ITV

Category: Brands

  • Kay Beauty makes historic UK debut at Space NK

    Kay Beauty makes historic UK debut at Space NK

    MUMBAI: Kay Beauty, the make-up brand co-founded by actor Katrina Kaif and Indian beauty retailer Nykaa, has made its first international move with an exclusive launch at Space NK in the UK. The tie-up marks the first time a home-grown Indian beauty brand has been stocked by the British luxury chain.

    Founded in 2019, Kay Beauty has built its reputation on performance-led, skin-friendly formulas and an inclusive brand voice, encapsulated in its slogans #ItsKayToBeYou and #MakeupThatKares. Its portfolio of 197 products across eyes, lips and face will now sit alongside Space NK’s curated line-up of global labels.

    Kaif called the launch “a powerful opportunity to connect with a global community that shares our values.” Nykaa co-founder & head of its owned bands Adwaita Nayar described the step as “more than just a brand milestone,” positioning Kay Beauty as proof that Indian consumer labels can compete on the global stage. 
    Space NK  chief commercial officer Margaret Mitchell said the addition would help the retailer better serve Britain’s growing south Asian community while offering “something genuinely unique”.

    The UK launch brings bestsellers such as the Hydra Crème Lipstick, Hydrating Foundation and Velvet Creme Blush, as well as a range of kajals infused with chamomile and ceramides.

    Kay Beauty, named Vogue India’s Beauty Brand of the Year in 2022, has already carved a cult following at home with 1.6 million social media followers, 700-plus retail outlets and more than 2.5 million customers. With Space NK’s 80-store network and online reach, the brand is betting that its blend of inclusivity, heritage and innovation will resonate with British consumers too.

  • Royal Enfield rolls out ‘art of motorcycling’ S5 with launch of ‘cine-verse’

    Royal Enfield rolls out ‘art of motorcycling’ S5 with launch of ‘cine-verse’

    MUMBAI: Lights, camera… kick-start! Royal Enfield has shifted gears on creativity with the launch of Season 5 of its global platform, ‘art of motorcycling’, this time with a cinematic twist called ‘cine-verse’. The campaign challenges artists across 12 countries to imagine themselves as stars of their own film and condense the story into a striking movie poster with a Royal Enfield taking centre stage.

    And in a first, the platform is opening the throttle for a younger crowd with the debut of AOM young talent, a category for creators aged 11–18. These budding artists will share the same stage and spotlight as seasoned professionals, with their work showcased at Motoverse 2025 in Goa.

    The jury line-up is nothing short of blockbuster: Harun Robert (Rob) of M.A.D, poster-design maestro Raj Khatri, Colombian street artist Diana Ordóñez, and Indonesian pop-art maverick Muklay. Each guest will not only judge entries but also create their own cine-verse posters, which will be turned into exclusive merchandise.

    Last year’s edition drew over 42,000 entries from 12 countries, reaching more than 23 million people worldwide. Season 5 promises to be bigger, bolder and more global than ever, blending cinema, art, and motorcycling’s freewheeling spirit.

    Artists can submit digital or hand-drawn works under regular or young talent categories, with winners earning an all-expenses-paid trip to Motoverse 2025, where their creations will take the spotlight at the AOM Arena.

    Here is the link for registration – https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/art-of-motorcycling/theme/ 
     

  • Lufthansa takes off with Sreeleela for Insider 2.0 travel storytelling

    Lufthansa takes off with Sreeleela for Insider 2.0 travel storytelling

    MUMBAI: When a rising star meets Europe’s sky-high classic, you know the journey won’t be ordinary. Lufthansa German Airlines has rolled out the latest chapter of its Insider campaign, this time headlined by actress Sreeleela, who brings a touch of homegrown charm to the airline’s premium global pitch.

    The campaign steered by Mindshare India with its UK counterparts and supported by WPP Media reimagines Lufthansa not just as a carrier but as a travel-lifestyle brand. Dubbed Insider Guide 2.0, it turns the spotlight on London’s cultural and culinary secrets, with Sreeleela exploring the city alongside UK creator Anastasia. From hidden haunts to haute cuisine, the duo presented a version of London few tourists ever see.

