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Category: MAM

  • Ultimate Kho Kho:143 players picked in season one players draft

    Ultimate Kho Kho:143 players picked in season one players draft

    Mumbai: The game of Kho Kho is set to enter a new era as a total of India’s 143 best players were hand-picked by six franchises on Thursday for the inaugural edition of the Ultimate Kho Kho in Pune.

    India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league, promoted by Dabur India chairman Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India, will be played from 14 August to 4 September at the Balewadi Stadium here.

    240 registered players, from 28 states and union territories were part of the draft process. They were divided into four categories, A, B, C and D, according to their performances in international matches, the recent National Championships and evaluation conducted by the league. 

    The 77-top players from category A, offered Rs 5 lakh and the South Asian Games gold medallist Pratik Waikar, Andhra Pradesh’s Pothireddy Sivareddy, Tamil Nadu’s M Vignesh and Karantaka’s Gowtham MK were among the 20 players who were handpicked by the franchises.

    While Waikar and defender Gowtham were picked by Telugu Yoddhas and Odisha Juggernauts respectively as their first pick, Chennai Quick Guns added local boy Vignesh to their squad. The 26-year-old all-rounder and one of the best pole divers in the country Sivareddy will represent the Gujarat side. 

    A viewer-friendly revamped format is expected to bring about a transformation in how this indigenous sport is perceived in the country.

    At the end of players draft, Ultimate Kho Kho CEO Tenzing Niyogi said, “Finally, the Ultimate Kho Kho drafts are over and it was a well-rounded draft which comprises players across the country. We are really happy and proud to see this first step in the progression of creating Ultimate Kho Kho as a mega league in the Indian sporting ecosystem. Now that the franchises will get to work with the players’ camp and the coaching camp till 1 August, our endeavour at Ultimate Kho Kho will be to market the game and make this league a grand success.”

    It was Maharashtra’s Mahesh Shinde, who became the first player to be picked in the players’ draft. The 27-year-old defender was drafted by KLO Sports-owned Chennai Quick Guns. 

    “We have a balanced squad of experienced and as well as youthful players so we are happy with it. Hopefully, during training, we will analyse their abilities based on that we will form a team. With the number of matches we will know how to form our team, ” said Chennai Quick Guns co-owner Srinath Chittoori.

    Adding to it, Mumbai team co-owner Punit Balan said,”We had some strategies, we had some players we wanted to select. We had a plan A, B and plan C. Some players which were in our plan A were already picked by other teams but obviously because we have multiple plans and we knew the right strategy, I think a good squad of 24 people for Mumbai Khiladis is ready. I feel it is a very balanced team. The approach is very clear, Mumbai Khiladis and their punchline is Khel Khila Denge, so we know we’ll tell our Khiladis to play their best and go and top the ladder.”

    Chennai Quick Guns, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Khiladis, Odisha Juggernauts, Rajasthan Warriors, Telugu Yoddhas did their best to pick strong squads as they will fight for the title in the season 1.

    GMR League Games CEO Colonel Vinod Bisht, who owns Telugu Yoddhas commented, “Being the first season we have relied on the coaches input and who have gone ahead and suggested names. So we have taken a lot of players from the senior category which is A and B, then have blended them with a lot of youngsters in C and D. So we hope that with the experience and the youth which gives the bigger speed we will be able to do well in the first season.”.

    “As far as we are concerned from the Rajasthan Warrior side, I think we had a very satisfying draft. We are I think quite sure that we will be able to come up with a very successful team and very mature team in the season to come. I think we will give a very tough fight to whoever it is and of course, it depends on how we manage the team which I ensure we will do very well,” said Rajasthan Warriors owner and Capri Global director Ajit Sharan.

    34 matches will be played over the period of 21 days in the first season of the league. The knockout matches will be played in a playoff format which will consist of a qualifier and eliminator matches.

    “Ultimate Kho kho is a very good opportunity for our Odisha Kho-Kho team. We have been doing very well in junior levels and as the Odisha government has owned a franchise now it’s an opportunity for us to contribute towards the growth of this game. I think our team is better than all other teams because we have chosen very good players and mostly we got around 80% of our listed players,” stated government of Odisha OSD, department of sports and youth affairs Lilan Prasad Sahu.

    “We are excited to contribute to this game-changing experience through our franchise at UKK League. UKK will bring forth our indigenous sport in a new avatar, and we look forward to being a part of yet another journey of mud to mat. The right team selection is integral to the success of a franchise and a lot depends upon the sequence of the draft. But thanks to our coaches for having aptly strategized and selected the desired talent from a pool of 240 players,” said Gujarat Giants owner and Adani Sportsline head – corporate brand custodian  Satyam Trivedi.

