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  • Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Mumbai: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022 will be conferred on advertising veteran Colvyn Harris. This is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/ her outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

     Harris has had a long and successful career in the Indian advertising industry spanning over 40 years. His career was built in one company – JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), a WPP Group company, across varied roles, across India and JWT Sri Lanka where he was managing director.  He began his career at Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA), and went on to assume the role of CEO at Contract (now Contract Advertising), and then was designated JWT South Asia CEO.

    During his tenure he built the most formidable full-service agency, most admired for its creativity, scale and reputation. He has worked on India’s most admired brands, notably Hero, GSK- Horlicks, Boost, Citibank, Ford, Airtel, Nestlé.  He ended his career as executive director global growth & client development at JWT. He was also managing director marketing at L. Catterton Singapore, a global private equity company, part of LVMH, where his role was to help their investee companies working with the CEOs and chief marketing officers for achieving their growth and branding objectives globally.

    Harris took a lot of interest in Industry matters. He was a jury member at the Cannes Lions in 2015, in the Effectiveness Category. He was also president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in 2010 and chairman of the Goafest in 2009 and 2010. During his chairmanship, Goafest grew much faster and was recognized as the largest festival in India for celebration of creativity.

    Harris has been a speaker at London Business School, at the Wharton India Economic Summit, Spikes Asia 2010 and chairman of numerous forums, including a speaker at the World Economic Forum India. He was a WPP nominee to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Development Council for four years. Under his leadership, JWT won several Global Awards, numerous Cannes Lions, including India’s First Grand Prix while he was CEO.

    Making the announcement, AAAI president Anupriya Acharya said, “Harris is in every sense a true pioneer and visionary. Apart from singlehandedly making JWT a top agency, he has also contributed significantly to the industry in various capacities, including as president of AAAI. He’s been a key driver and pivotal force in establishing Goafest as the largest advertising festival in India.  I am pleased to say that the entire committee was unanimous in selecting Harris as this year’s AAAI’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner. He is truly deserving of this honour.”

     For the record, the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has been a practitioner of advertising for twenty-five years and had been in the top management position; has been or continues to be an active participant in industry bodies and or made significant contributions in shaping the industry priorities which enabled the advertising industry to grow, prosper and  become more professionalized;  individual  known for his integrity, ethical practice and leadership qualities; contributed to his company/companies growth by innovative thinking and taking them in newer directions; involved in projects of social consequence which is seen as a role model for the industry at large and had been an industry veteran.

     Some of the past winners of this award include Subhas Ghosal, Alyque Padamsee, Mike Khanna, R K Swamy, Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, Prem Mehta, Roda Mehta, Ram Sehgal, Madhukar Kamath, Arvind Sharma and others.

  • Ex-Meta and Viacom officials launch web3 start-up; acquire $8 mn seed funding

    Ex-Meta and Viacom officials launch web3 start-up; acquire $8 mn seed funding

    Mumbai: Kirthiga Reddy and Saurabh Doshi have co-founded Virtualness, a mobile-first platform designed to help creators and brands navigate the complex world of web3, and have secured over $8 million in seed funding.

    Facebook India & South Asia employee #1 and former managing director, Softbank Investment Advisors’ former investment partner Reddy, Meta Asia-Pacific’s former head for entertainment, emerging markets, & greater China region for creators, Viacom Group’s former vice president, and Star India’s Doshi, will leverage their decades of global entrepreneurial experience partnering with creators, media, brands, and tech platforms.

    The fundraise was led by Blockchange Ventures and joined by Polygon Ventures, Micron Ventures, Better Ventures, FalconX, Neythri Futures Fund, Carolyn Everson, Randi Zuckerberg, Nusier Yassin (Nas Daily), Anjali Bansal, Ashwini Asokan, Harsh Jain, Sandeep Singhal, Stacy Brown-Philpot, Vani Kola, and other thought leaders.

