MAM
CoVid-2019: Modi and India fight back
It was hardly a month ago that prime minister Narendra Modi’s image appeared to be taking a beating what with the nation getting divided between those pro-NRC and pro-CAA and those against the two proposed measures to curb illegal immigrants. Marches, followed by clashes, the anger that those participating in them demonstrated, and the government’s I-can’t-hear-you-response to the protests made the headlines. And a tirade of criticism against Modi and his men rained from all sides.
Clearly, the government led by Modi appeared to be stumbling – alienating a sizable portion of the population, especially the younger, and possibly the pseudo secular lot. The economy was not doing well either, with companies unable to pay back loans, banks getting sick with undigestable assets, and overall economic growth slowing down. The sentiment was downright negative.
Cut to 20 March 2020. The world is grappling with its worst natural disaster in recent memory. The CoVi-2 virus is on the rampage in nation after nation, sending mostly the elderly to an early death. Leaders the world over seem to be at a loose end to halt the onward march of the dastardly microbe. Predictions and fears are that millions are going to be slain by SARS CoV-2, similar to that carnage that took place in 1918 when the dreaded flu hit the world.
However, one leader who has emerged squeakingly clean from the crisis is but of course Modi. His deft handling of the CoVid 2019 doom has won him plaudits the world over. He has been relatively quick – at least it appeared so at the time of writing – by sealing off the nation from outside travellers, then rallying all the chief ministers of the vulnerable states to enforce lockdowns at state and even district-levels in some of them. He had the editorial heads of the leading news services on a video conference where he and his bunch of hardworking men briefed them on the importance of right positive communication around SARS CoV-2 to deal with the situation. This would help stem the rot of panic and rumour-mongering that could lead to further disaster.
His coup d’etat was when he got a billion Indians to heed his call and come out of their self-imposed quarantine and ring bells, sound conches, jangle their steel utensils, play drums, clap from their balconies for around 10 minutes as a form of gratitude and salutation for the men and women in white in hospitals who are risking their lives while saving the lives of those afflicted with the demon virus. Of course, there were some rogues who misunderstood his call to action. Instead of social distancing themselves, they came out in large groups, stuck to each other as they marched out on the streets in their own version of thanking doctors and all other service providers for doing their jobs so that they could stay alive.
Many marketing mavens are calling this a marketing coup of sorts. The images and videos that were flashed across the world showed a united India, a society, culture, a civilisation which is resilient and has lasted thousands of years of various invasions. The narrative was of ONE India; the earlier trope of an India, which is Hindu-Muslim polarised, has been pushed into the background. Hopefully to be forgotten – the common modern young Indian millennial cares not for caste or religion; it is the very rich or those living on the margins of poverty who get swayed by political vitriol.
Even as Modi’s image has received a boost as a decisive leader, he and other Indian leaders have many challenges ahead. SARS-Cov-2 is a silent spreader; it moves stealthily and fast. Those afflicted feel nothing, until it takes over the cellular infrastructure of the human body, blocks the respiratory pathways, and by then it is too late, especially for the infirm among the elderly.
With that background, team Modi has to maintain the isolation momentum amongst India’s billion plus population, many of whom may be thinking a big fuss is being made about nothing. This should be targeted not just at the general public but even at those occupying seats of power in local governments. Hence, hammering across messaging about the CoVid-2019 precautions that need to be taken should continue with even greater gusto; and it should not stop. And this should continue through television, social media, billboards, bus backs, SMSes, radio, and what have you. Local administrations and police need to ensure that curfews and home quarantines are being strictly adhered to.
Modi needs to be seen at the forefront of this man vs microbe battle. He needs to make regular appearances, portraying his confidence in the nation’s ability to fight back against the invader.
Of course, the infrastructure should also be put in place to test and treat those whom the SARS-CoV-2 virus has afflicted. Industrialists are stepping forward to do their mite: Anand Mahindra has said he would re-fit his factories to make ventilators as well as make his holiday resorts available to house the sick. Mukesh Ambani has quickly built a 100-bed facility with all the gizmos to treat those with Covid-2019. Many more surely will come forward, and they should. Vaccines are some time away. In the meanwhile, attempts will be made with alternative local treatments; India has so many schools of medicine. Some will work; some will be utter disasters.
