MUMBAI: From tea leaves to timelines, Arun Srinivas is now brewing strategy at Meta India. In a move that signals both continuity and elevation, Meta has announced the appointment of Arun Srinivas as its new Managing Director and Country Head for India. Already a key figure within the company, Srinivas will now oversee all business, innovation, and revenue priorities across the region cementing Meta’s long-term commitment to the Indian market.
Srinivas joined Meta in 2020 and has since led its Global Business Group and Ads Business for India, steering strategic revenue levers like AI, Reels, and Messaging. In his expanded role, he will now unify Meta India’s core pillars to better serve the platform’s advertisers, partners, and users.
With nearly three decades of experience under his belt, Srinivas has worked across marquee names like Hindustan Unilever, Reebok, Ola, and private equity firm Westbridge Capital. His past roles included launching Ola in London, leading Unilever’s food, skincare, and beverage verticals in South Asia, and investing in high-growth consumer brands during his stint at WestBridge.
Meta’s leadership hopes the appointment marks a sharper, localised strategy in a market that remains one of its largest and most dynamic.
“As we look ahead, we remain focused on building products that drive growth for our partners while driving innovation for the ecosystem,” the company stated.
With Srinivas now leading Meta India’s charge, all eyes will be on how he blends deep-rooted brand-building wisdom with the platform’s global tech playbook and what that could mean for India’s digital future.
Mumbai: Agilitas Sports, innovation-led sportswear and Athleisure solutions platform, co-founded by Abhishek Ganguly, ex-MD, Puma (India & South-East Asia), has in a significant move, announced the acquisition of Mochiko Shoes Pvt Ltd, India’s largest sports footwear manufacturer for the domestic market.
“This acquisition augments Agilitas’ value proposition, by strengthening our supply chain in the rapidly growing sports footwear market. Mochiko’s manufacturing capabilities, operational excellence and strategic partnerships with leading global giants position us to address the government’s clarion call to ‘Make in India’, and to cater to the rising aspirations of an economic superpower, with the largest youth population”, said Agilitas Sports CEO & co-founder Abhishek Ganguly.
Established in 2008, by Virender Awal and a co-founding team of five members, Mochiko Shoes registered a revenue of Rs 642 crore in FY2023 and is estimated to grow by 30 per cent, year-on-year (Y-o-Y).
Mochiko Shoes Pvt. Ltd. founder & CEO Virender Awal spoke about the acquisition, “Joining the Agilitas family propels our ambitions. We are now poised to enhance long-term investments, addressing the soaring demand in the Sports and Athleisure footwear sector. We envision multi-fold and multifaceted growth in our business over the next five-six years, adding jobs and livelihood.”
Today, Mochiko Shoes is a manufacturing partner to leading international brands, such as Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Skechers, Reebok, Asics, Crocs, Decathlon, Clarks, US Polo, among others.
With fully integrated, end-to-end manufacturing capabilities, Mochiko is the first sports footwear manufacturer in India to receive a BIS licence, and is fully compliant with the soon-to-be-implemented Quality Control Orders (QCOs), by the Government of India. Additionally, all its units are ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified.
The company has manufacturing units located in Dehradun and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) as well as in the National Capital Region (NCR), of Noida. Mochiko employs nearly 10,000 individuals, across the length and breadth of its operations.
The founding team of Agilitas Sports comprises Abhishek Ganguly, the former Managing Director of PUMA India and South East Asia, Atul Bajaj, the former executive director of sales and operations of PUMA India, and Amit Prabhu, former executive director and chief financial officer of PUMA India.
MUMBAI: Every year, 22 April is celebrated as Earth Day all over the world. The practice dates back to 1970, when scores of people took to the streets on this day in protest of the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development. With the world reeling under a global health crisis, this day is a reminder that everyone can contribute to a better, safer, and consequently healthier planet.