    Zuckerberg and Yassin serve as advisors for the company, along with Curious Addys chief technology officer (CTO) Ben Yu; VidCon former general manager Jim Louderback; Curious Addys CEO Mai Akiyoshi; and OpenSea vice president of products Shiva Rajaraman. They have been at the forefront of creator economy trends and bring extensive expertise across diverse fields, including media, art, entertainment, blockchain, and web3. Their guidance has been instrumental in taking Virtualness from concept to reality and will continue to help shape the global vision.

    Virtualness will roll out core capabilities for creators and brands when the platform launches in 2023.

    There are more than 300 million creators worldwide, with half of them joining the creator economy in the last two years. Despite this extraordinary migration, these creators lack even the most basic tools to scale their businesses and easily capture the value-creation opportunities that blockchain and web3 represent. Centred on the ethos of “empathy at the core,” Virtualness puts creators first and is building the playbook for easy design, efficient sharing, and seamless digital commerce.

    Upon launch in early 2023, authenticated creators and brands will use the platform to design, mint, and showcase branded digital collectibles; easily share across their social media channels; directly interact with their fans and community; enable unique experiences; and unlock new channels for monetisation. Education, personalisation, discovery, integration with web2 and web3 platforms, and a mobile-first experience are core to the platform.

    “Creators are the ultimate entrepreneurs. We’ve been at the heart of the web2 ecosystem building and onboarding creators and brands, and we’re on our journey to do it again for web3. People are spending more and more time in various digital worlds and have the desire for customised experiences, individual identities, expressions and personalised commerce,” said Reddy and Doshi, in media reports.

    They added, “We’re excited to see how creators and brands mimic various physical experiences in digital forms and in newer ways. This is about building a new economy, unlocked by branded digital collectibles that deliver unique experiences, capabilities, and value. Our belief is that everything that can move from a physical form to digital will move.”

    Reddy and Doshi are working closely with creators to inform how they build their products. Nusier Yassin (Nas Daily), a famed creator with more than 50 million followers across social media platforms and an investor in Virtualness, is one of the tech-forward creators helping shape the product from the concept stage.

    “Reddy and Doshi lead with hustle, heart, and vision. I have had a ringside view of how they shepherded the transition to a digital and mobile world and onboarded a range of global creators and brands to web2. The depth of their relationships with creators, brands, and the entire ecosystem is unparalleled. Their shared experiences and impact over the last decade give me absolute conviction that they will do the same as they unlock the power of web3 for creators and brands,” said Yassin in the media report.

    “Typically, countries outside of the US and Europe get access to features much later. I am confident that this team will unlock opportunities for creators and their fans, no matter where they live. Reddy and Doshi have the rare experience of scaling innovative, user-friendly technology globally with a focus on creator monetization,” added Yassin.

    With a core engineering team with a successful track record of collaboration on prior start-ups, Virtualness has bootstrapped a proof of concept on the Polygon chain. The company will use this first round of funding to support a number of key areas, including new hires in engineering, product, and design in the United States, India, Singapore, Dubai, and other parts of the world, helping the company to innovate, expand platform support to additional blockchains, integrate with offline and online experiences — including metaverse platforms — and launch its offerings.

    “This is a time of great transformation in the future of work, economic opportunity, and drivers of social change,” said Blockchange Ventures GP Cailleach De Weingart-Ryan.

    “Blockchain will have a tremendous impact on businesses and society and we believe Virtualness will be a leader in the next chapter of the generational technology shift the blockchain represents. Reddy and Doshi’s experiences are custom-built to help those who want to tap into web3 but don’t know how. Their ability to navigate cross-cultural differences, expertise on the utility of the blockchain and creator-obsessed approach to building products, is the triple-threat needed to accelerate adoption in web3 at a global scale. As early investors in all aspects of the blockchain revolution, we look forward to partnering with Reddy and Doshi and amplifying their efforts to democratise and unlock value-creation for creators and brands of any size and stage.”

  • DoubleVerify releases report – ‘Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising and Media’

    DoubleVerify releases report – ‘Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising and Media’

    Mumbai:  DoubleVerify (DV), a leading software platform for digital media measurement, data, and analytics, has released its report for the year 2022, “Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising and Media.”

