The New Growth Playbook: Scaling Consumer Brands in the Age of AI & Efficiency

Consumer brands are evolving within a marketplace defined by AI-led discovery, rising customer expectations, and complex purchase pathways - demanding models that are precise, resilient, and profitable by design. For founders and brand leaders, this is the moment to build growth engines where retention, trust, and community are not afterthoughts but the foundation of scale.

At 3one4 Capital, we believe this shift calls for a deliberate reframing of how performance marketing is viewed – from a tactical lever to a core operating system. The New Growth Playbook was designed as a forum for founders, CMOs, and growth leaders to engage deeply with this idea, share what is working on the ground, and explore new approaches to scaling brands with intent.

Growth is Earned, Not Bought

Opening the discussion, Anand Batra (Investments, 3one4 Capital) distilled a decade of consumer internet learnings into a simple but powerful message: there are no shortcuts. Reflecting on what scaled sustainably, what faded away, and why some principles remain timeless, he pointed to the fundamentals as the real differentiators.

“Consistency is underrated. Do the basics well – great copy, great creatives and great process.”

This groundwork sets the tone for everything that follows. Marketing can draw attention, but never mask weak foundations – it only amplifies what the customer already feels. Anand argued that the strongest brands win by designing journeys that create genuine delight.

“Give the customer a great experience – that is the best marketing you can ever do.”

When teams deliver on this, retention follows as the clearest signal of durability. Trust becomes the invisible layer that sustains it, compounding into loyalty that acquisition alone can never replicate.

Making Automation Work For You, Not to You

The conversation led by Aniket Khare and Kaushal Agrawal, Co-founders of Aristok offered a clear-eyed view of how digital marketing has evolved from hands-on bidding to algorithmic systems, emphasising shaping outcomes through signal design rather than relinquishing control.

Optimisation priorities have shifted from reducing wastage to accelerating campaign efficiency, with early delivery of accurate signals improving spend effectiveness.

Practical strategies include aligning creatives and landing pages to enhance signal quality, using light qualifiers such as OTP verification to improve lead quality, and measuring incremental CAC to determine the optimal point for channel diversification.

Aniket and Kaushal highlighted the importance of guiding automated systems rather than relying on them passively:

“Blindly believing AI and using that to take marketing decisions is extremely disastrous.”

The session emphasised that AI-led discoverability and platform automation are enablers, but the strongest outcomes come when brands pair platform intelligence with clean first-party data, clear messaging, and constant learning loops.

Profit as a Principle: Product First, Always

The final session spotlighted Priyaratna Suryawanshi, Head of Marketing at R for Rabbit, who brought an operator’s perspective to the conversation.

He shared how R for Rabbit’s approach has been to design products that parents trust, maintain margin discipline, and use performance marketing to accelerate growth. The team prioritised product quality over volume, focusing on creating offerings that parents recommended to each other. Word-of-mouth became the primary driver of their marketing.

“Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising,” Priyaratna noted.

By building in profitability from the first transaction, the company ensures that each new customer strengthens the business model and fuels the next wave of growth.

This philosophy has allowed R for Rabbit to grow steadily while compounding advocacy and repeat purchases, creating a self-reinforcing loop of trust, margin discipline, and market leadership.

Collective Intelligence at Work

The New Growth Playbook was more than a single evening of insights, facilitating a platform for brand leaders to exchange ideas on sharpening marketplace visibility, accelerating decision-making for customers, and leveraging trust as a moat.

The discussions reaffirmed a central theme: growth today is not about chasing channels but about building a system that compounds. As Anand reminded the room, success lies in consistency, discipline, and focus on fundamentals – the elements that turn performance marketing into an engine for enduring scale.

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DISCLAIMER

_{The views expressed herein are those of the author as of the publication date and are subject to change without notice. Neither the author nor any of the entities under the 3one4 Capital Group have any obligation to update the content. This publications are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as providing any advisory service (including financial, regulatory, or legal). It does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities or related financial instruments in any jurisdiction. Readers should perform their own due diligence and consult with relevant advisors before taking any decisions. Any reliance on the information herein is at the reader's own risk, and 3one4 Capital Group assumes no liability for any such reliance.Certain information is based on third-party sources believed to be reliable, but neither the author nor 3one4 Capital Group guarantees its accuracy, recency or completeness. There has been no independent verification of such information or the assumptions on which such information is based, unless expressly mentioned otherwise. References to specific companies, securities, or investment strategies are not endorsements. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or use of this document, in whole or in part, is prohibited without prior written consent from the author and/or the 3one4 Capital Group.}

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