ITV

Tag: WhatsApp

  • Whatsapp message boom rings alarm bells for mobile operators

    Whatsapp message boom rings alarm bells for mobile operators

    MUMBAI: Looks like Whatsapp is about to have the last word quite literally. A new study by Juniper Research predicts that over-the-top (OTT) business messaging will leap from 390 billion messages in 2025 to more than 560 billion by 2027, powered by WhatsApp’s cutthroat pricing play.

    Juniper’s latest A2P & Business Messaging Market 2025–2030 report finds that Whatsapp’s authentication rates 50 to 90 per cent lower than traditional A2P SMS one-time passcodes are helping it corner a sizeable slice of the enterprise communication pie. With prices this low, businesses are flocking to Whatsapp for their verification and alert needs, edging telecom operators out of the conversation.

    “By first securing authentication traffic, Whatsapp is laying the groundwork to move into higher-value business messaging,” said Juniper Research senior research analyst Molly Gatford. “Once enterprises are onboarded for authentication, WhatsApp must upsell to marketing use cases, where termination fees are far higher and the real revenue opportunity lies.”

    That’s not good news for mobile network operators, who are already losing ground in the lucrative business messaging arena. Juniper Research warns that if operators don’t adapt, OTT platforms could completely dominate enterprise communication in just a few years.

    The report suggests that to keep up, operators must rethink their pricing strategy moving from flat SMS rates to use case-based pricing across SMS and RCS (Rich Communication Services). This, analysts say, will help enterprises understand the added value of RCS and prevent further migration to OTT channels.

    To pull this off, telcos will need to partner with technology providers capable of using AI-driven tools and behavioural analysis to classify messages by use case at scale ensuring fair and accurate billing. “By adopting a use case-based pricing strategy that is consistent across SMS and RCS, operators will enable enterprises to better assess RCS’s added value over SMS,” Gatford explained.

    Juniper’s new market suite offers one of the most detailed assessments yet of the A2P and business messaging landscape, with over 146,000 datapoints across 61 countries. And the big takeaway? The future of business messaging may not be in your inbox, it’s already in your Whatsapp chats.

     

  • Tata Soulfull personalises chai-time with No Maida rusk and AI Manoj Bajpayee bot

    Tata Soulfull personalises chai-time with No Maida rusk and AI Manoj Bajpayee bot

    MUMBAI: When tea meets tech, sparks fly. Tata Soulfull, the ‘better-for-you’ foods brand from Tata Consumer Products, has brewed up something fresh for chai lovers with its latest campaign ‘Tata ka Rusk – Chai Time with Manoj Bajpayee’.

    At the heart of this campaign is a first-of-its-kind Whatsapp bot that lets consumers create personalised images and videos featuring Manoj Bajpayee, transforming a simple tea break into a shareable, star-studded moment.

    The launch also introduces Tata Soulfull no maida rusk, made with 16 per cent jowar and completely free of maida. The product offers a wholesome, less crumbly take on the traditional rusk, perfect for guilt-free dunking.

    Tata Soulfull CMO Rasika Prashant shared, “With ‘Tata ka rusk – Chai time with Manoj Bajpayee’, we wanted to go beyond a standard product launch. Rusk is a deeply habitual category, and changing that takes more than innovation, it takes interaction. The Whatsapp bot lets people not just try the product, but live the experience.”

    Supported by a 360-degree marketing push across digital and BTL platforms, the campaign blends nostalgia with new-age engagement. With Manoj Bajpayee’s charm and Tata Soulfull’s tech-driven creativity, chai-time just found its modern-day twist: personal, playful, and perfectly brewed for India’s homes.

  • Saffola launches AI campaign urging consumers to have a ‘Heart to Heart Talk’

    Saffola launches AI campaign urging consumers to have a ‘Heart to Heart Talk’

    MUMBAI: Saffola, the health-focused FMCG brand from Marico Limited, has launched an AI-powered campaign this World Heart Day to help consumers gauge the true age of their hearts.

