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Tag: Abhinav Iyer

  • Indian aces call the shots at WSOP 2025

    Indian aces call the shots at WSOP 2025

    MUMBAI: India’s high rollers and card sharks just raised the stakes on the global stage. At the 56th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) – held at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas – Indian players went all in, pulling off one of their best runs yet. From final tables to gold bracelets, Team India’s performance wasn’t just impressive, it was a royal flush.

    This year’s WSOP shattered records with 100 live tournaments, drawing thousands of players from across the globe. Amidst the buzz and billion-dollar pots, Indian players made their presence known, notching up seven final tables and even a bracelet win.

    Leading the pack was seasoned pro and former WSOP champ Aditya Agarwal, who clinched India’s only bracelet of the season in the WSOP Online NLHE Championship. Not far behind, Laksh Pal Singh cashed in on eight events and reached the final table in the Poker Hall of Fame Bounty. A familiar face in the Indian poker scene, Laksh is also a game ambassador for PokerBaazi.

    Ankit Ahuja, ranked India’s Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year—twice over—grabbed seven cashes, including a final table in the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship. Zarvan Tumboli battled it out across six events, placing 119th in the prestigious Main Event and shining in Omaha. He took reps at PokerBaazi, flying the flag for Maharashtra and the National Poker Championship.

    Former bracelet winner Aditya Sushant added four cashes to his name, including a deep run in the PokerNews Deepstack Championship. Meanwhile, Santhosh Suvarna – already a two-time WSOP bracelet winner – made three strong finishes, including a 16th-place run in the High Roller and a title win at the Wynn Classic.

    And it didn’t stop there. WSOP vets like Nipun Java, Abhinav Iyer, and Kartik Ved returned to form, joined by crowd favourites like Kunal Patni, Nishant Sharma, Shrey Maheshwary, Tarun Goyal, Bhargav Kakani, Gaurav Sood, and many more. Whether representing PokerBaazi or gunning for solo glory, the Indian contingent didn’t just ante up—they dominated.

    Even beyond the WSOP tables, Indians were busy stacking chips across Vegas. Breakout star Gunisha Sinha, the dentist-turned-poker pro from Delhi, stole the spotlight with a cracking win at the Resorts World Las Vegas 2025 Summer Series in the $360 NLHE – PLON Ladies tournament. Gunisha, now the latest PokerBaazi game ambassador, also clinched a title in The Circuit: Season 3, proving that when it comes to poker, she’s no novice.

    Closing out the series in style, Florida’s Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi took home the WSOP Main Event crown, his eighth career bracelet and a cool $10 million payday. That win also earned him a coveted seat in the Poker Hall of Fame.

    India’s performance at WSOP 2025 isn’t just a blip, it’s a bold declaration: the country is no longer an outsider in global poker. These players aren’t here to watch—they’re here to win.

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  • Muthoot Finance unveils ‘Gold Loan Kamaal, Doosre Loan Bemisaal’ campaign

    Muthoot Finance unveils ‘Gold Loan Kamaal, Doosre Loan Bemisaal’ campaign

    Mumbai: Muthoot Finance has launched the ad campaign ‘Gold Loan Kamaal, Doosre Loan Bemisaal’ featuring Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign includes three films that highlight financial offerings beyond gold loans, including gold overdraft loan, personal loan, and loan against property.

    This initiative aims to educate customers about the convenience of these loan products and reinforces Muthoot Finance’s commitment to inclusive financial solutions. Each ad features Bachchan delivering key messages about the benefits of these offerings.

    The Muthoot Group joint MD Alexander George Muthoot said, “With its rich and unmatched legacy of more a century, Muthoot Finance has positively impacted the lives of millions of customers through its plethora of products and services. Our new campaign not only highlights the brand’s leadership in the Gold Loan segment but also offers a sneak peek into the diverse offerings. Our goal is to be a one-stop financial supermarket for our customers’ diverse credit requirements. These innovative products such as gold overdraft, personal loan and loan against property coupled with our strong presence Pan-India, reinforces our position as a diversified financial services conglomerate to serve millions of customers every day.”

    The first film focuses on leveraging gold assets with an overdraft facility, charging interest only on the withdrawn amount, ideal for business owners. The second film highlights the quick process for personal loans to meet financial needs. The third film emphasises loan against property, enabling customers to secure larger loans by leveraging real estate for their goals.

