AME’s Grand Jury is composed of strategic, innovative, and analytical thinkers, creative storytellers who are deeply committed to building brand awareness and equity. These qualities define the esteemed professionals who make up the AME jury. As ambassadors of effectiveness, the 2025 AME Grand Jury includes globally recognized industry leaders and award-winning marketers. Each member brings expertise and rigor to the judging process, ensuring that every entry is evaluated with care, insight, and integrity.

2025 Grand Jury member Rajesh Mehta brings over three decades of diverse experience across India and Southeast Asia to this year’s jury panel.An engineering graduate, Rajesh currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Medulla Communications, a specialist healthcare agency. He’s an award-winning strategist whose work has been shortlisted at Cannes and featured in the Also Photography Exhibition. Throughout his career, Rajesh has worked with leading brands and held senior planning roles at agencies including JWT, FCB India, and FCB Jakarta.

In the interview below, Rajesh shares insights on the evolution of purpose-driven advertising and marketing effectiveness. He explores how brands are leveraging influencer marketing, the qualities that define award-winning work, the role of storytelling in campaigns, and how data analytics and AI are shaping the future of advertising and more.

AME Awards: From your perspective as a creative strategist, what standout qualities define award-winning, effective advertising today?

Rajesh Mehta: As a creative strategist, authentic conversations that drive behavior change and measurable results matter when it comes to communication that stands out.

Communication that culturally and emotionally resonates with the audience, while driving brand differentiators.

While being memorable in the short term, it also demonstrates consistency to the Brand Idea over the years. Resulting in distinctive brand assets and strong equity.

AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards essential for measuring impact and industry growth?

Rajesh Mehta: Marketing is increasingly moving from brand love to hard core business metrics, with measurability becoming more important. Competitions like the AME Awards help raise the benchmarks for measurability, creativity and help promote the best marketing campaigns. They provide a framework for best practices that even other brands can adopt. They inspire competitors to do better, benefiting the industry as a whole. They act as a catalyst for innovation, often resulting in breakthrough strategy and ideas. Which can not only impact businesses, but also make societal impact. Last but not the least, they are a platform for global recognition which brands and individuals can aspire for. Boosting client trust as well as agency motivation. In a people’s business making a compelling case for today’s young generation to be part of this industry vs many other available options. As they are going to shape the industry in the future.

AME Awards: How do you see purpose-driven advertising evolving in terms of effectiveness? What are some strategies brands are using to resonate with consumers?

Rajesh Mehta: Purpose-driven advertising is evolving in terms of effectiveness, by demonstrating ‘sustainable impact’. Providing evidence of success of ‘purpose driven’ initiatives on a consistent basis.

Bringing the purpose alive through varied components beyond communication. Like product design, corporate policies etc. to drive effectiveness.

Driving effectiveness through communication narratives that humanize the brand’s purpose.

Inspiring consumers to be part of a ‘purpose led movement’. Aided with technology (apps, gamification) and digital storytelling to make it more engaging

Engaging varied stakeholders like internal employees, HCPs, bodies like Rotary and even the government, to partner with their purpose for more effective outcomes.

AME Awards: In your experience, what role does storytelling play in the effectiveness of a campaign? Are there elements of narrative or structure that make campaigns especially memorable or impactful?

Rajesh Mehta:  Human centered storytelling is what makes a campaign compelling and effective. Anchored on a strong insight, it creates emotional connections in an authentic manner. It makes the narrative more engaging and memorable.

Storytelling works across categories from food to technology, from B2C to B2B. Connecting with the human side of diverse audiences, be it a homemaker or an HCP (Health care Professional).  How products impact lives is obviously more impactful than just communicating their technical specs or molecular composition.

Storytelling can also inspire action and behavior change. Esp in categories with strongly entrenched habits. For e.g Hand holding a smoker to quit vs telling facts about the perils of smoking.

There are varied elements that work together to make a campaign memorable or impactful. Like authenticity, relatability, distinctive visual or audio hooks, a strong call to action etc.

These can be particularly important in an environment where the rise of short-attention media formats is making it harder for brands to stand out.

AME Awards: How have advancements in data analytics and AI influenced the development and success of advertising strategies?

Rajesh Mehta: Consumers are evolving at a fast pace and demanding more. AI and data analytics help brands in multiple ways.

Right from precise targeting that ensures the messages reach the most relevant audiences, to personalization of messaging. So that the audiences believe that brands truly understand their needs. Technology can also drive habit change through personalized solutions

AI-powered predictive analytics can also help anticipate audience needs and have relevant conversations. Fitting into consumer journeys effortlessly. For e.g making diabetes patients aware of the benefits of also monitoring other health parameters proactively. At times timely diagnosis goes a long way in preventing serious illnesses. 

Real-time campaign monitoring and optimization can lead to more effective outcomes.

AME Awards: How are brands reimagining influencer marketing to be more impactful? Any examples of partnerships or approaches that have been proven most effective?

Rajesh Mehta: Brands are leveraging influencers whose are aligned with their thinking and values. It is this authenticity which creates the required trust and the impact.

This not only includes big influencers but also micro-influencers who despite smaller followings have high engagement rates.

There are multiple effective approaches possible when it comes to Influencer Marketing. From sharing personal stories and exclusive offers via influencer channels to live interactions, promoting user-generated content (UGC). All of these can foster deeper consumer connections.

AME Awards: With a growing focus on corporate social responsibility, how are brands authentically communicating their values and impact?

Rajesh Mehta: Brands are going beyond communication, and ‘walking the talk’ with their CSR programs. Doing so not only helps them make a real-life impact but brings credibility wrt the cause they are promoting.

It also helps communicate the CSR programs with more authenticity, sharing measurable outcomes, supported by data and real-world examples.

Initiatives that address local challenges and ensure relevance to communities. For e.g Adopt a village when it comes to nutrition, hygiene etc.

Brands partner with organizations that provide certifications, that reflect adherence to rigorous ethical standards and responsibility.

Brands also engage consumers to participate in challenges to solve social problems and support winning ideas with grants.