As marketing technology rapidly evolves, India’s leading brands are going beyond traditional demographics to tap deep into consumer psychology, leveraging AI, data, and behavioral insights to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale. This was the central theme of the fifth edition of the e4m MarTech Thursday Webinar, moderated by Brij Pahwa, Editorial Lead of MarTech at e4m, featuring industry stalwarts Anand Thakur (GroupM Nexus), Lucky Saini (Fyers), and Richa Jaggi (Awshad).
“We are no longer just targeting demographics or designing funnels. We are decoding mindsets, motivations, and behavioral triggers,” Pahwa said, framing the discussion on the evolving role of MarTech in marketing.
Anand Thakur, Head of Technology and Automation at GroupM Nexus, highlighted how AI and machine learning have revolutionized data usage, enabling brands to personalize engagement with unprecedented precision. “We are doing hyper-personalization through AI and data. We conduct predictive analysis, behavioral targeting, and sentiment analysis to create deep emotional connections with our audiences,” he explained. Thakur emphasized the importance of integrating emotional resonance into campaigns, stating that sentiment analysis helps brands build not only engagement but also real-time responsiveness, including crisis management.
While many associate automation with AI, Lucky Saini, CMO of fintech platform Fyers, pointed out that the current landscape is still dominated by automated recommendation engines based on past consumer behavior. “Recommendation engines today primarily operate on automation, looking at purchase and browsing history. But the future lies in intent-based segmentation, understanding financial personalities rather than mere demographics,” he said. Saini described how Fyers uses micro-movements in consumer behavior to craft hyper-personalized nudges that feel human rather than robotic. “The trick is making automation look and feel human. Once automation feels like automation, it loses the psychological connection with consumers.”
Richa Jaggi, Co-Founder and CMO of Awshad, a medical cannabis startup, provided a unique perspective on navigating marketing challenges in a stigmatized and heavily regulated category. “We are a startup with limited budgets, selling a prescription-based product that is also taboo for many,” Jaggi said. She described how Awshad cleverly sidestepped restrictions on advertising cannabis by focusing on consumer issues such as sleep and anxiety, and creatively using cannabis leaf imagery as their brand hero. “That resonated especially well with millennials and Gen Z, who understand the cultural significance,” she noted.
Jaggi also revealed an insightful consumer behavior pattern: “While we initially believed product purity would drive sales, our gummies outsold oils because consumers preferred the format. Format is king, not just ingredients.” She emphasized how word of mouth and authentic customer testimonials fueled their growth despite minimal advertising spend.
On the topic of trust, a vital emotional trigger especially in fintech, Saini underscored transparency as a cornerstone of consumer confidence. “Trust is an outcome, not a product you sell by saying ‘trust us’. People look for institutional credibility, social proof, and transparency,” he said. Fyers goes as far as publicly displaying platform uptime to assure users of system reliability—a rarity in the industry. “When you publicly show 99.99% uptime, customers feel safer investing, especially on high-stakes days like elections or festivals,” Saini explained.
The panel also discussed how brands must balance personalization with consumer privacy. Jaggi noted the thin line marketers tread to avoid over-targeting: “If a customer sees an ad too many times without taking action, we stop showing it to save budget and avoid fatigue. It’s important not to annoy the customer with relentless retargeting.” She expressed aspirations for predictive analytics that can better anticipate the exact moment a consumer is ready to convert.
Anand Thakur concluded with insights on evolving technologies: “Data keeps growing and so do the algorithms. We use machine learning models to predict campaign outcomes and help marketers optimize spend in real time.” He emphasized the importance of interpreting data into actionable intelligence that aligns with the specific goals of each campaign, whether awareness, traffic, or sales.
The conversation revealed a common thread: MarTech today is not just about automation and technology, but about embedding empathy, trust, and human understanding into marketing at scale. As Pahwa summarized, “MarTech is becoming about empathy at scale—listening deeply, decoding emotions, and building genuine relationships with consumers.”
With India’s brands increasingly leveraging AI-driven insights into consumer psychology, the marketing landscape is set to become more personalized, emotionally intelligent, and ultimately more effective.
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