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Tag: Rajeev Jain

  • Pulse on point as DS Group proves culture is the sweetest strategy

    Pulse on point as DS Group proves culture is the sweetest strategy

    MUMBAI: When a candy meant for grown-ups causes a social media frenzy and movie stars post about it for free, you know you’ve struck marketing gold. That’s precisely what DS Group sr. vice president of corporate marketing Rajeev Jain laid out in his eye-opening session at Goa Fest 2025 titled ‘Cultural Marketing Can Be a Winner: Pulse Candy a Case Study’.

    Jain opened with a powerful quote from CK Prahalad, “While it is true that multinationals will change emerging markets forever, the reverse is also true.” And Pulse, it turns out, is a case of the latter, an unapologetically Indian brand that rewrote the rules of candy marketing.

    The secret sauce? Culture. Not just flavours, but deep-seated values and norms. Jain drew parallels from around the globe: how Coca-Cola supported Saudi women driving under its “Keys of Change” campaign, or how Nescafé cracked Japan by first selling coffee-flavoured toffees to build a taste habit among kids who grew into coffee-loving adults.

    Pulse did something equally audacious back home.

    Backed by two years of intense R&D, Pulse launched a centre-filled candy that catered to Indian palates think tang, spice, and chatpata chaos. It wasn’t your average sweet treat. It was a nostalgia bomb, a street-side snack, and a meme-worthy munch all rolled into one.

    The brand boldly went where few dare: marketing candy to adults. “Why should kids have all the fun?” wasn’t just a slogan, it was a war cry. And consumers responded with their thumbs generating a flood of user-generated content without a rupee spent on influencer tie-ups.

    Case in point? Disha Patani posting about Pulse on her own. “That’s when we knew we weren’t just in the candy business,” said Jain. “We were in the cultural relevance business.”

    The talk underscored a central truth: great cultural marketing isn’t loud, it’s resonant. Pulse didn’t follow trends; it tapped into India’s taste DNA. The result? A product that felt tailor-made for the local market yet had the swagger of a global disruptor.

    In a world flooded with algorithm-driven campaigns and AI-generated creatives, Pulse’s story is refreshingly analogue, it’s about listening before selling, and tapping into what people crave emotionally, not just gastronomically.

    At a fest packed with tech talk and future-forward buzzwords, Jain’s candy-coated case study reminded everyone that flavour still wins when it hits the culture nerve just right.

  • Airtel & Bajaj Finance to jointly offer financial services

    Airtel & Bajaj Finance to jointly offer financial services

    MUMBAI: Bharti and Bajaj are getting together. No, it’s not a couple from heartland India that’s getting hitched (would we be writing about a couple from rural India? Just kidding, on second thoughts, we might. But nonetheless this  punning around was to make this heavy piece feel light!)

    Anyway getting  back to business: it’s India’s second largest telco Bharti Airtel and non-banking finance company Bajaj Finance that have p has shaken hands to create a  one-of-its-kind digital platform for financial services.

    The partnership brings together Airtel’s vast customer base of 370 million, 12 lakh+ strong distribution network, and Bajaj Finance’s diversified suite of 27 product lines, and distribution heft of 5,000+ branches and 70,000 field agents.

    Under the agreement, firstly, Airtel will progressively offer close to 10 Bajaj Finance’s financial products to its customers within this calendar year. Secondly,  customers can apply for Airtel-Bajaj Finserv Insta EMI card through the Airtel Thanks App, providing access to a range of offers and flexible EMI options.

    Bharti Airtel vice-chairman & MD Gopal Vittal said, “We are building Airtel Finance as a strategic asset for the group and will continue to invest in and grow the business.”

    Bajaj Finance managing director Rajeev Jain, added: “Together with Airtel, we seek to be the financier of choice to India and enable millions to access financial services, even in remote areas.”

    When it does manage to do that, it sure would have proved to  have been a valuable handshake. 

  • DS Group appoints ‘Atom Network’ as its creative partner for their dairy business

    DS Group appoints ‘Atom Network’ as its creative partner for their dairy business

    Mumbai: The Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), a multi-business corporation and a leading FMCG Conglomerate, announced ‘Atom network’ as the creative partner for the dairy business, today. DS Group is poised to enter an exciting phase in the dairy industry with its brands, Ksheer and Ovino and the mandate includes creative duties for these brands, focusing on ideas and experiences that will accelerate its position in the market. Atom was awarded the business after a competitive pitch process.

