[Live Blog] Takeaways from #SMLive 2025

Welcome to the live blog coverage of the 9th edition of #SMLive, Social Samosa’s premier gathering of the A&M community. Stay tuned as industry leaders and experts come together for a day of insightful discussions, trend analysis and more.

SMLive returns with its 9th edition this World Social Media Day, and it comes with a theme that’s equal parts timely and telling: the feed is broken.

What was once a space of excitement and endless possibility now feels cluttered, repetitive, and increasingly disconnected. The boxes are being ticked, but the impact? Harder to find.

At SMLive 2025, we’re pausing to ask the tough questions, what’s not working, and why? From algorithm anxiety and nosediving reach to creator burnout and content fatigue, the cracks are showing. This year, Social Samosa is opening the floor for honest conversations on what needs to change, and who’s responsible for leading that change.

Follow the action on Social Samosa’s YouTube, X, and LinkedIn channels. Stay tuned for the latest industry trends, key takeaways, and conversations that matter. It’s all happening today.

2:35 PM: We're live! Tune in to Social Samosa's #SMLive for a day of industry insights and expert discussions.

2:36 PM: Sneha Medda, Correspondent at Social Samosa, and the event's emcee, welcomes viewers and industry experts to the 9th edition of SMLive.

2:39 PM: Hitesh Rajwani, CEO, of Social Samosa Network, delves into the theme of today's SMLive, The Feed Is Broken.

2:42 PM: Hitesh welcomes Mayur Hola, VP - Brand, Swiggy for the spotlight session, Culture > Clout: The Real Flex.

2:45 PM: Mayur kickstarts the conversation with a candid glimpse into InstaFart, a collection of meme-inspired products.

2:50 PM: Speaking about what cuts through today’s saturated feed, Mayur says, “Honestly, a raw, messy reel from a creator feels way more real than all that overproduced, candy-coated crap we scroll past every day.”

2:55 PM: Mayur on brands trying to tap into culture: “Sometimes it does feel like we’re trying too hard to fit in. Maybe even appropriating culture. But we take it on the chin and move on. Who cares? A minute after you’ve seen it, you’ve forgotten it anyway.”

3:03 PM: On Swiggy’s brand voice across verticals, Mayur says, “If you ask me what the brand personality is — it’s spark. Every time we’ve tried to make food content all deep or meaningful, it’s flopped. We’ve learnt the hard way that force-fitting another vibe just doesn’t land.”

3:05 PM: On the role of social media and brand thinking, Mayur says, “People often ask, what’s the point of all this? Does it even drive sales? And I’m glad they do, because we ask ourselves that too. At a fundamental level, we believe in traditional brand thinking. But in execution, it may seem like we’ve let go of it. Truth is, we know who we’re talking to, and we try not to put so many guardrails that we turn robotic.”

3:10 PM: On working with regional creators, Mayur shares, “Regional creators are the lifeblood of the internet right now. We try to collaborate with as many as we can, they feel more real, more relatable. There's an authenticity there that over-styled content just can’t match. We absolutely love them."

3:12 PM: On brand personality, Mayur says, “Not every brand needs to be quirky, but every brand should be unabashed. It needs to be sharply pointed in who it is and how it talks to its audience. I saw a dentist ad recently using AI and Bigfoot, and it worked. You just need to know who you are and own it.”

3:15 PM: Mayur signs off.

3:16 PM: Sneha welcomes Mrinil Mathur Rajwani, Editor In Chief & Managing Partner at Social Samosa Network, to take over for the first session, The Feed Is Broken. Who Gets to Fix It?

3:18 PM: Mrinil welcomes the speakers for 'The Feed Is Broken. Who Gets to Fix It?' session: Pranav Agarwal, Co-Founder, Sociowash, Rahul Dayama, Founding Partner, Urbanic, Devarshi Shah, SVP and Business Head, Global Creator Network, OML and Ramya R, Head of Marketing, uppercase.

3:20 PM: Pranav makes a case for why the feed isn’t broken, just evolving. Rahul echoes the thought, adding, “Sometimes you need the feed to break. That’s when something new gets through.”

3:23 PM: Ramya shares a nuanced take: “I wouldn’t call the feed broken, it’s evolving. What worked two years ago doesn’t work now. Algorithms are still a work in progress. Platforms are pushing content, creators, and ads to keep users hooked, and the control has shifted more towards the platforms. YouTube, for example, is seeing deeper content consumption, while Instagram still leans on memes and cringe. It’s not broken, but changes are definitely due.”