    With Sony Sports Network being the official broadcaster of the Ultimate Kho Kho season one, the exciting live action will be telecast live in Hindi (SonyTEN 3), English (SonyTEN 1), Tamil and Telugu (SonyTEN 4) as well as on their OTT platform, SonyLIV. Two matches will be played during the league stage with the first match starting at 7 p.m.

  • Ayesha Ghosh joins Wieden+Kennedy as managing director for India; Gautham Narayan moves on

    Ayesha Ghosh joins Wieden+Kennedy as managing director for India; Gautham Narayan moves on

    Mumbai: Wieden+Kennedy has announced that Ayesha Ghosh has been appointed as managing director for India. Ghosh, who will be based in Mumbai, officially starts at W+K on 15 July and will partner with India CCO Santosh Padhi.

    Present WK Delhi managing director Gau Narayanan, who is leaving India and the agency to return home to the UK, will help with the transition through August.

    Ghosh joins the agency after six years at Taproot Dentsu where she held the role of CEO, based in Mumbai. She joined Taproot in December 2015 as general manager, and was promoted to CEO in 2021.

    Prior to Taproot, Ghosh was part of the leadership team for Contract Advertising for over a decade, helping build and grow the agency’s presence. Here she worked closely with the consulting and design practices, to help expand sources of growth. Previous to Contract Advertising, she held permanent positions in a number of industry shops including Grey Worldwide, Trikaya Grey and PSL McCann Erickson.

    On her new role, Ghosh commented, “It’s astonishing how W+K consistently produces off-the-charts work, across the world. I hope to absorb some of that genius and with the help of a talented team in India and an ace like Paddy, create some genius of our own. With scattered attention and infinite distractions, only work that is honest and primal, will win for brands. And that’s what we mean to do.”

    Padhi said, “I’m glad Ayesha is joining us to be part of this wonderful journey. She is absolutely blunt and honest when it comes to work, which is extremely important these days for our business. Clients too prefer to have conversations that cut to the chase. Ayesha and I have worked closely together for a good number of years at Taproot, we understand and complement each other.

    “An organisation is known by the kind of people that work for it and both of us will be focusing on putting together a crazy, talented bunch of people, across departments. And we believe that magic will follow,” he further said.

    Wieden+Kennedy Global CEO Neal Arthur added, “Ayesha’s first day is a great day for W+K. W+K India has big things ahead. Their collective creative ambition, optimism and connection to both local and global culture will no doubt usher in the next wave of transformation for the brands they work with. We are excited and grateful to have Ayesha with us.”

  • TV Ad volumes of real estate sector rose by 68% in January-May’22: TAM AdEx report

    TV Ad volumes of real estate sector rose by 68% in January-May’22: TAM AdEx report

    Mumbai: Ad volumes of real estate category on television rose by 68 per cent during January-May’22 over January-May’20, while the growth was 42 per cent more than the corresponding period last year. According to a TAM AdEx cross media report on the real estates sector, advertising volumes for the category saw an increase of 2.8 times on radio during the period as compared to the same period in 2020, even as advertising space in print medium grew by two times during the same period. Ad insertions of the category on digital medium during the January-May’22 saw a rise of 5.5 times.  

    On television the top 10 advertisers accounted for over 40 per cent share of ad volumes during the half-yearly period in 2022 with the advertiser Subha Gruha Projects (India) having the greatest ad volumes in the category, with 9 per cent, as per the report. 300 exclusive brands advertised under the category as compared to 2021. 20-40 seconds and greater than 20 seconds ads together added 83 per cent share of the category’s ad volumes, the data indicated.

    News genre was the most preferred for the sector in the TV medium, with the genre alone hogging 82 per cent of the category’s ad volumes share followed by general entertainment category (GEC) in the second position. The best three channels got 97 per cent of advertisement volumes’ share for category in January-May ’22.

    News Bulletin was the foremost well-known program to advanced properties-real estate category brands on TV, with the top two program genres i.e. news bulletin and interviews/portraits/discussion together adding 66 per cent of the category’s ad volumes.

