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IFCCI MarCom Committee Interaction on 'What Makes a Brand Matter Today?'

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The IFCCI MarCom Committee brought together an intimate group of senior marketing and communications leaders in Mumbai for a fireside conversation.

What makes a brand matter today?

The IFCCI MarCom Committee brought together an intimate group of senior marketing and communications leaders in Mumbai for a fireside conversation around this very question, held on the sidelines of the 49th IFCCI Annual General Meeting on 29 September and hosted by Pernod Ricard India at its Mumbai office.

The session began with a welcome address by Anuja Sharma, Communications Manager, IFCCI, who welcomed the guests and highlighted the Committee’s efforts to create meaningful platforms for the MarCom community, including key initiatives and engagements over the past year.

The fireside conversation, moderated by Pierre de Greef, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard, opened with a discussion on India’s rapidly evolving consumer landscape - shaped by rising aspirations, changing lifestyles, greater global exposure and an increasing appetite for quality, innovation and new experiences. Pierre highlighted how, in such an environment, building a meaningful brand requires more than scale or visibility. It calls for staying close to consumers, understanding how aspirations are evolving, continuously innovating and bringing together global capabilities with deep local understanding to create propositions that are relevant to the Indian market. The discussion then explored the shift from visibility to relevance - and how brands can stand out in an increasingly crowded landscape, build trust and reputation, and create experiences that remain meaningful to consumers.

Harish Sarma, Marketing & Product Director, Pluxee India, brought a compelling B2B & B2C perspective, emphasising that brands need to go beyond earning attention to earning memory. He highlighted the importance of meaningful differentiation, consistent experiences and understanding the needs of both the buyer and the everyday user - because the person who chooses a brand and the person who experiences it may not always be the same.

Vinifer Gandhi, Communications & CSR Head, Sanofi India, shared perspectives on the evolving role of communications in building reputation, purpose, sustainability and trust. She also spoke about Sanofi’s ambition to become the first biopharma company powered by AI at scale, and how AI is being applied across the medicine development cycle to accelerate innovation and bring new therapies closer to patients.

Across the conversation, one idea resonated strongly: visibility may get a brand noticed, but relevance, experience and credibility are what make it matter.

The diversity of perspectives in the room, spanning sectors including consumer, healthcare, technology, energy, retail and hospitality, made for a particularly enriching exchange of ideas and experiences.

A sincere thank you to Pierre de Greef and the team at Pernod Ricard India for hosting us, and to Vinifer Gandhi and Harish Sarma for sharing their insights and experiences so generously. Thank you as well to all the MarCom Committee members who joined and contributed to the conversation.

The afternoon concluded with informal networking, giving members an opportunity to continue the conversations, exchange perspectives and build connections beyond the fireside discussion.

Over the past year, the IFCCI MarCom Committee has created diverse opportunities for the community to connect and learn - from knowledge sessions on emerging trends such as Gen AI and consumer intelligence, as well as the maiden edition of the flagship IFCCI MarCom Fest. The Committee is now looking forward to planning the next edition in 2027. We would also like to thank Rajat Abbi, Chair, IFCCI MarCom Committee, and Ankita Upadhyay, Vice-Chair, IFCCI MarCom Committee, for their continued support and leadership in strengthening the MarCom community.