The digital marketing landscape has transformed dramatically over the past decade, and with the rise of artificial intelligence, we're witnessing another pivotal shift. But can AI truly replace human creativity in marketing? According to Rahul Shinde, Head of Global Accounts at Havas Media Network India's Center of Excellence, the answer lies not in replacement, but in strategic collaboration.

About Rahul Shinde: With over 15 years in digital marketing, Rahul has worked across brands like UTV, Emami, and held various leadership positions at Havas Media Network. His unique perspective comes from experiencing both agency and client-side marketing, giving him deep insights into what drives successful campaigns and business outcomes.

The Evolution of Digital Marketing: From Mobile2Win to AI

Rahul's journey began during the early days of mobile marketing at Mobile2Win, managing short codes for Sony's Indian Idol voting system. "I started as a commerce graduate and got into the digital ecosystem when I joined Mobile2Win. It was predominantly mobile marketing driven then, and it evolved greatly. I have actually been lucky enough to see that kind of transformation from the beginning."

This front-row seat to digital evolution has shaped his understanding of how technology and human creativity must work together. From SMS marketing to smartphone adoption, from data becoming cheaper to the current AI revolution, each phase has required marketers to adapt while maintaining their core creative and strategic thinking.

Agency vs Brand

One of Rahul's most valuable insights comes from his experience on both sides of the marketing equation. "When you are a partner to a brand, you always see everything from the lens of what the brand manager is telling you. But when you go to that side, you know and understand there are certain decisions that need to be made because the business demands it."

Working at Emami provided him with crucial business perspective that many agency professionals miss. "You get to understand the business criticality more in detail there. And that understanding, when I come back to the partner side, helps me understand what the brand is trying to convey and translate that into a media solution."

This dual perspective is increasingly valuable as the lines between creative strategy and business outcomes blur in the AI era.

Digital Transformation: Beyond the Buzzwords

When it comes to digital transformation and AI adoption, Rahul emphasizes that technology alone isn't the solution. "You cannot just say, 'I need to bring in digital transformation, let's do something and let's get all these glorious tools.' If you don't have a direction, a final purpose, everything that you do is waste of your time and energy."

Digital transformation requires assembling the right team, understanding client requirements, and critically evaluating every element before implementation. It's about purpose-driven change, not technology for technology's sake.

The AI and Human Balance: Why Both Are Essential

Perhaps Rahul's most compelling insight centers on the relationship between AI and human creativity. "AI definitely gives you that speed and scale. If you bring in human aspect, it will bring in that empathy, that nuances, the cultural resonance. You cannot replace that with AI."

He advocates for treating AI as a coworker rather than a replacement: "You need to consider AI to be your coworker. You need to define a role for AI effectively, and you need to define a role for a human as well. Both of them need to work with each other efficiently to deliver better quality, better outcomes."

This philosophy extends to team structure and evaluation. At Havas, team members are encouraged to improve their efficiency by 20% through AI tools and adaptation, while also focusing on upskilling and maintaining psychological safety as the industry evolves.

Global vs Local: The Complexity of Modern Marketing

Rahul's current role involves managing global strategies while accounting for local nuances. "Global structure will ensure that you have a consistent brand voice. Then you move into the inner circle of local nuances or local strategies - the cultural codes, the language, the timing, and the channels that are being used."

The challenge lies in balancing universal brand messaging with regional preferences. "In some markets TikTok is more prominent, some market WeChat is more prominent, some gives more importance to Facebook over Instagram, some prefer Snapchat. These come from very local understanding."

The Platform Evolution: When Automation Takes Control

The conversation touches on a critical challenge facing modern marketers: platform automation. With Meta's Advantage+ and similar tools, platforms are taking increasing control over targeting decisions. "You may never know when it stops performing and then you don't have anything to check for. It always works until it isn't."

Rahul warns against complete dependence on automated systems: "When you lose the control and sight of what exactly happened and how you can better it, then you don't have anything with you and you lose everything."

Intent is the New Black: The Future of Consumer Targeting

One of Rahul's most memorable concepts is that "intent is the new black." He explains how marketing has evolved from cohort-based advertising to more deterministic approaches: "Before COVID, we largely focused upon cohort-based advertisement. We were spreading the wider net and trying to get consumers to consider and fall into that entire funnel."

The shift toward intent-based marketing represents a fundamental change in how brands connect with consumers. Rather than casting wide nets, successful marketers now focus on identifying and capitalizing on consumer intent signals, making their communications more relevant and effective.

Emerging Technologies: The AR Opportunity

While acknowledging that augmented reality can sometimes feel "gimmicky," Rahul sees significant potential in AR for nudging consumer intent. "Instead of taking to a landing page where you can explore products, you have an interface that comes after advertisement which helps you try on that product directly and take a more informed decision."

This direct interaction capability makes AR particularly valuable for categories like jewelry, where virtual try-on experiences can significantly influence purchase decisions.

Key Takeaways for Modern Marketers

Embrace Collaboration Over Replacement: AI should augment human creativity, not replace it. Define clear roles for both AI and human team members.

Maintain Strategic Control: While platform automation offers efficiency, marketers must retain oversight and the ability to intervene when performance changes.

Focus on Intent: Understanding and capitalizing on consumer intent is more valuable than broad demographic targeting.

Balance Global and Local: Successful campaigns require consistent brand voice with locally relevant execution.

Invest in Upskilling: Teams need continuous learning to adapt to new technologies while maintaining core strategic and creative capabilities.

Purpose-Driven Transformation: Technology adoption should solve specific business problems, not chase industry trends.

The Road Ahead

As the digital marketing landscape continues evolving, Rahul's insights remind us that success lies not in choosing between human creativity and artificial intelligence, but in orchestrating them effectively. The marketers who thrive will be those who can maintain human empathy and cultural understanding while leveraging AI's speed and scale capabilities.

The future belongs to marketing leaders who can navigate global consistency with local relevance, maintain strategic control while embracing automation, and most importantly, keep consumer intent at the center of every decision.

More from Rahul Shinde

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulshinde/
• Company: Havas Media Network India

Conclusion

The marketing industry stands at a crossroads where technology and creativity must converge thoughtfully. Rahul's experience spanning mobile marketing's early days to today's AI-driven landscape offers a roadmap for navigating this complexity. The key is not to fear change, but to embrace it strategically while preserving the human elements that make marketing truly effective.

This post is based on our conversation with Rahul Shinde in Episode 2 of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky. Listen to the full episode for deeper insights into digital marketing strategy and AI implementation.

More Episodes: https://hawky.ai/podcast