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  • Flipkart bags a trip as Marriott Bonvoy turns carts into passports

    Flipkart bags a trip as Marriott Bonvoy turns carts into passports

    MUMBAI: Who knew a pair of “Bali earrings” could land you in Bali? Or that “Korean skincare” could be your boarding pass to Seoul? Flipkart and Marriott Bonvoy have pulled off India’s first dual loyalty integration, proving that sometimes your cart really can take you places.

    The campaign, cheekily titled “Your Cart Takes You Places” by 22Feet Tribal Worldwide, hijacks Flipkart’s own search bar. The agency crunched through 300-plus keywords and cherry-picked the top 10 that doubled up as travel destinations. For two weeks, when users typed in searches like “Bali” or “Korean skincare,” the dropdown offered not just products but also Marriott Bonvoy stays in Bali or South Korea.

    It’s a neat twist on loyalty turning points and purchases into serendipitous upgrades. And the films that accompany the campaign pile on the humour, showing shoppers obliviously browsing their way closer to dream getaways.

    “Our partnership with Flipkart is a first-of-its-kind move that connects two different worlds everyday shopping and global travel through a shared loyalty currency,” said a Marriott International spokesperson. “We’re making rewards interchangeable and aspirational while still being local and accessible.”

    A Flipkart Travel spokesperson agreed, “This partnership bridges shopping and travel. Integrating Marriott Bonvoy into Flipkart search makes discovery delightful, and connecting Flipkart Supercoins with Marriott Bonvoy creates a more meaningful rewards ecosystem.”

    The creative spark came from simple human envy, according to 22Feet Tribal Worldwide national creative head Vishnu Srivatsav, “A unique partnership needed a unique experience. We didn’t just treat it as advertising but built on the experience itself. It drew from search habits on Flipkart, and when we told the story, we leaned on envy.”

    The campaign didn’t stop at Flipkart’s app. It spilled over to X (formerly Twitter) with chatter around “happy accidents,” rolled out influencer collaborations on social media, and nudged users to link accounts for a seamless shop-to-stay journey.

    At its heart, the campaign makes one point clear: every click on Flipkart could be a step closer to a Marriott Bonvoy check-in. Suddenly, loyalty feels less like points and more like postcards.

  • Sunrise spices up Bengal’s Pujo with festive stories

    Sunrise spices up Bengal’s Pujo with festive stories

    MUMBAI: When it comes to Durga Puja, Bengal knows how to bring the drama, devotion and dazzle, and ITC’s Sunrise Spices is adding its own flavour to the festivities. The brand has launched Sunrise Pujor Satkahon, a pan-state initiative in collaboration with over a thousand Puja committees, to celebrate not just the grandeur of Kolkata but the pulse of every para across West Bengal.

    The campaign is designed to capture the soul of Pujo, blending tradition, community spirit and cultural pride into a vibrant tapestry of stories. Committees across districts are invited to submit write-ups detailing their Pujo themes, community involvement and the cultural significance of their celebrations. These stories will be judged in a three-phase process: storytelling and community votes will shortlist the top 250 entries, a pandal showcase and jury scoring will decide the top 50, and on-ground audits will identify the top five winners on Navami. The festivities will culminate in a celebrity-led Sindoor khela on Dashami, marking a colourful grand finale.

    Beyond the contest, the top 250 entries will feature in a special coffee table book, immortalising the stories, rituals and artistry of pujos across the state. Sunrise Pujor Satkahon aims to preserve and highlight the diversity of Bengal’s festive heartbeat, celebrating everything from iconic urban pandals to lesser-known rural gems.

    “Durga Puja is not just a festival; it is the soul of Bengal,” said Sunrise Spices business head Piyush Mishra. “Through Sunrise Pujor Satkahon, we are thrilled to honour the rich traditions of every para, celebrating the unity, creativity and cultural pride that make Bengal’s Pujo truly unique.”

    With this initiative, Sunrise Spices is ensuring that every Pujo, big or small, finds its moment in the spotlight, creating a collective archive that captures the joy, devotion and artistry of one of India’s most beloved festivals. Every para, every story, every heart is invited to be part of the celebration.

