E-commerce players main focus this year, says Goafest Chairman Nakul Chopra

As the e-commerce segment dominates media spend, the country’s largest advertising festival Goafest has also decided to give the sector top most priority at the industry conclave during the three-day festival that begins on April 11.

Discussing the focus while curating sessions for the conclave, Chopra said, “For some years now, the aim of the conclave has been to provide a platform from where advertisers can speak directly to media and agencies. While staying with this aim – this year, taking into account the fact that some of the largest advertisers are e-commerce players – we have chosen to focus on them.”

E-commerce contributes to around 4% of India’s total adex but the segment is among the largest advertisers’ category on digital media.

The line-up from the e-commerce and technology segments include Phil Kemish (Disrupt Media); Noelle LaChirite (Microsoft); Harshwardhansinh Zala (Aerobotics 7); Ambarish Mitra (Blippar); Ravi Desai (Amazon); Vijay Sharma (Flipkart) and Achint Sethai (Myntra).

Chopra said that the festival was something that celebrated the future of advertising as well. “We are very proud that we are perhaps the only festival of this scale where more than 50% of the audience is under 30. They are hence our focus for both the content and the grammar of the festival.”

“The primary goal of Goafest is to give the industry a platform that provides learning, inspiration, collaboration and celebration in equal measure,” he added. 

On the basis of feedback over the past few years, they have broadened the scope of the festival to include not only cutting-edge global perspectives from the industry but perspectives from allied creative industries and inspirational arenas like sports or life as well. “This year too you will see a continuation in this direction,” said Chopra.

The primary engagement of the festival with the audience is the content and the award shows. “This should not and cannot change. Each year we add dimensions around these two pillars to make Goafest and the Abbys more exciting and more engaging. This year, too, you will see a lot of the same,” Chopra mentioned.

Talking about the response for Goafest in terms of delegate participation so far, Shashi Sinha, Secretary of the Advertising Club and Chairman of the Awards governing Council, had earlier mentioned that the festival was getting around 2,700 entries this year.

Chopra added, “Participation from media and digital is smartly up, though it seems participation from creative agencies may lag. Frankly a lot of the delegate registrations come in the last week. So in that sense, the votes are still to be counted.”

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