    The current product line-up under the Ksheer brand includes an array of offerings such as Cow and desi ghee, fresh milk, chaach, masala chaach, dahi, paneer, sweets, flavoured milk, dairy whitener, and sweet lassi.

    Welcoming the new agency on board, DS Group senior vice president, of corporate marketing Rajeev Jain, said, “It is an exciting time for the Dairy business and we seek to take the Ksheer and Ovino brands to the next level with breakthrough storytelling and creativity that will resonate with the consumers. Atom Network addressed the objective with its strategy and creativity, pairing an industry outlook with local cultural relevance, which is critical to our markets. We are excited to begin working together.”

    Elated at the appointment, Atom Network CEO of expressed Abhik Santara “We are happy to work with the DS Group and it’s a great opportunity for us to do some clutter-breaking work for Ksheer and Ovino and we hope to fully utilize our credentials on FMCG brands to create sustained brand equity for both the brands.”

     

  • Rajnigandha Pearls celebrates the spirit of motherhood

    Rajnigandha Pearls celebrates the spirit of motherhood

    MUMBAI: This mothers’ day Rajnigandha Pearls has launched a digital campaign to pay homage to the tending and affectionate mother in all women. 

    The campaign epitomises the inherent love women have for all children whether their own or not. The campaign has a short film that reflects an idea that every woman has an innate sense of being a mother, full of selfless love, which is all giving and she deserves respect, love and recognition for the same. 

    This video carries the legacy of its immensely successful #MaaKehtiHai campaign, to revere those women who may not have children of their own, but they are equally affectionate and caring.  The campaign highlights the brand’s theme, “achchai”, which comes in the purest form of the bond that a mother shares with a child.

    The film opens in an apartment in a high-end society, where Neha is shown playing hide and seek with a 5-year-old boy Rohnit, like any mother would. As the film progresses, one realises that the child is the neighbo ur’s son with whom she shares a very special bond and he too reciprocates the affection. However, at the end of the day the child needs to go back home to his mother and that, leaves Neha very unsettled and anxious about her childless life. The video goes on to showcase few such incidences that leave Neha disenchanted.

    Further, while returning from school, Rohnit wants to go straight to Neha’s house. However, his mom is adamant that he should first go home and change. Neha watches this and feels forlorn and dejected, seeing which her husband suggests that they adopt a child. Meanwhile, the doorbell rings and Rohnit excitedly runs into the house with a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ card. Though elated, Neha is a little apprehensive too and says, “Yeh kya hai? Tumhaari mummy kya kahengi.” Rohnit’s mom then walks in with a cake and says, “Happy Mother’s Day… yehi toh kahengi.” The video ends with the line, ‘Ek maa hi jaanti hai maa ke dil ki baat’.

    DSL associate VP of marketing Rajeev Jain says, “The philosophy of our brand is ‘Achchai’, the inner goodness. With this film, we want to celebrate the pureness of motherly love, an intrinsic trait in women, who are capable of boundless affection and care. This pure form of love, goodness or achchai is above the fact of whether, the child is her own or not. It is our own way to show our admiration for motherhood and it’s all encompassing love.”

    Rajnigandha Pearls has been running #MaaKehtiHai campaign for the last three years. The last campaign received tremendous response with over 5.8 million views on brand platforms across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Besides, the content also organically propagated in other channels giving an additional view of more than two million.

    The campaign will be released across social media platforms of Rajnigandha Pearls along with an audience engagement exercise.

  • Rajnigandha Pearls radiates goodness in new TVC

    Rajnigandha Pearls radiates goodness in new TVC

    MUMBAI: Mouth freshener brand, Rajnigandha Pearls has rolled out its new TVC with Bollywood actor and its brand ambassador, Priyanka Chopra. The brand showcases acts of kindness extended to strangers with heart-warming narratives reflecting the brand’s philosophy.