    In the print medium, Kedia Real Estate was the best promoter within the categories with two per cent share of ad space during January-May ’22. The top ten advertisers accounted for 15 per cent share of ad space. Over 6,000 brands were present in print during January-May’22 among which the top 10 brands had 9 per cent share of ad space. During the period, over 4,500 exclusive brands appeared under the properties-real estates category compared to Jan-May’ 21. English dialect was on top with 37 per cent share of ad space with Hindi following close behind with a 31 per cent share.

    Meanwhile, Kedia Real Estate was the top advertiser in radio too. The top ten promoters added 25 per cent share of ad volumes amid Jan-May ’22. The top ten brands added 18 per cent to the overall advertising space of the category on radio. Over 590 brands advertised exclusively during January-May’22 over January-May’21.

    In digital, the top ten advertisers had 42 per cent share of ad insertions during January-May’22 with Skandhanshi Infra Projects India being on top of the list adding 19 per cent share. Display Ads had more than 98 per cent share of category ad insertions during January-May’22.  Also, among the digital platforms, desktop display topped with 57 per cent share of ad insertions followed by mobile display with 39 per cent share, as per the report.

  • Global advertising spend to grow over 15 per cent in 2023-2024, forecasts Dentsu

    Global advertising spend to grow over 15 per cent in 2023-2024, forecasts Dentsu

    Mumbai: Dentsu global ad spend forecasts indicated that advertising spending would increase globally by 8.7 per cent in 2022. Ad spending in Asia Pacific is anticipated to reach $250 billion.

    The advertising spending growth rate is predicted to be 16 per cent this year and is expected to increase 15.2 per cent in 2023 and 15.7 per cent in 2024.

    The reforecast of media investment is released in the context of escalating media price inflation, geopolitical tension, upcoming key elections, and one of the most anticipated global sports events of the year, the FIFA World Cup. Due to continued uncertainty, the current and historical comparison data has also been adjusted to remove Russian investment from the forecast, to better reflect the rest of the international ad spend trends and predictions.

    According to the forecast, spending on advertising in China is expected to rise by 4.0 per cent in 2023 and 5.4 per cent the following year.

    Speaking in this context, Dentsu international CEO media APAC Prerna Mehrotra said, “The latest Dentsu Ad Spend July 2022 points to a continued recovery despite another year of economic uncertainty, with APAC 2022 ad spend of $250 billion, based on a growth forecast at 5.1 per cent. However, continued lockdowns in key markets, geo-political tension and ongoing supply logistics issues could add pressure on businesses with a cascading impact on marketing spends.”

    Looking ahead, Dentsu expects the 2023 global advertising market to increase by 5.4 per cent to reach $778.6 billion followed by a further 5.1 per cent increase in 2024.

    Mehrotra added, “This year, India (+16.0 per cent), Malaysia (+11.0 per cent) and Hong Kong (+10.1 per cent) have all achieved double-digit growth. Digital continues to drive growth accounting for 60.7 per cent of all spending in the Asia Pacific with social, video and search predicted to lead to digital growth. Advertisers increase focus and resources into e-commerce, display, and search budgets to respond to the new consumption habits. Marketers need to better understand their audiences and meet their needs with relevant messaging as online behaviour surges in Asia. Use of first-party data to identify the most profitable customers, combined with third-party data to target the prospects in the most efficient channels will help drive efficiency and manage costs.”

    Dentsu International CEO- media and global clients Peter Huijboom said, “Even with everything which has happened in recent months, not least the protracted war in Ukraine and its international repercussions, the advertising recovery remains strong on a global scale. And, despite factors such as inflation putting pressure on household budgets, combined with 2021 being a tough comparative year, we have only marginally revised our 2022 global growth forecast by just 0.4 percentage points.

    “Despite global economic uncertainty, brands are continuing to prioritise their spend in channels which will give them both the digital flexibility and return they seek. It is through our clear and robust insight and understanding of the market we can work with clients to navigate what’s next and partner with them on their future investment,” he added.

    Overall ad spends growth in Asia Pacific is boosted by key sporting events such as Indian Premier League, FIFA World Cup, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and country elections in Australia and India. Digital continues to be the powerhouse driving APAC ad spend, as the fastest growing medium at 11.5 per cent to reach $151.7 billion, a 60.7 per cent share of total ad spend. Fuelling this is the double-digit growth of programmatic (32.3 per cent), paid social (27.4 per cent), and digital display (13.3 per cent) in 2022. In Southeast Asia (SEA), TV spend is still significant, with the largest share (57.2 per cent) of total SEA spend (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), and a growth rate of 4.6 per cent.