3:26 PM: Devarshi questions the premise of the session: “When I first heard the topic, I genuinely thought, what do you mean the feed is broken? What even is broken? The platforms are evolving, just like we are. Social media plays a massive role in our lives, but a lot of it also boils down to what we want and how we engage. It’s not broken, it’s just different now.”

3:28 PM: Mrinil dives deeper into the power dynamics of the feed: “We’ve all agreed the feed isn’t broken, it’s evolving. But who really owns it? Is it the platforms that decide what we see? The creators who shape culture? Or is it us, the audience, driving demand? Every update seems to tell us what matters, one day it’s 30-second Reels, the next it’s photos. Isn’t it a bit of a problem that the rules can change every 30 minutes?”

3:30 PM: Devarshi reflects on control and consumption: “At some level, it’s the creator, and that includes brands, choosing how and what to communicate. The platform nudges you on format, but the audience decides what to engage with. Honestly, nothing really changes for me unless I choose to change it. Just two weeks ago, I started a new Instagram account because my old one felt too hectic. That choice still lies with us.”

3:32 PM: Ramya shares a different view on who controls the feed: “Platforms make us think we have the power, but really we only choose from what we’re shown. That’s how we end up stuck in an endless loop. It’s very discovery led, but unlike Spotify where recommendations feel useful, Instagram’s discovery often feels confusing and repetitive. I try to train the algorithm by skipping what I don’t like and rewatching what I do, but there’s no real control. I wish the experience was more meaningful, with more informative content and better personalisation tools.”

3:38 PM: Pranav breaks down the feed ecosystem into three key players: audiences, creators and brands: "Platforms promote content that boosts consumption, based on what creators are producing. Brands follow that consumption to decide where and how to advertise. If you understand the algorithm, you can influence your own feed. But most people don’t know how the algorithm works, which keeps them stuck in the loop. We need more awareness and digital literacy so users can take control of what they consume, instead of being driven entirely by what platforms push.”

3:44 PM: Rahul shares how brands can tailor their presence: “Social media is just one part of the channel mix. YouTube has long-term value since it’s searchable, while Instagram content disappears fast. Strategy has to be tailored to the platform and the product.”

3:48 PM: Ramya shares her take on trends and brand building: “Trends give you short-term spikes, but brands need long-term relevance. Everyone’s making similar content, and if all luggage brands show creators travelling with bags, there’s no recall. The goal should be to find your own space, build distinctiveness, and create content that reflects your brand’s core message. Don’t just follow trends. Know what you stand for and build around that.”

3:50 PM: Devarshi on comedy and keeping content fresh: “Comedy doesn’t have a freshness problem. It’s more about how little you can do and still connect. For brands, it’s about using creators wisely. If you treat a creator like an ad unit, you’ll get performance. But if you use them for storytelling, you’ll build culture. And culture is the best way to stay fresh with frequency.”

3:55 PM: Pranav on the creative challenge of staying fresh: "The pressure on brands today is relentless. You can't just run one big campaign and vanish. Social demands consistency. The challenge is to experiment without losing the brand’s voice. One way is to spot trends early and give them your own twist. Another is leveraging creators not just for performance but to shape culture. Even with AI, there's potential to break monotony. It just needs the right balance between safety and surprise.”

4:02 PM: Ramya on what still works: "Stories feel more real and in-the-moment. I prefer them over posts, which often feel curated or delayed. There's still authenticity in parts of social media. We just need more of it, both in what we create and what we see. As users, not everyone can hack the algorithm, but we should at least see more of who we choose to follow."

4:04 PM: Pranav on content fatigue and cycles: "Everything on social is cyclical. Platforms change, formats evolve, and every content type eventually hits saturation. But no genre ever truly dies, it just makes a comeback later. The content pyramid keeps shifting, and burnout isn’t the end, it’s just part of the loop."

4:05 PM: Rahul on platform burnout vs brand stagnation: "The burnout lies with brands that aren’t keeping up. Too many are just copying each other. Real evolution comes from observing your audience, not just listening to what they say but seeing what they actually do."

4:08 PM: Devarshi on the myth of burnout: "It’s not burnout — it’s a toxic relationship. We can’t quit, but we’re tired. And as marketers, maybe the only way through is to bury the boring. The more irreverent you are, the more you’ll stand out. That’s the game today."

4:10 PM: Mrinil, Pranav, Pranav, Devarshi and Rahul sign off. 

4:11 PM: Sneha introduces the next session: 'The Mental & Emotional Cost of Content' and welcomes, Anusha GS Shetty, Creative Head, Yuvaa to take over and share valuable insights. 