    Two years after DV’s original report, this expanded edition analyses insights from over 16,600 global consumers in 18 countries. At a time of significant macroeconomic change, these findings reveal the dynamic relationships between consumers, digital content, and advertising—arming stakeholders with the insights they need to make well-informed strategic decisions.

    The report marks some significant takeaways. Firstly, the economic downturn continues to ‘stay at home’ content consumption—particularly on CTV and social media—with most (55 per cent) consumers now spending more time consuming content daily than they did pre-pandemic.

    Secondly, attention fuels media efficacy—two thirds (66 per cent) of respondents claimed an ad that captures their interest in the first five seconds will make them more likely to pay attention.

    Thirdly, online shopping surges and is bolstered by a contextual approach—54 per cent of respondents report buying more items online now than pre-pandemic, while 67 per cent are more likely to pay attention to an ad if it’s relevant to the content they’re viewing—such as reviews or gift ideas.

    Fourthly, trust and shared values foster loyalty, but consumers are quick to judge. Consumers are concerned about the spread of mis- and dis-information, and it shows—61 per cent are even less likely to purchase/use a brand again if they see it advertised alongside mis-/dis-information.

    “This study highlights that consumer consumption habits are evolving in response to macro social and economic trends—from intensifying concerns about inflammatory or polarising content to a continued shift in the platforms and channels consumers are turning to for content consumption,” said DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski.

    He continued, “Brands must react to these changing habits to ensure they reach the right audiences as efficiently as possible and maximise their digital investments. As our research shows, with digital content consumption rising, there’s a clear opportunity to garner consumer attention and power campaign performance. To unlock this opportunity, brands must evolve their ad strategies—meeting their audiences where they consume content and focusing on contextually relevant, attention-grabbing ad placements that also safeguard their brand reputations.”

    “In these hyper-evolving times, these insights are significant for brands wanting to boost their digital ROI. This is especially important in India, where the market is highly competitive and dynamic. As demonstrated in the findings, digital content consumption and post-pandemic online shopping are higher in India than in any other region. This presents a huge opportunity for marketers who need digital media strategies that can effectively reach relevant audiences while ensuring that they don’t inadvertently advertise/promote misinformation and disinformation,” said DoubleVerify head of sales India Nachiket Deole.

    He added, “This is the era of new-age consumers, who are more aware, conscious, and empowered than ever. Thus, we are working with clients to help them develop the best strategies to protect their brand reputations while achieving scale, and deliver on the desired outcomes of influencing the customers to convert to a purchase.”

    Consumer appetite for content continues to soar—led by CTV, streaming, and social

    Globally, most consumers (55 per cent) are spending more time each day consuming content now than they did pre-pandemic. This is as high as 78 per cent in India, the highest of all regions surveyed. Inflation is a key driver, with almost half (45 per cent) of respondents globally noting the reason they’re spending more time consuming digital content is because they are staying at home due to the rising cost of living.

    CTV (connected TV) and streaming services have clear momentum, with 55 per cent of respondents having subscribed to additional services in the past 12 months. The increase in sign-ups is strongest in India, where 74 per cent have subscribed to additional services in the last twelve months. Meanwhile, globally, 27 per cent expect to spend more time on social media in the year ahead—peaking at 41 per cent among 18-24 year-olds.

    With costs under consumer scrutiny and digital content consumption rising, ad-supported content represents a growing opportunity for advertisers, with 59 per cent open to ad-supported video streaming apps if they cut prices.

    Brands must address attention fragmentation—or risk losing consumers

    Survey respondents reported that they believe they see between one and 50 ads per day—estimates suggest the true average figure is at least 4,000.

    Where an ad appears determines its impact, according to consumers. YouTube dominates as the number one proprietary platform for securing the attention of respondents in 15 out of 18 countries surveyed—followed by Facebook (39 per cent) and Instagram (28 per cent). Newer platforms continue to attract consumer attention and engagement. TikTok is rapidly expanding, and 43 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds say they intend to spend more time on the app in the coming year.

