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Category: MAM

  • Google’s quick move to boost brand sales with Commerce Media Suite

    Google’s quick move to boost brand sales with Commerce Media Suite

    MUMBAI: When it comes to India’s shopping habits, “add to cart” is now often followed by “arrives in 10 minutes” and Google is making sure brands don’t miss the ride. The tech giant has launched its Commerce Media Suite, an AI-powered solution designed to help brands and merchants tap into the surging quick commerce and e-commerce markets. The suite works through Google Ads, letting advertisers reach high-intent shoppers across Search, Shopping, Youtube, Display, Discover, and Gmail, directing them straight to product listings on marketplaces like Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, and Myntra.

    The timing is no accident with the festive season around the corner, competition for eyeballs (and wallets) is fierce. “Today, consumers demand immediacy and convenience, clearly demonstrated by the rise of quick commerce,” said Google India director for omni-channel businesses Bhaskar Ramesh. “Commerce Media Suite opens fresh pathways for discovery across Google and Youtube, driving stronger results for brands during peak demand seasons.”

    Early adopters are already seeing gains worth bragging about. ITC Aashirvaad Select clocked a 4x return on ad spend on Blinkit, while Renee Cosmetics reported an 11.5 per cent bump in sales and a 48 per cent drop in cost per order.

    For Blinkit, the solution is a match made in delivery heaven. “Google’s Commerce Media Suite offers brands a significant opportunity to cut through the noise and connect with the modern consumer,” said Blinkit director of ad monetisation and pricing Anish Acharya calling it a “game-changer” ahead of the festive rush.

    Beyond just reach, brands get Google AI-driven performance, first-party marketplace data, product-level measurement, and self-service transparency effectively marrying campaign spend to actual sales impact.

    Or as Renee Cosmetics head of eCommerce Jitendra Rawal put it: “It’s allowed us to efficiently connect with customers looking for our products and significantly drive incremental sales.”

    With India’s quick commerce sector in overdrive, Google’s latest play might just help brands click with customers in more ways than one.

     

  • Lux posts Rs 23.9 cr Q1 profit as revenue slips to Rs 613.6 cr

    Lux posts Rs 23.9 cr Q1 profit as revenue slips to Rs 613.6 cr

    MUMBAI: Lux Industries may be in the business of keeping India snug, but its June quarter performance proved it can hold its own even when topline shrinks. The Kolkata-headquartered innerwear giant reported a standalone net profit of Rs 3.92 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2025, down from Rs 48.17 crore in the March quarter but only moderately lower than the Rs 34.56 crore booked a year earlier.

    Revenue from operations stood at Rs 604.49 crore (including Rs 3.34 crore in other operating income), a drop from Rs 819.14 crore in the preceding quarter but up from Rs 535.3 crore in Q1 FY25. Total income came in at Rs 613.55 crore.

    The quarter saw cost of materials consumed jump to Rs 423.09 crore, while subcontracting and jobbing expenses held high at Rs 188.52 crore. A sharp Rs 199.44 crore reduction in inventories helped cushion the impact on margins. Other expenses fell sequentially to Rs 106.28 crore from Rs 139.38 crore, with employee costs at Rs 42.20 crore.

    Finance costs edged up to Rs 6.23 crore, while depreciation stood at Rs 7.09 crore. The company’s total expenses were Rs 582.40 crore, leading to a profit before tax of Rs 31.15 crore.

    Tax outgo for the quarter was Rs 7.23 crore, translating to an earnings per share (EPS) of Rs 7.95 well below March’s Rs 16.02 but reflecting stability given the seasonality in the hosiery and innerwear business.

    With a paid-up equity capital of Rs 6.26 crore and reserves of Rs 1,740.36 crore, Lux remains comfortably capitalised. For the full year ended March 2025, the company had clocked Rs 2,565.69 crore in revenue and Rs 166.09 crore in net profit.

    Lux’s Q1 may not have been a blockbuster, but in an industry often pulled and stretched by raw material prices, seasonality, and consumer sentiment, the numbers suggest a company keeping its fit just right.