    Titled ‘Heart to Heart Talk,’ the initiative encourages people to pause, reflect, and engage in a personal conversation with themselves about lifestyle habits that affect heart health. By scanning a QR code, uploading a selfie, and answering a few simple questions on Whatsapp, users receive a personalised AI-generated video revealing the gap between their real age and indicative heart age.

    According to the Indian Council of Medical Research- India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB), one in four Indians has high cholesterol, one in ten is diabetic, and one in three is hypertensive. Even active, young adults may unknowingly put their hearts at risk through daily stress and unhealthy choices.

    Marico Limited, CEO – India core business, Ashish Goupal said, “Saffola has always aimed to inspire consumers to take charge of their heart health. ‘Heart to Heart Talk’ is a moment of truth, helping people reflect on how small lifestyle habits can impact well-being and empower them to take meaningful steps towards a healthier tomorrow.”

    Conceptualised by team WPP, the campaign includes a digital film depicting a young man caught in unhealthy routines, from breakfast pakodas to late-night junk food. At each step, he is confronted by the reflection of his older self, demonstrating the long-term effects of poor habits. The film highlights ‘Saffola Total Heart Pro’, enriched with Oryzanol to help reduce cholesterol, and shows it being used in everyday cooking to promote healthier choices.

    With this initiative, Saffola continues its long-standing mission to promote wholesome living and make heart health awareness both personal and engaging.

     

  • Asianet rules Malayali hearts with 64 per cent prime-time viewership share

    Asianet rules Malayali hearts with 64 per cent prime-time viewership share

    MUMBAI: When it comes to Malayali entertainment, Asianet isn’t just leading the pack, it’s setting the rhythm of prime time itself. With a commanding 64 per cent share of urban prime-time viewership, nearly two out of every three urban Malayalis now reach for the remote only to land on Asianet. That’s not just a number, it’s a cultural footprint proof that Asianet has cracked the code of storytelling that entertains, inspires, and reflects everyday Kerala life.

    Front and centre in this success story is the juggernaut that is Bigg Boss Season 7. The show alone drives 24 per cent of Asianet’s total viewership, making it the single-largest prime-time engine across Malayalam television. Compared to last season, the current edition has levelled up dramatically weekday audiences are up 14 per cent, while weekends have surged a whopping 23 per cent.

    What explains this pull? A volatile mix of drama, emotional storytelling, and a cast that sparks conversations from dining tables to office chai breaks. Bigg Boss has transformed into more than a TV format, it’s a social ritual that spills into memes, reels, and debates in every Malayali Whatsapp group.

    Reality may be booming, but fiction is hardly lagging behind. Asianet’s weekday line-up continues to hold families glued with stories that echo Malayali life. Chempaneer Poovu, Patharamattu, Pavithram, and Teacheramma remain household favourites, weaving tales of dilemmas, resilience and small triumphs. Meanwhile, newer entrants like Mazhathorum Munpe are steadily winning loyalty, proving Asianet has mastered the delicate balance of nostalgia and novelty.

    Asianet’s power doesn’t stop at serials and reality. The channel has carved a niche with its marquee cultural specials and premieres events that feel less like programming and more like festive gatherings. The nostalgia-packed Maveli Kottaram, the adrenaline-filled star singer special event, and the much-talked-about premiere of Thudarum have created moments that transcend living rooms and bind generations together.

    Since its birth in 1993, Asianet has been more than just a channel. Over 32 years, it has mirrored Malayali aspirations, frustrations, and celebrations, standing by as a cultural companion through shifting eras of broadcast and format. Today, its reach goes beyond Kerala, stretching across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, ensuring the global Malayali diaspora feels connected to its roots.

    Even as formats change and new platforms emerge, Asianet continues to feel contemporary while staying rooted in tradition. It remains the gold standard in Malayalam entertainment. a channel that’s less of a broadcaster, more of a family member.

