ET Shark Awards 2026 shortlist flags AI storytelling, Tier II/III push as FMCG playbook
The 8th ET Shark Awards, chaired by ex-Britannia CEO Varun Berry with Kantar as knowledge partner, surfaces five themes from 120 CMOs: AI-led storytelling, outcome-driven marketing, legacy-brand reinvention, regionalisation into Tier II/III, and experiential festive campaigns.
What happened
ETBrandEquity unveiled the 8th ET Shark Awards shortlist, chaired by ex-Britannia CEO Varun Berry with Kantar as knowledge partner. Key themes: AI-led
Key facts
- 8th edition
- 120 CMOs
- three-city jury
Why this matters
Scan the 120-CMO shortlist for regional challenger brands and AI-marketing enablers as bolt-on targets to accelerate Tier II/III and content capabilities.
What to watch
- Final ET Shark winners announcement and category breakdown
- Kantar BrandZ India 2026 release correlating themes to brand value movement
- Q4 FY26 FMCG earnings commentary on rural/Tier II/III volume recovery
- Major FMCG agency pitches re-tendered citing AI capability
- GroupM/Pitch Madison 2026 ad spend forecast splits by region tier
- Map shortlisted campaigns to Clarity client categories; flag 3-5 reference cases for QBR decks
- Audit own AI-storytelling stack vs Kantar-recognised benchmarks; identify capability gaps
- Brief regional content partners on Tier II/III festive 2026 slate before Q2 budget locks
- Prepare a 'legacy reinvention' diagnostic for any client brand >15 years old
- Pressure-test outcome metrics (sales lift, penetration) vs vanity reach KPIs in current scorecards