4:12 PM: Anusha started her session on a gentle note, grounding it in personal experience: "Burnout is not a luxury. It’s real. When I began my career in agency life, I was told I was too young to feel tired. But that exhaustion, the creative block, the constant overwhelm, it all existed. We just didn’t have the words back then."

4:14 PM: Anusha reflected on how she changed her own relationship with work: "Now, I start my week with energy and end it without crashing. That took time, self-awareness and the courage to build boundaries. Because content shouldn’t come at the cost of wellbeing."

4:16 PM: Anusha spoke about how the pressure of showing up online every day can wear people down: “At the start of the week, I feel fresh. By the end, after six posts and zero boundaries, I’m drained. And I know I’m not alone. In social media, weekends aren’t weekends. Trends don’t wait. Clients don’t wait. You’re always on.”

4:18 PM: Anusha addressed a question that quietly haunts many in the industry: “Am I burnt out, or just not good enough?” She reflected on how self-doubt often creeps in when comparison takes over — “Everyone else seems to be doing better. So why can’t I?”

4:20 PM: Anusha opened up about the emotional toll of working in digital spaces, where the line between sensitivity and detachment gets blurry. “You read about people dying, getting killed, and after a point, you feel numb. You start questioning — am I still human?” She highlighted how guilt over rest and constant comparison are some of the biggest signs of burnout.

4:22 PM: Anusha emphasised the systemic nature of burnout: How the culture of hyper-productivity makes people feel guilty for even a five-minute break. “We forget that rest is part of being human. We weren’t designed to work all the time. We were meant to live, to create, to just be.”

4:24 PM: Anusha delved into how burnout is deeply systemic. “Our systems are designed to drain us. You have to justify your leaves, plan them well in advance, and even then, feel guilty about taking time off. Just saying 'I'm not okay today' isn’t enough. It has to sound valid, serious, urgent.” She reflected on how the workplace normalises overwork and how that conditioning runs deep in both employees and managers.

4:28 PM: Anusha explored how burnout is not just emotional, it’s structural. “Undefined KPIs, never-ending feedback loops, everything marked urgent, and the pressure to ‘make it viral’—these are all systemic issues. Burnout isn’t always about the individual. It’s about how our systems are designed.” She talked about how limited creative freedom and constant repetition stifle fresh thinking and experimentation.

4:32 PM: Anusha stressed that this small act of self-curation helped her reconnect with inspiration and break creative blocks. On particularly hard days, she said, she doesn’t pretend everything is okay. Instead, she returns to this list and reminds herself: Burnout is a human response to an inhuman pace, progress needs pauses and you’re allowed to take a breath before chasing the next milestone. “We live in a world that demands more. More output. Bigger dreams. Faster results. But sometimes, what we really need is to slow down and tell ourselves, I’ve come a long way, and that counts too.”

4:40 PM: Anusha urged everyone to take a moment to reflect, to be thankful, and to remind themselves that they are doing enough. Because if you never pause, you'll always feel like you're falling behind, especially in a world where the internet constantly tells you that you are. “You can’t go viral if you’re in survival mode,” she said, pausing. “Rest. Reflect. Remind yourself: this loop isn’t permanent. You will come out of it.”

4:46 PM: Anusha signs off.

4:48 PM: Sneha introduces the next session: 'Good Content Dies in Bad Distribution' and introduces Hitesh to take over and kickstart the conversation with Ansh Agrawal, Head of Content Marketing, Bold Care and Amisha Gulati, President, Gozoop Creative.

4:50 PM: Hitesh kicked off the session with a debate-style prompt: Is distribution underrated or overrated? “We’ve had some unfiltered conversations today, including people saying the feed isn’t broken, we’re just training the algorithm wrong. I don’t agree. I think the algorithm is burning us out, it’s demanding too much.” Setting the tone, he clarified: this isn’t just about Meta or Google ads. “I’m talking about distribution as a discipline. For a decade, we’ve obsessed over content creation, but not enough on how to get that content seen.” He posed the first question to the panel: “What’s one brutal reality about why even fire-grade content still fails to find its audience on social media in 2025?”

4:52 PM: Amisha weighed in on why even great storytelling sometimes fails to land. “There’s just too much clutter—AI, digital-first brands, 2 billion posts a day. Of course some of it will get lost.” She emphasised the need to pause and reflect before creating content. “Who are we creating it for? And how are we getting it to them?”

4:53 PM: Amisha stressed that in today’s crowded digital ecosystem, distribution can't be an afterthought. “There is so much clutter, we’re in that rat race of just churning content and getting it out there. There needs to be a targeted approach, even when it comes to distribution. It’s really unfortunate, but I’ve seen powerful stories die because no one thought through the final funnel.”