    The Muthoot Group senior general manager – marketing and strategy, Abhinav Iyer said, “While Muthoot Finance has widely been recognised for its gold loans, the ‘Gold Loan Kamaal, Doosre Loan Bemisaal’ campaign is a strategic effort to popularize our other loan products too. With Mr. Amitabh Bachchan’s charismatic presence in these films, we hope to resonate with our diverse customer base and demonstrate how the versatility of our loan products can truly transform their financial decision-making. Each ad film has been crafted to connect with our audiences on a personal level and we are confident that this campaign will reinforce our brand’s position as a trusted leader in the financial services space.”

    Muthoot Finance operates over 6,759 branches and serves more than 2.5 lakh customers daily, earning the title of India’s number one Most Trusted Financial Services Brand for eight consecutive years, according to TRA’s Brand Trust report. Building on this trust, Muthoot Finance’s new campaign emphasizes that while gold loans are notable, their other credit solutions also offer exceptional value and reliability.

  • Muthoot Finance launches two ad films for Bharosa India Ka campaign

    Muthoot Finance launches two ad films for Bharosa India Ka campaign

    Mumbai: Muthoot Finance, India’s gold loan NBFC has launched two powerful ad films as part of its ‘Bharosa India Ka’ brand campaign featuring brand ambassador Madhuri Dixit.

    The campaign, a testament to Muthoot Finance’s enduring legacy in the financial services sector, is a heartfelt acknowledgment of the unwavering trust and preference shown by its customers. It also serves as an expression of gratitude towards the millions who have made Muthoot Finance their first choice for financial solutions.

    The twin ad films reinforce Muthoot Finance’s position as a reliable partner in the financial services sector. The first ad film focuses on removing doubt from decision-making and the second film delves into the emotional significance of gold as a generational asset. Together, they present a compelling message of the enduring trust Indians place in gold and Muthoot Finance’s reliability.

    Speaking about the new campaign, The Muthoot Group joint MD Alexander George Muthoot expressed, “Our ‘Bharosa India Ka’ campaign goes beyond showcasing our diverse range of services; it highlights the assurance that comes with each offering. This unwavering trust, built over decades, drives us to innovate and enhance our customer service continually. The universality of our message conveyed by Madhuri Dixit, as the face of our campaign, embodies how we’ve become an integral part of our customers’ lives, enabling them to make confident financial decisions. It also reflects our commitment to delivering reliable financial services and underscores our dedication to empowering customers and communities alike.

    Backed by the company’s expansive network of over 6000 branches and daily service to more than 2.5 lakh customers nationwide, Bharosa India Ka campaign celebrates Muthoot Finance’s recognition as India’s number one most trusted financial services brand for eight consecutive years, as per TRA’s Brand Trust Report.”

    The Muthoot Group senior general manager – marketing and strategy Abhinav Iyer added, “Our aim with these ad films is to acknowledge and assure our customers of the trust that they have reposed in us over centuries. The ad films, with Madhuri Dixit bringing her characteristic grace and appeal, drive the message that at Muthoot Finance, trust isn’t just promised – it’s delivered. Bharosa India Ka brings together a brand film and a product film – both interestingly conveying why Muthoot Finance gold loan is undoubtedly the most trusted choice of India.”

  • Amitabh Bachchan promotes The Muthoot Group’s Xandari Resorts & Spa in new campaign film

    Amitabh Bachchan promotes The Muthoot Group’s Xandari Resorts & Spa in new campaign film

    Mumbai: The Muthoot Group has launched its latest marketing campaign, featuring veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, advocating for its leisure and hospitality properties, Xandari Resorts & Spa. Underlining The Muthoot Group’s commitment towards the three C’s – community, collaboration, and conservation, the film is anchored by Mr. Bachchan, who has been The Muthoot Group’s brand ambassador for the past six years.

    Recognizing the shift in consumer’s holiday experiences over the past few years, The Muthoot Group’s Xandari Resorts is a genuine reflection of going beyond the conventional and providing consumers with an experience of a lifetime. In the film, Mr Bachchan plays a wise family elder guiding his family to a perfect getaway with Xandari Resorts & Spa, ensuring every family member experiences a dream holiday of their choice.

    Part of The Muthoot Group’s 20 diversified business divisions, Xandari Resorts is the hospitality brand of Muthoot Leisure & Hospitality Services. Based on its belief that hospitality can not only improve quality of life but also be good for natural and cultural environments, The Muthoot Group acquired Xandari Resorts & Spa, one of Costa Rica’s most successful properties in 2013 to partner with local communities to conserve, protect and replenish the environment.