  • Trade Desk opens Audience Unlimited to put data back in the driver’s seat

    Trade Desk opens Audience Unlimited to put data back in the driver’s seat

    MUMBAI: For years, third-party data in digital advertising has been like the pricey side dish everyone admired but few ordered. Now, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) is serving it up in a new format Audience Unlimited, an AI-powered marketplace upgrade designed to make precision targeting cheaper, smarter, and easier.

    Traditionally, advertisers who dared to dip into third-party data often forked out nearly 20 per cent of their media costs on it, only to wrestle with the uncertainty of which segments were worth the spend. Audience Unlimited aims to sweep away those hurdles by scoring thousands of curated data segments from hundreds of privacy-conscious providers, then offering them in bulk at transparent, inclusive pricing.

    “Audience Unlimited is going to transform the way marketers think about the value and cost of third-party data,” said The Trade Desk chief strategy officer Samantha Jacobson. “By securing bulk pricing for data, we can pass on savings to advertisers, while our AI helps them understand relevance and layer in as much as they need to optimise performance.”

    The upgrade isn’t just about cheaper data. It’s tied to new Koa Adaptive Trading Modes, powered by agentic AI, that let advertisers pick their level of automation:

    ●   Performance Mode: Koa acts as a full co-pilot, dynamically optimising bids, allocations and performance across The Trade Desk’s suite of innovations, from Audience Unlimited to Predictive Clearing and Identity Alliance. Here, Audience Unlimited is included at no extra cost.

    ●   Control Mode: Traders take the wheel, manually managing campaigns but still benefiting from AI recommendations. Here, Audience Unlimited comes at a tiered cost of 3.3 per cent or 4.4 per cent of impression spend, with the option to use a la carte data pricing.

    Early adopters are already buzzing. Dstillery CEO Michael Beebe said, “By embedding AI-powered audience selection directly into campaign strategy, it transforms data from an afterthought into a core driver of performance.”

    Liveramp SVP of commercial partnerships Anne Acker echoed the sentiment, “Solutions like Audience Unlimited take the guesswork out of building high-quality segments. With AI in the mix, marketers can extract even more value and efficiency.”

    Audience Unlimited and Koa Adaptive Trading Modes will roll out to select agencies on The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform in late 2025, with a full launch in early 2026.

    If third-party data once felt like a gamble, The Trade Desk is betting that with AI scoring, predictable pricing, and flexibility, advertisers will now treat it as the ace up their sleeve.

  • Kevin Vaz retained as IBDF president, Avinash Pandey to be secretary general

    Kevin Vaz retained as IBDF president, Avinash Pandey to be secretary general

    MUMBAI: The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) has sent out a clear signal at its 26th Annual General Meeting in New Delhi: television remains the beating heart of India’s entertainment story.

    A significant leadership transition was announced at the AGM. Media veteran Avinash Pandey will assume the role of secretary general from October 1, 2025, succeeding Siddharth Jain, whose tenure concluded on September 30. Members expressed gratitude to Jain for his contributions and warmly welcomed Pandey. Reflecting on his appointment, Pandey said, “I am honoured to take on this role at such a pivotal time. My focus will be on engaging with government, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, and strengthening IBDF’s role as the industry’s unified voice.”  

    Chairing the AGM in his inaugural address as president, Jiostar India CEO – entertainment Kevin Vaz underscored the enduring power of linear TV. He pointed out that 97 per cent of India’s original content in 2024, nearly 200,000 hours, was created for television, which continues to engage audiences at scale with roughly 46 trillion minutes of annual viewing across 190 million screens. He described TV as the “bedrock of content creation and brand building in India,” highlighting its unmatched reach and cultural resonance through the family co-viewing experience. Vaz added that advertising revenues are set to climb, with the festive season offering an immediate boost and the government’s recent GST reforms providing a strong foundation for long-term growth. “Television’s next chapter is one of evolution, leveraging reach and trust, amplified by digital,” he said, affirming IBDF’s commitment to advocate for a forward-looking regulatory framework.