    Timing is essential, with two thirds (66 per cent) stating that they are more likely to pay attention if an ad captures their interest in the first five seconds.

    Shopping’s digital maturity presents a new opportunity for brands to make an impact

    Online shopping continues to grow, as most consumers—54 per cent, report buying more items online now than they did before the pandemic. Meanwhile, consumers in emerging markets are more likely than the general population to say they are shopping online more now than they were before the pandemic, with Indians leading the pack at 74 per cent.

    Pre-purchase habits are also evolving, with over half (53 per cent) highlighting that they use digital content to inform planned purchases more often than they did before the pandemic—in India, this is a notable 75 per cent. With two thirds (67 per cent) of consumers saying they are more likely to pay attention to an ad if it’s relevant to the content they’re looking at—like reviews or gift ideas. This reinforces the importance of contextually relevant ad placements.

    Brand values are key as consumers reward action against inflammatory content, mis- and dis-information

    Likely exacerbated by polarised news and opinions, the majority of survey respondents (68 per cent) are concerned that levels of mis/disinformation are increasing—and brands must be conscious of ad adjacency. In fact, 61 per cent would be less likely to purchase/use the brand again if they saw it advertised next to content that they determined to be mis-/dis-information. In India, this is 63 per cent.

    The majority of survey respondents (82 per cent) state they have been exposed at some point to mis-/dis- information on social media.

    Brand action on mis-/dis-information will be rewarded with trust from consumers. The majority (69 per cent) value brands that actively fight against mis-/dis-information and the same number (69 per cent) state that companies that are genuine and authentic appeal to them.

  • Kanwalpreet Walia reveals that Titan’s Irth sees potential in organised styling

    Kanwalpreet Walia reveals that Titan’s Irth sees potential in organised styling

    Mumbai: With a robust presence across categories such as jewellery, eyewear, fragrances, accessories and Indian wear, Titan Company, which owns the famed watch brand under the same name, recently forayed into a new lifestyle category – handbags – with Irth.

    The handbag market is home to various popular brands such as Lavie, Baggit, Peperone, Hidesign, Lino Perros, Da Milano, Ladida, Caprese, Esbeda, The House of Tara, Calvin Klein, Aldo, LVMH Moet Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Guess etc.

    Based on the company’s research, the women’s bag category is approximately Rs 4,500 crore, whereas the organised market size is about Rs 1,600 crore. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the organised market is estimated to be around 13 per cent.

    Close to 70 per cent of the organised women’s bag market in India is dominated by masstige brands catering to a price point of up to Rs 4,000; this is then followed by premium and luxury brands with a market share of about 30 per cent.

    Priced economically between Rs 2,495 – Rs 5,995 to suit every pocket, Irth bags straddle the upper end of the masstige and premium segments.

    Delving into Irth’s assortment, the brand has a product portfolio ranging from work bags, tall totes, shoulder bags, handhelds, slings, cross-body bags, clutches, and wallets. Delights and organisers are the categories unique to Irth.

    Delights is a line of special bags. Many specific need-based bags today carry solutions but are not the most stylish. The Delights range is an evolving cluster starting with mom bags. Mom bags come with insulated milk bottle slots, changing mats, water repellent slots for soiled clothes, and can be hands-free with detachable straps to be hooked onto the stroller. There are many more little pockets to organise the little things of both the mom and the baby.

    The detachable organisers cluster is here to make mobility styling organised. The launch pack comes in four different sizes, S, M, L and XL, based on the carrying needs.

    The delight in Irth bags is the little features: padded shoulders, key holders, wire organisers, detachable sanitizer pouches, detachable pouches, etc., to keep your secret things secret and precious things safe.

    The launch pack of Irth has a wide choice of 90 bags and four organisers in two colorways to choose from, each bag crafted with a deeper understanding of women’s journeys.

    In a confab with Indiantelevision.com, Titan Company marketing head of fragrance and fashion accessories division Kanwalpreet Walia discusses the nuances of the brand, its future plans, and more.