    Globally, out-of-home (OOH) and cinema will both see encouraging double-digit growth in 2022 (respectively 11.5 per cent and 19.6 per cent). Radio is also forecast to grow, much faster than initially considered with a new reforecast of 5.0 per cent for the year, up from 2.0 per cent in the January predictions – which is mainly due to faster return to office working. As with previous predictions, ad spend in newspapers and magazines will continue to decline.

    In 2022, America will be the top ad spend region at $329.6 billion and the most dynamic with spending increasing by 13.1 per cent. India at 16 per cent growth will stay ahead of the US at 12.8 per cent and Brazil at 9 per cent as the fastest growing market.

    Globally, industry-wise, the greatest growth is forecast for the technology sector (+11.3 per cent), which has benefited from people’s greater reliance on digital devices. Retail is one of the key sectors of spend growth at a rate of 11 per cent in 2022. The sector is driven by several factors including the significant growth of e-commerce, the entry of new players, and the introduction of emerging retail platforms. In Asia Pacific, technology, automotive and cosmetics and personal care are among the fastest growing sectors.

    This dentsu Global Ad Spend Forecast not only looks at the data from 58 markets, but also examines some of the key factors impacting ad spend shift, such as inflation increases, sustainability regulation, acceleration of gaming as an ad medium, doubling down on addressable media and also the importance of buying attention as core metric

  • Kyndryl India appointed as technology partner of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India

    Kyndryl India appointed as technology partner of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India

    Mumbai: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) recently announced its exclusive collaboration with IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl, to elevate its IT and security transformation journey across HMSI’s manufacturing plants.

    Currently, Kyndryl manages infrastructure services for plant production applications, enterprise and dealer management systems for all the dealers.

    Bringing operational efficiency with an agile and improved customer service experience, the company’s renewed alliance with Kyndryl will improve infrastructure manageability and uptime through increased automation as well as enhance the company’s cybersecurity and resiliency.

    Further enhancing HMSI’s business applications and IT systems’ availability, the new partnership will integrate an on-demand disaster recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) set-up for minimal outage and production loss during a crisis impacting HMSI’s primary data centre.

    Speaking on the association, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India managing director, president & CEO Atsushi Ogata said, “At HMSI, we are glad to announce our exclusive technological partnership with Kyndryl India. Their in-depth knowledge of HMSI’s business functions pillaring upon complex IT systems is what precisely makes them a trusted advisor for our operations in India. Moving forward, the new synergy will enable us with better business availability and operations predictability while infusing a more agile IT environment that serves our customers and partners better.”

    Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Kyndryl India president Lingraju Sawkar said, “In an increasingly competitive ecosystem staying ahead of the curve and anticipating business and operational challenges is paramount. Kyndryl’s proven expertise in infrastructure management, automation, and cloud transformation, coupled with a deep understanding of HMSI’s critical operations allows us to anticipate and structure a resilient and agile framework for the future. We are excited to expand on our collaboration with HMSI as they further unlock the potential of true digital transformation within their India operations.”

    During a disaster, Kyndryl’s cloud resiliency orchestration tool will bring HMSI’s primary data centre to a fully operational state in a matter of seconds, and its resiliency architecture will span seismic zones for added flexibility to systems during a customer demand surge.

  • Havas Group India forays into Eastern India; collaborates with Kolkata-based agency QED

    Havas Group India forays into Eastern India; collaborates with Kolkata-based agency QED

    Mumbai: Paris-headquartered global advertising conglomerate Havas Group India has announced its foray into eastern India through a strategic tie-up between Havas Worldwide India and Kolkata-based digital marketing agency Quite Easily Done (QED).

    The new entity, Havas QED, will partner with Havas Creative Group India, which has agencies, including Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX (customer experience), Think Design (UI/UX), Conran Design Group Mumbai (design) and Shobiz (experiential). The agency will be led by QED founder & CEO Anisha Singh Motwani who will report to Havas Worldwide India (Creative) managing director Manas Lahiri. This collaboration aims to further drive the creative and digital excellence of Havas Creative Group India, the group stated.   

    Havas Group India has been strengthening and expanding its core products over the last three years through acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.  To add to this momentum, Havas Group India is now expanding its geographical footprint in India, with eastern India as the next stop to pursue potential opportunities.