    For today’s premium Indian traveller, the sweet spot lies in blending indulgence with authenticity. The campaign taps into that appetite: immersive journeys that go beyond glossy itineraries, mixing Lufthansa’s signature service with storytelling that feels personal.

    Lufthansa Group head of marketing for South Asia, Southeast Asia & Pacific Sng Ju Stephanie summed it up as “experience-led travel, powered by authentic influencer engagement,” while WPP Media South Asia’s Amin Lakhani called it a “cross-border collaboration that raises the bar for cultural nuance and consumer connection.”

    With Insider 2.0, Lufthansa isn’t just chasing wanderlust; it’s serving up a menu of global discovery with an Indian garnish. For a brand that has long been a bridge between continents, this campaign ensures the story soars just as high as the aircraft.

  • Converse and Golf Wang slip into style with nature-inspired collection

    Converse and Golf Wang slip into style with nature-inspired collection

    MUMBAI: When fashion and skate culture collide, the result is anything but flat-footed. Converse and Golf Wang have dropped a fresh spin on their long-running collaboration with the debut of the one star CC slip pro, a slip-on skate silhouette that’s as textured as it is stylish.

    It’s a first for the partnership, drawing on Converse’s 1960s Deck Star Gore and Sea Star Gore designs, while also nodding to the brand’s 1970s One Star heritage. Tyler, The Creator, known for raiding Converse’s archives, gives the One Star formula a Golf Wang twist turning history into something boldly irreverent and unmistakably current.

    The collection is served up in three earthy iterations, each named and shaded after natural landscapes:

    ●   Forget Me Not (Concrete), a muted blue suede recalling soft, cloudy skies.

    ●   Forest Elf (Grass), lush green suede that feels like walking on a forest floor.

    ●   Black Beauty (Dirt), rich, dark suede mirroring fertile soil.

    Every pair features a two-tone hairy suede upper, egret foxing tape with a varnished finish, and a co-branded sock liner stamped with landscape-inspired artwork. Underfoot, skaters get practical perks: ConS traction rubber for grip and board feel, and CX foam cushioning for comfort that lasts from tricks to hangouts.

    Priced at Rs 6,999, the Converse x Golf Wang one star CC slip pro is available now on converse.in and select retail partners. For sneakerheads and skaters alike, it’s a design that proves slipping on can still mean standing out.

  • Mastercard clinches naming rights to McLaren Formula 1 team from 2026

    Mastercard clinches naming rights to McLaren Formula 1 team from 2026

    AMSTERDAM: Mastercard has signed a landmark naming-rights deal with McLaren Racing, under which the team will compete from 2026 as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 team. The partnership is valued by industry observers at more than $100 million over several years, putting it among the top tier of F1 sponsorship agreements.

    The announcement was made in Amsterdam by Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s chief marketing and communications officer and founding president of its healthcare business, alongside McLaren chief executive Zak Brown and drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

    Rajamannar said the tie-up rested on shared values of innovation, performance and fan engagement. “McLaren is the number one team, and this partnership allows us to connect fans to the sport in ways never seen before,” he said.

    As part of the deal, Mastercard unveiled Team Priceless, a global fan programme aimed at bringing supporters closer to the action through behind-the-scenes access, immersive digital activations and exclusive experiences with the drivers.

    The timing is strategic. Formula 1’s popularity has surged since Liberty Media acquired the sport in 2017 for $8 billion. Global TV audiences now exceed 500 million per year, with more than 45 per cent of viewers under 35 — a demographic highly prized by brands. Social media engagement grew 23 per cent year-on-year in 2024, making F1 the fastest-growing sports property online.

    McLaren, meanwhile, has staged a revival, finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship last season and securing eight podiums. New technical regulations in 2026, including hybrid power units with 50 per cent electrical output, are expected to level the playing field — an opportunity McLaren intends to seize with fresh investment.

