ITV

Category: MAM

  • Kotak banks on dentsu X for fresh media strategy across all platforms

    Kotak banks on dentsu X for fresh media strategy across all platforms

    MUMBAI: When Kotak Mahindra Group went shopping for a new media partner, Dentsu X India cashed in. After a tightly contested multi-agency pitch, the banking and financial services giant has handed over its integrated media mandate to Dentsu X, which will service the account from its Mumbai office.

    The win is no small deal Dentsu X will now drive the full-funnel media strategy for all of Kotak’s key businesses, including Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kotak Mutual Fund, Kotak Securities, and Kotak Life Insurance. The scope spans the big four channels television, print, radio, and digital branding ensuring the bank’s message cuts across audiences, platforms, and generations.

    Known for blending tech, culture, and data to reimagine customer experiences, Dentsu X promises to deliver “outcome-driven solutions” that accelerate Kotak’s marketing and business ambitions. With India’s banking sector doubling down on digital transformation, the collaboration aims to make finance not just accessible, but engaging for the country’s increasingly aspirational consumer base.

    Dentsu X India CEO Sujata Dwibedy, called the mandate a “strong testament” to the agency’s agility and integrated offering: “We are truly honoured to partner with a legacy brand like Kotak Mahindra Group. Our future-facing approach will help drive stronger visibility, engagement, and impact across platforms.”

    For Kotak, it’s more than just a media deal, it’s about banking on storytelling that resonates in an always-on, attention-fractured world.

  • Maitri trunk calls glory as Farhan bags Kerala’s first Red Elephant

    Maitri trunk calls glory as Farhan bags Kerala’s first Red Elephant

    MUMBAI: When elephants dance, they leave a mark and Muhammed Farhan just left one for the history books. The 22-year-old art director at Maitri has delivered Kerala its very first Red Elephant at the Kyoorius Design Yatra 2025, bagging the top honour for his packaging design for ITC Foods’ Bingo! festive gift packs. The brief was no small fry. Bingo! wanted festive gifting to feel modern and premium while sticking to a lean budget. Farhan responded with not one but two inventive packs that wowed the jury and stood out in a sea of entries.

    Pack A took inspiration from Warli art, a tribal form famous for its geometric motifs. Farhan cleverly wove Bingo!’s beloved snacks chips, nachos and Tedhe Medhe into celebratory Warli compositions. The design used a single strip with a looping mechanism, adaptable to hold varying snack quantities.

    Pack B went the nutty route, quite literally. Mandala-inspired and constructed with cashews, almonds, and exotic mixtures, the modular design borrowed from India’s classic tiffin box. Each paper unit clicked neatly together, allowing portions to be added or removed while staying securely locked.

    This wasn’t Farhan’s first brush with Kyoorius acclaim. He has already won four Blue Elephants and was shortlisted for the Young Maverick award at Goafest 2025 all without a formal design education. But this Red Elephant marks a historic leap, both for him and for Kerala.

    Maitri managing director Raju Menon couldn’t hide his pride: “Farhan joined us at 18, and his meteoric growth has been a delight to watch. We’re all very proud of our young star.” Maitri group creative director Francis Thomas added, “We knew this day was coming.”

    Farhan himself called the moment “unforgettable,” adding that representing Maitri on such a stage was an honour he would always carry.

    For Maitri, the win is more than just an award. It underscores the agency’s reputation for nurturing raw talent and pushing creative boundaries. For Farhan, it’s a reminder that sometimes the boldest ideas come from the youngest hands and they can carry the weight of an elephant.
     

  • TCS writes a new chapter with 25 years of Literacy as a Service

    TCS writes a new chapter with 25 years of Literacy as a Service

    MUMBAI: Words can change worlds and for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the past 25 years have been proof enough. On World Literacy Day, the IT giant marked a milestone: a quarter-century of its flagship Literacy as a Service (LaaS) initiative, which began life in 2000 under the vision of Dr F C Kohli as a modest adult literacy programme and has since grown into a global movement of empowerment.

    The numbers tell a compelling story. Over the years, 2.85 million learners across 21 Indian states, union territories, and parts of Africa have been equipped with functional, financial and digital literacy. In FY25 alone, LaaS reached more than 412,000 learners, powered by a vast network of 241,000 plus facilitators. The ripple effect extends far beyond classrooms: from helping rural women run small businesses to ensuring families understand their rights and claim welfare entitlements.

    In Andhra Pradesh, for example, TCS has partnered with the government to empower 400,000 women across 26 districts, blending financial know-how with digital skills. The platform itself has kept pace with the times available in nine Indian and three foreign languages, it uses graphics, sound patterns, vernacular content, and even AI-powered personalisation to ensure inclusivity for first-generation learners and under-served groups.