  • Accedo gives streaming identity a One stop upgrade ahead of IBC 2025

    Accedo gives streaming identity a One stop upgrade ahead of IBC 2025

    MUMBAI: When it comes to streaming, knowing your audience just got a whole new meaning. Accedo, the global provider of video streaming software and services, is rolling out a native identity management feature for its award-winning SaaS platform, Accedo One, set to debut at IBC 2025 in Amsterdam. Until now, user registration and authentication on Accedo One were only possible through third-party plug-ins. The new upgrade bakes these capabilities directly into the platform, allowing video service providers to handle subscriber sign-ups, logins, and account security without ever leaving the ecosystem.

    “Identity management is a critical building block for any video service,” said Accedo One CEO Markus Hejdenberg. “By bringing it natively into Accedo One, we’re making it easier than ever for our customers to manage their subscribers, helping them build, scale, and evolve their video services.”

    The move is part of Accedo’s upcoming subscription management suite, which will cover the entire subscriber lifecycle from sign-up and billing to retention and churn control. While this native option streamlines operations, Accedo One will continue supporting integrations with major external identity and subscription platforms, giving media companies the flexibility to align with their strategic needs.

    Accedo will showcase the upgrade at IBC 2025 from 12–15 September at booth 5.F80, where the company is expected to highlight how unified subscriber management can help broadcasters, OTT players, and niche streamers deliver slicker user experiences and drive long-term loyalty.

    Because in the streaming game, it’s not just about who’s watching, it’s about knowing exactly who they are.
     

  • Bright lights up Navi Mumbai Metro with 85,000 sq ft of ad space

    Bright lights up Navi Mumbai Metro with 85,000 sq ft of ad space

    MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Metro just got a glow-up and it’s not just the trains making tracks. Bright Outdoor Media Limited, India’s first listed Out-of-Home (OOH) media company, has switched on every single display board across Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1, marking the corridor’s grand entry into the big league of commuter advertising.

    Awarded by the City & Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO), the project hands Bright the exclusive rights to 85,000 sq. ft. of premium advertising space for 10 years. The spread covers 11 stations, metro pillars, and viaducts along the 11 km stretch from Belapur Terminal to Pendhar, a high-traffic route set to become even busier once the Navi Mumbai International Airport opens its doors.

    Stations under the Bright banner include Belapur Terminal, RBI Colony, Belpada, Utsav Chowk, Kendriya Vihar, Kharghar Village, Central Park, Pethpada, Amandoot, Pethali-Taloja and Pendhar. All sites are now installed, illuminated, and open for brand bookings, offering advertisers unmissable exposure to thousands of daily commuters and travellers.

    “We are thrilled to see Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 glowing with Bright & Ronak Advertising boards,” said Bright Outdoor Media Limited chairman & MD Yogesh Lakhani. “With the upcoming airport expected to boost metro traffic, this is the perfect moment for brands to secure prime visibility.”

    For brands looking to own the commute, Navi Mumbai’s newest ad corridor is already on the fast track.

     

  • ADC India dials up Q1 profit to Rs 497 lakh on stronger sales and margins

    ADC India dials up Q1 profit to Rs 497 lakh on stronger sales and margins

    MUMBAI: When the lines are this clear, even static can’t hide the signal ADC India Communications Limited has rung in a strong start to FY26, reporting a net profit of Rs 497.15 lakh for the quarter ended 30 June 2025, up from Rs 294.94 lakh in Q4 FY25. The BSE-listed telecom and IT networking solutions provider saw revenue from operations touch Rs 4,510.87 lakh, only marginally lower than the previous quarter’s Rs 4,574.56 lakh, but backed by tighter cost control and better margins. Profit before tax surged 64 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs 665.93 lakh, as expenses dropped to Rs 3,923.91 lakh from Rs 4,279.54 lakh.

    The tax outgo for the quarter stood at Rs 168.78 lakh, leaving earnings per share at Rs 10.81, up from Rs 6.41 in the March quarter.

