'5 Questions' with Sneha Mahant Mehta, Head Marketing, U.S. Polo Assn. India

Q1. How can we create brands with lasting influence?

Let's explore this in the context of the fashion industry. Gone are the days when brands could just rely on two-season campaigns. In India, typically you have the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons. Back in the day, creating two beautiful campaigns would have been sufficient for the entire year. But the rate at which content is being consumed today, brands need to stay active almost daily.

While you can still have your two big campaigns annually, the strategy now extends to the rest of the year. Consistently engaging consumers involves creating sub-cohorts and tailoring content for different segments.

For a brand as vast as the one I currently represent, we're so vast in terms of our audience base that segmenting into smaller groups is essential. One communication style may not resonate equally with every audience segment. So there's a lot of slicing and dicing involved to ensure consistent engagement and to stay top of mind with the consumer.

The two keywords here really are consistency and relevance but what happens is a lot of brands today, unfortunately, fail to remain relevant in this ever-changing landscape. They may have been powerhouse brands at one point, but they’ve struggled to keep pace with the times—whether in terms of their product offerings, the communication strategies they employ, or the mediums they use to connect with their audiences.

It’s also crucial for brands to deliver messages in ways their consumers can easily understand and relate to. In today’s digital age, everything is inherently digital-first—and, increasingly, video-first, if I may say so.

Brands are consciously moving away from static content because data shows that people are increasingly consuming video content. While jumping on the bandwagon and leveraging high-performing platforms is important, doing so without the right strategy can lead to efforts falling flat.

When I say that brands must stay relevant, I don’t mean they should stray from their core. At the heart of it, a brand’s values and positioning should remain intact. Consistently staying relevant is the key. Brands and their communication strategies must continually evolve to align with their audience and the platforms they prefer, all while staying true to their essence.

Q2. What makes a brand story compelling, and how can young marketers develop this skill?

If brands want to be more than just a commodity in a consumer's life, it’s crucial to develop a deeper connection—one that goes beyond the product or service and taps into emotion. Brands that are authentic, credible, differentiated, and stay true to their core values tend to have the most compelling stories. The creativity needs to come in at the time of bringing these stories to life in a way that strikes a chord with their consumer. The brand's tone of voice plays an important role.

As for young marketers developing the skill of storytelling, it’s essential to start by deeply understanding the brand’s values, history, and what sets it apart. Observation and practice are key—study successful brand campaigns, analyze why they work, and experiment with weaving narratives that align with the brand’s essence and audience preferences. Consistently seeking feedback and staying attuned to evolving consumer behavior can further refine this skill.

Marketing as a function is both an art and a science, especially in today’s digital age. There’s an abundance of KPIs, data analysis, and number crunching that happens—and rightly so. But the creative aspect of marketing is equally crucial. Too often, I’ve seen people lean too heavily on one side, either focusing entirely on data or prioritizing creativity without considering measurable outcomes. For any young marketer out there, striking a balance between the two is essential. This balance should guide almost every decision or strategy you make.

Some media or platforms provide excellent analytics, enabling you to evaluate performance objectively. On the other hand, some traditional media wouldn't give you the kind of data you'd like to get in terms of the reach or the audience or what kind of engagement you were able to drive. But as much as possible, one needs to use their intuition, creative sensibilities, and deep understanding to make informed decisions for the brand.

But at the same time, pay attention to what the platform is telling you, what your audience is telling you, what feedback you're getting from the market, and multiple touchpoints. It could be as simple as the communication you put up in the store and how your customers have reacted to it. It could be a large digital campaign that you've done and what kind of KPIs you've seen or what kind of ROI it's been able to drive for you.

Ultimately, marketing is a dynamic role that thrives on immediate feedback and continuous improvement. It’s about constantly course-correcting and fine-tuning your strategy to be able to deliver that final objective that you've set.

Q3. What does a typical day look like for you as a marketing head?

The best part about marketing as a role is that it’s very dynamic. Every day is different, presenting new challenges and opportunities. In retail especially, the environment is complex, with multiple things happening simultaneously. This is what I love about my role—it’s almost never mundane. No two days are identical in how we spend our time. Prioritization becomes essential, deciding what needs to be tackled on a day-to-day basis.

For me, a big part of the job is ideation. A lot of time is spent as a team brainstorming, talking to different people, and exploring ideas about what we can do for the brand - how to stay relevant, how to differentiate ourselves, not just from the competition but also from what we’ve done in the past. These are the questions that fuel our discussions and drive our creativity.

What motivates me the most is this constant need to think differently and bring fresh ideas to the table. Another exciting aspect of marketing is the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of people. Gone are the days when every capability was built in-house. Today, we work with industry experts specializing in areas like digital marketing, social media, influencer engagement, creative content, and research.

This diversity in collaboration adds immense value to your professional growth and even to your personal growth, as you interact with incredibly interesting and talented individuals. Marketing is a job that keeps you on your toes. You have to stay informed about everything—what’s happening within the company, across teams, with the brand, and in the market. It’s anything but routine, and that’s what makes it so fulfilling.

Q4. How should a college student begin their career if they aspire to work in fashion marketing?

A lot has changed since the time I graduated and completed my MBA. My journey began with a campus placement at a very large corporate—a fantastic opportunity for someone just starting out. I’m truly grateful for that experience. However, today, the landscape has evolved significantly, offering a plethora of diverse opportunities.

For young professionals, I believe experimentation is key in the early stages of their careers. It’s essential to explore different roles, industries, and opportunities until you find what genuinely excites you—what gives you joy and satisfaction in a particular role or brand. At the same time, it’s about discovering where you can perform at your best and deliver the most value.

Reflecting on my own career, I’ve had the privilege of working with various brands and taking on diverse roles. I’ve spent a long time on the commercial side as well with Conde Nast, where I had the opportunity to work with many different categories and brands. Now, after a while, I’ve come back to marketing.

Exposure to different brands, industries, and company cultures allows you to shape your own approach as a marketer. And that unique touch that any marketer brings to the table then becomes very important. So, I believe, as much experimentation as one is able to do does help.

Q5. Everyone talks about Gen Z being crucial for brands. Is it because they’re highly active on social platforms and often serve as influencers? How important is it to involve them in decision-making, and what strategies work best to engage them?

In a country like India, which boasts one of the world's youngest populations, it’s impossible for any brand or category to overlook Gen Z. Even if they’re not ready to become your customers today, they are undoubtedly your potential customers five years down the line. This makes it critical to engage with them now and build a connection early on. Digital and social media platforms have naturally become priority channels for communicating with this audience.

However, I do feel like there is a certain amount of digital fatigue setting in. People are wanting to do digital detox and take some time off screens. This shift, especially post-COVID, has reignited interest in "IRL" (in-real-life) experiences, making it important for brands to balance their digital presence with impactful offline engagements.

Influencer marketing also plays a significant role in reaching this audience. From micro and nano influencers to major creators and celebrities, this strategy has evolved into a core vertical in marketing. However, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.?

Engaging with Gen Z requires a multifaceted approach. Brands must evaluate their strategies holistically and consider creating experiences that resonate both online and offline. The key lies in understanding the unique preferences of this audience and staying agile to adapt to their ever-changing expectations.

Thank you for reading!

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