Category: MAM

Alife lathers up Bengal with a zesty punch of lime and neem in new soap

MUMBAI: Skincare just got a whiff of nostalgia and a zesty twist in West Bengal. AWL Agri Business Ltd. (formerly Adani Wilmar) has taken a sudsy leap into regional sensibilities with its latest personal care offering: Alife Gondhoraj & Neem Soap. Think heritage, herbs, and a whole lot of Bengal pride packed into a bar.

The soap pays homage to the state’s obsession with Gondhoraj lime — famously hailed as the ‘King of Limes’ — and marries it with the antibacterial powers of neem. The result? A fragrant cleansing bar that blends tradition with modern skincare goals.

“Our latest variant, Alife Gondhoraj & Neem Soap, is a tribute to this unique regional beauty ritual… This launch reaffirms our commitment to crafting innovative and locally relevant products that resonate with our consumers,” said AWL Agri Business Ltd SVP – sales & marketing Mukesh Mishra.

Alife has cleverly bottled Bengal’s cultural fondness for all things citrusy and antiseptic. With Gondhoraj delivering its signature burst of aroma and neem taking care of skin purification, the brand is betting big on beauty that’s rooted and relevant.

AWL isn’t just stopping at pretty packaging. The launch is backed by a full-throttle 360-degree campaign. From a TVC directed by Dibyendu Bose (yes, that ad-film maverick from Happy Rabbit Films) to digital blitzes, cinema takeovers, and ground activations, Alife seems determined to ensure every Bengal nose catches a whiff of its latest invention.

The soap has already hit retail shelves and e-commerce platforms across West Bengal, aiming to carve out a solid niche in the competitive personal care aisle. And it’s not just about cleansing — it’s about connecting. By tapping into local traditions and ingredients, Alife is clearly suds-deep in strategy.

From fish curry to face packs, Bengal has always celebrated the power of ingredients. Now, thanks to AWL’s latest gambit, you can scrub up with cultural pride and smell like summer.

April 7, 2025
Brahm Group grabs the bag with Ahikoza stake to up luxury game

MUMBAI: If your handbag doesn’t come with a backstory and a bit of red carpet DNA, is it even luxury? In a move that blends couture cool with commercial clout, Brahm Group has acquired a majority stake in luxury handbag label Ahikoza, setting the stage for a new chapter in India’s fast-evolving high-fashion narrative.

Announced on 7 April 2025, the deal marks Brahm Group’s latest play in the premium B2C lifestyle arena. Ahikoza, the brainchild of NRI entrepreneur Namrata Karad, has already made its runway rounds—from Cannes to the Grammys—slung on the shoulders of Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Kate Hudson, and desi divas like Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

The goal now? A 15 per cent year-on-year growth trajectory, anchored in global expansion, digital buzz and a renewed commitment to ‘slow luxury’—a fancy term for artisanal craftsmanship. Karad, who returned to India to scale her globally adored brand, said, “I have always loved accessories, in particular handbags. In the world of luxury. I found a gap in the market… I believe that like the power brands that inspired me, Ahikoza will offer something unique and of value.”

Ahikoza will now operate under the ‘Brham’ umbrella—Brahm Group’s lifestyle platform that curates elevated experiences across luxury real estate, products, and services. And no, this isn’t just another vanity investment. With the global luxury handbag market expected to balloon from $22.8 billion in 2023 to $41.1 billion by 2032 (at a CAGR of 6.77 per cent), the timing couldn’t be sharper.

Brahm LifeStyle LLC chairman & CEO Bhavook Tripathi said, “At Brham, we believe in fostering brands that resonate with contemporary luxury while staying true to craftsmanship and legacy. Ahikoza’s philosophy aligns seamlessly with our vision.”

True to that vision, Ahikoza by Brham pledges to stay rooted in sustainability, investing in low-waste practices and long-lasting materials. Each handbag is designed to make a statement—and stay relevant.

With this deal, India’s luxury game just got a major style injection. And yes, it’s got pockets.