    Segment-wise, telecommunication revenue came in at Rs 285.70 lakh, while IT networking the bigger business contributed Rs 4,225.17 lakh. Together, these verticals generated Rs 599.40 lakh in segment profit, sharply higher than Rs 378.48 lakh in the preceding quarter.

    On the balance sheet, total assets were at Rs 10,707.76 lakh, with capital employed rising to Rs 7,493.58 lakh. The company ended the quarter with liabilities of Rs 3,214.18 lakh.

    The results, reviewed by the audit committee and approved by the board on 12 August 2025, show a company leaning on its operational discipline as much as its top line. If Q1 is any indication, ADC India is tuning in to a year of stronger reception.

  • AnyMind Group extends AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat to WhatsApp

    AnyMind Group extends AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat to WhatsApp

    MUMBAI – AnyMind Group [TSE:5027], a BPaaS company for marketing, e-commerce and digital transformation, has announced that its AI customer service agent feature launched in March 2025 on its conversational commerce platform, AnyChat, is now connected to WhatsApp. This feature was previously available only for LINE.

    In April 2025, Meta revealed that WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users globally. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is home to three of the top five countries with the most WhatsApp Users: India, Indonesia and the Philippines. With the extension of the AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat, businesses and online merchants in markets such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, and any other region that has WhatsApp users, can now leverage AnyChat to automatically handle initial customer inquiries on WhatsApp by using LLMs to understand free-text messages.

    For businesses and merchants serving customers on WhatsApp’s vast user base, especially those handling thousands of customer inquiries daily with only human operators, integrating AnyChat’s AI customer service agent into existing customer service workflows holds the potential to dramatically transform customer support. In a 3-month study, between March 2025 and June 2025, done with leading global water flosser brand, Waterpik, using AnyChat’s AI customer service agent feature on LINE, Waterpik was able to tap on AI to respond to a quarter of all customer inquiries.

    Unlike typical chatbots, AnyChat’s AI customer service agents can understand questions in natural language and generate responses based on brand-approved guardrails and inputs, reducing operational workload and eliminating the risk of hallucinated answers.

    It also collects key information such as order ID and customer name, allowing human customer service agents to take over seamlessly when needed. AnyChat also stores historical conversation data, helping businesses and online merchants to identify common inquiries and continuously improve response templates. In addition, product information (such as seasonal products) can be easily updated at any time, enabling businesses to always provide the most up-to-date information to customers.

    On the extension of AnyChat’s AI customer service agent feature to WhatsApp, AnyMind Group managing director, growth markets; Co-MD, India and MENA, Aditya Aima said, “For most Indian consumers, WhatsApp is the first and often the only touchpoint with a brand. That’s why this integration matters. It’s not about adding another tool, but about helping businesses have faster, more meaningful conversations with their customers, without overloading their teams. It’s a small shift with the potential for real, lasting impact.”

  • Kantar report unveils India’s latest trends on health and wellness

    Kantar report unveils India’s latest trends on health and wellness

    MUMBAI – Kantar released its ‘Health and Wellness in India’ report today, revealing significant shifts in consumer behaviour and preferences. Based on Kantar’s ‘India in Search’ report, which curates 2024 Google search data, this comprehensive report delves into the Health & Wellness category, highlighting emerging trends and key areas of interest shaping the future of health and wellness in the country.

    Covering 15 key topics, the Health and Wellness in India report delves into various aspects of health and wellness, including Nutrients & Supplements, Skin Health, Physical Fitness, Weight Management, Cognitive & Mental Health, Women’s Health, Gut Health, Alternative Medicine, Sleep, Immune Health, Hydration, Lifestyle Choices, Advanced Medicine, Detoxification, and Longevity.

    Whether it is about shaping a brand, building a category, or driving marketing strategy, the emerging wellness trends offer a powerful lens into what matters most to Indian consumers today. By tapping into what India is searching for, marketers can unlock fresh opportunities to evolve their brand’s relevance and impact. Here are some key findings:

       1. Nutrients & Supplements: 2.7M searches for Vitamin B12. 54 per cent growth YoY for Vitamin B12 rich foods.

       2.  Skin Health: 30 per cent growth in searches for Sensitive Skin compared to the previous year.

      3.  Physical Fitness: Walking and low-intensity fitness reclaiming space with 121K–89K+ searches for “walk”, “walking shoes”, “brisk walk”, and even tools like “walking pad”.