    The promotional film is a mix of cinematic storytelling highlighting the luxurious Xandari chain of boutique resorts including Xandari Pearl in Mararikulam that offers luxurious private pool villas and the best of white sand beaches, Xandari Riverscapes Houseboats in Alleppey to enjoy Kerala’s backwaters, Xandari Cardamom County adjoining the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady for a forest reserve experience, and the Xandari Costa Rica to experience rainforest, natural waterfalls, nature treks, orchards, as well as farms, all within the resort.

    Xandari Resorts & Spa MD George M George said, “We are excited to feature Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in The Muthoot Group’s new film because it brilliantly showcases our Xandari Resorts and captivates our audience with sustainable and luxury hospitality. Consumers today seek out holiday experiences that transcend the ordinary and we are dedicated to provide each of our guests with experiences and memories that last a lifetime. At Xandari, we also want to pioneer a sustainable chapter in tourism, by upholding our core principles – community, conservation and collaboration. The idea was to capture the essence of responsible tourism with Xandari’s unparalleled fusion of luxury and a unique farm-to-table experience. I also feel that Mr. Bachchan’s presence has elevated the Xandari brand to a whole new level and I am sure this content will get us tremendous interest worldover. At Xandari Resorts & Spa, we invite travelers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature while indulging in world-class hospitality.”

    The Muthoot Group Sr general manager – marketing Abhinav Iyer said, “Mr Bachchan has been The Muthoot Group’s brand ambassador for many years now and with a legend like him, we have been keen to create tailor-made content for our leisure & hospitality division for quite some time now. Xandari Resorts is a jewel in the Group’s crown and hence with this film, we have attempted to create a strong desire for Xandari Resorts leveraging a cinematic approach. We plan to promote this film widely across digital and other mainstream mediums in addition to national & international events, exhibitions and travel & tourism meets.”

  • Muthoot Finance launches ‘Bharosa India Ka’ campaign with Madhuri Dixit

    Muthoot Finance launches ‘Bharosa India Ka’ campaign with Madhuri Dixit

    Mumbai: Muthoot Finance has launched a new integrated marketing  campaign titled Bharosa India Ka featuring Madhuri Dixit, who came on board as brand ambassador with the brand earlier this year.

    Over the years, with over 72 crore people (including repeat customers) having benefitted  from its products and services, and with over 2.5 lakh people reaffirming faith in the brand  on a daily basis, across the length and breadth of the country, Muthoot Finance enjoys  immense trust of the people. The recent certification granted to Muthoot Finance, as the  No. 1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand by The Brand Trust Report 2023, for a seventh year running is testimony of the trust the brand has ‘earned’ over a long period of time.

    The 360-degree campaign, Bharosa India Ka, launched on 1 August 2023 is a humble  recognition of this trust, as also a way to express the brand’s gratitude towards people  who have maintained their preference and faith in Muthoot Finance. The campaign  reaffirms the brand’s traditional leadership status in the Gold Loan segment while bringing  attention to its various loan offerings such as Housing Loans, Personal Loans, and Vehicle  Loans as well as providing Gold Loan at Home services.

    Mindshare CEO South Asia Amin Lakhani said, “It is with great excitement that my team  and I look forward to “Bharosa India Ka” which is the latest integrated marketing  campaign from Muthoot Finance. The campaign through its powerful creative effortlessly  brings out the key distinction of Muthoot Finance truly being a Financial supermarket with  an unparalleled distinction of being the most trusted brand. We firmly believe that to create maximum impact, the message as strong as this should  be served to the target audience in its entirety. Through our 360 degree amplification  across all relevant mediums, Mindshare will strive to ensure that this campaign reaches  out to the maximum audiences ensuring maximum exposure and highest ROI for the  brand.”

    Speaking about the campaign, The Muthoot Group joint manager Alexander George Muthoot said, “Muthoot Finance is a financial conglomerate and this TVC with  Madhuri Ji brilliantly showcases some of our main loan products such as Home Loan,  Personal Loan, and Vehicle Loan, in addition to Gold Loans. The main idea of this  campaign is to reinforce our credentials as a financial supermarket – A brand with an  unblemished track record and certified as India’s Most Trusted Financial Services Brand  for 7 years in a row by the prestigious Brand Trust Report. With 20 diversified divisions and  5850+ branches serving +2.5 Lac customers every day, Muthoot Finance has earned the  Trust of crores of Indians since its inception. Hence, we thought of the campaign tagline  as “Bharosa India Ka”.

