At the ET Brand World Summit 2026, Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer, India Foods, PepsiCo India, stated that while technology offers speed, efficiency, and personalization at scale, it cannot replace empathy, as building brands is about building human connections. Sandeep Tanwani, chief marketing officer, Pidilite Industries, agreed that technology has become indispensable for execution and efficiency, but context, judgment, and conviction remain human strengths, and the marketer's role is shifting from managing campaigns to making better business decisions. Tanwani observed that traditional boundaries between marketing, technology, and finance are disappearing, and sustainable growth depends on cross-functional collaboration. Menon echoed that a CMO's role is extending into technology and AI, and the onus of bringing about this transformation rests on the CMO. She noted that data provides greater clarity and confidence in decision-making, making the role richer and more multidimensional. Reflecting on her career, Menon said the value of experimentation from Uber shaped her approach at PepsiCo, remarking that "the cost of not trying is often much higher than the cost of failing."