    4. Weight Management: GLP1 Drug-linked searches like Ozempic (+216 per cent), Zepbound (+943 per cent), Tirzepatide (+188 per cent), and Mounjaro (+94 per cent) reflect mainstream adoption of medical-grade solutions

     5.  Cognitive Health: Searches for Cortisol saw a 59 per cent growth overall this year.

     6.  Women’s Health: Mood and Menstruation raise curiosity with “follicular phase mood” (+357 per cent), “luteal phase symptoms” (+99 per cent), and “4 phases of menstrual cycle and moods” (+145 per cent) all seeing positive growth.

     7.  Gut Health: Common digestive discomfort issues like bloating (58K) and acidity (47K) saw an increase in interest.

      8. Alternative Medicine: Homeopathy clinics searches are on the rise: “homeo shop near me” (+32 per cent), “homeo medical shop,” “homeopathy near me” (+48 per cent)

      9. Sleep: Searches for Melatonin in various formats like spray, gummies, tablets etc. were 4.5M and grew over the year at 27 per cent.

     10.  Lifestyle choices: Sugar free options and sugar substitutes were searched 7.4M times, a 14 per cent increase compared to 2023.

    The top 5 key trends that emerge are:

    1.  Function-first wellness: The pursuit of visible outcomes

    In a significant trend, consumers are increasingly focusing on goal-driven health, with a notable rise in searches related to skincare, weight management, and workouts. The pursuit of wellness is now measured, optimised, and outcome-based, as evidenced by the 26.6 million searches, reflecting a 39 per cent growth. Key insights reveal a surge in interest for products like collagen for skin health, melatonin for better sleep, and pre-workout supplements for enhanced energy.

    2.  Science-framed self-care: Clinical & conscious betterment

    In a growing trend, health is being approached with a clinical and conscious mindset, treating it more like a protocol rather than a preference. This shift is reflected in the 14.6 million searches, showing a 13 per cent growth. Consumers are increasingly interested in GLP-1 weight loss drugs, cognitive supplements, and hormonal tracking. These searches indicate a rising demand for scientifically backed self-care solutions that prioritise clinical efficacy and conscious betterment.

    3.  Inner Health = Outer Power: Transformations from the Inside Out: People are increasingly linking nutrition, gut health, and immunity to beauty, weight management, mood, and even long-term aging. This trend is highlighted by the 14.5 million searches, showing a 15 per cent growth. There is a sharp surge in queries around biotin, collagen, and multivitamins for skin and hair health, indicating that wellness begins within and radiates outward.

     4.  Daily systems & cycle care: Regulating through routines

    Health is becoming habitual, rhythmic, and tech-assisted, with consumers syncing to cycles, tracking hydration, and sticking to morning rituals. This trend is reflected in the 9.9 million searches, showing a 9 per cent growth. High search volumes for terms like “menstrual cycle” and “periods” underscore the importance of daily systems and cycle care. Women in India are moving from passive consumers of reproductive care to active, data-seeking participants in their health journeys.

    5.   Natural systems, modern lenses: Reinterpretation of tradition through science: Natural care is undergoing a modern relabelling, where precision meets plants. This trend is evident in the 8.7 million searches, showing a 17 per cent growth. From Ayurveda and adaptogens to detox teas and bio hacks, consumers are increasingly turning to traditional systems reinterpreted through a scientific lens. Searches for “Ayurveda,” “homeopathy,” and “acupuncture” are growing, indicating a blend of tradition and modernity in wellness practices.

    Kantar MD & chief client officer, South Asia, Insights Division, Soumya Mohanty Kantar, commented: “The health and wellness landscape in India is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Our report highlights the growing importance of personalized and functional wellness solutions. Brands that can effectively address these evolving consumer needs will be well-positioned to lead in this dynamic market. By leveraging these trends and consumer preferences, brands can create targeted and effective marketing strategies to engage with their audience and drive growth.”

