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Tag: Ashish Gupta

  • Škoda drives emotion with Heartbreak campaign

    Škoda drives emotion with Heartbreak campaign

    MUMBAI: They say love hurts, and Škoda Auto India is proving it with Heartbreak, a tongue-in-cheek campaign celebrating the coveted Škoda Octavia RS, created in collaboration with BBH India.

    The limited-edition Octavia RS, launched as part of Škoda’s 25-year anniversary in India, sold out in a blistering 20 minutes, leaving enthusiasts heartbroken, and inspired.

    At the centre of the campaign is a high-octane brand film that channels the car’s rally-bred spirit, turning FOMO into full-blown automotive passion. But the heartbreak doesn’t stop there.

    Fans can head to an interactive microsite, octavia heartbreak.skoda-auto.co.in, to explore the playful ‘Non-owner’s manual’, a witty guide for those who didn’t manage to grab one of the 100 cars.

    Adding to the fun, Škoda also launched ‘Driver’s Seat’, a special body perfume inspired by the RS’s thrill, letting fans “smell the drive” even without the keys.

    Škoda Auto India brand director Ashish Gupta said, “The ‘Heartbreak’ campaign celebrates not just those who own the Octavia RS, but also the countless fans who’ve kept its spirit alive. True performance isn’t just felt on the road, it stays with you.”

    BBH India chief creative officer Parikshit Bhattaccharya added, “When you’ve got 100 cars and a million fans, you create a coping mechanism for heartbreak. Every element of this campaign was crafted to make the experience unforgettable.”

    From film to fragrance, microsite to memes, Škoda’s Heartbreak proves that even when love for a car goes unrequited, the passion can still go full throttle.

  • Skoda fuels fanfare with ‘Fans Not Owners’ drive for 25 years in India

    Skoda fuels fanfare with ‘Fans Not Owners’ drive for 25 years in India

    MUMBAI: For Škoda, it’s not just about cars, it’s about cult status on wheels. Marking its 25th year in India, the Czech automaker has rolled out an integrated campaign titled ‘Fans Not Owners’, in partnership with ‘Team Drive’ at Publicis Groupe India, creatively led by BBH India.

    The campaign flips the conventional script of horsepower and specs, spotlighting Škoda drivers not as customers but as true-blue fans. It seeks to bridge the gap between admiration and action, nudging legions of admirers to take the leap into ownership.

    At the heart of the campaign is ‘Doda’, a heartwarming film that captures the whimsical love of a young girl for her Škoda. The story unfolds through the eyes of children who see magic in the machines, celebrating decades of emotional connections. Another film celebrating young fandom and pride is set to follow soon.

    The brand went a step further with a playful ‘Doda Takeover’ on Instagram, where Maya, the child protagonist, engaged Škoda’s followers. Even dealerships joined the celebration at some outlets in Mumbai, the Škoda logo was swapped out for Doda.

    Škoda Auto India brand director Ashish Gupta explained: “Our customers are more than just owners, they’re passionate fans who truly live the brand. As we celebrate 25 years, it’s this deep emotional connection that powers us forward.”

    Škoda’s 360-degree campaign doesn’t just dwell on sentiment, it reinforces the company’s reputation for European engineering, safety, and reliability while positioning its cars as practical, aspirational, and ready for modern Indian lifestyles.

    Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Saatchi Propagate CEO Paritosh Srivastava called the campaign “a step forward in building brand love and trust.” BBH India Chief creative officer Parikshit Bhattaccharya summed up the spirit: “Škoda was never just a car, it was always an emotion.”

    With 25 years on Indian roads and a fandom passed down through generations, Škoda is steering into the future with more than an engine, it’s running on emotion.

  • Trust fund rally as mutual industry eyes Rs 100 lakh crore with caution

    Trust fund rally as mutual industry eyes Rs 100 lakh crore with caution

    MUMBAI:If India’s mutual fund industry were a blockbuster, it would now be at its intermission Rs 100 lakh crore down, and another Rs 100 lakh crore to go. That was the spirit animating the fourth edition of the Moneycontrol Mutual Fund Summit in Mumbai, where the country’s top fund managers, regulators, and market veterans converged to chart a responsible roadmap to the next trillion-dollar milestone.