    Excerpts:

    On the reason for coining a brand name such as Irth and the significance behind it

    Irth intends to create long, meaningful relationships with its consumers, making their purchase process exciting and special. Suggestive of the brand’s name, Irth symbolises the care and attention applied to the product design and exemplifies the sense of wonder and emotion inherent in the brand.

    On the opportunities that are waiting to be tapped in this category, and which Irth looks at catering to

    Every woman today carries a bag and owns multiples. However, for this huge potential market, the existing solutions today are largely geared toward vanity. Titan sees potential in organised styling as a space that is unoccupied by anyone. Typically, a woman’s fancy-looking bag is a big jumble inside. Our concept is to provide a practical solution in which a woman organises her world inside a stylish bag.

    Given the large loyal base of women consumers that Titan caters to, Irth is yet another endeavour to enhance her every day. A thoughtfully designed women’s handbag brand with a deep understanding of the consumer.

    On positioning Irth as a brand designed with a deeper understanding of women and to elevate their every day

    Irth’s positioning is to offer a thoughtfully designed bag with great Titan quality at a very affordable price range of Rs 2,500–6,000. So the customer value proposition is to get international-like premium quality that is very well designed at a far lower ticket price.

    On the kind of revenues the brand is aiming for in the initial 5 years

    We want to be experts in the women’s bag market in India while optimising all aspects of the value chain, from design to manufacturing, the supply chain, etc.

    For now, we are following the right processes and building the brand from scratch, but our vision is to reach a milestone of Rs 1000 crores with the ladies’ handbag portfolio of two brands, Fastrack and Irth.

    On the plans for retail and expansion of the brand

    Right now we are present in irth.in, Shoppers Stop and Tata Cliq. We will soon have many more marketplace partners and also open exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) by the end of March 2024.

    Our channel mix will be offline and online, both substantially penetrated, as bags as a category are an impulse and joyful purchase for many women, and we want to be with them wherever they shop.

    On the kind of target group the brand is aimed at

    We are hoping a lot of consumers sitting at mass and economy levels would upgrade to this. From a consumer segment point of view, we want to be a part of women who are on an active journey, women following their passion and pursuing their journey and seeking a solution. We also have different organisers depending on different bags. We have a delight range for mothers, and we are identifying other special needs with great functions and great looks.

    From a communication target group point of view, we are thinking about 23 years and above, urban women.

    On the advertising, marketing activities, and media mix planned for the brand

    The launch campaign celebrates this live-and-let-live ethos, using warm language and nuanced, open-ended communication to drive home the brand idea. We respect the intelligence of the audience we are speaking to, and our bags are thoughtfully designed and filled with possibilities. It will always be theirs to define.

    With the tagline “Yours To Define,” the brand adds meaning and value to every woman’s journey without any stereotypes. Irth bags are meant for the women of today to elevate their everyday. Irth bags are focused on both design and functionality.

    Irth’s brand film brings alive the “Yours To Define” brand world. The beautiful frames capture the premium Irth bags in the best way, showing the many possibilities any active woman has with Irth bags.

    The brand will also be launching feature films that will highlight the many nuances of functionality built into each Irth bag in the most stylish manner.

    The aim at the moment is to create awareness while bringing alive the space of organised styling in the women’s bag industry. All the advertising and marketing efforts will be aligned to achieve this.

    On the trends noticed in the handbag category

    Women of today are doing a lot more, and there are countless possibilities packed into their days, thereby increasing demand for practical bags that are high on ergonomics and offer organising possibilities paired with great looks. Irth bags provide for this need! Irth bags organise her every day and make her journey joyful.

  • Sociowash onboards Chirag Sangai as business head – Mumbai

    Sociowash onboards Chirag Sangai as business head – Mumbai

    Mumbai: Creative digital agency, Sociowash has announced the appointment of Chirag Sangai as its business head in Mumbai.

    In his newly appointed role, Sangai will be managing a growing team of approximately 100 members while overseeing all core operations of the office located in Mumbai. He will report directly to the co-founders, Pranav Agarwal and Raghav Bagai.

