Parul Gulati Breaks Down Content Strategy, Storytelling, And Modern Consumer Mindset: Exclusive

Cannes 2026: Entrepreneur and content-first brand builder Parul Gulati speaks exclusively to Jayveer Singh. In this conversation, she shares her approach to content strategy, balancing instinct and data, building authenticity in a digital-first world, and the idea behind the ‘Malkin Collection' that challenges traditional narratives around jewellery.

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What drives your content creation strategy today, instinct or data?

Both matter, but they serve different purposes. Data is excellent at explaining the past; instinct is what helps you create the future.

The mistake many brands make is becoming overly dependent on performance metrics and ending up producing more of what has already worked. We use data extensively, but some of our most successful campaigns started as observations about culture, consumer behavior, or conversations people weren't having yet. The real opportunity often lies where data hasn't caught up.

How do you maintain authenticity while creating brand-driven content?

Authenticity comes from having conviction. Most content feels inauthentic because it's created to chase engagement rather than communicate a genuine point of view.

We've always believed that consumers don't build relationships with products; they build relationships with ideas, stories, and beliefs. The role of content is not to interrupt attention but to earn it. When you start there, authenticity becomes much easier to maintain.

What kind of content delivers the best engagement for you right now?

Content that challenges assumptions tends to perform exceptionally well.

Consumers are exposed to thousands of brand messages every day. The content that breaks through is usually the content that makes people stop and reconsider something they previously accepted as normal. Some of our strongest engagements have come from questioning traditional narratives around jewellery, relationships, proposals, and self-purchase.

At the same time, our content is very different from what people typically expect from a jewellery brand. We rarely take the conventional route. Instead, we focus on creating quirky, entertaining, and story-led content that people genuinely enjoy consuming and sharing. We see ourselves as a content-first brand as much as a jewellery brand, which allows us to participate and contribute to culture rather than simply advertise within it.

How do you deal with social media pressure and the constant need for relevance?

I've never believed relevance should be the goal.

If you're constantly chasing relevance, you're always reacting to culture rather than contributing to it. The brands that endure are the ones that build a clear identity and consistently express it over time.

Trends come and go. A strong point of view compounds.

The ‘Malkin Collection' with True Diamond stands out. What inspired this collaboration?

The collaboration started with a simple observation: women today are building careers, businesses, and lives on their own terms, yet the diamond ring category still largely revolves around being chosen by someone else.

When we met Parul, we realised we shared a similar perspective on ownership, ambition, and self-celebration. The collection became an opportunity to challenge an outdated narrative and create something that felt culturally relevant to how modern women actually live.

What makes the ‘Malkin Collection' different from other celebrity jewellery lines?

Most celebrity collaborations begin with influence. This one began with insight.

We weren't interested in creating merchandise around a personality. We were interested in creating a collection around an idea. The Malkin Collection stands for something very specific: the belief that a diamond ring doesn't need to be tied to a proposal, permission, or traditional milestone. And Parul resonates with this ideology, hence the fit felt seamless, and the collaboration felt smooth.

Parul has been extremely clear on her preferences & design language. The collection represents her, which by default represents our shared purpose.  

That clarity of purpose is what differentiates this collection.

Do you see yourself expanding further into fashion and lifestyle collaborations?

Sure, but only when there's strategic alignment.

The most successful collaborations aren't audience swaps; they're idea multipliers. We're interested in working with people and brands that bring a unique perspective and help us create conversations we couldn't create on our own.

What's your biggest learning from building a personal brand online?

Attention is rented. Trust is owned.

Anyone can generate attention for a day. Very few people can build trust consistently over the years. The strongest personal brands aren't built through virality; they're built through repeated demonstrations of expertise, consistency, and authenticity.

People eventually forget individual posts. They remember what you consistently stand for.

What has been your biggest financial learning as an entrepreneur?

For a long time, like most founders, we obsessed over numbers. But I've learned that the best businesses aren't built by chasing financial metrics; they're built by obsessing over fundamentals.

We started asking tougher questions: Why do we exist? What role do we play in our customers' lives? What makes us different? Why should anyone choose us over hundreds of alternatives?

The clearer we got on those answers, the easier execution became. The business grew not because we focused on revenue, but because we focused on building something people genuinely wanted.

Get the inputs right, and the outputs take care of themselves.

How important is social media in driving sales and building brand trust?

Social media is no longer a marketing channel. It's infrastructure.

For many consumers, their first interaction with a brand happens on social media, long before they visit a website or walk into a store. It's where credibility is established, perceptions are formed, and trust is earned.

Sales are often the outcome, but trust is the real asset being built. In today's world, social media functions as a brand's storefront, PR engine, customer service desk, and community platform all at once.