    The big number Rs 100 lakh crore in AUM (Assets Under Management) is no longer a pipe dream. But as SEBI Whole-Time Member Amarjeet Singh warned in his keynote, with great inflows come great responsibilities. “People are trusting mutual funds with their money, and that trust should not be disturbed,” he said. “Growing the right and responsible way becomes very important.”

    That note of caution echoed across the summit, where talk veered from geopolitics to granularity, inflation to inclusion. HDFC AMC MD & CEO Navneet Munot offered a moral compass: “Truth is the foundation, transparency is the path, and True North can be like our compass.” He praised SEBI’s “co-creative” approach to regulation, one that encourages dialogue, not duels.

    Liquidity, not just logic, remains the dominant force in markets, observed Axis AMC CIO Ashish Gupta. “No market is insulated from global risk trade or geopolitics. But liquidity continues to be the biggest driver of asset prices.”

    With fund launches, especially thematic ones, flooding the market, the panel agreed that innovation must be balanced with investor education. “We’ve created many pieces like Lego. What’s missing is education,” said Edelweiss AMC MD & CEO Radhika Gupta. “We need to tell people kaunsa mutual fund sahi hai which one fits their goals.”

    Gupta also hailed SEBI’s nod to Social Impact Funds as “forward-looking”, opening the doors for ethical investing in India’s evolving MF landscape.

    Meanwhile SBI Mutual Fund deputy MD & joint CEO D P Singh reminded the audience that education is also about action. “We’re powering platforms like mutualfundskyusahihai.com to take investor awareness to the next level.”

    One number got heads nodding: Kotak AMC’s Nilesh Shah pointed out that India has nearly 30 crore vehicle owners but just 5.5 crore mutual fund investors. “The next leg of growth is clearly in Bharat,” he said, emphasising the need to tap into smaller towns and first-time investors.

    The summit closed with a call for balance. More innovation, but with integrity. More investors, but through inclusion. And more funds, but built on fundamentals. With Rs 100 lakh crore already clocked, the mutual fund industry isn’t just managing wealth anymore, it’s managing trust.

    And in this next chapter of financial deepening, India’s mutual fund fraternity knows the best returns will come not just from markets, but from meaning.

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  • Volkswagen India launches new brand communication: ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’

    Volkswagen India launches new brand communication: ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’

    Mumbai: Volkswagen India rolls out its new brand communication ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ that captures the true emotion of owning a car: ‘For those who are in love with driving, in love with motion’.  A Volkswagen isn’t just a car, it’s a people’s car. Our customers vouch for it. “I cannot wait to grab my keys and go for a drive in my Volkswagen. It’s such a no-nonsense car,” said one of the Volkswagen consumers.

    Filled with stories that become memories, it absorbs the emotions of all its occupants while being driven and covering a million kilometres across the cities of India. A true driver’s choice that receives an unparalleled experience of uncompromised safety, superior build quality, comfort and a fun-to-drive journey.

    The new brand communication captures a 360° perspective emphasizing what it means to drive a Volkswagen. A brand promise that prioritizes a holistic customer experience, right from the offerings to must-have essential product features that service initiatives, make us transparent and valuable. A Volkswagen stands for accessible and premium mobility solutions, a value-for-money proposition to its customers.

    Conceptualized by the DDB Mudra Group with media planning by PHD, the new consumer-friendly campaign takes a brand-first approach to build robust emotional equity in the automobile market. You’re in a Volkswagen is inclusive: It’s about people & their families, the human moments that make Volkswagen, a Volkswagen. One must experience it, to understand the beauty of it.

    In a belief to deliver on the promise constantly, this is a stride to become more accessible to Indians & celebrate the rich diversity that India entails.

    Volkswagen Passenger Cars India brand director Ashish Gupta said, “Our new brand campaign is centred around a simple yet powerful idea – ‘the quintessential moments experienced by our customers in a Volkswagen’. It is a celebration of the passion, exhilaration, freedom and joy that’s experienced from being behind the wheel. The unforgettable journeys and memories that make every drive extraordinary in a Volkswagen. It’s a promise that we as Volkswagen offer our customers, German-engineering, safety and a fun-to-drive experience.”

