Goafest 2023 Day Three: A Rewind

Music, cinema, gender, future of creativity and media buying, there was a lot to be discussed.

A good song can start your day on a fabulous note. Make that plenty of songs on day three of Goafest 2023. Playback singer Papon crooned his biggest hits which got the crowd out of its dreamy stupor effortlessly. The performance got an extra touch when McCann Worldwide chief Prasoon Joshi got on stage and sang a few notes.

From the world of notes and beats, the next journey of the final day of Goafest took everyone to the future courtesy Accenture Song’s creative chairperson.

Nick Law, in his panel, did not lay down the law but he did lay down principles, seven if you will, on the future of creativity. He can do this because he is the creative chairperson of Accenture Song, a digital agency formerly known as Accenture Song.

He wants companies to have consistent principles, possesses a collaborative personality, communicate with clarity, be adaptable to changes, work closely with technology, keep it simple, and finally, consideration is the most important part of the marketing funnel.

Post lunch, the hall was once again filled with music as the industry came together to celebrate its musical talent. Several bands from different ad agencies across the country performed musical numbers.

Panellists discussed various issues plaguing media agencies today in the session Breaking the Old Mould. Moderated by Sam Balsara, chairman, Madison World, the panellists included Aditi Mishra, CEO, Lodestar UM, Amin Lakhani, CEO, South Asia, Mindshare, Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India, and Naveen Khemka, CEO South Asia, Essence Mediacom.

All the panellists agreed on the need to change the nomenclature of media agencies. While some said it needs to be called growth partners or media partners, Balsara said it needs to have marketing in it.

The session concluded with an announcement that recommendations and guidelines will be put out in the next three months after discussions with the executive committee of AAAI. The panel also discussed the lack of an ideal structure, the quality of talent and training of the media agencies people.

Megha Tata, CEO, Cosmos Maya India Pvt Ltd, moderated the session 'IAA - Voice Of Change on Gender Bias'. The panel, that included Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia, Kailashnath Adhikari, Business Head, Sri Adhikari Brothers Network,  Anand Narsimhan, managing editor, Network18, and Tarun Katial, founder & CEO, Coto, delved deep into the pervasive issue of gender bias and its multifaceted impact on our societies.

Unanimously, the panel agreed that merit needs to be the driving force and that the change needs to begin at home in the way we teach and treat our children. The panellists also stressed the need to create a future where everyone's potential knows no boundaries, irrespective of gender. The discussion uncovered the immense potential that lies in questioning established norms, pushing boundaries, and embracing the unconventional.

In the final session, actors Tabu and Rana Daggubati discussed the Future of Indian Cinema with Rajeev Masand, former critic and COO of Dharma Cornerstone Agency.  speak about the path charted for Indian Cinema. They explored the landscape of Indian cinema and focused on how technology can transform artistic freedom.