From visibility to value creation

Mumbai

10th April’26

In South India’s hyper-connected marketplace, brand leadership is no longer defined by share of voice alone, but by share of value within culturally nuanced, vernacular-first ecosystems. As digital adoption accelerates across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, CMOs are navigating a landscape where language, local culture, commerce, and real-time consumer experience converge. Modern B2C brands in the region must move beyond metro-centric visibility to drive measurable impact — balancing performance with purpose, storytelling in Tamil and Telugu with scale, and innovation with authenticity that resonates in all regions.

The Digital Imperative

Digital ads spend

≈46% of India’s total advertising market, overtaking many traditional formats

FY 2024-25 spend

₹1.11 lakh crore overall; digital grew ~20% YoY to ₹49,000 crore

Digital audience

1 billion internet users, 500 million social media users, 750 million smartphones

Regional Relevance is Key
While digital transformation is global, brand resonance is local. Language, lifestyle, and cultural codes shape consumer identity. These metrics demonstrate that visibility alone is no longer sufficient, brands must convert reach and data insights into meaningful consumer value and regional resonance, particularly in diverse markets such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, where cultural and digital nuances are shaping new brand leadership imperatives.

The event brings together marketing leaders at a defining moment where brands are moving beyond campaign-led communication toward enterprise-wide value creation while positioning marketing at the core of growth strategy. Today’s CMO is not just driving awareness, but architecting influence across consumer journeys, revenue streams, and long-term brand equity.

Nowhere is this shift more pronounced than in South India, a region that is not just digitally advanced, but culturally distinct and fiercely language-first. While digital scale may be national, resonance in the South is deeply local. Consumer identity here is shaped by linguistic pride, cinema influence, political awareness, community networks, and strong regional aspirations across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.

As growth accelerates, brands can no longer rely on metro-led narratives or Hinglish playbooks. The next frontier of leadership lies in mastering regional depth at scale which is blending data with cultural intelligence, and performance with trust.

This event invites leading CMOs to explore how regional insight can become a strategic growth engine
by transforming brands from being visible across markets to being truly understood within them.

Join us for this exclusive event, hosted by ET Edge, a Times Group initiative, to showcase the latest insights, strategies, and innovations shaping B2C brand leadership in today’s digital and regional markets. This conversation will empower marketing leaders to address today’s challenges and embrace innovative strategies and advanced technologies.

Agenda
17.30 - 18.00Welcome & Networking
18.00 – 18.05Opening Remarks
18.15 – 19.00Panel Discussion: “Thambi, Vernacular First “Unlocking Growth in South India’s Digital Ecosystem
19.00 - 19.15Fireside Chat: One App to Rule Them All, The Superstar of South India: Hyperlocal, High-Frequency, High-Impact
19.15 – 19:30Spotlight Session: The Way2News Advantage - From Vernacular to Value, Driving Deeper Engagement Through Native-Language Content
19:30 – 20:00Panel Discussion: Scroll South, Win Big - Reaching All Consumers Effectively
20:00 – 20:30A Discussion: Enna da Rascala! To Mind It!”: Why Cracking the South Story Isn’t Child’s Play
20.30 - 20.35Closing Remarks
20.35 onwardsDinner and Cocktails
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