    Volkswagen India Head of Marketing & PR Abbey Thomas said, “The core theme of the campaign revolves around the concept that a Volkswagen is not just a machine to own, but a vehicle designed to be driven and experienced. This includes its commitment to safety, innovation and German engineering, its superior build quality, a suite of world-class services and above all the fun-to-drive experience that is such a characteristic of all Volkswagen-engineered cars. It will urge customers to get behind the wheel of a Volkswagen because when it comes to a Volkswagen, the true experience is when you sit behind the wheels and enjoy the comfort & driving dynamics that’s when you’ll know – You’re in a Volkswagen.”

    DDB Mudra Group chief creative officer Rahul Mathew said, “When you make cars for the love of driving and for those in the cars, then you become more than just a car – you become a feeling. And Volkswagen has always embodied this. It was now time for us to come out and say it – You’re in a Volkswagen.”

    The hallmark of this campaign lies in its availability in eight local languages which stands as a testament to the brand’s commitment to fostering stronger connections with its customers. This multilingual endeavour ensures that the brand message is not just understood, but also felt on a personal and emotional level, making the campaign a truly immersive experience.

    The brand has a strong portfolio of German-engineered cars: Virtus, Taigun & Tiguan. In tandem with the India 2.0 strategy, Volkswagen cars are bigger, bolder & better. Taigun and Virtus have owned the safety narrative on Indian roads – with both scoring five stars for adult and child occupant safety on the GNCAP safety tests. Armed with this strong portfolio, Volkswagen India is creating a larger network and bringing the Volkswagen experience closer to customers.

     

  • Kaizzen appoints Ashish Gupta to lead its new research wing, Kaizzen Insights

    Kaizzen appoints Ashish Gupta to lead its new research wing, Kaizzen Insights

    New Delhi: Public Relations and digital media agency Kaizzen on Tuesday appointed Ashish Gupta as director to lead its new research wing Kaizzen Insights.

    He will be working closely with Kaizzen founder Vineet Handa. Gupta brings with him over three decades of experience in business journalism and has worked with The Times of India, Indian Express, Outlook Business, Business Today and Fortune India in the past. He will do a deep dive into issues of contemporary importance and try to figure out solutions to these complex challenges affecting the country, said the agency. 

    “Ashish is a highly experienced and respected business journalist with over three decades of experience in mainstream media and I welcome him to our India leadership team. His deep understanding and insights of varied sectors and industries will be a great asset for Kaizzen,” said Kaizzen, founder and CEO, Vineet Handa. “I believe that with the launch of Kaizzen Insights we will be able to transform Kaizzen into a knowledge-based and data-led communications consultancy. This will also help our existing clients in getting more informed communication and policy advocacy services.”

    Prior to joining Kaizzen, Gupta was working with Fortune India as deputy editor and chief of bureau. He has written extensively on the Indian economic reforms, national budgets and monetary policies over the years, gyrations of the stock market, infrastructure challenges and the rise of new-age technologies. He has also tracked the rise and fall of various corporations in different sectors. Before Fortune India, he was the deputy editor at Outlook Business magazine and prior to that worked as an associate editor at Business Today.

    “I am excited to join Kaizzen as director, Insights, and hope to work with Vineet in his new endeavor to make the transformational journey a success. I hope to bring all my journalistic and other experiences to work for further growth of the company,” said Gupta.

  • Blackberry Q5 partners with UN India Centre and DDB MudraMax to celebrate International Day of Youth

    Blackberry Q5 partners with UN India Centre and DDB MudraMax to celebrate International Day of Youth

    Mumbai, 12 August, 2013: Blackberry Q5 partnered with the United Nations India Centre and DDB MudraMax, in Mumbai, to host a celebration to commemorate the “International Day of Youth” on 12th August 2013. With over 150 students from across the city’s colleges, young entrepreneurs, diplomats, changemakers and representatives from the media industry, the event included motivational talks by Dr Rajan Welukar (Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University), Dr Satyapal Singh (Commissioner of Police, Mumbai), Mr Mathew Spacie (Founder, Magic Bus), Mr Shailendra Singh (Jt M.D, Percept India) and Ms Shaili Chopra (Business Editor, Tehelka Maganize), film maker Madhur Bhandkar, Devita Saraf CEO VU Technologies amongst others.

