Like no ordinary Thursday, the advertising fraternity at Goafest was woken up by unmistakable soulful singing of singer-composer Raghav Sachar. His performance primed for us a day as intellectually stimulating as it was high on vibes. If there was a real-life depiction of what switching between 50 tabs on the internet looks like, it would be day 2 of Goafest. Between panel discussions, masterclass and more, there was lots of information, inspiration and signaling for collaboration. But, if you’re bad at making decisions and choosing what piques your interest the most, it could look like pure mayhem.
The day’s first session was a plug into our digital future. The panel featured powerhouses like Swiggy’s Arjun Choudhary, MakeMyTrip’s Sanket Tulangekar, HUL’s Tejas Apte, and Voltas’ Pragya Bijalwan. They explored how generative AI is revolutionising consumer journeys and internal workflows. From predictive HVAC systems to Swiggy’s AI co-pilots and MakeMyTrip’s charming assistant Myra, the takeaway was clear: AI isn’t coming—it’s already living in your apps, ads and everyday life.
Next, the WARC Pace Principle report drop added another layer of intrigue. With insights from Biprorshee Das and Sujeet Kulkarni, marketers were reminded that the holy grail of effectiveness lies in harmony—not between brand and performance, but across time. As Sujeet put it: “It’s not brand plus performance. It’s brand-time-performance.” Translation? Don’t just build brands or chase clicks—do both, and do it smartly over time.
Of course, no Goafest would be complete without its introspective moments, and they came thick and fast. The Mardon Wali Baat panel unpacked masculinity in advertising with both honesty and humor. Infectious Advertising’s Nisha Singhania and Marshan.Ink’s Karthi Marshan called out lazy tropes and challenged marketers to catch up with evolving Indian men. Meanwhile, at the Beyond Pink and Blue panel, industry leaders demanded gender-conscious creativity that transcends outdated binaries. “Don’t just fix the old—build new stories,” said Talented’s PG Aditiya. And everyone nodded.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get deeper, there was a tree plantation ceremony in partnership with Earthday.org, quietly reminding everyone that creativity must be rooted in sustainability.
Parallel masterclasses added rich learning experiences — from 3D ad innovations by Shahad Anand (MediaKart) to storytelling fundamentals by Nick Eagleton (D&AD) and Split-Second Storytelling by Senthil Kumar (VML).
Between sessions, the atmosphere stayed electric—thanks in part to Advertising Rocks and Advertising Plays. Think rock band meets boardroom, with agency folks showing off musical chops that, quite frankly, make you wonder why they chose marketing and not music.
‘The Last Unskippable Medium’ spotlighted OOH as a high-impact medium. Panelists, including Shekhar Narayanaswami, Ajay Kakar, Sandeep Bommireddi and Promita Saha, emphasised creative-led, data-driven and phygital approaches. They positioned OOH as strategic, experiential and culturally rooted — the antidote to digital fatigue.
In a candid chat with Anand Narasimhan, Gautam Gambhir reflected on playing for the people, the power of conviction and why “10,000 runs don’t matter — match-winning moments do.”
The session ‘Rewriting Rules of Storytelling’ brought Suniel Shetty and Deepak Dhar in conversation with Aruna Daryanani. Shetty spoke on fitness, discipline and emotional storytelling in Hunter Season 2, while Dhar explored format innovation and adaptation in shows like Rise and Fall and The Night Manager.
A night of celebration followed with the Abby One Show Awards.
And that’s a wrap!
