Josy Paul and PG Aditya decode Gen Z creativity in a fragmented media era

At the recently concluded Marketers' Excellence Conference 2025, organised by afaqs!, a panel discussion took place featuring Josy Paul, chairman of BBDO, and PG Aditya, co-founder of Talented Agency. The conversation, moderated by Tushar Malhotra, head of marketing at Bisleri, focused on the changing creative landscape shaped by Gen Z and the impact of media fragmentation.

Malhotra initiated the discussion by highlighting two significant shifts that characterise the current creative and media landscape: the emergence of Gen Z and the fragmentation of media. Gen Z constitutes 40% of India's population and plays a significant role in consumption.

He noted, “At the same time, digital and short-form content are reshaping how we tell stories. So, are we fundamentally changing how stories are created, or are we still operating with the same creative playbook, only with new variables?”

Speed vs soul: The eternal tug-of-war 

Paul replied, “I don't think about shifts. “You collide with them, you’re born again, and suddenly you’re doing things you’ve never done before,” he said.

“On one end, there are reels, which emphasise speed and immediacy, while on the other end lies soul. Both are attempting to confront one another."

For Paul, the essence of the creative process remains intact; only its expression has evolved.

“Our process is still to move people. We’re still looking for something real, something soulful,” he said.

He explained that BBDO utilises a space known as 'The White Room' — an actual white room featuring a red candle at its centre — where individuals from various departments convene to exchange deeply personal insights. “You sit there, and things emerge that you’ve never discussed before. That becomes brief."

One such session resulted in the insight for eBay’s Things Don’t Judge campaign, highlighting that the most impactful creativity frequently arises from emotional truth.

Acts, not ads: The Gen Z mandate

Aditya noted that the “acts, not ads” mindset is particularly relevant in a Gen Z context. This generation prioritises impact over mere aesthetics. “The dopamine comes from reach, saves, and shares, not just insights,” Aditya explained.

At Talented, their creator-led agency, The New Thing collaborates with individuals who have cultivated personal audiences of over 50K on social media, rather than solely relying on traditional copywriters.

He explained how these creators frequently discover "diamonds" of ideas without even being aware of it. “You need someone with experience across formats to recognize that what they’ve cracked isn’t just a ‘post’ it’s a platform-wide idea.”

Influencers as storytellers or movements

As the discussion turned to influencer marketing, Paul recounted one of BBDO’s early campaigns — Gillette’s “Women Against Lazy Stubble.”

“We were asked to make a 30-second TVC. Instead, we created a Facebook group  in 2008  where women called out lazy stubble. In two hours it exploded. Women influenced women who influenced men. It became a movement.”

He underscored that influence is not limited to digital celebrities. “Influencers can be created.” “Anything can serve as an influencer if it possesses cultural power.”

“Ananya Panday is both a celebrity and an influencer. Aamir Khan is merely a celebrity. The distinction lies in distribution. An influencer has a direct audience on social media."

Paul articulated it succinctly: “A celebrity creates familiarity. An influencer cultivates authenticity."

From binge-watching to six-second scrolls: Storytelling in a skippable world

Malhotra noted the contradiction in consumer behaviour: “People will binge-watch Netflix for 10 hours, yet they won’t take 10 seconds for an ad.”

Are brands reallocating budgets from large TV commercials to more digestible content?

Paul noted that creators today are naturally thinking across various formats, including potential partnerships with Netflix and ideas for series. 

Aditya, in the meantime, presented a viewpoint from the renowned advertising figure Agnello Dias, “If you enjoy a book, you purchase it. If you enjoy a movie, you purchase a ticket for it. When you express interest in an advertisement, you are essentially investing in something different. It's a twisted form of art," he said. 

He also added that audiences are reluctant to engage with ads as they did not request them. However, that is where creativity demonstrates its resilience.

Aditya argued that advertising creatives have adapted faster than those in cinema or journalism. “We’ve survived disruption after disruption. If OTT shook cinema in 20 years, we'd have weathered shifts every two years.”

What’s next?

The panel didn’t offer cookie-cutter solutions. Instead, it offered something far more valuable: a pulse check on how India’s best creative minds are rethinking relevance, authenticity, and emotional depth in an era ruled by algorithms, reels, and real-time feedback.

As Paul put it: “Speed will always matter. But if it doesn’t have a soul, it won’t last.”

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