    For Mastercard, the move reinforces a sponsorship strategy that already spans the UEFA Champions League, the Rugby World Cup and the Australian Open. Sports partnerships account for a significant portion of its global marketing spend, estimated at over $1.7 billion annually. By attaching its name directly to an F1 team, the company is betting that the sport’s glamour and youthful audience will deliver long-term brand dividends.

  • Mondelez elevates Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk

    Mondelez elevates Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk

    ZURICH: Mondelez International has promoted Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk, placing him in charge of one of the confectionery giant’s most prized assets. He will be based in Zurich.

    Nicholas, who has spent more than 16 years at Mondelez, was most recently global marketing manager for Cadbury. His career has taken him across Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur and Zurich, spanning sales, innovation and category leadership. He has been closely associated with Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk and chocolate innovation in Asia-Pacific, as well as leading marketing for South East Asia.

    Starting out in customer development and sales roles in India, he steadily climbed through the ranks, moving into brand management in 2013. By 2019, he was senior marketing manager for equity and innovation in South East Asia, before taking on the region’s chocolate marketing lead. In 2023, he shifted to Zurich to handle global duties.

    The promotion cements his role as the custodian of a brand that has defined affordable indulgence for generations and remains central to Mondelez’s global chocolate portfolio.

  • Diageo appoints Aanandita Datta as vp marketing and category head

    Diageo appoints Aanandita Datta as vp marketing and category head

    MUMBAI: Diageo India has named Aanandita Datta as its new vice president, marketing and category head. She moves from Pizza Hut, where she was chief marketing officer for India and the subcontinent, and before that spent nearly a decade at Unilever.

    A marketing veteran with 19 years of experience, Datta has worked across categories from oral care and foods to beverages. She launched and scaled brands such as Sensodyne and Lipton, built new categories like green tea and sensitive oral care, and led Horlicks’ major relaunch in 2010. At Pizza Hut, she drove campaigns to court young consumers and make the brand part of “young India’s daily life”.

    Datta described herself as a “storyteller with a curious mind”, saying her purpose lay in “exploring the unknown and inspiring others to do the same”. She has previously managed portfolios worth over €1.3bn, partnered with the UN and Indian government on sustainability projects, and steered both disruptive innovation and mature-brand growth.

    At Diageo, she takes charge of marketing strategy and category development in one of India’s most competitive consumer markets.

  • Nike takes a walk with Yu-Gi-Oh! for Joey Wheeler-inspired Air Max 95

    Nike takes a walk with Yu-Gi-Oh! for Joey Wheeler-inspired Air Max 95

    MUMBAI: Konami Cross Media NY and Nike have cut a deal that pulls one of anime’s most beloved universes straight into sneaker culture. The new Nike Air Max 95 QS YGO, inspired by Kazuki Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh!, lands this September alongside a capsule of apparel. At its heart: Joey Wheeler—Yugi’s brash, loyal sidekick—recast as a global athlete.

    The tie-up is more than a simple branding exercise. It comes with a full-blown campaign fronted by the original English and Japanese voice actors from the anime series, blurring the line between nostalgia and contemporary fashion. For fans who grew up duelling with trading cards or glued to Toonami, the sneaker is both a collector’s item and a wearable badge of fandom.

    Konami Cross Media senior vice-president of licensing and marketing Jennifer Coleman said Nike’s handling of the project had been “extraordinary”. She credited the brand with bringing “passion, care and attention to detail” and praised its “unique vision of Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and fans as athletes”, a framing she said would “redefine how audiences connect with their favourite characters, especially Joey Wheeler.”

    Nike, never shy of myth-making, pitched the collaboration as part of its broader belief that sport is a limitless canvas. Dave Vericker, the company’s senior director of neighbourhood merchandise, said: “We didn’t invent this lore: it was born organically from the community. Through our partnership with Konami, we wanted to show love to longtime fans and inspire the next generation by bringing a beloved, mythical story to life through design.”

    The collection is built around two centrepieces: a global release of the “Joey” colourway and apparel on 12 September via Nike’s Snkrs app and select partners, and a Japan-exclusive “Jonouchi” version—named for the character’s original manga identity—dropping on the same day in local stores.

