Adaptability is core to human nature — whether in life in general or in business or profession. So, it was a no-brainer that ‘adaptability’ was in full flow on the second day at Goafest 2024 in Mumbai with speakers and discussants holding forth on it from various angles and perspectives.

And so, when yesteryears Bollywood diva Zeenat Aman, now rediscovering herself and her passions after a long hiatus — read adapting to new environs — came on stage she naturally held delegates spellbound.

In a Knowledge Seminar titled ‘A Story Of Adaptability: From the Silver Screen to the Mobile Screen’, presented by Rajasthan Patrika, Zeenat gave an insight into her experiences as storytelling evolves in this digital age.

In conversation with  RJ Anmol, Zeenat was candid on Anmol’s query on the fact how things have changed for the lady from the time she agreed to play sister to Dev Anand — when nobody was willing to do so — to playing Rupa in Raj Kapoor’s 70s blockbuster ‘Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram’ and now.

Zeenat responded by emphasising the importance of believing in ‘what you do and giving it your all’.

She also reflected on her transition from the silver screen to social media, something that a year ago for her as she valued her privacy having been thrust into the limelight during her heyday.

“I was quite overwhelmed by the response I received on social media; it was unexpected!” she said. Notably, she achieved an engagement rate of 16.6 percent last year, surpassing Jennifer Aniston and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Zeenat also stressed the importance of honesty and being forthcoming.

She spoke about the relevance of sharing thoughts and experiences that resonate with the times, noting that people appreciate listening to genuine stories. The session offered invaluable insights into the art of adaptability in the ever-changing entertainment landscape.

Following Zeenat’s session was one on ‘Marketing Adaptability: Blending Traditional And New-Age Marketing For Brand Success’. Sponsored by News18 Network, it featured a distinguished panel of industry specialists including Chandan Mukherjee, Director & EVP at Nestle; Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles; Sukhleen Aneja, CEO of The Good Glamm Group; Sandeep Karwa, VP, Monetization at Flipkart; and Zairus Master, Chief Business Officer at Honasa Consumer Ltd. Conducting the discussion was Delshad Irani, Editor of Storyboard 18.

Zairus, through this conversation, addressed the prevalent issue of emerging brands being overly fixated on short-term goals, long-term goals and the apparent divide, stressing the importance of balancing short-term and long-term objectives. He emphasised the overarching goal of building brands and the necessity of acting swiftly to achieve business growth.

“There is only one objective and action which is to create business,” he affirmed. Thereafter, Chandan underscored the importance of fundamental principles, such as understanding consumers and the brand and utilising various integrations to achieve objectives. He noted the evolving nature of brands in today’s dynamic landscape, highlighting their ability to redefine and stretch boundaries.

Chandan also touched upon the rapid digital penetration and technological advancements, urging against drawing distinctions between traditional and modern approaches. Sukhleen, while addressing the audience said, “Fundamentally, if we have to grow, we have to keep adapting and manage the pace of change, while keeping our humility in check.”

It was then time to rock and roll with Advertising Rocks, which was presented by Mastiii and powered by MIQ. Advertising Rocks is a one-of-a-kind musical contest that provides a platform for numerous members of the advertising, media and marketing fraternity to showcase their talents and rock the stage.

Stealing the show in first place in the Solo – Indian and Solo – International category were Nishant Patil (in the picture) from Logicserve Digital Pvt. Ltd., and Bodhisattwa Banerjee from VML India, respectively.

The second half of Day 2 of Goafest 2024 began with an informative masterclass by Flipkart Ads, on the topic ‘Flipkart IRIS: Winning the e-commerce game with deep analytics’. Khushagra introduced the “new hero and friend in the market” – Flipkart IRIS (Insights and Research Intelligence System).

His colleague Saksham continued the masterclass, stating that Flipkart IRIS essentially elaborates the marketing funnel, and can process petabytes of data weekly. One of its salient features is its homepage, which gives an overview of a brand’s performance, vis-à-vis leaders as well as competitors. This masterclass left the attendees with constructive insights into achieving success in the e-commerce market today with the help of Flipkart IRIS.

Following this, a masterclass by Spotify, presented by Shraddha Shetty, provided attendees with invaluable knowledge on ‘Unlocking Spotify: Innovation Beyond Audio’, revealing that Spotify is more than just an audio platform.

She highlighted its highly engaging and immersive environment, making it ideal for brand advertising. Shraddha emphasised the importance of compelling storytelling, especially given the short attention spans of audiences. She concluded by stressing the future of Spotify as a blend of sound and sight, encouraging brands to focus on imagination, human-like communication, and contextual relevance.

The day concluded with a D&AD masterclass where Paul Drake, introduced ‘Win One, Teach One’ at the Trend Immersion Workshop, which emphasised on nurturing new talent in the creative industry through initiatives like D&AD New Blood and D&AD Shift.

The day was also a resounding success, providing attendees with valuable insights into gender-sensitive marketing, digital trust and the evolving roles of media client leaders.

The masterclasses offered deep dives into specific strategies for leveraging platforms like WhatsApp, exploring new markets like Nepal, and integrating brands into digital content.