedi citing over 250 million active users. “Streaming video ads are outperforming other formats in driving brand recall and building positive brand associations,” he said, forecasting that digital video ad spend will surpass TV by 2026.

The discussion on Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising highlighted its continued importance in a digitally fatigued environment. “You can’t swipe past a billboard,” said Shekhar Narayanaswami of Times OOH. Ajay Kakar from Adani Group stressed, “OOH needs original creative thinking—not print adaptations,” while Sandeep Bomireddi of Adonmo said, “Every medium, including OOH, can digitalise – integration is key.”

Across fireside chats, masterclasses and screenings, the festival explored how storytelling formats are evolving. Actor Suniel Shetty noted, “Fitness isn’t just muscles; it’s sustainable health,” while discussing his show Hunter. Deepak Dhar of Banijay Asia explained that “Great content is built on process and passion,” citing his show Rise and Fall as a localised social experiment on power and privilege.

With more than 4,000 entries from 233 companies, the ABBY Awards 2025, hosted in collaboration with The One Show for a fourth year, reflected continued appetite for industry recognition even as conversations revolved around disruption.