The rapid expansion of marketing technology (Martech) has transformed marketing from an art into a science. Amid a deluge of over 15,000 available tools, marketers today grapple with complexity, data silos, and the challenge of unifying consumer experiences. But according to Chandan Mukherjee, Director and Head of Marketing at Nestlé India, the solution lies not in more technology alone, but in a clear, people-centric strategy focused squarely on outcomes and purpose.

During a recent conversation moderated by Brij Pahwa, Mukherjee shared a deeply pragmatic vision for Martech. When asked by Pahwa what "surviving the Martech revolution" actually means to marketers today, Mukherjee responded thoughtfully:

“Marketing technology is actually, you know, the fusion of marketing strategies and technology tools, which enable marketers to execute and analyze and optimize campaigns at scale.”

Mukherjee emphasizes that while technology has expanded possibilities immensely, the core of successful marketing remains unchanged: understanding and serving the consumer.

“When marketing started, of course, it had a very human sort of an outlook. It still remains, you know, people at the center of all marketing,” Mukherjee explained, “but that's now enabled much more through the entire funnel, using data, technology, automation, AI, personalization, and using all kinds of digital infrastructure of modern marketing operations.”

Mukherjee underscores that the essence of Martech must always remain consumer-centric. He stresses that without a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to measurable outcomes, even the most advanced tools become irrelevant.

“If you're not better serving your consumer or your customer, and of course, getting the right kind of brand metrics or the right kind of ROI, then obviously, the whole ecosystem does not work,” Mukherjee said. “This ecosystem is, of course, quite complex, with more and more tools. You've just said, you know, 15,000 different tools. It's very, very important to also understand what is the purpose of these tools? What is the use of these tools? And what are the outcomes that we are trying to drive?”

Mukherjee added clarity to the ongoing Martech challenge: in a landscape flooded with options, marketers must anchor their efforts in clearly defined goals. “If you're clear on what your purpose is, if you're clear on what your efficiency goals are, if you're using intelligent, scalable, personalized consumer engagement through the right kind of tools, it's very beneficial for marketers of today,” he articulated.

The Talent Imperative

As the conversation turned to teams, Pahwa asked Mukherjee specifically about the practical challenges Nestlé’s marketing teams face in adapting to the Martech revolution.

Mukherjee responded by emphasizing the indispensable role of talent. For him, navigating Martech successfully hinges on the people behind the technology—those capable of interpreting, managing, and operationalizing vast amounts of consumer data.

“Any kind of Martech revolution, any kind of big paradigm shift, of course, has people at the heart of it,” Mukherjee stated. “It has to be led by people, driven by people, and handled by people.”

Getting the right talent, he said, is crucial. Marketers now must possess the skills to sift through extensive data, discern valuable insights, and transform those insights into meaningful consumer engagement.

“Talent remains very important in this whole journey. Talent who can make sense of all this data. Talent who can work towards stitching and knitting all this data. Talent which can understand what's the purpose, the use of the data, to what end and to what outcomes,” Mukherjee emphasized.

A Fundamental Shift: From Campaigns to Journeys

Beyond talent, Mukherjee highlighted a fundamental shift in the marketing approach at Nestlé: from isolated campaigns to continuous consumer journeys. The ability to create intelligent, contextually relevant content has become central to Nestlé’s strategy.

“The big shift is not about generating content, developing content, but also having the right kind of smart content and the right kind of smart contextual content,” Mukherjee explained.

But this content-driven approach demands integration and coordination across multiple channels and platforms. Mukherjee acknowledged that, particularly in FMCG sectors, Martech implementation encounters unique challenges due to fragmented consumer touchpoints and dispersed data sets.

“A lot of the data actually sits in different kind of systems, in different gardens, you know, different units, and they're not necessarily joined together,” he explained candidly. To overcome this, Nestlé India is exploring technologies like consumer data platforms (CDPs) to unify disparate data streams and facilitate personalized marketing initiatives.

“It’s all about trying to see how you can connect more and more dots,” Mukherjee noted. However, he realistically added that “only 10 to 20 percent of dots are connected,” indicating substantial scope for future Martech evolution and integration.

Balancing Short-term ROI with Long-term Brand Building

The conversation also addressed the perennial tension between short-term performance marketing metrics and long-term brand building. When Brij Pahwa asked Mukherjee directly about striking this delicate balance, Mukherjee shared a nuanced perspective reflective of Nestlé’s global branding strategy.

“From our perspective, if you were to prioritize one of the two, we prioritize longer-term brand building,” Mukherjee revealed. “Brands, especially in FMCG, are important from the perspective that we are in business when people come back to us again and again. Therefore, longer-term brand meaningfulness, the right kind of salience of the brand, relevance, values, personality—these matter.”

He further explained that performance marketing, when executed effectively, acts as a multiplier for brand building efforts.

“If you do proper performance marketing with the right consumer at the right moment, targeted the right way, it can actually multiply your brand building, bringing short-term results as well,” Mukherjee added.

Real-world Application: Maggi’s Martech Strategy

Bringing theory into practical context, Pahwa asked Mukherjee specifically about Nestlé’s Maggi brand, considering India’s diverse demographic landscape spanning 600 million digital users in 22 languages. Mukherjee shared insights into Nestlé’s holistic approach to hyper-local, real-time consumer engagement, highlighting the nuanced strategies employed across different Indian geographies and consumer segments.

“For a brand like Maggi, which has a very big footprint, we don't look at one particular consumer. We look at different kinds of segments, cohorts, and dissect the consumer,” he elaborated. “We integrate online and offline extensively. We understand the entire digital journey, use cross-screen work, and try to manage consumer relationships strategically across multiple platforms.”

Nestlé also employs advanced Martech tools in influencer discovery and management, content distribution, and social media analytics. Mukherjee cited examples of tailored campaigns leveraging social data and smart contextual content, particularly in rural and tier-2 cities.

Martech’s Future: A Human-Centric Approach

Ultimately, Mukherjee underscored that Martech’s future is not purely technological, but inherently human. The real winners will be those marketers who leverage data and tools to better understand and engage consumers.

“The Martech piece is about being still very outcome-driven,” Mukherjee concluded. “If you’re not that, you can easily stray in an area with so many different opportunities, so many different tools. Focus on what your objectives are, your outcomes, and you can make the most of this entire ecosystem.”

In a world where technology evolves daily, Mukherjee’s insights remind marketers that the heart of Martech remains people, purpose, and measurable performance.