As part of our Inside the Jury Room series, we interviewed Swarna Nayak, Media Director for MADX Consulting, to hear her perspective as a judge this year for the Festival of Media APAC Awards 2026.
In the interview Swarna takes a deep dive into how the tole of media has evolved in shaping consumer behaviour in recent years and what excites them most about the Festival of Media APAC Award entries this year.
How has the role of media evolved in shaping consumer behaviour in recent years?
Media has evolved into a powerful behaviour-shaping channel. It is no longer about simply placing brand messages in front of audiences; media creates environments where people can actively participate and engage with brands – enabling discovery, evaluation and purchase to happen within the same ecosystem.
Communication is no longer one-way. Consumers now co-create brand narratives through user-generated content, which plays a critical role in building trust. In many cases, UGC and creator voices have become more influential than brand-led messaging itself.
The traditional linear consumer journey has evolved further to “moments that matter” Contextual triggers such as search, scroll and recommendation environments influence decision-making in real time, shaping behaviour through micro-moments rather than fixed funnels.
Advanced data and signal-based planning have enabled more personalised and predictive communications, shifting media from interruptive exposure to messaging that is useful, relevant and convenient.
Storytelling in media has also evolved into system-building, ecosystems where content, commerce, creators and technology work together to drive sustained behaviour change, not just short-term attention.
Overall as a result, the responsibility on how media is planned, designed and measured has increased significantly. Media now actively shapes consumer behaviour and has become a key growth driver for most businesses.
What excites you most about this year’s Festival of Media APAC Awards entries?
I am excited to see how media thinking continues to evolve alongside changing consumer consumption behaviours. I’m particularly looking forward to work where media is the idea itself, not just the channel- ideas that use platforms, ecosystems and moments in ways that are integral to the creative solution.
I’m also excited to see experimentation across commerce, creators and communities ( and of course early adopters on AI/Gen AI) with a clear link between creativity and measurable business impact.