    Talking about the expansion, Havas Group India Group CEO Rana Barua stated, “Over the previous two years, we went from three to 10 companies through acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances, adding agencies such as Conran Design Group, Havas CX, Think Design, and Shobiz Havas under the creative umbrella. Media saw the addition of verticals including Havas Content, Havas Sports and Entertainment, Havas Market, and a strategic alliance with Tribes. This has resulted in tremendous growth and has propelled our reputation in the industry. Eastern India, without a doubt, offers unexplored commercial potential. This strategic alliance, I believe, is the first resolute step in the market and opens the door to the possibility of our fourth village in India, in the future.”

    “We’ve been working with Anisha and the QED team for the past two years, and she’s one of the most promising entrepreneurs in India,” said Manas Lahiri. “This partnership is the best cultural fit for us, and I’m certain that our collaboration will help us add many new clients and write a new chapter in our growth journey,” he further added.

    Founded in 2015, QED specialises in crafting captivating brand stories through content, design, creative communication, social media marketing strategies, SMS and email business communication, digital advertising, SEO, and paid search advertisements. The agency handles a wide range of clients including Nicco Park, The Park Hotels, Flurys, Heritage Dining, Indo-British Scholars Association, and many others. With over 15 years of experience in marketing, Motwani’s strength and forte lies in brand-building. She has been featured by Entrepreneurs of India in their #StartupStories feature in 2019, and in the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of India 2020 by Insights Success. Recognised as one of the most influential businesswomen of the year 2022 by Innovative Zone, she was also awarded the Woman Entrepreneur Award in 2022 by Great Companies.

    QED CEO & founder Anisha Singh Motwani stated, “Our collaboration with Havas Worldwide India has been moving from strength to strength.  This strategic alliance is an organic step towards further strengthening our partnership with the agency. I am confident that we will continue to deliver ground-breaking work together.”

  • Shobhit Gaur joins Madison Digital as VP

    Shobhit Gaur joins Madison Digital as VP

    Mumbai: Madison World’s digital unit, Madison Digital, has announced the return of Shobhit Gaur as vice president. Gaur will report to Madison Digital & Madison Media Alpha CEO Vishal Chinchankar.

    Gaur has over 14 years of experience in various facets of the digital world including ROI, business development, data science, integrated, online, mobile and performance marketing, social media, brand planning, digital strategy and analytics. He joins the agency after a brief stint with PHD. In addition to PHD, he has also worked at MEC, Interactive Avenues, Starcom – Mediavest Group and Omnicom. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the Delhi University, a master’s degree in business administration from Sydenham Institute of Management, Mumbai and an IT diploma from National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT).

    Madison Digital & Madison Media Alpha CEO Vishal Chinchankar said, “We’re glad to have Shobhit back on board. Having worked with various categories, he brings a wealth of experience to Madison. I am confident that we will be able to take our work to the next level with new business and continue to delight existing clients.”

    Says Gaur on rejoining Madison, “I am excited to be returning to Madison Digital and look forward to contributing to the organisation in my new role and responsibilities. Madison Digital offers me exciting challenges and opportunities as I look forward to unlocking our clients’ growth with data, technology, and talent.”

  • Locus onboards Mehul Kapadia as chief growth officer

    Locus onboards Mehul Kapadia as chief growth officer

    Mumbai: Technology company Locus on Wednesday announced the appointment of Mehul Kapadia as its new chief growth officer. His leadership will be instrumental in further scaling the business, including through continued enterprise customer acquisition, strategic expansion into key verticals and markets, and the cultivation of long-lasting partnerships that bring incomparable value to Locus and existing clients.

    Mehul’s appointment comes at a milestone marker for Locus, as the company celebrates its seven-year anniversary as a leader in Last-Mile excellence.  

    Kapadia brings onboard an experience of over 20 years within enterprise technology, sales, marketing, product management, and operations. Prior to joining Locus, he served as global head of marketing for Vodafone’s Large Enterprise & Public Sector, as chief operating officer and board advisor for Motorsport Network, and as SVP of global marketing for Tata Communications.

    Speaking on the appointment, Kapadia said, “Considering that e-commerce sales are expected to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025, and the pressures to meet ever-evolving and high-stakes consumer demands have reached critical levels – there is a global need for solutions that streamline and optimise strategies and effectively contribute to the bottom line for enterprises.”

    “Locus is making this a reality by using the power of AI to transform Last-Mile operations into growth centres and it’s paving the way towards a more sustainable future as a result. I look forward to working alongside an incredible team that is just as passionate about driving positive change in this world as I am, and with innovation at the centre of its DNA,” he added.

