Speaking with Manifest on the sidelines of Goafest 2026, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Swiggy, stated how creativity is curbed by tight briefs given by clients.

And that’s why the work the brand has been producing stands out - whether it’s a campaign featuring meme star ‘Ganji Chudail’, creating a Raksha Bandhan campaign with Rakhi Sawant, or Uorfi Javed’s ‘Discount Hai Disco’.

Talking about the method behind what some label ‘madness', Kapoor said, “The principles are clear in terms of what we stand for, what we are allowed to do as a brand. What we are not allowed is a very small list, but it’s an important list too. We are very intentional about it, and once that’s clear, the world is an oyster to play with.”

Kapoor stated that he sometimes ends up seeing a piece of work just before it’s about to be published. Answering a question about the quirky stuff sometimes sparking controversy, Kapoor said, “Crises come irrespective of a company’s marketing capabilities. It’s a dream for a CEO to work with a highly competitive marketing team. Once the team is in place, job number one is to get out of the way.”

After setting the marketing team in place, Kapoor stated he’s learned a lot from it.

“Firstly, it’s about having the humility not to prescribe too much. Secondly, it’s about taking risks. I’m sometimes worried about the kind of stuff that goes out. But I quickly realised that if it doesn’t shock me, it’s not a good piece of work,” he shared.
His third learning points to the formats Swiggy plays with.

“We have worked with Sukhbir Singh, Uorfi Javed, Rakhi Sawant, Rohit Sharma, and R Madhavan, among other celebs. It’s a broad range, and everyone has been brought in for a unique proposition. The Rakhi Sawant campaign for Rakhi was one of our best pieces of work. The brand allows that canvas, and the team has expanded creativity,” he added.

Talking about Goafest and its relevance for CEOs, Kapoor stated, “It’s good to be here and share perspectives at a time when there is so much chatter around matters like AI. There are voices on all sides, but nobody knows the right answer about where things are heading. I have a hypothesis, but that might not be the right one. When one meets other people who are also thinking about the same problem outside of work, it gives one an opportunity to get more questions in one's head, and that’s a good thing.”

And what’s his hypothesis?

“The one thing which is overstated is how creativity will be taken over by AI and humans won’t have relevance. It’s a great aid and a tool which will remarkably impact productivity, but the human mind will become more valuable in creative worlds,” he concluded.