    Beyond the basics of reading and writing, the curriculum now stretches into life-relevant areas: financial literacy, digital adoption, awareness of citizen entitlements, and even disaster preparedness. The impact is visible in small but powerful ways from managing household finances to bridging the digital divide and building resilience in crises.

    The initiative has also been amplified by the “Each One Empowers One” campaign, where TCS and Tata Group associates mentor individuals within their communities, creating a multiplier effect. Social inclusion, economic participation, and self-confidence have all been central outcomes of this effort making literacy not just a skill, but a springboard for dignity and opportunity.

    TCS Joseph global head of CSR Sunil Nallapalli called it a movement rather than a programme: literacy as the seed of generational change. And after 25 years, those seeds have taken root in millions of lives, creating not just readers, but leaders.

  • Soaps to sodas, GST clean sweep gives FMCG a bubbly new outlook

    Soaps to sodas, GST clean sweep gives FMCG a bubbly new outlook

    MUMBAI: The FMCG aisle just got a tax wash, and shoppers may finally come out smelling of roses. With the government’s GST 2.0 reform collapsing the maze of 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent slabs into a neat trio of 5 per cent, 18 per cent and a frothy 40 per cent, the everyday essentials that power India’s consumption story have been given a welcome scrub.

    Soap, toothpaste, shampoos, toothbrushes and shaving cream once languishing at 18 per cent now gleam under the 5 per cent bracket, a move that analysts say could spark a volume surge of 8–12 per cent in FMCG sales in Q4 2025. For households tightening belts, and for rural India where every rupee pinches, that’s a tax break with real bite.

    Food has also found its sweet spot. Ghee, nuts, bottled water, namkeen and dairy staples have been moved to 5 per cent, with paneer and UHT milk made entirely GST-free. The dairy sector alone is expected to lap up a Rs 11,400 crore boost, with giants like Amul and Britannia licking their lips. Even indulgences like ice-cream and butter now come with a lighter 5 per cent tag.

    It isn’t just the kitchen basket that’s cheering. Tractors, pumps and fertilisers all at 5 per cent promise lower farm costs and higher rural income, feeding directly into FMCG consumption. Add cheaper packaging materials, and margins for companies like HUL, Dabur and Marico may fatten by 100–150 basis points.

    But it isn’t all sugar and spice. Premium and discretionary products still find themselves in the bitter bracket. Aerated drinks, colas, energy beverages and luxury chocolates continue to fizz under 18 per cent or the punishing 40 per cent sin rate, leaving players like Coca-cola and Pepsi nursing flat outlooks. The GST Council may have thrown a party for soaps and shampoos, but sodas are still paying for the hangover.

    On the compliance front, the industry is racing to reprint price tags and rejig invoices before the 22 September 2025 roll-out, with old stock adjustments threatening short-term headaches for distributors. Yet, with GST audits now mandatory only above Rs 10 crore turnover, smaller FMCG outfits can breathe easier.

    The broader script is clear: this reset is pro-rural, pro-consumption and pro-MSME, even if it means the exchequer takes a knock – with the Global Trade Research Initiative warning of a Rs 10,664 crore revenue shortfall from import-linked IGST alone.

    Still, for an industry fuelled by volume, the GST reboot couldn’t have been better timed. As festive season shelves stack up, FMCG finds itself freshly polished, priced to move, and perfectly poised to turn tax relief into a consumption carnival.

  • KPMG and Imarticus add up skills with global finance prep programme

    KPMG and Imarticus add up skills with global finance prep programme

    MUMBAI: When it comes to finance careers, passing the exam is only half the equation. The other half is applying knowledge where it counts and that’s exactly the balance KPMG in India and Imarticus Learning want to strike with their industry-first Global Accounting and Finance Certification Preparation Programme.

    The collaboration, unveiled this week, is designed for aspirants chasing the world’s toughest credentials CFA, US CPA, US CMA, ACCA, and FRM. Imarticus, already India’s first authorised prep provider for all five, will now add KPMG’s global expertise to the mix. The goal? To upskill 25,000 learners by FY28, a fivefold leap from the current 5,000.

    What sets this initiative apart from conventional cram-and-pass coaching is its emphasis on applied learning. Learners will access a curated collection of 23 case studies developed by KPMG in India, delivered via live online sessions across the five certification tracks. Beyond that, the programme bakes in mentorship, mock exams, career-focused exposure, and even internship opportunities for top performers, the top three from every ACCA batch and the best candidate from each of the other four courses.

    For candidates facing syllabi that are notoriously dense with CFA alone spanning ten topic areas, from quantitative methods to ethics this blend of theory and practice could make the difference between rote memorisation and real readiness.