Ahead of World Earth Day, several brands launched campaigns and even new products to demonstrate their support for the environment:
The Google Doodle Search engine Google on Thursday marked the annual Earth Day through a video doodle on its home page highlighting how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future—one sapling at a time. The film shows how just one sapling planted by each of us can turn into a forest of trees, even outliving the humans who planted them. The underlying message is: ‘This Earth Day—and everyday—we encourage everyone to find one small act they can do to restore our Earth. It’s bound to take root and blossom into something beautiful.’
MTV says ‘Using Plastic is a Crime’
MTV India launched a new satirical film ahead of World Earth Day 2021 giving out a powerful message that “Using Plastic is a Crime” and people who continue to use plastic carelessly, without any thought, should be treated on par with criminals. The film opens to a setting of a potential crime scene, where a masked killer is all set to choke a man with a plastic sheet. Much to the victim and the killer’s surprise, the police arrive at the scene, leading on to an unexpected discourse by the cop on the evils of using plastic, rather than focusing on the crime itself. It concludes with the masked man pledging never to use plastic so carelessly again.
Godrej #TwoDegreesCooler on global warming
The Godrej Group, through a digital film, urges individuals and industry owners to help slow down climate change, by turning to smart usage of resources. The film titled #TwoDegreesCooler showcases the brand’s commitment to limit global warming to well-below two degrees Celsius by 2050 and help India keep her part of the Paris agreement. Whether we can succeed in this mission or not, depends on each one of us, the film says. It ends by reminding us that ‘it’s all we need to restore our Earth’.
Animal Planet bats for all animals
On Earth Day, Animal Planet lived up to its name and reached out to all pet lovers on behalf of the wild animals inhabiting our planet, through a series of telling posts on its Instagram handle. The message it strove to spread via this digital campaign, featuring different species of wild birds and animals in their natural habitats, being : Just like our pets, they too deserve our unconditional love. And we can do so by protecting their home. They may not be our pets, but they’re just as precious. And if we don’t take care of the Earth, then we’re not taking care of them. Let’s act towards saving the planet and all its wonders, together.
Discovery India too shared a poignant digital campaign to mark Earth day, with some moving posts revolving around the trees and marine life of our planet. It posts said:
“When trees are cut, it affects all species. Deforestation contributes to climate change and threatens life on earth. This #EarthDay let’s support more sustainably produced products and pledge to protect our friends, the trees.” And “If the disposal of plastic materials & packaging into our oceans continues, it is estimated that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). This #EarthDay let’s rethink plastic disposal & support effective methods of recycling plastic.”
L’Oréal for the Future, because our Planet is Worth it
Global cosmetics giant L’Oréal Paris has unveiled a new sustainability program, ‘L’Oréal for the Future, because our Planet is Worth it’, on the occasion of World Earth Day. The beauty brand pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 per cent by year 2030. Among the key goals set by the brand include its aim to use 100 per cent recycled plastic, 100 per cent sustainable cardboard and operate 100 per cent carbon neutral factories by 2030. The beauty brand has also announced its decision to contribute €10 million to environmental projects around the world.
Reebok launches sustainable eco-friendly shoe:
Sports brand Reebok’s Floatride Energy GROW is a plant-based running shoe for high-performance. It combines the award-winning Forever Floatride Energy model with the commitment and responsibility to protect the environment and strives to create a fitter planet.
In a bid to up its sustainability efforts, Reebok is focusing on creating products using recycled or repurposed materials. The global sportswear brand is committed to reducing virgin polyester from its material mix and eliminating it altogether by 2024.
Wildermart, an online grocery store that aims to be a truly sustainable model, opened its doors in India on Earth Day with a hard-hitting digital launch campaign to raise awareness about the current state of our planet, the impact of clean consumption and what we can do to be a part of the solution with the click of a button. Calling itself ‘your clean grocery store’ it claims to offer a conscious solution to help everyday consumption be clean, green and earth-friendly. Launched in Bangalore, with an offering of over 1,000+ products across 30+ categories the brand aims to take this sustainable model to conscious consumers across the country within the next 3 years. In a show of support, animal rights activist and environmentalist Maneka Sanjay Gandhi made the first purchase on the portal today.