As Modi, said, the CoVid-2019 fight has just begun.
Late in the evening of 24 March, he came on national television to declare a national lockdown of 21 days, something he urged Indians to strictly follow. "Coronavirus is a killer which spreads fast. We have to take these painful steps," he said emphatically. "Failing which we will go back 21 years."
(updated at 21:00 hrs on 24 March 2020)
MAM
Nielsen launches co-viewing pilot to sharpen TV measurement
Super Bowl pilot to refine how shared TV audiences are counted
MUMBAI: Nielsen is taking a fresh stab at one of television’s oldest blind spots: how many people are actually watching the same screen. The audience-measurement giant on February 4 unveiled a co-viewing pilot that uses wearable devices to better capture shared viewing, starting with America’s biggest broadcast stage.
The trial begins with Super Bowl LX on NBC on February 8, 2026, before extending to other high-profile live sports and entertainment events in the first half of the year. The goal is simple but commercially potent: count viewers more accurately, especially during live spectacles that pull families and friends to one screen.
The new approach leans on Nielsen’s proprietary wearable meters, wrist-worn devices that resemble smartwatches. These passively capture audio signatures from TV content, logging exposure to shows, films and live events without requiring viewers to sign in or self-report. In theory, fewer clicks, fewer lapses, better data.
Karthik Rao, Nielsen’s ceo, cast the move as part of a broader measurement push. He said the company’s task is to keep pushing accuracy as clients invest heavily in live programming that draws mass audiences. The co-viewing pilot, he added, builds on upgrades such as Big Data + Panel measurement, out-of-home expansion, live-streaming metrics and wearable-based tracking.
Co-viewing is not new territory for Nielsen, which has long tried to estimate how many people sit before a single set. What is new is the heavier integration of wearables and passive detection to reduce reliance on active inputs from panel homes.
For now, the pilot comes with caveats. Co-viewing estimates from the trial will not be folded into Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel ratings, which remain the industry’s trading currency. Instead, pilot findings will be shared with clients a few weeks after final Big Data + Panel ratings are delivered. Clients may disclose those findings publicly.
More impact data will follow later this year. Full integration into Nielsen’s marketing-intelligence suite is slated as a longer-term play, with a target of bringing co-viewing into currency measurement for the 2026–2027 season. This is only phase one, with further co-viewing enhancements planned beyond 2026 and additional timelines to be announced.
The push fits a wider pattern. Nielsen has in recent years expanded big-data integration, adopted first-party data for live-streaming measurement and broadened out-of-home tracking. It also positions itself as the reference point for streaming metrics through products such as The Gauge and the Nielsen Streaming Top 10.
In a market where billions of ad dollars hinge on decimal points, counting who is in the room matters. If Nielsen can pin down shared viewing, the humble sofa could become prime measurement real estate. The race to count every eyeball just found a new wrist to watch.
Brands
Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board
Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.
Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.
“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.
The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.
Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.
The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.
MAM
Meta appoints Anuvrat Rao as APAC head of commerce partnerships
At Locofy.ai, Rao helped convert a three-year free beta into a paid engine, clocking 1,000 subscribers and 15 enterprise clients within ten days of launch in September 2024. The low-code startup, backed by Accel and top tech founders, is famed for turning designs into production-ready code using proprietary large design models.
Before that, Rao founded generative AI venture 1Bstories, which was acquired by creative AI platform Laetro in mid-2024, where he briefly served as managing director for APAC. Alongside operating roles, he has been an active investor and advisor since 2020, backing startups such as BotMD, Muxy, Creator plus, Intellect, Sealed and CricFlex through a creator-economy-led thesis.
Rao spent over eight years at Google, holding senior partnership roles across search, assistant, chrome, web and YouTube in APAC, and earlier cut his teeth in strategy consulting at OC&C in London and investment finance at W. P. Carey in Europe and the US.
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