India’s media and marketing sector enters 2026 embracing a shift from scale to accountability, with major agencies like WPP Media and EssenceMediacom leading the way through AI integration, measurement reform, and purpose-driven branding amid industry recalibration.
After a year in which scale ceased to be the only currency of success, India’s media and marketing sector entered 2026 asking tougher questions about accountability, effectiveness and the role of technology in creative work. According to Storyboard18, 2025 “marked a moment of consolidation and quiet recalibration for India’s media and marketing ecosystem”, as agencies and brands shifted from relentless expansion toward simpler, more client‑centric operating models. [1][4][5]
WPP Media and EssenceMediacom epitomised that shift. Storyboard18 reports that EssenceMediacom closed 2025 as the No.1 agency for new business, winning major mandates including GCPL and Hero MotoCorp, while WPP Media increased its India market share sharply, surpassing a 50% threshold that underlines its dominant billings position in the country. Industry data from COMvergence corroborates WPP Media’s scale, placing it at the top of the Indian media agency market on 2024 billings. [1][5][4]
Central to WPP’s narrative has been the rollout of WPP Open, an AI‑enabled marketing platform that the company says unifies people, tools, data and intelligence and transforms workflows. WPP has described Open as shortening strategy and creative timelines “from weeks to hours” and enabling high‑volume, localised content at scale. The company’s broader AI strategy has been bolstered by major partnerships announced in 2025, including a five‑year deal with Google backed by a $400 million WPP investment in Google technologies and deeper integrations with TikTok’s Symphony AI tools, moves WPP says will accelerate bespoke AI model development and creative production for clients. Those announcements, however, come from company statements and should be read as corporate claims about capability and intent. [1][2][3][6]
The interplay between platform capabilities and independent measurement also evolved in 2025. Nielsen and WPP Media agreed to integrate audience measurement across TV, streaming, audio and cross‑platform ad performance, intending to connect Nielsen ONE insights into WPP’s Open Media Studio to improve cross‑screen planning and performance tracking. Industry observers say such technical linkages aim to reduce friction between creative personalisation and reliable measurement, but they also raise questions about governance, data security and how effectiveness will be audited across increasingly AI‑driven supply chains. [7][4]
Looking toward 2026, industry leaders quoted by Storyboard18 argue the year will reward discipline over experimentation. With retail media likely to face tighter regulation, a possible reset in cricket media rights, and Connected TV growth expected to stabilise, brands will be pressured to justify media choices more rigorously. Storyboard18 relays Navin Khemka’s view that success will favour those who “plan smarter, deploy AI responsibly, and build strategies resilient enough to stand up to scrutiny from both consumers and the boardroom”. That framing reframes growth ambitions as questions of governance and measurable return. [1][3]
Executives are pitching two parallel responses: adapt operating models to embed AI securely and refocus on long‑term brand equity. WPP has explicitly argued that unlocking AI’s value requires operating‑model change to create multidisciplinary teams and secure data collaboration without wholesale data pooling. At the same time, marketers are emphasising purpose, authenticity and localisation as bulwarks against short‑termism, a theme Khemka summarised when he said, “In 2025, from a brand and business perspective, we saw a stronger push toward purpose‑driven communication, authenticity, long‑term brand equity creation, and deeper localisation”. [6][1]
If 2025 was a year of consolidation, 2026 looks set to be a year of accountability. The industry’s major players are betting that a combination of platform partnerships, measurement integration and retooled operating models will produce marketing that is faster, more personalised and demonstrably effective. Whether those bets deliver measurable improvements in consumer outcomes and shareholder value will be the test of the next 12 months. [1][2][7][5]
##Reference Map:
- [1] (Storyboard18) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [4] (WPP press release) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 7
- [5] (COMvergence/Livemint reporting) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 7
- [2] (WPP press release) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 7
- [3] (WPP press release) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 5
- [6] (WPP IQ) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 6
- [7] (TVTechnology/Nielsen) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 7
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on January 2, 2026, with no evidence of prior publication or recycling. The content is original and timely.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The direct quotes from Navin Khemka are unique to this report, with no prior online matches found. This suggests original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
7
Notes:
The narrative originates from Storyboard18, a media and marketing news platform. While it provides detailed insights, the platform’s reputation and credibility are not widely established, which introduces some uncertainty.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about WPP Media’s market share and EssenceMediacom’s new business wins are plausible and align with industry trends. Navin Khemka’s statements are consistent with his known professional background and recent industry developments.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative is recent and presents original content with unique quotes from Navin Khemka. However, the source’s credibility is not widely established, and while the claims are plausible, they are not corroborated by other reputable outlets. Therefore, further verification from more established sources is recommended.