Bombay Shaving Company on the environmental cost of disposable razors
Personal care brand for men & women Bombay Shaving Co released a short, factual video on its social media platforms to encourage “shaving responsibly”.
The video talks about some hard hitting facts regarding disposable plastic razors prevalent in the personal care industry like: “Did you know, that over 2 billion disposable razors are produced in the world and almost 200 million razors are bought and disposed of every year. A normal disposable razor is made completely out of plastic.” It wraps up with the message: “It poses a health hazard for animals, marine life, and even safety workers.”
The solution? Switch to metal. The brand declares that their precision safety razor is recycle-ready, reduces plastic waste, and gives you a much better shaving experience, without hurting the environment.
Today, in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Universal Brand Development, Reebok has officially unveiled its Reebok x Kung Fu Panda full-family footwear and apparel collection. Celebrating the iconic animated franchise, the collection is available globally from Reebok.com beginning January 8 before its wider release on January 15 from select local retailers, in time for the Lunar New Year.
Each of the collection’s key footwear models embodies unique themes from the Kung Fu Panda franchise, its loveable hero Po, and the styles and teachings of the supporting cast:
Instapump Fury “Dragon Warrior”: This tonal Instapump Fury execution embodies Po’s evolution from Panda to Dragon Warrior – a symbol of hard work and dedication. Prominent features include a furry suede upper with dragon graphic on top, a textile Pump bladder and pull tabs nodding to his iconic patchwork shorts, a collar lining that ties back to his belt and waist band, asymmetric Pump ball noodle and dragon graphics, a sockliner design paying homage to fortune cookies and Po’s journey to becoming a kung fu master, TPU shank at the outsole constructed with a bamboo finish representing Po’s fighting staff, and lucky number graphics at the heel as a nod to the year of each Kung Fu Panda film release. Also available in Versa Pump for kids.
Club C “Master Your Style”: This color-blocked Club C execution brings together each of film’s six Kung Fu Masters’ unique wardrobes via a tapestry of materials and colors: the toe for Crane’s pants, the toe box for Po’s fur, the crosscheck for Tigress’s kimono, the heel for Po’s patchwork pants, the eyestays for each master’s fighting foot wrap, the tongue for Mantis’ exoskeleton, the heel tab for Monkey’s fur, the window box for Monkey’s wrist cuffs, the heel webbing for Viper’s scales and the collar lining for Po’s waistband. The shoe also features a custom Reebok Kanji logo at the heel. Available in adult sizing.
Club C “Calling All Zodiacs”: Similar to the “Master Your Own Style” iteration but with a more-subtle graphic execution, the Club C “Calling All Zodiacs” model celebrates the unique ideologies and mentalities of each of the film’s seven Kung Fu Masters: Po, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper, Mantis and Shifu. Available in adult, grade school, preschool and toddler sizing.
Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi”: This thoughtful iteration of the energetic Zig Kinetica celebrates the Soul – a key theme for Lunar New Year – encouraging wearers to believe in themselves and to trust their inner spirit. This narrative is brought to life with an upper graphic execution paying homage to the golden spirit world that Po enters in the franchise’s third film, an all-over spiritual graphic on the sockliner, a cherry blossom heel graphic and a sublimated soul graphic across the all-textile upper. Available in adult, grade school, preschool and toddler sizing.
Complementing the robust footwear lineup and enabling fans to fully master their own style, the Reebok x Kung Fu Panda collection offers a full range of complementary apparel including hoodies, crew sweaters, short sleeve tees and sweatpants honoring Po’s journey to become the Dragon Warrior.