    Because in Kerala, prime time isn’t a slot, it’s Asianet time.

  • AI to the rescue: Flipkart gives bachelor pads a big billion makeover

    AI to the rescue: Flipkart gives bachelor pads a big billion makeover

    MUMBAI: From bro-caves to glow-caves, bachelors are getting a festive glow-up. Flipkart is taking the guesswork out of home upgrades with its cheeky new ‘Bachelor upgrade yojana,’ launched ahead of its mega big billion days sale starting 23 September.

    Conceptualised by 22feet Tribal Worldwide, the campaign taps into AI to help bachelors, notorious for putting off home improvement, spruce up their spaces without lifting more than a finger. All it takes is a quick picture on Whatsapp: the AI-powered bot scans the room and serves up stylish, functional product recommendations, each linked directly to special big billion days offers.

    The idea is rooted in a simple truth: bachelors don’t skip upgrades because they don’t care, but because it feels like too much effort. This bot does the heavy lifting, from curtains to cookware, making a bachelor pad look Diwali-ready in a few clicks.

    The campaign’s film plays up the humour of bachelor life, poking fun at mismatched furniture and makeshift décor while showing how Flipkart swoops in to save the day.

    Flipkart, VP and head of growth & marketing, Pratik Shetty said: “With ‘Yahan kuch bhi ho sakta hai’ as our key theme for this year’s big billion days, we wanted ideas that spark unexpected wonder. The bachelor upgrade yojana does exactly that, turning one of the most change-averse groups into eager home improvers with irresistible deals.”

    22feet Tribal Worldwide, national creative director, Vishnu Srivatsav added: “Big billion days is for everyone, but bachelors probably need it most. With a little AI magic, we spoke to them directly, drawing from hostel and PG stories that everyone can relate to.”

    By mixing AI smarts with festive deals, Flipkart has turned a seasonal sale into a cultural talking point and made bachelor pads the unlikely stars of the big billion days buzz.

  • Half CA adds up as ClearTax joins Amazon MX Player with AI tax twist

    Half CA adds up as ClearTax joins Amazon MX Player with AI tax twist

    MUMBAI: When taxes meet television, even filing feels binge-worthy. Amazon MX Player’s hit series Half CA Season 2 has inked a smart partnership with fintech leader Cleartax, blending reel drama with real-life financial wisdom.

    The tie-up rolled out with a special video starring Ahsaas Channa and Gyanendra Tripathi, introducing Cleartax’s Agentic AI pitched as India’s first 24×7 AI-powered tax expert on Whatsapp. From auto-computing taxes with just a PAN number to answering queries instantly in multiple languages, the tool aims to take the sting out of tax season while speaking the language of Gen Z.

    The collaboration clicks neatly with Half CA’s storyline. The series produced by The Viral Fever (TVF) and now streaming free on Amazon MX Player follows CA aspirants Archie and Niraj as they juggle ambition, academic pressure, and adulthood’s curveballs. Just as the show champions perseverance, the partnership underscores financial literacy as a real-world survival skill.

    Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani said the move was about impact beyond entertainment: “Millions relate to the struggles of CA students. Our partnership with ClearTax simplifies financial literacy in a way that feels authentic and engaging.”

    Cleartax founder Archit Gupta echoed the sentiment, pointing to its AI leap: “By automating complex tax processes on Whatsapp, we’re making planning and filing seamless. Teaming with Half CA lets us connect with a new generation, combining entertainment with tools to build confidence for the future.”

    Half CA S2 brings back favourites Ahsaas Channa, Prit Kamani, Aishwarya Ojha, Anmol Kajani, Gyanendra Tripathi, and Rohan Joshi. The show streams across MX Player’s footprint from mobile apps and Connected TVs to Amazon’s shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV, Xiaomi TV, and Airtel Xtreme.

    For viewers, it’s not just about watching dreams unfold on screen, it’s also about learning to add up in real life.