    The timing is apt. Yu-Gi-Oh! has spent more than 25 years as a fixture in global pop culture, with over 1,000 anime episodes, countless manga volumes and one of the world’s most enduring trading card games. For Nike, the collaboration is both a courtship of older millennial collectors and a way to seed loyalty among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, for whom anime has become as much a cultural touchstone as sport.

    Nike’s mission statement has long been: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” This partnership stretches that definition further—suggesting that even duelists, strategists and manga heroes can lace up and join the ranks.

  • Max Marketing marks 10 years of redefining film promotions in India

    Max Marketing marks 10 years of redefining film promotions in India

    MUMBAI: India loves a blockbuster but in the last decade, it wasn’t just films making waves, it was the campaigns behind them. This August, Max Marketing & Innovations, the brainchild of Varun Gupta, marked 10 years of rewriting the rules of film promotion in India, turning over 150 releases into cultural moments. From concerts that made characters come alive to billboards that became landmarks, Max’s decade-long playbook is a masterclass in spectacle. For Kabir Singh, they staged a live concert; for Satya Prem Ki Katha, they turned a white heart emoji into a trending symbol of love and acceptance. In Ayodhya, they even unfurled a 50-ft poster at Ram Ki Paidi, creating a historic fusion of cinema and sacred space.

    Actors and filmmakers have been unanimous in their applause. Ranveer Singh calls Max’s campaigns “spectacle-making,” Tabu says they’re “always fresh, always impactful,” while Vishal Bhardwaj insists that “promotion today is as much storytelling as the film itself and Max weaves that magic.” From Anil Kapoor to Sooraj Barjatya, Kabir Khan to JP Dutta, the chorus is the same: Max doesn’t just market films, it creates memories.

    Their portfolio reads like a greatest hits playlist: RRR, Animal, Article 370, Major, Padman, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Hanuman, all stamped with the agency’s flair for scale and innovation. Beyond splashy stunts, Max has championed inclusivity too, with campaigns like the “Common Man’s Campaign” that put films on autos, buses, and metro hoardings, ensuring cinema met audiences in their daily grind.

    Reflecting on the milestone, Gupta says: “From day one, our aim was to craft experiences, not campaigns. The next ten years are about pushing boundaries further, creating stories that outlast opening weekends.”

    As Max steps into its second decade, the stage is set for an even bigger act where cinema, technology, and culture collide. If the last 10 years proved anything, it’s this: when Max is in the picture, the marketing itself is part of the show.

  • Sunny side up, Bappa! Cooking oil brand pens film for Ganesh Chaturthi

    Sunny side up, Bappa! Cooking oil brand pens film for Ganesh Chaturthi

    MUMBAI: Modaks, melodies, and memories Ganesh Chaturthi is here, and this year International Sunny Cooking Oil is stirring the pot with emotion. The brand has launched a moving three-minute film titled Letter to Bappa, capturing how India welcomes its beloved deity into homes and hearts. The short film traces the journey of a little girl travelling from city bustle to village calm, soaking in the colours, rhythms, and aromas of the festival. It all culminates in her writing a heartfelt note to ‘Bappa’, a letter that becomes the film’s emotional anchor, symbolising the different ways families express devotion.

    Food, naturally, plays centre stage. Tying back to Sunny Oil’s proposition Life Aapki, Recipe Aapki, the narrative shows how celebrations come alive around kitchen tables, where festive feasts and everyday meals alike become moments of bonding.

    “Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival that brings families together, and food is at the centre of every celebration. With our film, we wanted to capture that spirit, the laughter, the togetherness, and the joy of sharing a meal,” said Frigorifico Allana Pvt. Ltd. CEO for consumer products Division Milind Pingle makers of Sunny Oil.

    For Alphax co-founder Dorothy Rebello the film was also deeply personal: “The way children see Bappa with wonder and unfiltered love became the heart of the story. We wanted it to feel human, relatable, and rooted in everyday celebrations.”

    From the nostalgic making of modaks to the aroma of festive spreads, Sunny positions itself not just as a cooking staple but as part of India’s cultural fabric. The film closes on the brand’s enduring promise: that every festival, every recipe, and every shared meal becomes a memory seasoned with love.