Finally, in true Reebok fashion, fans will receive footwear in elevated Lunar New Year-inspired packaging. The box’s red top symbolizes the red envelopes exchanged at holiday celebrations, while the base presents an action-packed graphic mashup bringing together themes from the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Inside, fans will find product wrapped in tissue paper that nods to Po’s apprenticeship at his father’s noodle shop, but more literally provides a restaurant-style menu of Reebok x Kung Fu Panda footwear offerings.
The collection is available beginning 8th January in Reebok stores and online at shop4reebok.com, Veg Nonveg and Superkicks India starting INR 2,599.
MUMBAI: Reebok India, one of the biggest global fitness brands, in collaboration with 22feet Tribal Worldwide, has launched a series of home workouts to harness the power of fitness.
The #WorkOUTfromHome videos on Instagram are a series of virtual workouts by Reebok India brand ambassadors, Katrina Kaif and Malaika Arora, and Reebok India’s certified trainers. These workout videos are a mix of core strengthening, HIIT, pilates, yoga, and stretching.
With this innovative series, Reebok has gone beyond product innovation and established itself as a holistic enabler in the journey of fitness.
Talking about the thought behind the campaign, 22feet Tribal WW NCD Debashish Ghosh said, “It started with a need to do something authentic but also meaningful. In a world that needs a lot of hope and inspiration right now, we wanted to nudge the conversation further. Go from advice to action. As a brand that shapes the culture of fitness, it seemed natural to evolve the day to day discussions from ‘stay at home’ to ‘stay fit’ with #WorkOUTfromHome. After all, there is enough scientific evidence that staying fit powers immunity & can help resist/break the chain of transmission.”
MUMBAI: Mayank Jain joins Shortpedia, a technology driven short news content provider as its Chief Product Officer. He will be responsible for the company's product innovations and drive revenue at the same time. A young and dynamic media professional, Mayank’s last stint was with Dentsu Aegis Network where he was quickly elevated to the position of Group Head- Media and was handling prestigious clients like Adidas, Reebok, Philips & Apple.
Mayank brings a keen understanding of Digital platforms, AI and programmatic advertising which he will leverage to shape Shortpedia’s growth. At Shortpedia, as a part of the management, Mayank will be joining an illustrious team of media and technology professionals which is helmed by Amarjeet Singh who has 15 plus years of experience in IT in the marketing and advertising industry.
Founded on 1st April 2017, Shortpedia launched its App in March 2019. The app and the website are both available to Android & iOS users in both Hindi and English languages. The handpicked team at Shortpedia is experienced in diverse domains ranging from IT, AI, marketing, advertising, content, brands and management, making it a formidable title in the media and content space.
Shortpedia is an innovative and smart content platform that facilitates fresh content everyday to help its audiences evolve. In a short while the company has managed to unify and integrate the entire ecosystem of media consumption as content is available in multiple formats such – reading, watching and listening. Audiences can pick and choose the mode that they are always most comfortable with and remain engaged.
Talking about this new stint at Shortpedia, Mayank Jain, Chief Product Officer, said, “I’m extremely excited to take on this role. Content is a very interesting space and sky is the limit. In this world of clutter it is difficult to find credible and authentic information; we at Shortpedia are absolutely committed towards authenticity while evolving everyday to cater to our dynamic audiences. We are driving at fresh handpicked content, clutter free environment and a phenomenal user experience. Much like our audience, we are a very restless team so we are continuously experimenting and evolving”
He added, “We have already successfully added audio news to every news item that goes up. Apart from the listening feature we have also deployed AI to understand content consumption behaviour and programmatic enabled advertising. It’s a lean team so there has been no breathing space since I have joined which I’m thoroughly enjoying”.
Positioned as a new age, lifestyle-oriented smart content app, Shortpedia has a ‘news on the go approach’- supplying fresh content everyday with positive and educational storytelling. It showcases content as per the user’s consumption.
Talking about Mayank Jain joining the team, Mr. Amarjeet Singh, Mobile Head, Shortpedia stated, “I have known Mayank for a while and witnessed his growth as a professional. I personally feel that Shortpedia is the right platform for a professional like him. His understanding of the digital space is enviable, and we are very glad to have him onboard.”