    With over a decade of experience in the advertising industry, Sangai previously worked as the group director of Gozoop Group, where he undertook tasks for multiple well-known brands such as BookMyShow, Taj Hotels, Dell, and was also an integral part of launching the global coffee giant Tim Hortons in India. He has also held leadership positions at agencies like White Rivers Media and Blink Digital.

    Sociowash co-founder Raghav Bagai said, “We are glad to welcome Sangai, and we are excited about the progress this union will bring. To reach the next stage of growth, we have to expand our offerings and retain relationships with existing clients. We are optimistic that Chirag can accelerate growth, create award-winning campaigns while also focussing on boosting optimum work-life balance.”

    Sociowash co-founder Pranav Agarwal added, “Sangai has a wealth of experience in marketing and advertising. With a professional background as diverse as his, he will undoubtedly add value to the organization and its partners. We look forward to seeing how he performs and wish him all the best as he prepares for this feat.”

    Sangai lives by a set of morals and ethics, he believes in the ‘5Rs’ of effective account management: Revenue, Relationship, Resources, Research, and Retention. He would be focusing on business, culture, and awards at Sociowash. Using this, he will carry out successful business strategies that have proven effective in the past years as well.

    While talking about his latest stint Sangai commented, “I am grateful for the opportunity given to me, and I am eager to start working at Sociowash. I have admired its work and partners for a long time now, and they have always encouraged the highest quality of work and culture.”

    He further added, “As the new business head, I will try to incorporate my philosophy of ‘Collaborate, Integrate, and Activate’ into Sociowash’s ever-growing ecosystem that they have developed and maintained for years.”

  • CEAT Tyres appoints Lakshmi Narayanan B as chief marketing officer

    CEAT Tyres appoints Lakshmi Narayanan B as chief marketing officer

    Mumbai: CEAT, India’s leading tyre manufacturer, has roped in Lakshmi Narayanan B as chief marketing officer. In this role, Narayanan will spearhead the marketing initiatives of the company across all passenger vehicles, trucks and buses in all markets and augment CEAT’s position as an organisation that is ‘Making Mobility Safer and Smarter. Every Day’.

     Narayanan has a strong experience in sales and marketing spanning 18 years. In his last role as the head of marketing at Asian Paints, he led a diverse team and played a defining role in consistently building multi-category portfolio and making inroads into new market segments fueling growth.

    His accomplishments include growing the business operations in the premium segment, launching and spearheading forays in retailing and services that create new and powerful consumer experiences, driving the turnaround of the tools business and building several successes in product leadership. He has also worked with Samsung India Electronics in the early parts of his career.

    Narayanan holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Sardar Patel College of Engineering (SPCE) and an MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). He is a passionate Bullet enthusiast and enjoys long bike rides to various destinations.

    Commenting on the appointment, CEAT Tyres chief operating officer Arnab Banerjee said, “We are extremely happy to welcome Narayanan onboard as our CMO. He is a highly experienced professional with a strong track record of building brands. His experience in the consumer marketing space as well as deep insights into the consumer psyche will play a pivotal role in shaping our marketing strategy and reinforce our position as a provider of safe and smart mobility.”

    Narayanan added, “I am excited to lead and drive new frontiers with CEAT Tyres. I have seen the evolution of the brand over years in both key OE manufacturers as well as consumers. CEAT has built interesting communication & invested smartly in the world of sports and I am committed to playing a big role in building on the great foundation that the company has laid in the automotive space. I see an opportunity in building the brand through seamless and superlative experience for our consumers and partners.”

  • Sanjeev Misra joins Yoho’s board as an executive director

    Sanjeev Misra joins Yoho’s board as an executive director

    Mumbai: Yoho, India’s fastest growing D2C footwear brand, has appointed Sanjeev Misra as executive director, effective 1 November. He is also an investing partner holding equity in the startup.

    Misra has over three decades of experience in the corporate world. Prior to joining Yoho, he spent more than five years as the senior vice president & director of Paytm, where he led B2B commerce and global exports & imports.