    Locus founder and CEO Nishith Rastogi commented, “We’re thrilled to have Mehul on board with us and inject the bold, audacious goals and razor-sharp focus that have guided his successes to date. The company is at an exciting and pivotal stage, and Mehul’s invaluable expertise will help cement Locus’ market position, reinforce our brand awareness, and further bolster our marketing and sales enablement functions to scale our brand alongside our growing customers.”

  • BBH India names George Sebastian as executive creative director

    BBH India names George Sebastian as executive creative director

    Mumbai: BBH India, a Publicis Groupe agency, has announced the appointment of George Sebastian as executive creative director. He will report to BBH India’s chief creative officer & CEO Russell Barrett and lead a team of copy, art and design professionals.

    Sebastian brings with him 14 years of experience. In the past, he has been associated with Enormous Brands, Grey Group and most recently he was senior creative director at DDB Mudra. Sebastian has worked on brands like Gillette, Tanishq, Glance, Dell, McDowell’s No 1, Britannia, TTK Prestige, 3M and TicTac, helping them unlock their purpose and ambition.

    Sebastian was also part of the team that pitched, won and conceptualised an integrated campaign – India’s most exciting workplace for the Indian Army that led to a major shift in the way the youth perceive the armed forces, according to the agency.

    Welcoming Sebastian on board, BBH India CCO & CEO Russell Barrett said, “George is an exceptionally talented creative individual who is also incredibly versatile. He’s as comfortable working on a 30-second commercial as he is on an AR idea. He’s as gifted at his craft when he’s writing in Hindi and English. He’s a mature creative leader who is as driven as the hungriest first-jobber. We’ve got the ‘all-inclusive-package’ with George and I’m certain he’s going to produce extremely famous, relevant and modern work for BBH India.”

    George Sebastian added, “There are a few things at the core of this celebrated agency, and network at large, that strongly resonate with me. Whether it is an unabashed love for ideas, a robust culture of expression and debate, or the wonderful team of Good and Nice folks one gets to learn from. BBH is bubbling with opportunity, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Russell and all-black sheep to explode its massive potential.”

  • Online advertisements influence 55% of health insurance buyers: WATPapers

    Online advertisements influence 55% of health insurance buyers: WATPapers

    Mumbai: Hybrid digital agency from Dentsu Creative India WATConsult has released its latest issue of monthly WATPapers titled ‘Consumer’s outlook towards health insurance.’ The report explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the consumer perception about insurance, as more individuals felt the need to have financial backup to meet unforeseen medical expenditures.

    According to the report, more than half of the respondents have purchased health insurance in the last six months. These policyholders belong to the age group of 25 to 35 years, residing in the top four metros as well as small metros.

    Most of them have purchased health insurance for themselves and their parents. With regard to the coverage duration, 32 per cent of the respondents have purchased health insurance for up to two years. 27 per cent of the respondents have opted for a health insurance plan for a year’s duration.

    For the record, in India, there are a plethora of benefits offered by health insurance policies. Most of the respondents say that their health insurance policy covers facilities like cashless treatment and maternity coverage followed by emergency room services, discounted treatment for COVID, and free health check-ups.

    The report further states that when it comes to purchasing health insurance policies online, the journey from assessing the need for a health insurance policy to purchasing one is very likely to start by watching policy reviews and videos online. This enables the consumer to get familiar with the brands and options available. They then visit the brand’s website or search for suitable policies on the internet. Post which, they are likely to compare websites and evaluate a suitable policy based on the benefits and features it offers.

    Commenting on the latest issue, Isobar India Group CEO Heeru Dingra said, “Since the pandemic, there has been an ever-growing demand for health covers because people have realised that huge medical expenses, especially when engulfed in uncertainty can take a toll on their financial and mental well-being. In such a situation relying on savings is not enough, hence, a health insurance policy is ideal as it covers facilities like cashless treatment, maternity coverage followed by emergency room services, discounted treatment, reimbursements, and free health check-ups. This issue of WATPapers is a must-read as it showcases the trends observed in the sale of health insurance plans and how policyholders today are shielding themselves against medical emergencies.”  

    WATConsult managing partner Sahil Shah added, “The pandemic has disrupted the industry by altering how people view health insurance for themselves, and their family members. This period of an extreme health crisis, with the pandemic looming over, has led more and more people to opt for health insurance. The future looks promising for the health insurance sector with changes in the regulatory framework, which will lead to changes in the industry conducting its business. Factors such as growing awareness, the need for health protection and inclusion in the financial planning of an individual, will drive the growth of the Indian health insurance sector even higher and further.”