Those who seamlessly integrate AI into their jobs will thrive: Oindrila Roy, Publicis India

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has taken the world by storm and there have been discussions on whether AI would replace humans.

Recently, news also surfaced that as per Google’s political content policy, advertisers need to disclose election ads that were AI generated.

Oindrila Roy, managing director, Publicis India, said, “AI is an ally, much like any other technology; It will only help us do our jobs better. We should focus on people who quickly adapt to AI. Those who seamlessly integrate AI into their jobs will thrive, free from the fear of being replaced.”

Roy also touched upon long standing agency-client relationships, disruptions in the advertising and marketing space, the newly launched Boss Lady Program and a lot more.

Edited Excerpts

How crucial is the culture of an agency in fostering healthy associations between a client and an agency? How has Publicis India’s culture fostered that?

Shared values and beliefs are the foundation of any strong relationship. When an agency’s values align with its clients’ values, it creates an unshakeable sense of trust and mutual respect. At Publicis India, we believe that a strong agency culture has the potential to be a major differentiator in this competitive world where everything else can be easily replicated.

Just to give you an example, one of our values upholds the spirit of teamwork and collaboration. We believe that there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. We play in our clients’ team. We work together, win, and lose together. No matter who passes the ball or who scores the goal, at all times, we remember that the team needs to win. This indicates our ownership of and accountability for our client’s business.

This is the era of AI and there have been talks that it would replace jobs. How do you perceive the role of AI in the arena of advertising?

AI is an ally, much like any other technology; It will only help us do our jobs better. I don’t think we should fear machines replacing us. Instead, we should focus on people who quickly adapt to AI. Those who seamlessly integrate AI into their jobs will thrive, free from the fear of being replaced.

There are increasing conversations around changing client-agency relationships with shorter engagement between the two. What is your take on this? Could you provide some of the long-standing clients of Publicis India?

Yes, I do hear of short-term engagements between agencies and their clients. But most of our clients have been with us for a very long time. For example, HDFC Mutual Fund, one of the top 3 brands in the AMC space, has been our client for two-and-a-half decades. We are extremely proud of the relationship and how the agency has nurtured the brand since its inception.

We have been a partner in the multifold growth journey of Enamor, the fashion lingerie brand, for the last 11 years. Our partnership with Times Television Network started over a decade back and we have been working with Zee since 2017 and continue to have a very strong relationship with them. These brands, and so many others, have been with us for such long periods.

These relationships are a result of our strong understanding of their business as well as the culture of ownership created by the leadership at the agency. Paritosh Srivastava, our CEO, CSO - Snehasis Bose, and our two NCDs, Aman Mannan and Shitu Patil, are all involved in our clients’ businesses at a strategic level. We are fairly focused on their business growth. Ultimately, clients seek peace of mind that their brands are with a team that is invested in their success.

What will disrupt the advertising and marketing industry this year?

The advertising and marketing industry is going through a sea of change. Apart from AI which sits at the heart of many welcome changes, there are a few more interesting developments that are worth taking note of. Here are two that I am keenly observing:

The Personalisation Boom - Rethinking brand building for the customer journey: With the crumbling of third-party cookies, marketers are paying a lot more attention to their user data, closely taking note of their shopping carts, purchase history, and browsing behaviour. The treasure trove of behavioural data has unlocked hyper personalisation – tailored messages, recommendations and seamless omnichannel experiences.

As consumers increasingly crave personalisation, marketers are doubling down to refine their overall consumer journey to stay ahead. This growing focus on personalisation and refining of the consumer journey is disrupting how we build brands to grow businesses.

Transformation of the Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Experience Officer: The new head of marketing is no longer just responsible for building a brand. In today’s customer-centric environment, they are also expected to drive business growth by leveraging first-party data. With a change in their role, their agency partner of choice is also undergoing a sea of change. Agencies that offer them full-funnel solutions leveraging their customer data are preferred. Publicis Groupe’s ‘Power of One’ model was fundamentally designed based on this insight and we are seeing a lot of traction for the Groupe in this shifting landscape.

On March 8, the Boss Lady Program initiative was launched. Could you explain its genesis and its progress so far?

Advertising thrives on diverse perspectives. We are at our best when we have strong representation across gender and age groups working together. In my career, I have seen many women with great leadership potential leave due to factors such as long work hours, intense competition, lack of role models and career guidance.

Recognising these challenges and the importance of empowering future women leaders, we launched the Boss Lady Program for women in mid-management at Publicis India. The initiative focuses on providing mentorship and targeted support to equip our high-potential women talent with the skills and capabilities necessary to navigate and excel in the industry.

Moreover, being part of a large group allows us to tap into the experience and learnings of women leaders from across the Groupe to benefit the agency­. I strongly believe that by helping women overcome these barriers, we are paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive workforce in the future.

Since its inception, the Boss Lady Program has shown promising results. It spans 8 months with a critical 6-month mentoring phase designed to offer guidance and support. Participants, including both mentors and mentees, have shown strong engagement and commitment. Despite being in the early stages, the programme has already begun to demonstrate positive outcomes.

Moving forward, what are your aspirations for the Boss Lady Program and how will it mentor women leaders of tomorrow?

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to benefit from the guidance of great mentors. Through both formal coaching and informal support, I have managed to confront the inner doubts that can hinder success. As women, we sometimes hesitate to discuss our unique challenges for fear of being perceived as weak.

The programme is designed to create a space for women to openly talk about these challenges in their career journey, facilitating their resolution and growth. The programme will instil in our future women leaders the confidence that only a safe space can provide. Publicis Groupe India has many strong women leaders, which only shows that a workplace under strong and confident female leadership will inevitably thrive.

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