08/01/2026 . 30MIN
Is Your Marketing Future-Ready?
A candid conversation on trust-led marketing, understanding customer behavior, and building relevance in an AI-driven world.
Hosted by
Nilesh Patel
In this episode of The LeadSquared Podcast, Ashish Nijhawan (VP – Financial Services, LeadSquared) hosts Gaurang Thosani (Head – Digital Marketing & E-Sales, Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Limited) for a sharp and insightful discussion on what truly drives marketing success today. From early lessons in segmentation and positioning to leading digital transformation in insurance, Gaurang explains why marketing begins with one simple truth: different people respond to different things. He explores why insurance marketing is fundamentally about trust, how customer behavior shifts across contexts (even when it’s the same person), and why confidence must be measured beyond clicks and conversions. The conversation also covers the shift from SEO to AEO in an AI-first world, the importance of solving for the 1% of customers who struggle, why strong teams—not individuals—create lasting impact, and why startups should seek expertise instead of trying to do everything themselves.
Practical and forward-thinking, this episode shows how listening closely, spotting early signals, and aligning strategy with customer behavior can help build brands that truly last.
1. Insurance = Trust:
15:35 – 17:52: Gaurang breaks down why insurance marketing is fundamentally about trust—and why claims and service accessibility are where brands prove it.
2. Customer-First Transformation:
24:19 – 24:59: Digital transformation isn’t “digitizing.” It’s tracking how customer behavior is evolving—and building strategy around that (not the other way around).
3. SEO to AEO Shift:
25:40 – 26:19: As AI summaries reduce link clicks, Gaurang explains why brands must move beyond SEO and improve AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)—with content still being king.
4. Team Makes the Impact:
30:11 – 32:10: The most underrated success factor? The team. He shares how campaigns, web revamps, and LLM-based bots happen because the team executes—leaders enable.
5. Startup Advice? Don’t Do It All:
33:16 – 34:57: A sharp lesson for founders: don’t waste years trying to do everything yourself. Know your strengths, hire/seek help, and focus on the bigger picture.