  • Amazon elevates Milind Pande to spearhead India marketing push

    Amazon elevates Milind Pande to spearhead India marketing push

    MUMBAI: Amazon Web Services has promoted Milind Pande to head of marketing for India and South Asia, as the cloud computing giant seeks to strengthen its grip on the country’s $7.2 billion market.

    Pande, who has spent six years climbing AWS’s ranks, was previously head  of independent software vendor marketing, overseeing the company’s startup and software-as-a-service portfolio. His elevation comes as AWS faces mounting pressure from Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud in India’s notoriously price-conscious market.

    The appointment reflects AWS’s determination to maintain its lead in a region where it has pledged $12.7 billion in infrastructure investments through 2030. Industry insiders suggest Pande’s promotion signals the company’s shift towards a more aggressive, marketing-led growth strategy as artificial intelligence adoption accelerates across Indian enterprises.

    Pande brings 16 years of diverse experience spanning telecommunications at Vodafone, media at Viacom18, and consulting at PwC. His track record with Fortune 500 companies and deep enterprise exposure positions him to drive AWS’s next phase of expansion in the subcontinent.

    The move underscores the strategic importance of India to AWS’s global ambitions, as tech giants battle for dominance in one of the world’s fastest-growing cloud markets. With competition heating up, Pande’s challenge will be translating AWS’s technical advantages into sustained market leadership through sharper brand positioning and customer engagement.

  • Zepto zips into 10-minute medicine service

    Zepto zips into 10-minute medicine service

    MUMBAI: Zepto is betting that Indians want their paracetamol as fast as their groceries. On 7 August Aadit Palicha, chief executive of the quick-commerce firm, announced the launch of Zepto Pharmacy on LinkedIn. 
    The service promises to deliver common medicines—from headache tablets like Saridon to antibiotics—within 10 minutes.

    But the rollout is cautious. The pharmacy service is live only in select areas of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Hyderabad. Palicha said his team has spent 12 months perfecting “the customer experience, supply chain, and compliance at a small scale” before this limited launch.

    “Our objective is to keep operational standards extremely high and not scale too rapidly given the complexity of this category,” he explained. The measured approach reflects the regulatory hurdles and safety concerns inherent in medicine delivery—a stark contrast to Zepto’s typically aggressive expansion in groceries.

    If executed well, Palicha believes the service could “seriously improve the lives of millions of customers across the country and help make important medicines easier to access when we need them the most.”

    The move marks Zepto’s latest attempt to diversify beyond groceries, where it competes fiercely with rivals like Blinkit and Instamart. Whether Indians will embrace ten-minute medicine delivery with the same enthusiasm they have shown for rapid grocery runs remains to be seen.

  • Costa Coffee promotes Ekta Upadhyay

    Costa Coffee promotes Ekta Upadhyay

    MUMBAI: Ekta Upadhyay has been promoted to assistant general manager and head of marketing at Devyani International, where she will oversee Costa Coffee, the company’s airports business, and New York Fries operations. The appointment marks an expansion of her remit beyond the 300-plus Costa Coffee stores she previously managed.

    Upadhyay, who has spent over 14 years in brand marketing across sectors including fast-moving consumer goods, automobiles and e-commerce, will now focus on scaling the airports vertical and growing the New York Fries quick-service restaurant brand. Her promotion comes as Devyani International, one of India’s largest restaurant operators, seeks to diversify its portfolio beyond its core pizza and coffee offerings.

    Before joining Costa Coffee in 2023,  Upadhyay held senior marketing positions at Apollo Tyres, where she managed communications across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions, and at fashion e-tailer Koovs.com, where she led brand strategy for the London Stock Exchange-listed company.

    Her career began at media agencies VivaKi and Mindshare, where she handled major accounts including PepsiCo and Yum Restaurants, developing expertise in traditional and digital media buying.

    The appointment signals Devyani International’s ambition to strengthen its marketing capabilities as it expands beyond its traditional restaurant formats into higher-margin airport locations and new quick-service concepts.