A s we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Lalatendu Das, CEO, Publicis Media South Asia, 2025 marked a fundamental shift in media consumption and effectiveness, as scroll-led, mobile-first platforms redefined how audiences discover content, engage with brands, and convert across the media journey.
To explain what truly defined the year gone by, Das points to one clear behavioural transformation. “The most defining trend of 2025 is the rise of the scroll as the primary mode of consumer engagement. Audiences are spending more time than ever immersed in continuous, mobile-first content across social platforms, fundamentally reshaping how brands connect, influence, and convert. Scrolling has evolved from casual consumption into an always-on discovery engine where trends are born, opinions are formed, and purchase decisions are made in real time. As a result, social is no longer confined to upper-funnel awareness - it now spans the entire consumer journey. Brands are leveraging creators and influencers to drive authentic discovery, using social storytelling to build consideration, and seamlessly integrating social commerce to enable instant conversion. Success in this environment demands relevance, speed, and cultural fluency, with content designed to earn attention rather than interrupt it.”
Looking ahead, Das believes the next phase of growth will be shaped not by any single channel, but by the deep integration of data, platforms, and intelligence across the media ecosystem. He says, “Looking ahead to 2026, three powerful forces will redefine how brands build meaningful connections and measurable outcomes. First is the rise of Deterministic Audiences. As the ecosystem gets more and more fragmented by walled gardens brands will look for access to 3rd party deterministic audiences to orchestrate experiences across media channels. This goes beyond probabilistic targeting and enabling brands to truly know their customers - understanding behaviors, preferences, and intent with greater accuracy, consistency, and respect for privacy. This will unlock smarter planning, sharper personalization, and higher ROI. Second is the convergence of media, commerce, social, and CRM into a single, unified ecosystem - what we call Connected Media. Silos will disappear as data, content, and transactions integrate seamlessly, allowing brands to orchestrate experiences across Paid, Owned, Shared and Earned Media that drive both brand equity and business results. Finally, Everyday AI will become embedded across advertising. Agentic AI will autonomously plan, create, optimize, and learn - transforming speed, scale, and effectiveness. Together, these trends signal a future where media is more connected, intelligent, and outcome-driven than ever before.”
(As told to Jennifer Thomas)
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