MUMBAI: Leading fitness and lifestyle brand Reebok has unveiled its latest campaign featuring brand ambassador Katrina Kaif. The campaign, ‘She Got Ree’, is a celebration of fitness and depicts the myriad ways in which you can harness your energy and enjoy being fit no matter where you are.
Through product innovations like the Pure Move Bra and the ‘Meet You There’ collection, or campaigns such as It’s Not a Man’s World, Reebok continues to inspire women around the world to find their personal expression of fitness.
Now, with the powerful ‘She Got Ree’ campaign with Katrina, Reebok strives to further strengthen its commitment to the constant pursuit of fitness. The campaign video, which features catchy music and impactful lyrics, has Katrina unleashing her energy in a free-spirited routine that’s a combination of running, spinning, flexing, dancing and boxing.
“I’m thrilled to be associated with a brand like Reebok that has always strived to inspire people to be the fittest versions of themselves. The ‘She Got Ree’ campaign only furthers this belief by encouraging everyone to find their “Ree” which is the joy and spirit of being fit” said Katrina.
Reebok India Brand Director Mr. Sunil Gupta commented “This isn’t just a sweat-dripping world of straining muscles, it’s a place in which the natural joy of movement finds expression through avenues such as the gym, the outdoors, and everywhere in between. Through the “She Got Ree” campaign, we hope to inspire women to find their very own expression of fitness.”
MUMBAI: Following a monumental announcement last week, Reebok and adidas have unveiled additional details around the launch of the all-new Instapump Fury Boost™ sneaker.
The ultimate statement shoe, the Instapump Fury Boost™ is built for breaking free and creating the unexpected. The trailblazing Instapump Fury has long been the choice of influencers and iconoclasts. Now, with the unrivalled comfort of adidas Boost™ technology, it’s back to push the limits of design and performance.
The Instapump Fury Boost™ will be available in three exclusive release packs, “Prototype”, “OG Meets OG” and “Black & White”:
• “Prototype”: The “Prototype” model features the original colorway of Steven Smith’s ‘pullover’ Instapump Fury production sample. For the first time, this classic white, royal blue and solar orange Fury colorway will be released. In addition to celebrating Reebok's innovation legacy, the Instapump Fury Boost™ Prototype gives a subtle nod to adidas’ Boost™ revolution by incorporating the same mesh paneling used in the original UltraBOOST™.
• “OG Meets OG”: The “OG Meets OG” pack salutes the inaugural Instapump Fury and UltraBOOST™ colorways. The Instapump Fury’s striking high-tech silhouette set it apart from the conventional sneaker scene. However, it was shoe’s daring OG colorway that made it a style icon. Convinced that the Fury had to make a visual statement, Steven Smith struck on an incendiary citron yellow upper, glowing against crimson and black accents. It was a bold choice that perfectly captured the Fury’s relentlessly inventive and independent spirit.
• “Black & White”: The Black & White pack is made for the fashion-forward. Featuring immaculate monochrome uppers with a glimmer of metallic GraphLite, its bold futurism is offset by the organic warmth of raw gum outsoles. Clean and balanced, the black and white combination will complement any look and is set to become a street staple. A celebration of pure form, the Black & White pack stays true to Smith’s “no more than what you need” vision.
Infused with revolutionary adidas Boost™ technology, the all-new Instapump Fury Boost™ is created for a whole new generation, receiving numerous tweaks and upgrades since its inception. Built for breaking free and creating the unexpected, Instapump Fury Boost™ is perfect fusion of Reebok and adidas innovation.
The sneaker collection will be available for purchase at select Reebok stores, VegNonVeg, Superkicks, Flipkart and www.shop4reebok.com starting INR 18,999, November 15th onwards.
