In a world where consumer expectations are evolving faster than ever, retail brands are reimagining their marketing playbooks to remain relevant, relatable, and resilient. From footwear giants to fashion disruptors and jewelry innovators, leaders across industries are adopting new-age storytelling, technology-led personalization, and community-building initiatives that go far beyond conventional campaigns.

Retailer magazine spoke with leading voices—Shawn Chandy, CMO, Paragon; Nishant Poddar, CMO & Head Retail Experience, Wrogn; Akhil Jain, CEO, Madame; Kabir Kate, CMO, Solitario Diamonds; and Rajeswar Rao, VP-B2C, Clovia—to understand how India’s most dynamic brands are rewriting the rules of marketing.

From Products to Stories: The Shift in Brand Narratives

Over the years, brands have learned that products alone don’t build connections—stories do. Footwear leader Paragon has embraced this shift wholeheartedly. “Over the past couple of years, Paragon’s marketing strategy has shifted from a more product-centric communication to embracing emotional storytelling,” explained Shawn Chandy. “With the introduction of the brand positioning captured in the tagline ‘Zid, Chalte Rehne Ki’, we reinforced values of resilience, hope, and everyday support, particularly resonating with our core audience in the NCCS BCD segments aged 30 and above.”

This positioning reflects a growing industry-wide realization: consumers are seeking brands that mirror their emotions, values, and aspirations—not just their functional needs.

Fashion disruptor Wrogn, co-created with Virat Kohli, also took a values-first approach when defining its brand story. Nishant Poddar recalled, “About 12 years ago, we realized that Virat was the character who really fitted what the brand stood for. Back then, tattoos, ear piercings, and even sporting a beard were not norms, but Virat stood out. He spoke his mind, stood for himself, and for the individual. That’s what Wrogn has always celebrated.”

The brand consciously positioned Kohli not as a cricketer but as a personality off the field—embodying individuality and confidence. “A celebrity is just a clutter breaker,” Poddar added. “The talking has to be done by the product offering, pricing it right, and customer service.”

Building Engagement Through Innovation

If storytelling lays the foundation, innovation cements long-term loyalty. For Paragon, its 50th-anniversary campaign doubled down on emotional storytelling, while product innovation—like Dual Fit technology footwear that comfortably fits two sizes—demonstrated its commitment to solving real consumer needs.

Fashion brand Madame, meanwhile, is leaning on collaborations to continuously surprise customers. Akhil Jain explained, “Consumers always ask: what next? They already have a dress or jeans from us, so we went into brand licensing over the last five years to create flash collections. We’ve tied up with platforms like Air India’s Maharaja Loyalty, and even with salons in malls for cross-promotions. Today, we have targets to earn revenue directly from collaborations.”

The diamond jewelry space, often steeped in tradition, is also innovating rapidly. Kabir Kate of Solitario Diamonds highlighted their experiential approach, “We recently launched curated travel-friendly jewelry concepts and women-focused educational interactions with gemologists. These initiatives go beyond product—they build trust and reinforce Solitario’s international sensibility and contemporary identity.”

Lingerie and personal care brand Clovia has been pushing boundaries with humor and relatability at its core. Rajeswar Rao said, “We strategically leverage humor, trending topics, and culturally resonating memes to craft a brand persona that resonates with Gen-Z. While everyone else is busy selling products on social media, we stand out as an integral part of everyday life. A little dose of humor brings smiles and keeps us top of mind.”

Clovia’s “BYOB – Bring Your Old Bra” recycling program further strengthened engagement by giving customers a responsible way to dispose of old bras, blending sustainability with loyalty.

Digital First, But Differentiated

Paragon has expanded aggressively across e-commerce and quick commerce, partnering with Swiggy Instamart and Zepto to meet instant demand. Chandy added, “Our investments in AI-powered recommendations, advanced POS systems, and data-driven marketing have elevated both consumer experience and operational efficiency.”