    The AGM also featured board elections, where Gaurav Banerjee of Culver Max and R. Mahesh Kumar of Sun Network were re-elected, while Anil Kumar Singhvi of Zee Media joined as a new board member. The Office Bearers were re-elected for the new term, with Vaz as president, Rajat Sharma of India TV, Banerjee, and Kumar as vice presidents, and I. Venkat of Eenadu TV continuing as treasurer. The Board also includes Aroon Purie of TV Today Network, Gaurav Dwivedi of Prasar Bharati, Jayant Mathew of MMTV, and Punit Goenka of Zee Entertainment, while Sumanta Bose of Jiostar, John Brittas of Kairali TV, and Nachiket Pantvaidya of Culver Max were co-opted as members.

    The AGM was also attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, including secretary Sanjay Jaju and additional secretary Prabhat, who joined industry leaders at a special luncheon hosted by IBDF, enabling constructive dialogue between broadcasters and policymakers.

  • Coca-cola bowls a green over with Maidaan Saaf at Women’s World Cup

    Coca-cola bowls a green over with Maidaan Saaf at Women’s World Cup

    MUMBAI: Forget sixes and stumpings, this World Cup is also about sweeping. As the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 kicks off in India, Coca-cola India, in partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC), has launched its Maidaan Saaf campaign, turning stadiums into test cases for sustainability between 30 September and 2 November.

    The idea is simple but striking: fold responsible waste management into the very fabric of the fan experience. That means volunteers guiding spectators on segregation, safai saathis and waste workers working shoulder to shoulder with stadium staff, and installations crafted from recycled plastic that double as Instagrammable art. Even the giant national flags unfurled during anthem ceremonies have been stitched from recycled PET bottles (rPET), a reminder that waste can wave as a symbol of pride.

    Coca-cola vice president of public affairs communications and sustainability for India & South West Asia Devyani Rana said, “Cricket connects millions of people, and through Maidaan Saaf we want to ensure these shared moments of joy also leave a positive impact. Our work with ICC and grassroots partners demonstrates that major sporting events can inspire communities to recycle more and waste less, while still delivering an unforgettable fan experience.”

    The ICC is equally invested in making sustainability part of cricket’s playbook. ICC chief commercial officer Anurag Dahiya added, “Cricket has the power to inspire positive change well beyond the boundary. Through this partnership with Coca-cola India, we are embedding sustainability into the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. Fans will see how simple actions like segregating waste or celebrating recycled creations can make our sport more inclusive and responsible.”

    The campaign builds on Coca-cola India’s earlier innings: at the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, the company ran one of the largest-ever waste management programmes at a sporting event in India. The Rpet flag from that tournament entered the Limca Book of Records 2025, cementing its place in sustainability’s hall of fame.

    With Maidaan Saaf, Coca-cola India is doubling down on its commitment to circularity. Working with NGOs, recyclers and local authorities, the initiative aims to show that cricket can be more than a spectacle, it can be a platform for greener habits.

    So as fans cheer boundaries and wickets this season, they’ll also be part of a quieter but equally important game: proving that stadiums can be as clean as they are loud.

  • Mythik ropes in Jio, MX Player & Walmart veterans to power product-tech vision

    Mythik ropes in Jio, MX Player & Walmart veterans to power product-tech vision

    MUMBAI: The global entertainment startup, on a mission to be the “Disney from the East” has unveiled a heavyweight product and technology leadership team with three marquee hires. Sachin Thapliyal joins as founding member & chief product officer, Kamalmeet Singh as chief technology officer, and Nitin Pakhare as head of product design.

    Between them, the trio boasts over 60 years of experience across giants like Jiosaavn, MX Player, Amazon, Walmart, Microsoft, Payu, and Paytm, shaping platforms that entertained and engaged millions. From building music and video apps with 100 plus million users to pioneering GenAI architecture, their combined resumes read like a masterclass in consumer-tech at scale.