    On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
    The theme of International Youth Day 2013 is “Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward”.

    Mr. Rajiv Chandran, National Information Office, United Nations India Centre also presented a special message by UN Secretary General 
    Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.

     


    “The power of youth is hard to ignore for any country now. At BlackBerry we believe that young people are often the vanguard of technological and social changes that are brought in the world. Technology and Youth is a combination which would be driving the era we belong to. New high-tech gears are growing and essentially changing the means youngsters can interact and communicate. Not surprisingly they are using the most technologically innovative mediums to express themselves, be it to their friends, family or society at large. Keeping this in mind, to address this segment we came up with a youth-targeted BlackBerry Q5. With the revolutionary BlackBerry Q5, running on the BlackBerry 10 platform, our aim to empower the youth further and enable them to express themselves in the most progressive way possible,” said Ashish Gupta, Director, Marketing, Blackberry India.

    “This day signifies the role of youth in transforming dialogue to action. The under 35s today enjoy great power to influence our society and it is critical that we create platforms for them to engage with leaders by whom they can be motivated and inspired. At DDB Mudra Max, we are proud to have collaborated with Blackberry and the United Nations to celebrate India’s continuously growing and extremely diverse youth segment”. Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax – OOH, Retail & Experiential.

    “Young people make up a significant share of the global number of international migrants. In 2010, there were an estimated 27 million international young migrants. While migration can often offer valuable opportunities and contribute to the development of communities and society at large, it can also pose risks and lead to unacceptable situations, including discrimination and exploitation. The 2013 observance of International Youth Day will raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with youth migration, share knowledge and information stemming from recent research and analysis on this topic, and engage young people in discussions on their migration experiences” explains Samyak Chakrabarty, Chief Youth Marketer, DDB Mudra Group.    

  • Credit Suisse sees huge opportunities for Hollywood in Bollywood

    Credit Suisse sees huge opportunities for Hollywood in Bollywood

    NEW DELHI: Despite ‘striking’ lack of infrastructure, India is one of the four BRIC countries that Credit Suisse believes has significant revenue and profit opportunity for global media companies over the near to intermediate term. The other three countries are Brazil, China and Russia.

    The report, “Indian Media: Opportunities for Hollywood in Bollywood”, says News Corp, Disney and Sony are best positioned among the biggest global media companies to capitalise on opportunities in India. This is due in part to their existing operations and in the case of Disney also due to recent acquisitions. This list could expand significantly, and Viacom, Time Warner and Discovery are already on the ground.

    The report says each of the four “emerging growth” markets may hold significant long term opportunity for global media but we believe that the opportunities to distribute content and leverage a traditional advertising and subscription revenue model are now in place in India.

    It is poised to continue rapid growth for several years as the multi channel TV business is evolving toward a digital platform that will expand the market as well as the ability for content providers to actually get paid.”We expect most if not all of the major media companies to establish ‘play on India’ at some point, says the report filed by Credit Suisse Global Media analysts William Drewary, Jolanta Masojada and Ashish Gupta.

    Cable networks, syndicated TV shows and film production as well as Internet and mobile content will be the main products sold into India – many of these businesses are already established, the reports adds.

    “There is a large local media infrastructure in the country as well, with many publicly traded companies – though market cap size is a fraction of the US based companies. We would expect consolidation opportunities in country for the global media companies and Disney has been active in this regard lately” says the trio.

    But there is a slight disturbing note. “The lack of physical infrastructure in India is striking – a fact noted by any we met as an impediment of sorts to building businesses in the country.

    “Rather than a conclusion, this is an issue that will evolve over time, and the entrepreneurial spirit and democratic/capitalist society should eventually override the physical infrastructure limitations. We believe there are major opportunities emerging in India and hope this report will help to highlight that.”