April 7, 2025
Laminar campaign dances past 60 million views with The Waltz in full swing

MUMBAI: Laminar Tiles’ latest brand campaign, The Waltz, has waltzed its way past 60 million views and clocked over 75 million impressions across platforms proving that even the flooring under your feet can be fabulously cinematic.

Crafted by Mumbai-based integrated agency Beanstalkasia, the campaign spins a compelling tale of love, luxury and lifestyle all set on the glistening canvas of vitrified tiles. Starring Nepali stars Aayushman Deshraj Joshi and Niti Shah, the film features a rhythmic dance through a sleek modern home, subtly flaunting Laminar’s key features: brilliant shine, durability, anti-skid safety, scratch resistance and easy cleaning.

Lumbini Ceramics Managing Director Ashutosh Khetan said, “With The Waltz, our aim was to go beyond the product. We were interested in showing how Laminar tiles fit into everyday life and create joy through the solutions offered. By blending creativity, storytelling, and a multi-platform strategy, we have successfully positioned Laminar Tiles as a lifestyle brand. This campaign has allowed us to successfully communicate our values to our consumers and position ourselves as a competitive force in the market.”

Beanstalkasia founder Upendra Singh Thakur said, “At BeanstalkAsia, we believe that impactful brand storytelling begins in the digital space, where engagement is immediate and conversations are organic. With The Waltz, we adopted a digital-first approach, leveraging social media and influencer collaborations to create a strong emotional connection with our audience. By building early momentum online, we ensured that the campaign resonated with viewers before expanding into theatres and traditional media. This campaign is a testament to Beanstalkasia’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of brand communication, and we are proud to raise the bar in Nepal’s evolving media landscape.”

But The Waltz is not just a visual treat it’s also a digital masterclass. Beanstalkasia’s digital-first strategy tapped into early buzz via Instagram collaborations, user-generated content and partnerships with over 10 Nepali mega influencers. The result? Organic traction, enthusiastic shares, and a campaign that was trending even before it hit theatres, LED screens and outdoor locations.

April 7, 2025
Suck it up in style as Portronics Mopcop 4 powers through the mess

MUMBAI: Portronics, India’s homegrown gadget darling, has unleashed its latest clean machine the Mopcop 4, a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t just sweep you off your feet, but sucks everything beneath them with a vengeance. With 18,000 Pa of suction might, dual power modes, and a digital LED display, this portable powerhouse has its sights set on becoming your new domestic MVP.

The Mopcop 4 isn’t your average vacuum, it’s the fourth-gen fix for fuss-free cleaning. Whether you’re vanquishing crumbs in your car, fending off pet fur on your sofa, or zapping dust in your keyboard, it’s built to do it all. Thanks to its 2000mAh rechargeable battery, you can go cordless around the house or plug it directly into your car’s DC power socket for uninterrupted power-on-the-go.

And if you thought vacuums couldn’t get any smarter, think again. This one flaunts a real-time LED digital display that shows battery life and suction levels. There’s even a built-in flashlight, because let’s face it dust loves the dark.

Need more versatility? The Mopcop 4 arrives armed with multiple attachments, a floor brush, nozzle, extended hose, and even a mini blower mode for those sneaky specks in crevices. And yes, the HEPA filter is washable, so you’re not just cleaning your space, you’re purifying the air while you’re at it.

Priced at Rs 2,749, the Mopcop 4 is available on Portronics.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart.com, and across leading online and offline stores. It even comes with a 12-month warranty, just in case your dust bunnies decide to fight back.

April 7, 2025
Amagi flips the script with AI tool to keep programmers off the ropes

MUMBAI: In the OTT jungle, the bots are now doing the heavy lifting

Gone are the days when content teams had to wrestle with Excel sheets and caffeine-fuelled late nights to build programming schedules. In a move that gives human schedulers their long-overdue coffee break, Amagi has just launched Amagi Smart Scheduler — an AI-powered scheduling solution designed to make sure your content hits the right eyeballs at the right time, without the daily data gymnastics.