    The TVC, conceptualised by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has a unique and interesting plot, which weaves in unpredictable instances, shrouded in surprises and is narrated in anecdotes. The commercial, with its stillomatic presentation, is devised to intrigue and hold the viewers’ attention.

    The film revolves around Priyanka who comes across various situations that have a flip side and are initially deceptive. It begins with her walking in a market street. She observes that people around her, are behaving unusually as she sees a waiter pushing a woman with shopping bags in her hands. She is momentarily disturbed, but within seconds, realises that the waiter was saving the lady from a flower pot that had toppled and is about to hit her. Gradually as she moves ahead, she comes across a series of such events that look offending or demeaning at first sight, but the goodness hidden behind these acts come alive after a slight pause.

    Actor Priyanka Chopra says, “I don’t think there is anything better than spreading goodness in this world and it’s great that Rajnigandha Pearls has decided to highlight that. We all have goodness inside us, and all around us, we just have to open our minds to see it. It’s these random acts of kindness that make the world go round.”

    DS Group associate VP marketing Rajeev Jain adds, “Goodness inside, shines outside’ is an aphorism fostered by Rajnigandha Pearls. Being the brand’s core essence, this inner goodness or achchai not only stands out in all our communication but also goes into the making of Rajnigandha Pearls, a premium mouth freshener. In this thought-provoking campaign, we are highlighting such acts of goodness. The TVC leaves a feel good factor with a memorable message that reveals goodness in various little situations.”

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi executive vice president Sanjeev Gauba mentions, “The tagline and the philosophy is what we wanted to showcase it by depicting caring individuals going out of their way to help strangers.”

    Leveraging on the success of earlier campaigns and growing demand, this new integrated campaign will be advertised on TV, radio, digital, outdoor, print and BTL

  • EEMA & NCT Government to simplify licensing events in Delhi; talks on with Maharashtra

    EEMA & NCT Government to simplify licensing events in Delhi; talks on with Maharashtra

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government has appointed a nodal officer for creation of a single-window licensing process for entertainment programmes.

     

    This has come after prolonged negotiations between the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) with the Delhi Government. 

     

    The aim was to create a conducive process for license acquisition for events in the nation’s capital.

     

    The State Government has also agreed that EEMA member companies can do ticketed events in Delhi without paying entertainment tax in advance.

     

    The decision was preceded by a series of meetings between the National Executive Committee of EEMA and the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra. 

     

    Following a detailed EEMA representation, the Chief Minister appointed a nodal officer to engage with EEMA and find solutions in the shortest possible time.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, EEMA president Sabbas Joseph said, “Through the proactive approach of the Delhi government and EEMA, positive results with regards to licensing have started to show yielding a win – win situation for the entire events and experiential marketing industry. This is a big step towards making Delhi an event-friendly city.”

     

    EEMA treasurer Rajeev Jain added, “This is indeed a big bold step by the Delhi Govt. & Dept. of Entertainment Tax. Change in the Entertainment Tax depositing framework for EEMA members is certainly a big gift to the industry and number of ticketed & corporate events in the city will see an increase. This directive is a first step to make Delhi an event-friendly city and reinforces the role of the Event Industry as a major stakeholder in the city’s growth.”

     

    Through regular interactions with the Delhi Government and Commissioner – Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax, the following directives have been issued:

     

    Ticketed Events in Delhi

     

    ?  EEMA members will now be able to organize their ticketed events in Delhi without submitting any entertainment tax before the event.

     

    ?  Tax as per the ticket sale can be deposited after the completion of the event. Earlier this was to be done prior to ticket selling permissions being given.

     

    ?  To facilitate this arrangement, EEMA shall enter into an MOU with the Department of Entertainment Tax.

     

    ?  EEMA similarly would formulate guidelines for its members availing of this facility.

     

    ?  EEMA will also be submitting a Bank Guarantee of a stipulated amount as a surety on behalf of its members.

     

    Licensed Auditoriums under single window clearance

     

    ?  23 auditoriums in the city have been issued a permanent license for holding an event. More such venues are under consideration.

     

    Single Window Clearance: Reducing Licensing Hurdles

     

    ?  The government is in the process of bringing Entertainment Tax, Fire, Municipal authorities and Electricity under the purview of a single-window clearance.