Clovia, with its digital DNA, is doubling down on personalization. “We use AudiencePro data segmentation to personalize campaigns,” Rao explained. “It helps us decide which categories to focus on, which geographies to target, and which customer cohorts to engage. For instance, our Clovia Curve Fit Test has successfully recommended the right bra to women across 900+ cities, significantly improving repeat purchase rates.”

Wrogn, meanwhile, maintains a nuanced channel-first strategy. Poddar elaborated, “Each channel has its own set of matrices. D2C requires performance marketing for acquisition and retention, while in large format retail, it’s about product showcasing. Each city, each location, even within the same city, works differently. Data helps us tailor assortments and experiences accordingly.”

Interestingly, Wrogn has deliberately stayed away from quick commerce. “Fashion has many elements—it’s not a commodity,” Poddar noted. “We didn’t want to jump the gun.” Instead, the brand continues to rely on its early and strong partnership with Myntra, where it has always listed fresh merchandise rather than discounted inventory.

Solitario is pushing digital storytelling with a luxury aesthetic. “We’re exploring AR-based try-on experiences and gamified engagements to create interactivity and personalization,” Kate said. “The idea is to make Solitario aspirational yet accessible, extending our international look and feel to every touchpoint.”

The Challenge of Consistency

With multiple channels, touchpoints, and audiences, one of the biggest challenges for marketers is consistency—ensuring that the brand’s core values and story come through everywhere. At Paragon, this means reiterating durability, trust, and affordability across campaigns. “Our positioning of ‘Zid, Chalte Rehne Ki’ embodies this through a unified visual language and emotionally-led storytelling,” asserted Chandy.

For Clovia, consistency comes from relatability and humor, driven largely by a female-led content team. “We hop on the latest trends, pop culture, and topical days, but always ensure our voice is light-hearted and community-driven,” Rao explained.

Solitario ensures alignment by using a unified creative language rooted in luxury and accessibility. Kate emphasized, “Every communication—be it press, social, or in-store—is built around our values of accessibility, aspiration, and authenticity.”

Metrics That Matter

When it comes to evaluating success, the leaders agree that both numbers and nuance matter. Clovia prioritizes repeat purchase rates, net promoter score (NPS), and lower CAC, supported by micro KPIs like CTRs and CPCs.  Meanwhile, Wrogn views success differently across channels—D2C campaigns emphasize customer acquisition and retention, while offline retail depends on location-driven footfalls and conversions.

For Paragon, one standout metric during its anniversary campaign was YouTube’s view-through rate (VTR). “It significantly exceeded industry benchmarks for a 90-second video,” Chandy shared. The brand also tracks reviews, social engagement, and stakeholder feedback to measure emotional resonance.

For Solitario, traditional performance metrics matter, but so does earned media coverage and sentiment analysis, since PR is core to its strategy.

The Road Ahead: Trends Shaping the Next 2–3 Years

Looking forward, all leaders point to personalization, sustainability, and technology-led experiences as the key drivers of retail marketing.

Chandy foresees three big shifts: “The rapid rise of quick commerce, sustainability becoming a core expectation, and AI enabling hyper-personalized recommendations and predictive inventory.” Paragon is already moving to biodegradable packaging and setting ESG goals alongside its digital transformation.

Kate echoes this, highlighting sustainability and experiential retail as must-haves for jewelry brands. “Customers want transparency and experiences that go beyond transactions. We’re integrating narratives around lab-grown diamonds and immersive campaigns to meet these expectations.”

Rao believes hyper-personalization and experiential commerce will dominate retail. “AI-driven personalization, AR/VR experiences, and voice-led commerce will become mainstream. At Clovia, tools like the Curve Fit Test are already leading us in this direction.”

Jain points to disruption as the only constant, “Every format—EBOs, large formats, marketplaces, now quick commerce—was once seen as a disruptor. As brands, we learn to navigate each new wave. In India today, offline-first players are targeting 20 percent online share, while online-first players are targeting 20 percent offline share. The matrix keeps shifting.”