    Imarticus Learning founder & CEO Nikhil Barshikar framed it as India’s first true industry-academia partnership in certification prep: “We’re bringing learners an unmatched blend of academic depth and practical business insights. The goal isn’t just to help them pass exams, but to build the confidence and clarity to excel in global finance roles.”

    From KPMG’s side, the focus is equally clear. KPMG in India partner and finance advisory Gaurav Vohra,  noted that the sector demands more than textbook smarts: “The finance and accounting industry is evolving rapidly, demanding professionals who can apply insights in real-world scenarios. This collaboration empowers professionals to do just that.”

    With global finance certifications commanding prestige and pass rates often hovering below 50 per cent, the need for structured, real-world prep has never been greater. By combining KPMG’s expertise with Imarticus’ reach, the programme positions itself not just as an exam pipeline, but as a launchpad for globally mobile, industry-ready finance talent.

  • Cloudtv gives ads a new dimension with India’s first 3D CTV formats

    Cloudtv gives ads a new dimension with India’s first 3D CTV formats

    MUMBAI: Forget skipping ads now you might just stop and stare. Cloudtv, India’s first certified Smart TV OS, has switched on a bold new innovation in Connected TV: 3D Ad-Units. Rolled out across its OS-powered devices, the new format promises to shake up how brands pop on screen, offering advertisers a premium, non-intrusive showcase that sticks in the mind.

    Already powering 250-plus smart TV brands and reaching over 12 million users across Tier 1, 2 and 3 markets, Cloudtv is no stranger to scale. But with India’s Connected TV market projected to hit 25 million households by 2026, the company is betting that immersive, attention-grabbing formats will be the next frontier of advertising.

    Early tests suggest the gamble is paying off. In a collaboration with Aiyo, an AI-first content studio, Cloudtv deployed its 3D ads for nutrition brand Myfitness. The result? A 25 per cent higher completion rate compared to regular masthead video ads proof that audiences are more likely to stick with the story when the visuals literally stand out.

    For advertisers, the appeal is clear: a unique inventory that elevates campaigns beyond the flat, forgettable formats of traditional TV spots. For viewers, the difference lies in ads that engage without feeling like interruptions, creating a sleek, cinematic environment instead of clutter.

    Addressing this strategic announcement, Cloudtv COO and co-founder Abhijeet Rajpurohit said, “The launch of 3D ads positions Cloudtv at the forefront of CTV innovation, catering to the growing demand for premium, high-impact advertising solutions. As brands look for new ways to differentiate their messaging and drive deeper engagement, Cloudtv’s 3D ad inventory offers a compelling alternative that stands out in the CTV advertising space.”

    This isn’t the company’s only power play. Cloudtv has also rolled out a dedicated CTV advertising platform and struck a partnership with Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world’s largest independent sell-side ad company, to bring global heft to its marketplace. Alongside, a new website for brands, agencies and buyers now lets partners browse inventory, audience insights and campaign opportunities in one place.

    By pushing beyond the limits of flat formats, Cloudtv is essentially opening a new dimension in CTV advertising, one where brand storytelling is immersive, measurable, and hard to ignore. In a screen space that’s heating up fast, the platform may just have given itself the 3D edge.

  • Shaking up brands in a jar, agency brews success with creative mix

    Shaking up brands in a jar, agency brews success with creative mix

    MUMBAI: When it comes to branding, Brandsjar has found the perfect recipe shake well, add creativity, and serve with a dash of personalisation. In just six years since its founding in 2019, the digital integrated creative agency has worked its way onto the radar of some of the biggest names in business, from Clean Slate Filmz and Monginis to Tourism New Zealand, Swiggy Packaging and even Maserati.

    What started as the brainchild of Shlokh Sanjay Sangtani and Sidhant Sanjeev Kakar has grown into a two-city operation, with branches in Mumbai and Pune, and a portfolio spanning branding, social media marketing, performance marketing, SEO, UI/UX design, and website development.

    The agency even managed to impress the notoriously tough panel of Shark Tank India with Ashneer Grover, Namita Thapar, and Aman Mittal praising Brandsjar’s smart and budget-friendly design for Inacan, a crafted canned cocktail brand. For a young shop competing in a crowded creative market, that sort of applause is worth more than a marketing award.

    “Our journey has just begun, but we’re delighted with the overwhelming response from partner brands,” said Shlokh Sangtani, pointing to the firm’s insistence on tailoring every campaign so brands achieve top-of-mind recall.

    Brandsjar co-founder Sidhant Kakar added that value for money and distinct brand appeal remain the agency’s guiding principles. “Being praised on Shark Tank India was a sign we’re on the right track,” he said, noting that the agency now wants to scale its formula for success to even more industries.

