Q] What factors primarily influence your marketing and media spends? What is the marketing mix for the brand: priority mediums and those that are optional?
Our media mix is largely influenced by shifts in consumer behaviour and changes in the broader landscape. We closely track evolving retail dynamics while aligning our investments with the strategic growth priorities of our brands. In terms of prioritised mediums, we have a strong presence in digital, optimising across programmatic, social media, video and commerce platforms. Television also continues to play a critical role, particularly in the CPG category, as it delivers the scale and effectiveness required for mass reach. We have also been increasing investments in influencers, as they help drive deeper engagement and advocacy. Print and outdoor are used more selectively, either to build local relevance or to amplify specific brands or campaigns. Overall, our approach is about striking the right balance between reaching consumers at scale and driving meaningful engagement while maximising the impact of our campaigns.
Q] As a media lead, how is media strategy today influencing brand growth and consumer engagement differently compared to earlier approaches?
At Mondelez, media strategy is integral to driving business growth and consumer engagement. Our approach is rooted in data-driven planning and AI-enabled tools to ensure that our media investments deliver attention, quality and efficiency across initiatives. While building reach remains an important component of media planning, we also aim to shape meaningful connections through personalised content, advocacy and contextual relevance, so consumers do not just notice our brands but actively engage with them. This helps us build long-term loyalty and strengthen brand equity.
Q] Which is the medium that has traditionally given you the most returns? Looking forward, which platform are you betting on?
Over the last five to seven years, we have consistently increased our investment in digital media and seen strong incremental returns from it. Television has remained largely stable and continues to be an effective medium for driving reach. Digital, however, plays a significant role not only in building brand purpose but also in driving incremental volumes, making it a clear priority within our media strategy. Going forward, we will also focus on Quick Commerce and Connected TV. This is a space that is growing very rapidly.
Q] Which metrics or KPIs matter most to you when evaluating media campaigns, and how do they shape future strategies?
We track the regular media metrics that most advertisers focus on—reach, attention, efficiency, effectiveness, Return on Investment (ROI), brand lift and sales impact. These metrics guide our investment plans and help us decide which platforms to prioritise, what formats to invest in and which partnerships to build. At the same time, we continuously optimise campaigns, learning from ongoing performance and strengthening our understanding of what works and what does not. These insights shape our future strategies. Beyond short-term performance indicators, we also track long-term measures such as brand health, consistent loyalty and sustained engagement, ensuring that we evaluate both immediate impact and long-term growth.
Q] What is the most innovative media plan that you have ever had for the brand, where the choice of media took the campaign to another level?
A standout example for us would be the Cannes-winning campaign for Cadbury 5 Star during Valentine’s Day, where we flipped expectations by inviting audiences to literally erase the day through a fictional time travel mission. The involvement of space scientist Narayanan Nambi gave the idea—which was otherwise whimsical—a strong sense of authenticity. The campaign used a mix of creators, memes and highly shareable formats amplified on social media, turning it into a cultural moment.
What truly elevated the campaign was not just the creative idea but the orchestration of media with a social-first approach. The partnerships we built with creators, the hooks used in the narrative and the earned media amplification it generated helped the campaign go far beyond a traditional media effort.
Q] What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in today’s media landscape, and how does your team navigate them to deliver impactful campaigns?
One of the biggest challenges for marketers today is the fragmentation of consumer attention driven by the proliferation of platforms. Consumers are spoilt for choice, and that has also contributed to rising media inflation. At the same time, increasing privacy regulations and evolving laws have limited the signals available on consumer behaviour across platforms. The absence of unified cross-platform measurement remains a persistent industry challenge because most systems continue to operate in silos.
At the same time, there are strong opportunities emerging. AI-driven planning and buying will play a significant role going forward, while commerce media is another major growth area. Creator and influencer ecosystems remain extremely important because they help build brand equity beyond traditional communication. Our approach is to strike a balance between proven scale mediums and emerging platforms. We ensure that data is used meaningfully and linked back to business outcomes. As an organisation, we remain agile, constantly testing and learning to understand what works and what does not, and using those insights to build stronger campaigns.