     

    EEMA seeks to bring together the country’s leading event, sports management and brand activation companies, MICE and wedding planners, experiential marketers, entertainment professionals, artist management companies and international counterparts on the same platform.

     

    EEMA along with its key constituents is also engaged in similar discussions with the Maharashtra government and several other states with a view on easing the business processes and thereby generating growth in events featuring culture, music, dance, cinema and art.

  • New Chingles TVC does a googlee to create laughter

    New Chingles TVC does a googlee to create laughter

    NEW DELHI: The fifth television commercial in the row of ‘Aaj Lee Kya’ campaign for the mini chewing gums brand ‘Chingles’ of Dharampal Satyapal Group is a call to the audience to break the monotony of their daily rut and infuse a little laughter and light-heartedness in their lives with some harmless pranks on friends, family and colleagues.

    The TVC for Chingles established under the flagship of Pass Pass is positioned as anecdote to seriousness and a brand full of life and laughter.

    The “Aaj Le Kya” campaign is created by Dentsu Marcom Pvt. Ltd. The campaign embarks by releasing TVC followed by Digital, Radio, BTL activations & POP materials.

    Commenting on the campaign, DS Group Sr GM marketing Rajeev Jain said, “We realise the need of humour and fun in today’s debilitating lifestyle. Therefore, the campaign is inspired by the comic legend Charlie-Chaplin and has a retro flavour to it, which is sure to tickle some funny bones. The Lee brothers characterized in the campaign bring wind of laughter with their unique appearances and innocent yet hilarious plots.”

    He added, “Through this campaign, we are particularly targeting audience between 15 to 24 years and using 360 degree approach to promote the campaign.”

    This time the Lee brothers redefine the good old trick to make the guy look like a fool in front of his love interest by a playful prank filled with cuteness and innocence. The film begins with a bright sunny day and Googlee is watering the plants in the garden calling out Julee’s name, who comes out to the balcony, followed by the two of them smiling at each other like modern day Romeo and Juliet. The Lee brothers mischievously watch the love birds and set the action by stepping on the hosepipe cutting down the water supply. When Googlee attempts to check the pipe for the water by looking and blowing into it, there is a sudden water supply into the pipe giving Googlee a big fall and leaves Julee laughing and mocking him. Thus, Unglee & Khujlee pull a fast one on the poor Googlee. The TVC implies the harmless fun, Chingles instigate in your life.

    Creative Credits:
    Creative Agency: Dentsu Marcom
    Account Management: Sunita Prakash, Payal Dhawan, Dhruv Lavania
    Planning: Narayan Devanathan, Rabia Sooch
    National Creative Director: Titus Upputuru
    Creative Director: Abhinav Karwal
    Art Director: Sumit Vashisht
    Copywriter: Titus Upputuru, Anish Nath, Kapil Rana
    Director (of the film): Amit Sharma
    Production House: Chrome Films

  • Rajnigandha’s new TVC showing realisation of aspirations

    Rajnigandha’s new TVC showing realisation of aspirations

    NEW DELHI: The Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group has launched a new campaign captioned “Stadium” for its mouth freshener brand Rajnigandha with the new punch line “Munh Mein Rajnigandha Dil Mein Hai Duniya”.

    The key message of the campaign is “Success that makes a difference evokes admiration”. The campaign is created by McCann Erickson. The campaign embarks by releasing TVC followed by digital, outdoor, and below the line (BTL) and POS medium.

    Commenting on the campaign Sr GM (Marketing) Rajeev Jain said, “Rajnigandha has always been a symbol of success, aspiration, stature and a perfect companion for the successful people for last three decades; it will now redefine the leadership aspect as well. The new punchline “Munh Mein Rajnigandha Dil Mein Hai Duniya” is a paradigm shift to a new benevolent and successful India.”

    The brand will now not only stand for success but will also mark a difference, by helping others in fulfilling their aspiration. While the earlier Rajnigandha campaign focused more on the success, the new Rajnigandha campaign has a more compassionate, humane and society-friendly approach. The campaign talks about an evolved person who is an equal contributor to the success of his fellow men. The protagonist of the commercial is shown as a successful business magnate, who not only has strong business acumen; but is also concerned for the wellbeing of society at large.