The company, a major player in cloud-based SaaS solutions for TV and streaming, announced the launch on 7 April 2025, positioning this slick new tool as a saviour for content teams, streaming platforms and broadcast networks alike. Built on Argoid’s AI scheduling platform — following Amagi’s acquisition of Argoid AI — Smart Scheduler marks the company’s latest bet on AI to revolutionise media operations.

“The future of media programming lies in intelligent automation,” said Amagi co-founder & CRO Srinivasan KA. “With Amagi Smart Scheduler, we offer programmers and content owners a solution that reduces manual workload and enhances audience engagement and revenue potential.”

Smart Scheduler doesn’t just slap AI on a spreadsheet and call it magic. It offers two modes of operation:

1. Fully automated mode: One click, and your channel schedule is AI-optimised using machine learning models trained on historical viewership data, content preferences, and real-world trends. No tarot cards involved.

2. Rules-based automation mode: Want a little more control? Teams can set custom rules and let the AI play within those lines — ensuring precision without paranoia.

In both cases, editorial control stays intact. You can tweak, finesse, and fine-tune like the artsy genius you are. But now, you won’t need three screens, two assistants and a prayer circle to do it.

The Smart Scheduler uses a buffet of data sources — historical content performance, metadata, audience trends, and even social engagement signals — to craft schedules that are actually smart, not just buzzword-flavoured.

Traditional content scheduling has long been the media world’s necessary evil — time-intensive, manual, and prone to human error (and burnout). With Smart Scheduler, Amagi says it will scale multi-channel programming, improve operational efficiency, and crucially, boost ad revenue.

The product is now generally available, ready to enter the workflows of media companies everywhere that are sick of spreadsheets and starving for streamlining.

The timing couldn’t be better. With audience behaviour evolving faster than Tiktok trends and ad budgets getting squeezed like toothpaste tubes, content teams need tools that are sharp, swift and smart enough to keep up. Amagi’s Smart Scheduler might just be the solution that gives programmers their weekends back — or at least, fewer panic attacks.

April 7, 2025
Eveready powers up with three times stronger battery and no-leak promise

MUMBAI: If your remote’s dying, your clock’s ticking offbeat, or your kid’s toy refuses to roar, Eveready’s got just the jolt you need—and then some. The battery behemoth has amped up its Carbon Zinc game with a next-gen launch boasting 3X Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) power, anti-leak tech, and a shelf life that refuses to quit for three years.

Unveiled on 7 April 2025 in Mumbai, the launch marks a full-throttle upgrade for the legacy brand that already owns over 50 per cent of India’s dry cell battery market. The new batteries undergo a jaw-dropping 300 quality tests—yes, 300—to ensure they won’t let you down when you need power the most.

Eveready also rolled out a zippy new TV campaign to back the product push, spotlighting the brand’s commitment to long-lasting, everyday power solutions that don’t quit until you do. And if that sounds like marketing fluff, there’s steel behind it.

“Eveready holds a leadership position in India’s dry cell battery industry, especially in the Carbon Zinc segment. This launch aligns with our continuous endeavour to offer dependable and durable power solutions to consumers. The latest product offering highlights Eveready’s sheer commitment towards catering to the evolving needs, adding value and becoming a trustworthy power source for various household applications,” said Eveready Industries India Ltd SVP & SBU head (batteries and flashlights) Anirban Banerjee.

Packed in a neat set of 10, these upgraded batteries retail at Rs 18 a pop. And with leak-resistant design thrown in, they’re engineered to keep devices—and your patience—intact. Designed for everything from torches to toys, these little powerhouses scream reliability with a side of budget-friendliness.

As Eveready continues to focus on sustainable, scalable, and profitable business verticals, this launch reinforces its charge to deliver not just batteries—but real, lasting value for India’s billions.

