Mumbai: Relevance matters more than reach in today’s attention economy, especially when influencing modern buying committees across CMOs, CFOs, CEOs, and CIOs. Financial communication works best during key life moments like first jobs, marriage, childbirth, retirement, increments, and tax planning. Marketing is shifting from interruption-led communication to intent-led ecosystems. There is a shift in digital marketing towards trust-driven and intent-led ecosystems
These were some of the points made during a session on the third day of Goafest 2026 presented by LinkedIn titled ‘The Great Attention Reset: Because Growth Today Is Built on Trust, Not Traffic’. The discussion featured Punit Dharamsi, Executive Vice President, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI); Tuhina Pandey, Director, APAC Communications & Chief Marketing Officer, India and South Asia, IBM; and Jahid Ahmed, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital, HDFC Bank. The session was moderated by Devajit Roy, Head of India, Mid Market & Growth – Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn.
The speakers discussed how brands today must prioritise authenticity, credibility, and meaningful engagement over short-term traffic metrics to build sustainable long-term growth.
Punit Dharamsi, Executive Vice President, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), spoke about the importance of life-stage-led financial communication and trust-building in investor education. He said, “Financial communication works best during key life moments like first jobs, marriage, childbirth, retirement, increments, and tax planning. AMFI focuses on contextual messaging around financial milestones, encouraging young earners to begin SIPs with their first salary. Through continuous, always-on communication, educational content formats, and character-led storytelling, the emphasis remains on investor education and trust-building over panic during market volatility.”
Talking about the growing importance of relevance-led communication in complex B2B decision environments, Tuhina Pandey, Director, APAC Communications & Chief Marketing Officer, India and South Asia, IBM, highlighted that, “Relevance matters more than reach in today’s attention economy, especially when influencing modern buying committees across CMOs, CFOs, CEOs, and CIOs. AI is becoming both an audience and an intermediary, changing how relevance is measured. Strong storytelling, aligned sequencing, and smart repurposing across short- and long-form content help drive engagement across the funnel, with effectiveness ultimately tied to business journeys and pipeline impact.”
Jahid Ahmed, senior VP, head digital, HDFC Bank, called out his views strongly on the shift in digital marketing towards trust-driven and intent-led ecosystems. “Attention today is built on trust, safety, relevance, and frictionless experiences. Marketing is shifting from interruption-led communication to intent-led ecosystems, where credibility matters more than reach. Creator partnerships, peer validation, and educational content are driving both awareness and conversion, while first-party data and personalisation at scale are becoming central to building long-term trust and improving customer lifetime value,” he emphasized.
