Gaurav Soni, Head of Media at Perfetti Van Melle India, leads the media strategy for the company’s brands, including Mentos, Alpenliebe, Chupa Chups, and Happydent. He drives innovative, integrated media campaigns across traditional and digital platforms to boost brand visibility and consumer engagement. With 14 years of experience in media planning, buying, and optimization, Gaurav leverages data-driven strategies to maximize ROI and align media efforts with business objectives, driving growth in a competitive market.
In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS Media, Gaurav Soni discusses how brands are aligning with entertainment properties to boost engagement, the importance of adapting media strategies during festive seasons, and key metrics for measuring event-based campaigns. He shares how his career has shaped his approach to connecting brands with audiences and highlights emerging trends in media strategy and experiential events.
Gaurav Soni will also be joining us as an esteemed speaker at the 5th edition of the Shows of India Conclave. Catch him live on May 22–23, 2025, at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi.
Brands across sectors are increasingly aligning with entertainment properties to drive engagement. In your experience, what are the key principles for effectively integrating brand messaging with large-scale events or entertainment platforms?
In today’s dynamic media ecosystem, entertainment properties offer brands a powerful canvas to create cultural relevance and deepen consumer engagement. For successful brand integrations, there are three key principles to consider: authenticity, contextual fit, and co-creation. First, authenticity is non-negotiable. Consumers can instantly sense forced or opportunistic alignments. It’s critical that the brand’s core values and personality align naturally with the ethos of the entertainment property. For instance, a youth-centric, fun-loving brand like Center Fresh lends itself seamlessly to formats that are bold, irreverent, and high on energy. Second, contextual fit ensures that the brand narrative is woven into the content in a way that enhances rather than disrupts the viewer experience. Rather than relying on overt placements, we focus on narrative-driven integrations that allow the brand to become part of the story. This is where media strategy must work hand-in-hand with creative thinking. Finally, co-creation with content creators or IP owners enables brands to tap into fresh, relevant storytelling that resonates with their target audience. When platforms, producers, and brands collaborate from the ground up, the output feels more organic and impactful.
Measurement also plays a key role. Beyond reach and impressions, we track engagement metrics and brand lift to understand how well the integration worked. In a world of fragmented attention spans, brands must earn the right to be part of the conversation, not hijack it.
Festive seasons often bring a surge in consumer sentiment and spending. How should brands adapt their media strategies to resonate with cultural moments while maintaining authenticity and relevance?
Festive seasons in India are more than just high-consumption periods—they are deeply emotional and culturally significant moments that offer brands a rare opportunity to connect with consumers on a more personal level. We approach these windows with a dual focus: amplifying relevance while staying true to brand identity. The key lies in understanding that festive media strategies must be rooted in cultural insight, not just seasonal opportunism. This begins with a nuanced understanding of regional diversity—what Diwali means in Delhi might differ from how it’s celebrated in the South.
Tailoring messaging to reflect these nuances enhances resonance and shows that the brand respects and understands its audience. We also find that storytelling—not just visibility—is paramount during festivals. Consumers are inundated with advertising, so it becomes crucial to break through with emotion-led narratives that strike a chord. Whether it’s Raksha Bandhan, Eid, or Christmas, the campaign should aim to evoke joy, nostalgia, or celebration while staying aligned with each brand’s tone—whether that’s playful, refreshing, or endearing. Media planning must follow suit, shifting from a broad-reach mindset to precision targeting. Formats that are high-impact yet native, OTT integrations, influencer collaborations, and interactive social formats help brands be part of the celebration, not just bystanders. Lastly, agility is critical. Festivals are increasingly evolving, influenced by pop culture and digital trends.
The goal should not be just to advertise, but to add value to the festive experience—be it through entertaining content, engaging contests, or utility-driven innovations. When done right, brands don’t just ride the festive wave—they become part of the tradition, creating lasting associations that extend well beyond the season.
With media landscapes constantly shifting, what metrics or KPIs do you believe are most effective in measuring the impact of event-based campaigns? How can these insights shape more responsive future strategies?
In an era where media consumption is fluid and audience attention is fragmented, measuring the true impact of event-based campaigns requires a layered, outcome-oriented approach.
There should be a balanced focus that blends reach with resonance and short-term performance with long-term brand equity. Traditional KPIs like impressions, GRPs, and reach remain foundational, especially when evaluating the scale of visibility across platforms. However, they only tell part of the story. Increasingly, we emphasize engagement metrics—such as video completion rates, time spent, social shares, and comment sentiment—which offer a better gauge of content relevance and consumer involvement. For digital and integrated campaigns, brand lift studies help us assess shifts in awareness, recall, favorability, and purchase intent.
Post-campaign analysis isn’t just about reporting—it’s about learning. By analyzing what drove impact (the right message, moment, or medium), we can feed sharper insights into future planning. For instance, if an integration drove higher brand lift among Gen Z on OTT vs. any other medium or platform, it informs not just our channel mix but our creative strategy going forward. In a volatile landscape, measurement must be dynamic, not retrospective. The goal is to evolve from campaign reporting to campaign intelligence—where data doesn’t just validate past success but inspires smarter, faster decisions for what comes next.
How have your career experiences influenced your strategic thinking when it comes to connecting brands with audiences through events and entertainment?
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that brand-building in the modern media landscape is about orchestrating moments and not just managing media plans. Events and entertainment properties offer fertile ground for such orchestration, but the key is integration over intrusion. I place a strong emphasis on collaboration with content creators, media partners, and platform owners because the most memorable integrations are co-created, not retrofitted. Ultimately, experience has taught me that attention is earned, not bought. The challenge is not just to be seen or heard, but to be remembered, and that only happens when brand actions are as entertaining, inspiring, or emotionally resonant as the content they live within.
My time in fast-paced categories like QSR taught me the importance of agility and real-time responsiveness, which is crucial when activating around live events or digital IPs. Meanwhile, working in technology and high-involvement categories sharpened my appreciation for precision, performance metrics, and deep consumer insight.
Now, this thinking has been central to how we approach events and entertainment platforms—not as media vehicles, but as immersive environments where brands can spark genuine conversations.
What emerging trends do you see at the convergence of media strategy and experiential or live events, and how can brands position themselves to stay agile and innovative in this evolving space?
The convergence of media strategy with experiential and live events is steering us into a new era where brands are expected to create experiences, not just campaigns. One of the most significant emerging trends is phygital integration—the seamless blending of physical and digital experiences. As consumers fluidly move between real-world events and digital platforms, brands must craft strategies that bridge both worlds. For instance, a live concert or pop-up event can now be amplified in real-time through social content, influencer streams, AR filters, and e-commerce tie-ups, turning a moment into a movement.
We actively explore such integrations where offline activations cascade into digital engagement loops that sustain attention beyond the event.
With the rise of creator-led collaborations in live environments, these creators not only bring credibility and reach but also help translate brand narratives into culturally relevant formats, especially for younger audiences.