April 7, 2025
PR Professionals clinch ICC gig, get inked into a century-old power circle

MUMBAI: It’s not every day that a PR firm bags a client older than independent India. But PR Professionals (PRP), the Gurugram-based communications powerhouse, just pulled off a press-worthy coup by being appointed as the official PR partner for the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) — a 100-year-old juggernaut of Indian industry headquartered in Kolkata. Talk about prestige meets press kits.

The announcement came on 7 April 2025, and let’s just say, the champagne corks in Gurugram likely flew higher than ICC’s GDP targets. With this mandate, PRP enters the rarefied boardrooms of economic policy influencers, industrial tycoons and policymakers — and yes, probably a lot of spreadsheets too.

“We are honored to partner with the Indian Chamber of Commerce, a 100-year-old institution that has significantly contributed to India’s economic landscape…” said PR Professionals founder & MD Sarvesh Tiwari in a statement that managed to be both humble and headline-ready.

Founded in 1925, ICC isn’t just another acronym in a crowded sea of business forums. It’s the OG of Indian commerce bodies — the one that’s been around since pre-partition, pre-GDP and certainly pre-Whatsapp. Under the presidency of Abhyuday Jindal (yes, of Jindal Stainless Ltd fame), ICC has kept its relevance sharper than a budget analyst’s pencil.

With senior office bearers like Brij Bhushan Agarwal of Shyam Metalics and Parth Neotia of Ambuja Neotia Group, this is a chamber with more corporate weight than a B-school case study collection. And it’s not just about boardroom banter — ICC pumps out macroeconomic studies, state investment climate reports, and policy recommendations that find their way into budget files and bureaucratic briefs.

In 2024, ICC celebrated its centenary at Kolkata’s Town Hall with the likes of Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy gracing the dais — because if you’re going to age gracefully, you might as well throw a bash with billionaires.

As for PR Professionals, this isn’t their first rodeo. Since its launch in 2011, the firm has grown from a modest agency into a 12-office Indian PR titan with six international outposts. From infrastructure to aviation, railways to public sector behemoths — they’ve handled it all, often with flair, and always with media mileage.

This partnership with ICC adds another feather to PRP’s already flamboyant cap. It’s a move that underscores their expertise in crafting complex narratives, managing large-scale mandates, and making even government jargon sparkle.

In PR terms, this is the equivalent of bagging a blockbuster film after a string of indie hits.

Strategic messaging? Check.

National economic visibility? Double check.

It’s a marriage of old money and new media — and one that’s bound to make noise in all the right corridors.

April 7, 2025
Honasa’s CMO bids adieu, CEO Varun Alagh steps in to steer the ship

MUMBAI: Another boardroom chair just started spinning at Honasa Consumer Ltd. On 5 April 2025, the parent company of Mamaearth confirmed that Anuja Mishra, chief marketing officer and senior management personnel, has resigned from her position citing personal reasons. Her resignation takes effect from the close of business hours on 30 June 2025.

The announcement, disclosed via a stock exchange filing, comes at a pivotal time for the D2C beauty and personal care giant. In the interim, CEO and whole time director Varun Alagh will don another hat, assuming the charge of CMO until a successor is named.

Mishra, who joined the brand to helm its marketing leadership, thanked co-founders Varun and Ghazal Alagh in her official resignation letter, writing, “I want to thank Ghazal and you for this incredible opportunity. I will be just a phone call away and will always be rooting for Honasa’s success.”

The company has updated its website and official channels with the leadership change. In line with SEBI’s Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements, Honasa also shared the requisite details under Regulation 30.

While no replacement has been officially announced yet, the move places extra weight on Alagh, who now juggles brand-building and boardroom strategy. As Honasa edges toward deeper expansion and increased investor scrutiny, its marketing direction will be under the spotlight.

April 6, 2025
Green giants crowned at IAA Olive Crown Awards, sustainability gets the spotlight

MUMBAI: Mumbai’s glitterati gathered at the ITC Grand Central on 4 April for the 15th IAA Olive Crown Awards, where sustainability champions were given a right royal pat on the back. Forget your garden-variety awards show; this was a green jamboree, a veritable eco-extravaganza.