    Thapliyal, who once scaled Jiosaavn past 100 million MAUs and helped shape MX Player into a 175 million-user super-app, will steer product strategy. Singh, an ex-Walmart principal architect and author of large-scale tech design books, brings the muscle of cloud, GenAI, and enterprise-grade architecture. Meanwhile, Pakhare, who has designed experiences for Jiocinema, MX Player, and Yahoo Labs, will focus on ensuring Mythik’s stories look as good as they feel.

    Founder & CEO Jason Kothari is betting on the trio’s mix of creativity and technology to help Mythik deliver its bold promise: reimagining Eastern mythology, history, and folktales for global audiences in compelling, tech-driven ways.

    As Kothari put it, “Their experience in building entertainment platforms at scale, architecting global solutions, and creating engaging user experiences aligns perfectly with our mission.”

    If Mythik’s new chapter reads anything like its hiring, the East’s tales may just get a blockbuster retelling for the world stage.

  • Dexter decodes Youtube moments as VDO.AI replays the adtech playbook

    Dexter decodes Youtube moments as VDO.AI replays the adtech playbook

    MUMBAI: Ads are finally getting smarter than the “skip” button. VDO.AI has unveiled Dexter, a cutting-edge contextual intelligence solution that promises to transform Youtube advertising by reading video content the way a human would only faster. Billed as the future of contextual advertising, Dexter can scan scenes, audio, transcripts, objects and even sentiment to ensure ads appear at precisely the right moment. That means your luxury resort spot could play after a cinematic drone shot of a Ferrari, never before a violent fight sequence.

    VDO.AI co-founder and CTO Arjit Sachdeva explained, “Dexter is built to read video content the way a human would, understanding visuals, audio, sentiment, and context at scale. It is this human-like intelligence, applied with machine speed, that sets a new benchmark for contextual advertising on YouTube. Early partners using Dexter have already seen 40–60 per cent higher performance across view-through rates, recall, and conversions. These results demonstrate that contextual intelligence, when applied at scale, is not just the future of advertising, but a growth driver for businesses today.”

    The promise is not just precision, it’s protection. By keeping brand ads clear of unsafe or unsuitable content, Dexter tackles one of the industry’s biggest headaches: maintaining brand safety while delivering engagement at scale.

    VDO.AI chief business officer Akshay Chaturvedi elaborated, “Dexter’s advanced AI engine analyses video content with unmatched precision, reading every contextual signal to create perfect advertising moments. When a viewer is engaging with luxury car content, Dexter will intelligently serve an ad for an exclusive resort getaway or a luxury handbag while ensuring your brand ad never appears alongside inappropriate content like violent footage. This powerful combination of contextual intelligence and brand safety allows brands to reach audiences when they’re most engaged and receptive, driving meaningful connections that translate into measurable business impact.”

    Now rolled out globally, Dexter marks a significant expansion of VDO.AI into Youtube’s ad ecosystem. It’s the culmination of years of AI research and development, placing the company firmly at the forefront of contextual advertising innovation.

    With brands increasingly demanding precision targeting and brand safety, VDO.AI is betting that Dexter can become the industry’s new secret weapon turning what was once guesswork into smart, context-driven placements that boost both trust and conversions.

    For Youtube viewers, it might mean the ads finally make sense. For brands, it could be the difference between being tuned out or remembered.

  • Zee Business, Entrecon 2025 team up to fuel India’s startup growth story

    Zee Business, Entrecon 2025 team up to fuel India’s startup growth story

    MUMBAI: Zee Business, one of India’s leading Hindi business news channels, has partnered exclusively with Entrecon 2025, one of the country’s most ambitious entrepreneurship conclaves. Slated for 9–10 October at IIM Lucknow – EIC, Noida, the second edition promises to be a landmark gathering of 400 plus startups, 100 plus investors, 80 plus corporates, and 50 plus powerhouse speakers.

    With its live coverage, Zee Business will beam the energy, ideas, and debates from the venue to millions of living rooms and mobile screens across the nation, ensuring the movement goes beyond the halls of IIM.