    His leadership approach has been built around sharp prioritization and focus, growing businesses and brands through innovation, transforming sales, driving productivity, while building teams with the right structure, talent, and culture.

    Prior to Paytm, Misra held the position of vice president – group business & renewables at the Adani Group for almost 3 years. He was responsible for accelerating sales, building strategic planning and overall business development, including corporate governance & IT, telecom. Additionally, he was managing large-scale projects at the firm. Before that, he has spent over a decade in Silicon Valley, working for brands including Motorola Semiconductors, Cisco Systems, Adobe, Compaq Computers and Silicon Graphics.

    Commenting on his appointment, Misra said, “I feel both honoured and humbled on being appointed as the executive director of one of the fastest growing and innovative Indian footwear brands. I’m also excited about the journey ahead in this fascinating space. The Indian footwear industry has the potential to grow 10 folds in the coming years. According to some recent reports, the revenue in the footwear market in India amounts to $23.73 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow annually by 6.77 per cent, CAGR 2022-2027. At Yoho, I look forward to building on the versatile brand that believes in offering comfortable and stylish footwear that cost less than half of the ones offered by popular global giants.”

    Yoho founder Ahmad Hushsham said, “We are delighted to welcome Misra, first as one of our angel investors and now as our executive director. He has played an instrumental role in our strategic development in the initial stage of coming out of stealth mode.”

    Yoho founder Prateek Singhal said, “We are privileged to have Misra join Yoho at this opportune time when we are looking at building and investing in new technology to build new product propositions and directly support our long-term strategic plan. In his new capacity as an executive director we will seek his guidance to scale up the business and expand the consumer base as we continue to disrupt the footwear market with our state-of-the-art technology and AI-powered solutions to create high-performance footwear that is affordable for all.”

    Recently, Yoho raised Rs 20 crore in a Series A round of funding by a group of influential investors, led by Softbank Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra, Rukam Capital, and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, along with participation from other investors.

    Founded in 2021, Yoho has already sold 1,00,000+ pairs of footwear after coming out of stealth mode four months back, with just three products – Bubbles, Waves, and Breeze. The products designed with orthopedic ergonomics are available for both men and women across all top e-commerce platforms. Before launching the product lines, Yoho created almost 700 prototypes before settling for the right product line. Each prototype went through stringent tests to ensure that customers get a product that is super comfortable and long-lasting.

  • 27th Sports acquires marketing mandate for India-Bangladesh test & ODI series

    27th Sports acquires marketing mandate for India-Bangladesh test & ODI series

    Mumbai: The global investment firm 27th Investments-backed 27th Sports has acquired exclusive commercial rights for India-Bangladesh’s three-match ODI and 2-match test series.

    Dubai-based 27th Sports have acquired exclusive rights from Impress-Mattra Consortium, the on-ground rights holder of all Bangladesh cricket team’s home series.

    This is the third major signing in cricket for 27th Sports after the India-Sri Lanka Women’s ODI & T20 Series in Sri Lanka and the high-profile Road Safety World Series T20 where the Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends team emerged winners defeating Sri Lanka Legends for the second consecutive time in the final.

    Recently, 27th Sports also acquired The Hawks franchisee in the World Tennis League to be held in Dubai from December 19 to 24. The team comprises Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Elena Rybakina and Annett Kontaveit.          

    27th Investment CEO and president Anil Damani said, “I thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for giving us this opportunity and believing in our capabilities to deliver even in times of elevated global uncertainty. I am also very happy that in line with our vision of investing in growing economies, Bangladesh has a strong track record of growth and development, and like the Bangladesh cricket team, which has time and again proved that they can be world beaters, the country is also regarded as a rising star among South Asian economies.”  