Packmate Grrreen LLP sprouted as “Green Brand of the Year,” proving they’re not just leafing around when it comes to eco-consciousness. RK Swamy reaped a harvest of four Olive Crowns, including “Green Agency of the Year,” showing it’s not just another agency, it’s a green machine.

Adani Enterprises Ltd and Ogilvy struck gold, bagging multiple awards, including the coveted “Corporate Crusader of the Year” for their campaign, “Pehle Pankha Aayega, Phir Bijli Aayegi” (“First the fan, then the electricity”). Turns out, the company is not just blowing hot air. Eastern Media Ltd and Reliance Foundation shared the “Green Campaign of the Year” gold, proving that when it comes to saving the planet, two’s company.

Dharmesh Barai, the man who makes mangroves look marvellous, was crowned “Green Crusader of the Year” for his Herculean efforts in cleaning up Maharashtra’s coastlines. He’s not just cleaning up, he’s cleaning up good. Earth Brigade Foundation bagged gold for “Green NGO of the Year,” proving it’s not consisting of just a bunch of tree-huggers, it’s making a real difference.

Rahul Narwekar, honourable speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, graced the event, praising the IAA for their long-standing commitment to sustainability. “They took up this initiative when sustainability was perhaps not a known concept the way it is today,” he said, adding that the IAA has helped to drive the thought of sustainability through young minds, old minds and people at large.

IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani stated, “Sustainability is no longer a choice, it is a responsibility,” and that the IAA is heartened to see corporates, advertising agencies, and media houses doing the same.

Janak Sarda, chairperson of the IAA Olive Crown Awards, added, “It is our industry’s promise to be guardians of Brand Earth.”

A special award for “Best Continuing Effort” was given to The Bhamla Foundation and Hungama Digital Media for their “Bhoomi Namaskar” campaign, proving that consistency is key when it comes to saving the planet.
And for the IMC and IAA campaign, Ogilvy, with Rahul Rudra and Abhishek Kaddi’s “Pinky Promise” campaign, took home the win.

The event, a veritable who’s who of the advertising and marketing world, was sponsored by Deepak Builders & Developers, Blue Star Ltd, Mobligent Media, and Awardor. It was a night of green glory, where the planet was the real winner

April 5, 2025
Transteel and Tata Steel unveil eco-smart graphene jute-cotton office fabrics

MUMBAI: Transteel, has teamed up with Tata Steel to introduce graphene-enhanced jute and cotton fabrics to India’s commercial furniture landscape. This cutting-edge upholstery material, designed to boost durability and wellness, supports a circular economy model and significantly reduces reliance on plastics.

Unveiled earlier this year at FM and CRE World Hyderabad and CE Worldwide, the collaboration showcased Transteel’s new bio chairs collection, upholstered in Tata Steel’s advanced graphene-treated natural fibres. As event sponsor, Transteel highlighted its vision of eco-conscious design that doesn’t compromise on performance.

Bio chairs incorporate Tata Steel’s proprietary Graphene ink technology, enhancing the strength, water and stain resistance, and antibacterial qualities of natural fabrics. By integrating these materials, Transteel underlines its commitment to ergonomic comfort, quality craftsmanship, and environmental stewardship.

“At Transteel, we are committed to designing workspaces that are both functional and sustainable. The introduction of Graphene enriched jute and cotton fabrics in our bio chair collection allows us to offer high-performance office seating solutions that support environmental responsibility while maintaining the highest standards of comfort and durability,” said, Transteel managing director Shiraz Ibrahim.

Targeted at corporate and commercial spaces, the bio chairs offer a durable and eco-friendly alternative to synthetic upholstery. As the go-to-market partner for upholstery-grade graphene, Transteel is currently in talks with Tata Steel for a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) agreement signalling a long-term alignment on sustainability goals.

The partnership exemplifies both companies’ shared mission to reduce plastic use, support farm-to-business sourcing, and champion circular economy practices in the office furniture industry.

April 4, 2025