    Entrecon 2025 isn’t just an event, it’s a catalyst. After the debut edition connected 200 startups with 70 investors and sparked 1.4 crore worth of business discussions, this year’s conclave aims to bridge the gap between capital and creativity at an even larger scale.

    The star-studded speaker line-up spans business, entertainment, and venture capital, featuring voices like Ashish Agarwal (Resurgent India), Navin Honagudi (Elev8 Partners), Rohit Bhayana (Lumis Ventures), Anish Agarwal (Warner Bros. Discovery), actor-entrepreneur Anupriya Goenka, Deep Bajaj (Sirona), and Anurag Batra (Business World).

    IDPL CBO Priyadarshan Garg framed the collaboration as a national mission, “Through our Live coverage of Entrecon 2025, we are not just broadcasting an event, but igniting a nationwide movement that connects visionaries with millions of aspiring entrepreneurs.”

    Gkconsulting CEO Mukesh Malik added, “Entrecon 2025 is designed to foster innovation, create bridges between startups and investors, and showcase India’s potential as a global hub of entrepreneurship. Partnering with Zee Business ensures these conversations inspire the entire nation.”

    With Zee Business as its official telecast partner, Entrecon 2025 is shaping up to be more than a conclave, it’s a movement set to redefine how India thinks, builds, and dreams entrepreneurship.

  • Stayfree turns taboo talk into period-positive chat

    Stayfree turns taboo talk into period-positive chat

    MUMBAI: From hush-hush to heart-to-heart, Stayfree is making sure period talk is no longer swept under the carpet. This Daughters Day, the brand rolled out its latest digital activation, turning parental rejections into real conversations.

    Last year, 70 per cent of parents refused to let their sons be part of Stayfree’s bold campaign ‘Beta Stayfree le aana’, citing embarrassment, social pressure and fear of teasing. But instead of backing down, the brand saw those “noes” as proof that the stigma is alive and in need of dismantling.

    The new film, created with DDB Mudra, follows content creator Linda Fernandes and a group of parents who had earlier rejected the campaign. What begins as awkwardness slowly unfolds into an honest chat on why involving boys in period ads matters. The film ends with a simple truth, “When we make our sons comfortable with periods, we make our daughters comfortable too.”

    Over the past five years, Stayfree’s ‘It’s just a period’ initiative has been nudging families to normalise menstrual conversations: first with fathers, then with sons. The latest chapter tackles stigma head-on, showing that every candid conversation chips away at age-old shame.

    “This campaign isn’t just advertising, it’s change in action,” said Stayfree’s parent company Kenvue’s marketing head Manoj Gadgil. “The rejections only strengthened our resolve.”

    Streaming on Youtube and Meta, the campaign leaves viewers with one question: if sons can appear in ads for shoes or chocolates, why not sanitary 
     

  • Caratlane turns a new leaf with Peepal collection

    Caratlane turns a new leaf with Peepal collection

    MUMBAI: When it comes to jewellery, Caratlane has truly turned over a new leaf. The Tata-backed jeweller has launched its latest festive line, ‘Peepal’, just in time for Dhanteras, drawing inspiration from the serenity and symbolism of the sacred fig tree.

    The designs shimmer with diamonds and green alpanites, carefully set in 14 karat and 18 karat yellow gold with delicate touches of green rhodium, echoing the natural elegance of the leaf. A launch film captures the mood with diya-lit visuals around a peepal tree, underscoring its deep cultural significance in Indian tradition.

    “Jewellery is more than adornment,” said Caratlane managing director Saumen Bhaumik. “The peepal leaf, long revered as a symbol of divinity and new beginnings, felt like the perfect muse for pieces that are festive, versatile and timeless.”

    True to its ethos of fusing heritage with contemporary design, Caratlane has crafted a collection that promises to shine as brightly at daily brunches as at Diwali soirées. Adding sparkle to the launch, customers can bag free gold coins on purchases starting from Rs 15,000.

    Founded in 2008 and now with over 330 stores worldwide, Caratlane continues to marry modern design with Indian sentiment, proving once again that tradition and trend can sit beautifully side by side.