  • AnyMind Group extends AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat to WhatsApp

    AnyMind Group extends AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat to WhatsApp

    MUMBAI – AnyMind Group [TSE:5027], a BPaaS company for marketing, e-commerce and digital transformation, has announced that its AI customer service agent feature launched in March 2025 on its conversational commerce platform, AnyChat, is now connected to WhatsApp. This feature was previously available only for LINE.

    In April 2025, Meta revealed that WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users globally. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is home to three of the top five countries with the most WhatsApp Users: India, Indonesia and the Philippines. With the extension of the AI customer service agent feature on AnyChat, businesses and online merchants in markets such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, and any other region that has WhatsApp users, can now leverage AnyChat to automatically handle initial customer inquiries on WhatsApp by using LLMs to understand free-text messages.

    For businesses and merchants serving customers on WhatsApp’s vast user base, especially those handling thousands of customer inquiries daily with only human operators, integrating AnyChat’s AI customer service agent into existing customer service workflows holds the potential to dramatically transform customer support. In a 3-month study, between March 2025 and June 2025, done with leading global water flosser brand, Waterpik, using AnyChat’s AI customer service agent feature on LINE, Waterpik was able to tap on AI to respond to a quarter of all customer inquiries.

    Unlike typical chatbots, AnyChat’s AI customer service agents can understand questions in natural language and generate responses based on brand-approved guardrails and inputs, reducing operational workload and eliminating the risk of hallucinated answers.

    It also collects key information such as order ID and customer name, allowing human customer service agents to take over seamlessly when needed. AnyChat also stores historical conversation data, helping businesses and online merchants to identify common inquiries and continuously improve response templates. In addition, product information (such as seasonal products) can be easily updated at any time, enabling businesses to always provide the most up-to-date information to customers.

    On the extension of AnyChat’s AI customer service agent feature to WhatsApp, AnyMind Group managing director, growth markets; Co-MD, India and MENA, Aditya Aima said, “For most Indian consumers, WhatsApp is the first and often the only touchpoint with a brand. That’s why this integration matters. It’s not about adding another tool, but about helping businesses have faster, more meaningful conversations with their customers, without overloading their teams. It’s a small shift with the potential for real, lasting impact.”

  • BBDO India elevates Shruthi Subramaniam to executive creative director – Mumbai

    BBDO India elevates Shruthi Subramaniam to executive creative director – Mumbai

    MUMBAI: BBDO India has announced the elevation of Shruthi Subramaniam to the role of executive creative director – Mumbai. With over 14 years of experience, Shruthi brings a powerful combination of creative excellence and strategic acumen to her new leadership role.

    At BBDO India, Shruthi has been the creative force behind campaigns for iconic global brands such as WhatsApp, Bumble, Neutrogena. Her portfolio also includes work for industry giants like Unilever and Mercedes-Benz – projects that are as impactful as they are culturally meaningful. Most recently, she was honoured with a prestigious CLIO Music Award, earning recognition alongside international names like Harry Styles and Ozzy Osbourne – a testament to her ability to create work that resonates across borders and audiences.

    In her new role, Shruthi joins BBDO India’s core leadership team, where she will help shape the agency’s creative direction, lead key client partnerships, and mentor emerging talent. Her focus will be on driving innovation in both storytelling and “story-doing,” while pushing the boundaries of modern advertising.

    Commenting on Shruthi’s promotion, Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India, said, “Shruthi’s work is famous, her craft is brilliant, and her vision for the future of advertising is inspiring. She’s been an integral part of BBDO India’s growth story. With our vibrant, diverse talent pool, we’re confident she’ll bring even more value to our clients while moving the agency and industry forward.”

    Speaking on her new role, Shruthi Subramaniam, ECD, BBDO India shared, “The BBDO Ashram is my home – I want to decorate it with ideas, fill each room with the warmth of conversation, and have people over who never want to leave. Belonging is the start of everything. My wish is to make people belong, bloom and become.”

