CMOs at ETBWS 2025 Reveal How AI Is Quietly Redefining the Future of Marketing

At ETBrandEquity’s Brand World Summit 2025, top CMOs shared how AI is no longer just a tool for automation but a powerful growth driver that is reshaping marketing strategies, customer journeys, and brand engagement across industries.

Artificial intelligence is no longer an emerging buzzword in the marketing world. It is now the backbone of brand strategy, customer experience, and data-led growth. This was the resounding takeaway from ETBrandEquity’s Brand World Summit 2025, where top marketers came together to discuss the changing face of marketing in the age of AI. From real-time insights to hyper-personalised messaging, brands are now integrating AI into every step of the consumer journey.

The panel featured industry leaders like Ashish Mishra from Acko, Darshana Shah from Aditya Birla Capital, Sai Narayan from Policybazaar, and Krishna Kota from DBS Bank India. Each speaker brought insights into how AI is being adopted not just to experiment, but to create scalable, measurable value.

Ashish Mishra highlighted how brands are currently using AI mainly for predictive purposes. From segmenting audiences to identifying fraud patterns, predictive AI has been central in helping brands make faster, data-backed decisions. However, he noted that generative AI is still being explored cautiously due to concerns around accuracy and relevance.

Darshana Shah reflected on the shift from AI being an enabler to becoming a true growth engine. She explained how AI first entered the marketing ecosystem through conversational bots and journey mapping tools. Today, it has matured into a system that fuels hyper-personalisation, allowing brands to deliver tailored experiences across every channel. However, she also warned of the persistent biases embedded in AI tools, especially in visual content generation, where cultural stereotypes still influence outputs. Her team is actively working to retrain models and reduce these inaccuracies.

Sai Narayan shared how Policybazaar tackled a major conversion challenge using AI. Since insurance customers often require support outside regular business hours, the brand launched Finova AI, a multilingual chatbot that responds to queries in Indic languages. This bot not only engages customers contextually but also improves the effectiveness of human agents during follow-ups. As a result, their lead conversion rates saw a significant jump.

Krishna Kota from DBS Bank discussed how the foundation of successful AI deployment lies in data organisation. Back in 2017, DBS created ADA, a robust analytics data architecture that powers all AI-driven operations across the bank. From tracking over ten thousand signals per customer in Singapore to deploying frameworks like NBN and NBC, which offer personalised financial nudges and conversations, the bank has built a seamless data-to-action model that truly embodies intelligent engagement.

All panellists agreed on one crucial point. For AI to be transformative, it must rest on a strong marketing foundation. Data integrity, ethical use of insights, and constant model refinement are essential. AI can amplify results, but only if it is used with intention, context, and clarity of purpose.

With the rapid evolution of consumer behaviour and rising expectations for real-time personalisation, AI is set to become the heartbeat of marketing. Brands that invest in building internal capabilities and thoughtful frameworks will not only stay ahead but will also redefine how marketing adds value to business.

For more updates on marketing innovation, brand strategy, and the future of AI in business, follow Marketing Moves on Instagram and Facebook.