    Speaking about the high-voltage series, 27th Sports CEO and co-founder Sangeet Shirodkar said, “It has been a matter of great pride and honour to partner with the Impress-Mattra Consortium for India-Bangladesh series where all top players of both countries will be in fray. We are extremely proud to be working in this series as exclusive commercial rights partner and we are thankful to all in Bangladesh who have made this possible. It is also a great opportunity for us to strengthen our ties with our partners here and widen our network in Bangladesh which is one of the fastest emerging markets in world cricket. Bangladesh’s passion for cricket is second to none and their rivalry with India is also well documented, so I look forward to an exciting series and a memorable association with the Impress-Mattra Consortium and the BCB.”

    The Impress-Mattra Consortium has been working with BCB for more than a decade now. The consortium currently holds the right for all the home series in Bangladesh till 2023 which includes the India versus Bangladesh series to be played in December 2022.

    Impress-Mattra Consortium spokesperson Sanaul Arefeen said, “Bangladesh cricket will see a new marketing partner in this series. The country’s cricket market is growing, and as a result, not only domestic organizations but foreign companies too are also showing interest in joining Bangladesh cricket today, which is not only helping the country’s cricket move forward, but also creating a healthy competitive field. We welcome 27th Sports and are excited to have them on board for this series.”

  • Reverie Language Technologies’ video campaign appeals for language equality

    Reverie Language Technologies’ video campaign appeals for language equality

    Mumbai: Reverie Language Technologies, a leader in Indian language localisation and user engagement technology solutions, has launched a video campaign to raise awareness about India’s digital language divide.

    Today, enterprises want to engage with the next billion digital citizens, but a majority of the non-English-speaking Indian population may find the internet has little to offer in the languages they speak at home. Reverie is bridging this gap with its state-of-the-art technology, powered by AI and ML, by providing all 22 official Indian languages with a presence on the Internet.

    The video highlights how most of the Indian population is unable to fulfil even their fundamental rights like the right to education and the right against exploitation because the internet is really siloed for them.

    The brand campaign is headlined by a video delineating how demarcated the Indian internet is for Indian language-literate Indians, limiting basic rights for almost 90% of the population.

    The New Education Policy 2020 recognises all Indian languages as ‘Bharat Bhasha’ and acknowledges the role of mother tongues in schools as a cornerstone in enabling access, retention, and preventing dropouts. Reverie Language Technologies aims to facilitate this by ensuring that the content is contextually localised, keeping in mind the aesthetics of Indian languages.

    “The video campaign is our humble effort to bring out that while the growth of the Indian Internet rides on our Indian-language literate digital citizens, the kind of Internet they deserve is a far cry. If we view the larger picture, the citizens are either categorised as browsers or ones that depend on OTP or QR verification, depriving them of the seamless Internet that English-literate citizens experience. Despite the massive strides India has made in the digital world, our natively literate citizens are still struggling to bridge the digital language divide and reap the benefits of the Internet and all it has to offer. Significant changes will not occur if languages on the Internet are not implemented through India-owned standards for our native languages. Through our campaign, we hope to build an equitable Internet for India,” said Reverie Language Technologies co-founder and CTO Vivekananda Pani.

    Amongst the nine pillars the government’s vision of a ‘Digital India’ infrastructurally thrives on are data, devices, and languages. With the advent of smartphones and cheap data plans, the first two have been achieved. However, language equality is the key to digital transformation – it must be accessible without any entry or engagement barriers.

    Imbalances in the information available in different native languages online affect who and what gets represented, and by whom. By partnering with businesses and government organisations, Reverie is filling this void by retaining the essence and nuance of all 22 official Indian languages across industries such as banking, fintech, education, healthcare, and gaming.

  • Somasree Bose Awasthi joins as CMO of Marico

    Somasree Bose Awasthi joins as CMO of Marico

    Mumbai: Marico, the Indian multinational consumer goods company, has roped in Somasree Bose Awasthi as chief marketing officer and will be an executive committee member at the firm.

    Awathi’s appointment was made public through a LinkedIn post that the company put up, congratulating her on her new role.

    Prior to this, Awasthi was chief marketing officer at Godrej Consumer Products; she joined the company in 2007.

    She has a total of about two decades of experience in the consumer products and FMCG industries.