From vanity metrics to value: The changing shifts in marketing & tech

If you scan the headlines, one pattern stands out: we’ve moved from AI experiments to AI at the core of business. Reliance is setting up a dedicated AI unit, Google is rolling out AI Search in Hindi and beyond, and HubSpot just built AI into how marketers engage customers.

Photo by Walls.io on unsplash

But AI isn’t the only story. A few signals worth noting:

🔹 Budgets are shifting from vanity metrics to revenue-linked KPIs like retention and lifetime value.

🔹 Premiumisation is real. In India and beyond, people are willing to pay for aspirational products, not just value-for-money basics.

🔹 Data privacy & compliance will shape how far personalisation can go. First-party data is now gold.

🔹 India’s tech ecosystem is evolving fast. The generative AI market is set to 7x by 2030; drone hubs and even laptop manufacturing are moving local.

What this means for leaders:

• For tech leaders, AI isn’t a feature. It’s the foundation.

• For marketing leaders, always-on personalisation, compounding channels (SEO, communities, evergreen content), and brand trust will define winners.

  
  

The next wave won’t be about who adopts AI first but who uses it to create meaningful, long-term value.