4:55 PM: Ansh pointed out that content today doesn’t fail because it’s not good, it fails because it’s invisible. “Content gets lost unless it’s actively placed where the right audience will see it.” While paid media is one path, he emphasised the underrated influence of earned media: UGC, influencer collaborations, meme marketing. “There’s power in subtlety. It’s not always about running ads; it’s about placing content in the right cultural conversations that influence decisions.”

5:00 PM: Ansh shared an example from Boldcare, where a script stayed on hold due to casting and distribution challenges, but now a new approach and character are set to launch it soon. “A great asset performs when it reaches the right audience. Sometimes simple ads blow up unpredictably, but you can’t constantly shift your distribution strategy based on fleeting trends. You need consistency in your messaging and audience targeting.” He cautioned against spreading resources too thin across multiple channels at once. “We tried mixing advertising, meme marketing, influencer marketing, and running ads all at once, it didn’t work. When we focused on doing one thing well, that’s when Boldcare really started to grow.”

5:02 PM: Amisha pointed out there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for how much effort or budget should go into asset creation versus distribution. “Some experts suggest a 20-30% split on asset creation and 70-80% on distribution,” she said, “but it really depends on the brand and the objective.”

5:04 PM: Amisha further shared examples: “If you’re a feminine healthcare or beauty brand running a conversion campaign on WhatsApp, that’s mostly media spend - pure distribution play. But if you want to populate social media with content that resonates with Gen Z or taps into a topical moment, then it’s more about content creation. In those cases, the cost of content might be low, but the goal is relevance and engagement on platforms like Instagram at the right moment.”

5:06 PM: Ansh talked about the unpredictability of content performance. “Even with strong media muscle, good timing, and carefully planned distribution, say, targeting high-affinity meme pages or communities, there’s always a chance the platform surprises you and the content doesn’t perform as expected.” He explained their approach to this uncertainty: “We allocate an initial portion of the budget, around 20%, for learning. This helps us identify which platforms and narratives are exceeding expectations and which are underperforming.”

5:10 PM: Amisha built on Ansh’s point about data-driven insights. “Today, you can pinpoint exactly where viewers drop off in an ad, you can even create heat maps showing which moments keep the audience hooked and where engagement dips.” She explained how this data allows for multiple content versions. “We can make different edits or storytelling tweaks to suit audience behavior, then A/B test to see what works best. Tech really helps us adjust strategies in real-time."

5:12 PM: Amisha pointed out an underrated distribution channel: WhatsApp. “It’s huge and largely untapped. People are literally on WhatsApp all the time, and there are countless communities with high engagement. Brands can leverage WhatsApp not just for conversations, but for conversions too.”

5:14 PM: Ansh agreed with Amisha but added Reddit as another underrated channel for brands and audiences. “Reddit isn’t about surface-level influence or trends — it’s about real conversations. You get to understand your consumers deeply because they’re active community members giving constant feedback. It’s a rich source of insights. Plus, many trends start on Reddit before they hit platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. So it’s a great place for brands to learn and shape their content and distribution strategy accordingly.”

5:25 PM: Hitesh, Amisha and Ansha signed off.

5:27 PM: Sneha set the context for the next session: The Templatisation Trap' and welcomed Karuna Sharma, Associate Editor at Social Samosa to take over the conversation. 

5:28 PM: Karuna welcomed the panellists: Nitish Saxena, Head of Brand Marketing, FNP, Surbhi Allagh, Co-Founder, itch, Shivani Tiwari, Head of Growth and Digital Marketing, Ajio and Hemal Majithia, Founder & Chief OktoMind at OktoBuzz.

5:30 PM: Shivani acknowledged the prevalence of templatisation but framed it as a feedback loop. “Brands themselves are often the culprits, when a particular reel or campaign goes viral, we push our agencies and creators to replicate that formula quickly.” She added, “This obsession with metrics, likes, shares, followers, drives creators to stick to what worked before, limiting creativity and leading to stale content. Risk-taking is rare because very few brands or practitioners are willing to embrace it.”

5:32 PM: Nitish offered a sharp take on AI and its impact on creativity. “For us, AI is like an intern, or maybe a thousand interns, scarily efficient and lightning fast. But the thing is, AI works off patterns. It’s crowdsourced intelligence, synthesised from what already exists.” He stressed that while AI is a powerful tool for speed, it shouldn’t replace critical thinking. “The problem isn’t AI, it’s how we use it. If we use it to assist creativity, great. But if we use it to replace thought, we end up in a sameness loop.” He noted how brand feeds today look identical, with overused meme formats, trending audios, and copycat tones. “Templatisation is rampant. One brand tries something different, 50 others follow. AI is only accelerating this cycle. The real challenge is in how we prompt, how we input, and how we break the loop.”