    For a company that prides itself on shaking up conventional brand storytelling at a time when attention spans are shrinking and engagement matters more than ever, BrandsJar has managed to create something rare, a blend that works for both start-ups and global giants. And if its trajectory so far is any indication, this jar is only just being opened.

  • ITV Network strikes a festive chord with Rasrang ad engagement platform

    ITV Network strikes a festive chord with Rasrang ad engagement platform

    MUMBAI: Festivals in India aren’t just about lights, laddoos and laughter, they’re also prime time for brands to shine. ITV Network has now rolled out Rasrang, a festive-special ad engagement platform designed to help advertisers hit the right note with over 100 million users across India. With Navratri, Diwali and Christmas just around the corner, the timing is more than auspicious.

    Rasrang blends data-driven targeting with editorial storytelling, giving brands both cultural resonance and measurable impact. Built on the scale of ITV’s flagship platforms including Newsx, Newsx World, India News, Inkhabar, The Daily Guardian and The Sunday Guardian the offering provides a multi-platform push across web, social, video and marquee live events. Brands can tap into 8,500 plus audience cohorts spanning entertainment, auto, BFSI, health, fitness, fashion, travel, sports and tech, while leveraging premium ad formats like Display, Video, Spotlight and AdTalk.

    What sets Rasrang apart is its promise to deliver not just eyeballs, but ROI with recall. According to iTV, its digital properties already generate 100 million impressions monthly across websites, social media, YouTube and events. This reach, paired with Rasrang’s precision, positions campaigns to ride India’s festive frenzy while staying relevant to regional cultures and consumer aspirations.

    The ethos remains rooted in iTV’s DNA of fearless journalism, incisive analysis and credible storytelling, now extended to brand partnerships. As the festive calendar kicks into high gear, Rasrang pitches itself as the stage where advertisers can not just be seen, but remembered, a platform where data meets diya, and campaigns celebrate alongside the country.
     

  • MOMS and Mother Dairy serve festive flavour at Lalbaugcha Raja

    MOMS and Mother Dairy serve festive flavour at Lalbaugcha Raja

    MUMBAI; MOMS, part of Madison World’s expansive communications stable, has teamed up with Mother Dairy to light up Ganeshotsav at Lalbaugcha Raja with a splash of colour and clever branding. The campaign turned one of Mumbai’s most visited pandals into a canvas of festive cheer, weaving the dairy giant’s identity into the city’s biggest celebration.

    The takeover stretched across the pandal’s busiest touchpoints, from the Mannat line outdoor to the Lalbaug exit milestone gate. Each installation fused devotional spirit with Mother Dairy’s warm, everyday ethos, ensuring the brand stood tall in the swirl of faith, festivity and footfall.

    “Lalbaugcha Raja isn’t just an event, it’s an emotion for millions,” said MOMS, chief executive, Jayesh Yagnik. “Our goal was simple: to respect the cultural sentiment while creating a memorable brand presence.”

    Mother Dairy echoed the sentiment, noting that the campaign gave the brand a chance to engage directly with devotees. “Festivals are about joy and togetherness, and this celebration reaffirmed the bond we share with Mumbai,” said a company spokesperson.

    MOMS has built a reputation for scale and precision. With clients ranging from Asian Paints to Maruti Suzuki, its latest splash at Lalbaug shows that in the right hands, out-of-home can be as heartfelt as it is high-impact.

  • Icubeswire Films takes a short cut with new 15 second ad studio

    Icubeswire Films takes a short cut with new 15 second ad studio

    MUMBAI: Blink and you’ll miss it or maybe that’s the point. Icubeswire Films, part of the Icubeswire Martech group, has launched Stop Shots, a new creative studio dedicated to crafting ad films that last just 10–15 seconds but aim to leave a lasting impact.

    In an era where Instagram Reels, Youtube Shorts, and shrinking attention spans dominate consumption patterns, the studio is betting big on the power of brevity. Stop Shots will harness data intelligence and consumer trend analysis to create mini cinematic spots that are not just visually arresting but also culturally rooted. The aim: deliver emotionally resonant, hyper-localised stories that spark recall and engagement in seconds.

    The demand is already there. According to Icubeswire, over a dozen brands have begun experimenting with the short-format model, citing stronger resonance than traditional one-minute commercials. “Today’s consumer navigates to what’s short and crisp, and attention spans have fallen drastically,” said  Icubeswire co-founder & CEO Sahil Chopra at the launch. From regional slang to cultural quirks, the studio sees a 10-second hyper-local ad connecting more deeply than longer TV spots. In a noisy, fragmented content landscape, Stop Shots is hoping to prove that less really can be more.