MUMBAI: Leading fitness brand Reebok takes a giant leap forward with the announcement of renowned Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast, Varun Dhawan, as their new brand ambassador in India. The brand recently brought in Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador, and now with Varun Dhawan joining the Reebok family, the brand continues to be on the front foot.
Varun, who diligently follows a disciplinary fitness regime regardless of his tight schedule, personifies the brand ethos and will ignite a spark of energy amongst the youth. With his enviable physique, Varun is known for his fitness goals and hence, is a perfect representation for Reebok.
In collaboration with Varun, Reebok also launches its biggest campaign on Sole Fury, a dynamic new silhouette that is equal parts sport and style. The campaign featuring Varun Dhawan, disrupts conventionality and celebrates those who dare to #SplitFrom the ordinary. It ventures beyond the expected into a world where unorthodox is the norm, highlighting a uniquely Reebok attitude towards style and distinctive Reebok performance innovation. The Sole Fury campaign captures the essence of Reebok’s iconic vintage styles and projects them into a contemporary space, creating a true intersection of daring performance tech and legendary styles.
Thrilled about his collaboration with Reebok, Varun Dhawan said, “It feels truly amazing to associate with a brand like Reebok, which feels so much like me. My affinity towards Reebok is inspired by our shared beliefs in fitness and performance, that enables one to challenge the conventional and value individuality over conformity. I look forward to kick-start a super fun journey with the brand that will open new avenues in fitness space for today’s generation.”
Commenting on the association, Mr. Sunil Gupta, Brand Director, Reebok India said, “We are thrilled to have Varun as the new brand ambassador for Reebok. Being a fitness enthusiast, Varun complements the brand brilliantly. He echoes Reebok's enthusiasm and dedication to fitness, and we are confident that together we will continue to revolutionise the fitness industry."
Reebok is enthused about the collaboration with Varun Dhawan and the exciting initiatives that are in the pipeline.
MUMBAI: For the first time in their history, adidas has consolidated its global media business.
As part of the brand’s drive behind their 2020 ‘Creating the New’ strategy, adidas will align all areas and territories and have appointed WPP’s MediaCom to execute the holistic approach from September 2018.
After a competitive and multi layered pitch process MediaCom were selected as the agency to help adidas and Reebok continue the momentum behind both brands and deliver a winning media approach. The combined brief will be executed across all platforms with a focus on innovation aligned to the brand’s strategic business plan; ‘Creating the New’.
The strategy for adidas has been concentrated on three strategic choices; Speed, Cities, and Open Source. These have all been channeled through a core belief – “Through sport, we have the power to change lives”. This new brief will align to these areas of focus with faster media implementation than ever before, a laser focus on the capital cities of culture and commerce as well as a world class digital ecosystem, and then a continued drive behind an open source approach to fuel innovation.
The areas of responsibility for the agency teams across the world will include full funnel media planning, integrated media consultancy and buying, consumer insight and measurement. The two hubs for the global business will be London for adidas and New York City for Reebok with MediaCom staff also positioned around key focus locations for the brands across the world.
adidas senior vice president for marketing Jocelyn Robiot says, “Through our partnership, we look forward to innovating ways of reaching and connecting to our consumers across the trend-leading cities whose influence on global culture is the key to unlocking desirability and demand.”
Reebok VP of marketing Melanie Boulden adds, “After a vigorous pitch process, MediaCom stood out as an excellent strategic media partner for our brand. We feel that they are the right partner to help us achieve our goals and mission for 2020 and beyond. We are pleased to be working with them and look forward to kicking off our partnership.”
MediaCom Worldwide COO Toby Jenner mentions, “We are delighted to have been selected by one of the world’s most ambitious and iconic brands as their partner. Our teams around the world can’t wait to get cracking. adidas is a business of great people and brands with enormous e-commerce opportunities moving forward. We’re looking forward to developing brilliantly creative and highly effective campaigns, which combine their brand heat and e-commerce, alongside their other agency partners.”