5:34 PM: Surbhi urged the need to resist this algorithm-led sameness. “The algorithm can’t define my content strategy. I have to understand my audience, build for them, and wait for that moment where it clicks. That’s how a real format is born.” She critiqued the checklist approach dominating brand feeds: “Most reels today are just copies of something we’ve already seen. Where’s the risk-taking? Where are the new ideas?” Her call to action: “We can’t templatise creativity. Every brand needs a strategy that’s true to its audience. That’s something we keep reminding ourselves of every day.”

5:30 PM: Hemal built on earlier points around risk and repetition, saying, “It’s not just about risk appetite, for the client or the creator. What they really need is clarity.” He explained that a brand is essentially the perception you want to plant in the audience’s mind. Drawing a contrast, he said trend-chasing often becomes hunting, but brand-building should feel like farming. Hemal shared a framework his team follows: “70% content as per brand guidelines, 20% that’s interesting or surprising, and 10% that’s pure experimentation.”

5:35 PM: Surbhi offered a reality check from the agency trenches: “Every client, at some point, has said: Let’s do something viral.” She reflected on how this ask often comes with references to Zomato or CRED, but stressed that real success comes from clarity and conviction. “It’s also our responsibility, as agencies, to step in and say: Let’s do what makes sense for the brand, not just the algorithm.” She emphasised the value of strong client-agency relationships built on trust: “If we win, we win together. If we fail, we fail together.”

5:40 PM: Nitish broke down how algorithms are designed to reward predictability, not creativity. “Every platform wants you to stay longer so it can show you more ads. That’s the business model.” He explained how creators and brands have learned to game the system by sticking to formats that maximise engagement. “Platforms push mediocre content. But when you create something truly exceptional, the audience, not the algorithm, takes it forward.” He emphasised the need to break out of this algorithmic trap by pushing for genuine creativity: “If you’re just chasing algorithm wins, video is enough. But if you want to build something lasting, you have to outcreate the algorithm.”

5:45 PM: Shivani explained that while platforms reward repeatability, that doesn’t mean brands need to copy-paste trends. “The opposite of a good idea isn’t always a bad one—it could just be a different good idea. The key is to create your own template and test it with your audience.” She stressed the importance of understanding platform behaviour without letting it dictate every move.

5:55 PM: Shivani shared a firm reminder to keep customers at the centre. “We’re not here to make viral campaigns. We’re here to build for outcomes that deliver for customers.” She explained how today’s customers no longer expect to be passive recipients, they want to be involved in shaping products, styles, even values. “Think of them as extended team members. Create IPs and content that tie back to your brand ethos and serve real outcomes. Don’t trade long-term value for short-term virality.”

6:00 PM: Nitish expanded on the idea of brand clarity over forced disruption. “Not every brand needs to shock or go viral. Sometimes, the boldest thing a brand can do is stay quiet.” He stressed that risks should feel natural and true to the brand’s voice, not driven by FOMO or LinkedIn applause. “Push for sharpness. Own a single brand truth. And only then, take the kind of risk that aligns with that.” He added that for an emotional, occasion-led brand like FNP, staying rooted in that core identity helps filter out trends that don’t serve long-term value.

6:05 PM: Surbhi chimed in with a reality check: “We all spend time crafting AOPs and long-term plans, but the moment a trend hits, we feel the urge to jump in.” She emphasised the need for constant introspection—asking, “Is this really us?”—and building client-agency relationships strong enough to say no when something doesn’t align. “Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean we have to. Sometimes the sanest strategy is to stay the course.”

6:10 PM: Hemal brought the conversation back to first principles: "It all starts with one key question: What is the brand perception we're trying to build, and what is the objective at the core? That needs to be locked way before you even think about hitting the ‘budget’ button.” He explained that spend should follow purpose: “Even when you're deploying the money, you need to ask: What purpose is this solving for the brand? And equally, what value are we adding to the consumer? Because let’s not forget, it’s social media. It’s media, yes, but it’s also social. Are you truly engaging, connecting, adding something meaningful to someone’s day?”

6:17 PM: Karuna, Shivani, Surbhi, Nitish and Hemal sign off.

6:18 PM: Sneha signed off, wishing audiences a Happy World Social Media Day.