    The TVC flows with three investors presenting a blueprint to a young businessman in a field. This is followed by a well-heeled businessman with a calm and serene air around him, who steps out of a stretch Limousine. The elder brother surveys the land and sees few kids playing cricket. The younger brother then excitedly blurts his business plan to create India’s biggest mega mall consisting of theme parks, amusement grounds and 6 multiplexes on that land. A batsman is seen hitting the ball and it strikes the car. The elder brother throws back the ball to the kids and says “Yahan stadium ban-na chahiye”. One of the investors mutters under his breath “ Charity ke bare main soch rahe hain.” Elder brother responds “Kal ki soch rahe hain”. He opens a pack of Rajnigandha, pops in a spoonful and replies “kabhi toh aisa khwab dekhiye, jismain hazaro khwab shamil ho”. Followed by this sequence is a newsperson making an announcement “GR Enterprises ke international stadium ne iss sheher ke logon main garv ki bhaavna aur sports culture ko adbhutt badaava diya hai”.

    A cricket team is shown coming out in the stadium, with the same young guy who was batting earlier on the barren piece of land walking in with the cricket team. Recognizing him, younger brother says, “bhaiya yeh toh wahi…” Elder brother flicks the TV and we hear an excited journalist comments “GR Enterprises shares have reached an all-time high”. Elder brother says “Jab dusro ke khwab poore karoge na… toh apna kal bante dekhoge”. Elder brother stylishly pops a spoonful of Rajnigandha into his mouth & offers the same to younger brother and investors. The shot packs over with a voiceover: Mooh mein Rajnigandha. Dil mein hai duniya.

    Creative Credits:

    Creative Agency: McCann Erickson

    Creative Head: Prasoon Joshi

    Account management: Rajeev Rakshit, Bhaskar Preenja, Shourabh Verma, Ayesha Mehra

    Planning: Jitendra Dabas and Srayan Ghosh

    National Creative Director: Nakul Sharma and Tirtha Ghosh

    Director (of the film): Rajesh Saathi

    Production House: Kerosene Films

  • DDB MudraMax bags Rs 300 mn Nirmal Lifestyle media biz

    Mumbai: The experience and engagement network of the DDB Mudra Group – DDB MudraMax – has been awarded with the media duties of Nirmal Lifestyle.

    The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and size of the business is in the range of Rs 250-300 million.

    The creative duties for the real estate developers already rest with DDB Mudra.

    Nirmal Lifestyle director Rajeev Jain said, “We at Nirmal lifestyle have a vision for the next 25 years for our growth and expansion through ‘innovating, creating and transforming’ strategy. We have a vision to take up fitness and sports as our company‘s core DNA and to also make it a part of our townships and retail and commercial projects. As this is a big leap for our company in terms of the growth we are looking in the next 10 years, we also require a media design and planning agency of equal caliber who can give our vision support and strength required. We are delighted to partner with DDB MudraMax and are confident that they will do a great job and take our brand to the next level.”

    DDB MudraMax Media Mumbai head Samir Khanna added, “This is a prestigious win for us. The vibrant vision of Nirmal Lifestyle of ‘Innovating, Creating and Transforming’ and focus on sports and fitness as their core DNA has got us very excited. We look forward to partnering with the team at Nirmal Lifestyle.”

    DDB MudraMax enables clients to interact at a single point to reach consumers through a complete spectrum of specialist touch points such as TV, Print, Radio, Digital, Out-of-Home, Retail, Activation, Events, Bottom of the pyramid, Sports, Music, Youth and Entertainment and has 36 offices pan India.

    Its clients include Pepsi, Gillette, Volkswagen, Reebok, Aircel, ITC, Birla Sun Life, Titan, Castrol, Uninor, Star, Colgate, Standard Chartered Bank, Tata, Hindustan Times, Asian Paints, Yamaha, Kotak, Hewlett Packard, Fosters, L&T, Ashok Leyland, Western Union, Jyothy Laboratories – Henkel, LIC, World Gold Council, BPCL, TTK Prestige, Wipro Consumer Care, Amway, ACC and others.