'Kuch Bhi': India's most honest marketing cue

In India, there’s a phrase that pops up in almost every household, friend group, WhatsApp chat, and partner conversation: “kuch bhi”.

What do you want to eat tonight? "Kuch bhi".

Want to go out or order in? "Kuch bhi".

What should we watch? "Kuch bhi chalega".

Need anything from the store? "Kuch bhi le aao".

While this seemingly innocent phrase may drive most marketers and product managers to despair, I believe it’s actually a goldmine if you know how to listen to it the right way.

As a data-driven marketer in India, I see “kuch bhi” not as indecision but as openness. It signals low resistance, high flexibility, and a strong opportunity to influence choice if you have the right data.

Let’s break it down by industry and see how “kuch bhi” can be decoded, predicted, and even guided.

Food: From "kuch bhi" to curated cravings

India's relationship with food is deeply emotional, but not always decisive. The average user opens the food ordering apps several times before placing an order. Why? Because they search for what "feels right", not necessarily what they had in mind.

This is where AI-driven personalisation and real-time data integration come into play. Food apps already have rich behavioural datasets:

• Cuisine preferences (even down to dayparts)

• Frequency of ordering in

• Order context (weekend splurges vs. weekday meals)

• Past trials and ratings

• Drop-offs and abandoned carts

By layering this with contextual signals such as weather, festivals, IPL match timings, or location pings, platforms can start to preempt the “kuch bhi” moment.

Imagine logging in and being shown:

“Game night combo, just like last Saturday?”

Or:

“Cloudy day. How about that chai-pakora combo from last week?”

Suddenly, “kuch bhi” has direction—and your brand just became the compass.

Movies & OTT: Guiding the indecisive viewer, at home and at the cinema

The OTT universe is exploding, and yet the biggest hurdle remains decision fatigue. With hundreds of titles across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and more, most viewers scroll more than they watch. Sounds familiar?

Here too, “kuch bhi” is a code for “I don’t want to think. Just show me what I’ll like.” This is where hyper-personalisation becomes the hero.

Top OTT platforms are leveraging: 

• Watch history and completion rates

• Genre heatmaps by region and language

• Drop-offs and skip behaviour

• Trending titles from social platforms

• Cross-device viewing habits (TV vs mobile vs tablet)

But “kuch bhi” doesn’t live only in the digital world. It’s alive and well in our real-world entertainment choices—like deciding to catch a movie at the cinema.

We’ve all been there:

“Let’s go watch something?”

“Sure, what?”

“Kuch bhi!”

And just like that, the burden shifts from the consumer to the experience provider.

For multiplex chains such as PVR INOX or Cinepolis, this is an opportunity to treat “kuch bhi” as a trigger to surface the right content based on:

• Show timings and real-time availability

• Past ticket bookings and preferences (IMAX, recliners, preferred seats)

• Language and genre preferences

• Group size and loyalty programme usage

• Localised insights (e.g., what's trending in South Delhi vs Pune)

Imagine getting a notification:

“Just out of work? The 7:45pm show of XYZ movies still has your favourite seats.”

Or:

“Feel like a quick plan? These 3 movies are trending near you right now.”

Even cinema discovery is becoming data-driven. Platforms that simplify the "kuch bhi chalega, bas kuch dekhna hai" moment will not only increase footfalls but elevate the overall movie-going experience.

“Kuch bhi” isn’t indecision. It’s a licence to delight.

Retail & e-commerce: Curating "anything" into everything

The Indian e-commerce space, especially quick commerce, is witnessing an avalanche of “kuch bhi” moments. You open Blinkit, Zepto, or Nature’s Basket intending to buy one item but end up with a basket full of random products. Why? Because these platforms made “kuch bhi” compelling.

The data at play here includes:

• Purchase frequency

• Time-of-day habits

• Household size inferred from SKU variety

• Replenishment cycles

• Occasion-based shopping (Diwali lights in October, rakhis in July)

Retailers are moving from catalogue-driven UX to intent-driven and event-based nudges.

Think:

“Looks like it’s your dosa batter day. Want to restock chutney too?”

Or:

“You usually buy green tea around this time. New variants now live.”

By anticipating “kuch bhi”, you’re not just selling; you’re serving.

The real play: Turning data into delight

What unites food, entertainment, and retail in the Indian context is that consumers aren’t always seeking a product; they’re seeking relevance. “Kuch bhi” is not apathy; it's an invitation for brands to earn trust by offering what feels right at that moment.

To do this at scale, marketers need to:

1. Integrate first-party and behavioural data in real time

2. Apply predictive models to surface micro-moments of intent

3. Design adaptive experiences that don’t rely on user input

4. Respect cultural nuance—India is not one market; it’s many “kuch bhi’s”

Final thought: "Kuch Bhi" is a creative brief, not a dead end

In a world obsessed with targeting exact intent, we forget that ambiguity is also data; it’s just unstructured!

When a consumer says “kuch bhi”, what they’re really saying is:

“I trust you to know me. Now, surprise me.”

If we can meet that moment with intelligence, intuition and empathy, then “kuch bhi” might just be the most honest insight we have.

Let’s be honest… Even Arnab Goswami couldn’t resist!