mCube 2018: The Evolution of Marketing in India

Rachna Kanwar, COO - Digital, Jagran New Media was a juror for the mCube Awards 2018

Technological advancements have disrupted all sectors and industries, and the marketing function is no exception. With numerous innovations both in the digital and physical spaces, the evolution of marketing has been more significant in the last decade than, perhaps, in the entire history of its existence. The old-school principles of marketing are being redefined each day with numerous creative professionals and organizations executing groundbreaking campaigns and activations.

Enterprises are extensively leveraging the potential of digital platforms, including but not limited to social media and mobile, to create impactful marketing and advertising properties for the respective clients. Technologies such as Robotics, IoT, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Automation, Programmatic Display and Machine Learning are significantly transforming the ways marketing has been traditionally approached. There is a convergence of digital enablers with physical modes of outreach to enhance the user experience and recall.

Mukesh Jain, VFS global giving away awards at the ceremony

Niche marketing is also at its innovative best with numerous online and offline channels offering highly targeted, relevant and measurable ways of reaching out to the specified audience. Moreover, with the proliferation of social applications and devices, all users are now media by themselves and any content that can engage, entertain or add any value to the audience has the potential of becoming popular among the masses, and attaining a 'viral' status. With the viral phenomenon becoming more common, a new breed of celebrities has emerged, and marketers are leaving no stone unturned to capitalize on the popularity and reach of these 'social influencers'.

Likewise, marketing through events, OOH media, Public Relations, and other BTL channels has also seen radical transformations with the influx of technologies such as GPS, NFC, M2M, and 3D printing and displays to name a few. Creative application of these technologies have enabled marketers to offer unparalleled experiences directly to end consumers.

In light of these developments, Inkspell Media organized the second edition of Masters of Modern Marketing (mCube) Conference and Awards. mCube 2018 was an endeavour to acknowledge and reward the pioneering and impactful work being done in the marketing space by individuals, agencies, brands, and communities. mCube is the only platform where marketing efforts are recognized at such a comprehensive level in India.

The programme also included discussions and addresses by the industry leaders on the upcoming trends and practices in the marketing domain. Some of the topics that were discussed across several sessions included:

1. Marketing in a mobile-first world.
2. The Viral Quotient
3. What if sales is built like a game?
4. Future of display advertising in India.
5. The Digital, the Social and the Transformational marketer.

Panel Discussion on the Viral Quotient moderated by Vivek Bhargava Panelists include Balaji Vaidyanathan, Vijay Koshi, Sachin Vashishtha, Rajasekar KS, Amit Tandon, Sachin Uppal and Mayur Sethi

Snehi Mehta (Facebook), Vivek Bhargava (DAN Performance Group), Vijay Koshy (The Viral Fever), Sachin Vashishtha (Paisabazaar.com), Rajasekar KS (Matrimony.com), Sachin Uppal (Play Games 24'7 Pvt. Ltd), Mayur Sethi (Wittyfeed), Rituraj Bidwai (Mahindra Susten), Pradeep Iyengar (Kruti Promotions & Events), Kushal Agarwal (XOXODAY), Amit Shah (Yes Bank), Amit Tandon (Healthkart), Anil Kumar Singh (Neo@Ogilvy), Archana Aggarwal (Airtel), Arun Malkhani (IIFL), Balaji Vaidyanathan (Franklin Templeton), Binda Dey (Red Chillies), Diptakirti Chaudhuri (Manipal Global Education Services), Gagan Singla (Angel Broking), Girish Kalra (ICICI Lombard General Insurance Corporation), Manav Sethi (ALTBalaji), Mukesh Jain (VFS Global), Nandita Khaire (RemBrand Consulting), Naveen Kukreja (Paisabazaar.com), Pavan R. Chawla (AdfactorsPR), Prashant Puri (Adlift), Rachna Kanwar (Jagran Group), Rachna Prasad (Oxigen Wallet), Rahul Ramchandani (DoubleClick by Google) and Sugato Banerji (Videocon D2H) were the speakers and jurors at the mCube 2018.

iProspect India won the Marketing Enterprise of the Year award, while The Viral Fever was declared the Best Marketing Startup. Adhil Shetty from Bankbazaar.com was declared Marketing Influencer of the Year and Nikhil Rastogi from Citi Bank was adjudged the Marketer of the Year.

The other enterprises and agencies which were awarded in various categories include Bang in the Middle, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance, Sony LIV, VML India, India Today, Info Edge, MY FM KE RANGREZZ, Motivator World, DViO Digital, News18, VYRL Originals, Fullerton India, Zeta, Cipla, sunSTRATEGIC, Bajaj Finserv, Techmagnate, Myntra, Amazon, Godrej Nature's Basket, Schbang, IBM, Ogilvy, PaisaBazaar, Lifestyle, Adlift, Kent RO , Monk Media Network, Franklin Templeton, Tata Motors , QED Productions, Arihant Superstructures , NetBiz, ValueFirst Digital, Motilal Oswal , Edelweiss, Inextis, Mid-day.com , Jagran New Media, Titan, Acme Experience Marketing, Flipkart, SPAR India , Webenza, Toyota, Brandwidth Events, Schneider Electric , Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Eros Now, Motivator World, Kenscio, Narayana Health, Star Gold, PowerDrift Studios, Sony Pictures Networks, Franklin Templeton, Abbott, Indegene, Exide Life Insurance, ALTBalaji, White Rivers Media, Raymond, iProspect India, HP, Magnon EG+, ICICI Bank, GoAir, RepIndia, U Cypher, Sparkt, Thomas Cook, Logicserve Digital, Netcore , Airtel, Vserv, Loylty Rewardz, Magnon TBWA, Radio City, Techmagnate, Phoenix One Bangalore West, W for Women, SingleInterface, Deutsche Bank, The Good Edge, Plan B, FrogIdeas, Jim Beam, Bloomberg Quint , iProspect India, Mahindra Comviva, ARM Worldwide, FilterCopy, Godrej Goodknight, Schbang, Raw Pressery, Munna Michael, Croma, Whisper, The Viral Fever, Citi Bank, Publicis India, Yatra, Big Bazaar, Mcanvas, Aajtak.com, TechMahindra, and AMFI.

For more detailed information on the categories and the respective winners, visit: www.mcubeawards.com

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