    Madhuri Ji will showcase the brand in a very interesting and vibrant avatar to connect  with a cross section of audiences and specially female audiences whom Muthoot Finance has truly empowered from a women empowerment perspective too. The flagship product  of Gold loans are a great way to enable women to unlock the true potential of their  emotional currency and realise their dreams and aspirations. The Bharosa India Ka  campaign embodies the larger essence of our brand’s legacy of trust and confidence  customers have in our various products and services.”

    Muthoot Group senior general manager – marketing & strategy Abhinav Iyer further added, “Muthoot Finance Loans – Bharosa India Ka“ is a special campaign for us  since it is our maiden integrated marketing campaign with Madhuri Ji. The campaign  features the charismatic Madhuri Ji in an exciting and visually stunning musical TV  commercial that showcases our diverse product propositions across our various loan  products. Besides amplifying the different loan categories, the ad film also showcases  key features of Muthoot Finance’s services, like minimal documentation, zero hidden  charges, hassle-free process & instant disbursement, Loan at Home facility amongst  many others. Sung by the ever-popular Sunidhi Chauhan, the upbeat and catchy  number is choreographed and directed by the talented duo Piyush & Shazia. Besides TV,  the campaign will also be carried across Print, Outdoor, Digital, Cable and Ground  Activation.” 

  • The Muthoot Group goes bullish on OOH for ‘Gold Loan is Good’ campaign

    The Muthoot Group goes bullish on OOH for ‘Gold Loan is Good’ campaign

    NEW DELHI: The economy has been hit by Covid2019 due to which not only has spending declined but the loan market also took a hit. Banking on this, The Muthoot Group’s recent campaign ‘Gold Loan is Good’, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, looks at chasing away apprehensions associated with gold loans and encouraging more people to make use of the gold stored in their homes. Surprisingly, it is one of the few brands that chose to focus on OOH.

    The Muthoot Group’s general manager- marketing and strategy, Abhinav Iyer says that the primary objective of launching this campaign was to increase the overall gold loan category. “There is over 26,000 tons of gold with Indian households and less than two to three per cent of this is monetised. Hence, there is a huge market opportunity that remains untapped. Secondly, the objective is to dispel the various misplaced apprehensions associated with gold loans that often come to the minds of first-time gold loan takers and finally, but most significantly, to project gold loans as a 'Good Smart Option, as against being the Last Option' for seeking financial credit.” 

    It is live on television, digital, print, OOH, transit media and select forms of BTL promotions. However, Muthoot Finance went big on OOH though people are mostly still indoors.  Executed by Brandscope throughout India, the hoardings are visible across 50 cities on more than 200 sites.

    “If you look at it in silos, outdoor may come across as an outlier. It is important to see our OOH investment in conjunction with our overall media mix. Our OOH investment is part of our larger integrated marketing campaign for Gold Loan is Good. It is one of the five to six mediums handpicked to launch our new advocacy-based communication. In actual terms, the investment is substantial considering current times, but from a percentage share to overall media investment perspective; it is modest. Having said that, our digital investments, too, have grown notably post-Covid2019 to cater to the rising digital media consumption trends,” says Iyer.

    “Besides traditional OOH, we have also included a few DOOH sites and some interesting innovations. Outdoor is a great recall medium and with phased unlocking measures, people have started stepping out and since we received some great deals, we chose to leverage this medium as well, to the maximum possible extent,” he adds.  

    The company has also launched a mega radio campaign called ‘Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch’ exclusively on Red FM. Sunheri Soch is a series of inspiring, real-life stories of courage, hope and positivity. Narrated by Bachchan, these are stories of common men and women who took a gold loan from Muthoot to achieve their dreams and progressed in life. An especially made Sunheri Soch anthem has also been launched with Bachchan and RedFM’s top RJs saluting the courage of successful people who have achieved their dreams in highly challenging circumstances.

    Iyer claims that since the time of the pandemic a number of financial services players have shifted their focus to gold loans. “Overall, the media landscape is certainly under stress but we have great partners who stitched some good deals thereby helping us get maximum value for our investments,” he shares.