  • Moneycontrol launches Super Pro with expert tips and real-time AI alerts

    Moneycontrol launches Super Pro with expert tips and real-time AI alerts

    MUMBAI: In the noisy circus of market chatter, Moneycontrol’s new Super Pro is tossing out the megaphone and handing you a scalpel. Moneycontrol, already India’s biggest financial content destination, is levelling up its premium offering with the launch of Moneycontrol Super Pro, a subscription tier built for those who want to go from market watchers to market movers.

    Launched at a special price of Rs 2,499 (until 15 July 2025), Super Pro doesn’t just promise deeper insights, it delivers real-time actionable strategies, sharp charting tools, and AI-powered alerts, all tailored for the serious trader and informed investor.

    At the heart of the offering is Alpha Generators, a feature that plugs subscribers directly into the brains of four SEBI-registered experts: Ambareesh Baliga, Nooresh Merani, Dhaval Vyas, and Dhwani Patel (CMT). Expect exclusive trading strategies, investment ideas, and constant updates designed to keep you one step ahead of the market’s mood swings.

    Next up: exclusive chart patterns hand-picked by technical analysts to identify breakout opportunities before they hit mainstream radar. Whether you’re hunting reversals or riding momentum, Super Pro gives you tools to spot trends before the herd does.

    But the most intriguing feature might just be the AI Stock Alert, a real-time Whatsapp-based notification system that flags key corporate announcements on your chosen stocks. Earnings surprises, board reshuffles, regulatory twists? You’ll know when the market knows.

    The launch builds on Moneycontrol’s digital dominance. With over 100 million unique visitors in 2024, and 1 million plus paying subscribers to Moneycontrol Pro, the platform ranks among the top 15 global news subscription services, according to Press Gazette’s 2025 “100k Club” ranking.

    Super Pro is a calculated leap from insight to initiative fusing analysis, AI and access into one sleek package for those looking to cut through the noise and act with conviction.

    In a market where timing is everything and clarity is rare, Super Pro isn’t just a toolkit, it’s a trading compass with edge. And for investors looking to be more shark than fish, it might just be the upgrade they were waiting for.

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  • Meta AI taps desi curiosity with DDB Mudra’s ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ nudge

    Meta AI taps desi curiosity with DDB Mudra’s ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ nudge

    MUMBAI: Not your average tech launch, Meta’s new AI tool just dropped in India with a desi twist, thanks to DDB Mudra’s latest campaign that turns into a lazy-day question—’Aaj kya karoge?‘—into a call to dream bigger.

    Meta AI, now seamlessly baked into WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, is being pitched not as a cold, complex tool but as a warm, witty sidekick that helps elevate the everyday. The campaign tackles a key perception problem head-on: that AI is all brains, no soul.

    Enter six short films, each telling a hyper-local, delightfully ordinary story—from different cities and age groups—that flips the mundane into the magical with a little help from Meta AI. From unlocking creative hobbies to simply streamlining chaos, the message is clear: this isn’t AI for coders, it’s for chai-sippers and chat-typers alike.

    The blitz didn’t stop at screens. Contextual billboards in Delhi and Lucknow spoke in local dialects, while YouTube ads served up prompts mid-search, making the experience feel uncannily personal. Throw in a dozen influencers across cities, each giving Meta AI their own local flavour, and the result is a campaign that doesn’t feel like a launch—it feels like life.

    DDB Mudra creative director Mahima Mathur, talking about the creative process and the approach to the campaign, said, “We didn’t want to introduce Meta AI with the usual fanfare. We wanted India to find it in its own way – in places we already live and love. In a WhatsApp chat. While scrolling through Facebook. In an Instagram group. ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ isn’t just a line. It’s a friendly nudge. An invitation to think a little bigger, try something new, and let Meta AI make it all a little easier, one day at a time.”

    With this effort, Meta positions its AI not as an upgrade—but as an invitation. One that turns routine into play, and every scroll into possibility.