A consumer today can discover a product through a short-form video, receive an AI-generated recommendation and complete the purchase on a connected TV screen. Those moments used to be planned as separate campaigns. ETBrandEquity.com’s DigiPlus Fest 2026 is built around the harder job of joining them into one connected journey.
A single agenda for fragmented attention
On 25 September, the summit will bring senior marketing leaders and industry experts to The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences. Discussions will focus on AI-powered discovery, connected TV, omnichannel marketing and measurement, with the stated goal of making media investments work harder.
The underlying shift is from reach to relevance. Brands are being pushed to understand consumers across touchpoints and connect them, rather than optimize each channel in a silo.
The scale behind the conversation
India’s digital ad spends are projected to grow 15% to ₹56,400 crore in FY2026, according to the event organisers. That growth is not concentrated in one place. Connected TV alone is estimated to have 40 million users and is expected to reach 50 million by the end of the year—roughly a 25% jump that makes the living room screen a conversion surface, not just a branding backdrop.
Against that backdrop, the summit will look at:
- AI-powered discovery and recommendation journeys
- Connected TV’s growing role in purchase paths
- Omnichannel planning across fragmented consumer moments
- Measurement that links attention to outcomes
Who’s in the room
Marketing leaders from Motorola, Pernod Ricard India, The Coca-Cola Company, Axis Bank and InfoEdge are part of the agenda. Other sessions will draw on storytelling, omnichannel marketing and AI-powered media from ITC Hotels, Dabur, ixigo, Mamaearth and Relaxo.
The summit is supported by presenting partner Samsung Ads; gold partner BTS Digital Sitecore; silver partner Consuma AI; supporting partner TransUnion; rewards partner Xoxoday; exhibitors Pepper, Unstop and ReBid; startup zone partner Poocho; and gifting partners EKAM and Love Child by Masaba.
What it means for marketing teams
For CMOs, the summit is a benchmark for how India’s biggest brands are operationalising AI and connected TV inside their growth plans. For students and early-career marketers, it is a preview of where digital marketing jobs are heading: fewer channel specialists working in isolation, more full-funnel thinkers who can connect discovery, recommendation and purchase data.
The practical takeaway is to map the entire journey before choosing channels. Start with the consumer moment—where attention begins, where the recommendation happens, where the purchase closes—and only then decide which platforms and measurement signals belong in the plan.
Source: ETBrandEquity.com
