Mumbai: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) and Manulife have announced the appointment of Suresh Agarwal as the Managing Director & CEO designate of their proposed 50:50 life insurance joint venture, subject to regulatory approvals. The agreement to establish the life insurance JV was first announced in November last year, signalling both companies’ intent to strengthen financial security offerings in one of the world’s fastest-growing life insurance markets.Suresh brings nearly three decades of

New Delhi: WhatsApp has informed the Supreme Court that it will roll out a user-consent-based mechanism for sharing data with other Meta entities, marking a notable shift in its stance in the long-running legal challenge to its 2021 privacy policy. The commitment was recorded by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, which allowed WhatsApp and Meta to withdraw interim pleas that had sought to pause enforcement of compliance dir

Mumbai: Tesco Mobile is turning one of the most anxiety-inducing household moments — the arrival of an unexpected bill — into a bold creative statement in its latest campaign developed by BBH London.At a time when the UK market is bracing for Q1 Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases from major telecom operators, the brand is reinforcing its Frozen Prices proposition. The campaign transforms the visual language of debt and bureaucracy by plastering oversized envelopes and bill imagery across b

Mumbai: Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), India’s largest provider of test preparation services for engineering and medical entrance examinations, has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Alka Garg as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Kanika Kumar Nijhawan as Senior Vice President – Marketing.The appointments are aimed at reinforcing AESL’s financial strategy and brand growth initiatives, as the company continues to professionalise its management struct

Mumbai: Moneycontrol consolidated its leadership in India’s business and financial news space in January 2026, clocking the highest number of unique visitors in this category, as per global audience measurement agency Comscore.With a total digital population of 63.38 million unique visitors, Moneycontrol drew more than twice the audience of The Economic Times, which recorded 30.61 million.In fact, Moneycontrol attracted more unique users than its next two media rivals combined in business news

Mumbai: Fixderma has unveiled a new brand film centred on its flagship sunscreen, Fixderma Shadow SPF 50+, reinforcing its positioning as a science-led, dermatologist-trusted daily sun protection solution.Set against the backdrop of today’s digital-first skincare landscape, the film captures a relatable moment of a young woman endlessly scrolling through sunscreen options, overwhelmed by competing claims and uncertain about what to trust. The narrative mirrors the clutter and confusion that de

Mumbai: Shriram Finance (SFL), the flagship company of the Shriram Group, has unveiled its new integrated campaign, ‘Shri Aarambh Loans’, reinforcing its comprehensive suite of Commercial Vehicle Loans tailored for India’s trucking and transport community.The structured proposition brings together vehicle financing along with tyre, fuel, challan, insurance and repair support under one offering, positioning Shri Aarambh as more than just a vehicle loan. The campaign highlights the everyday

Mohali: Swaraj Tractors, part of the Mahindra Group, has announced the renewal of its long-standing association with former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as the brand’s endorser, marking the beginning of a new strategic phase in the partnership.Built on shared values of power, trust and reliability, the association has evolved into a key pillar of Swaraj’s brand journey. The relationship gained authenticity when Dhoni chose a Swaraj tractor for his own farm operations, reinforcing real-wor

Chennai: Hoopr.ai, the music licensing and distribution platform founded by composer-entrepreneur Gaurav Dagaonkar, has secured Pre-Series A funding from early-stage investment collective The Chennai Angels (TCA), as the company looks to scale its mission of simplifying music licensing for brands, creators, and rights holders in India.The investment adds to Hoopr’s existing backers, which include Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), MeitY Startup Hub, 100Unicorns, VCats Marketing, 91 Ventures, and

Jaipur: Specta, an Indian luxury brand specialising in engineered quartz surfaces, has unveiled its latest ad campaign titled “The Drop Test”, signalling a narrative-led shift in how quartz surfaces are marketed in India. Starring acclaimed actors Aamir Bashir and Samvedna Suwalka, the campaign adopts a Modern Family–inspired mockumentary format, turning an everyday Indian kitchen into a humorous arena for extreme durability tests.Blending slice-of-life humour with high-energy kitchen chao

Mumbai: Global advertising major WPP has revealed detailed spending data of its top clients—including Google, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Ford—after submitting internal documents as evidence in a US legal dispute with a former senior executive. The material, now publicly accessible through court filings, outlines more than $9 billion in annual advertising outlays and other commercially sensitive information, according to a report by The Times.The disclosure stems from WPP’s defence against a $

Chennai: Chennaiyin FC have announced a new partnership with Simple Energy, an Indian-origin electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, who join the Marina Machans as the club’s Official Mobility Partner for the Indian Super League 2026 season.Under the agreement, Simple Energy will receive prominent brand integration across Chennaiyin FC’s match and training ecosystem, including logo placement on the back of the team’s match and training shorts. The brand will also feature during LIVE home fixtu

Mumbai: Following the lifestyle-driven narrative of Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra discovering Switzerland beyond the expected, Switzerland Tourism has rolled out an integrated multi-city campaign across Mumbai, Delhi, and Gurugram to amplify the story at scale.Anchored in Chopra’s immersive journey through Zurich and the alpine heights of Schilthorn, the campaign positions Switzerland as a destination where urban culture, refined lifestyle, and high-adrenaline adventure coexist seamless

Mumbai: Rishabh Nahar and Ankur Kaushik, two key figures behind the rise of India’s modern live comedy touring ecosystem, have launched Beacon Live, a live entertainment touring company aimed at shaping the next phase of global and domestic live experiences.Drawing on their leadership experience at Only Much Louder (OML), where they helped scale artist touring, international expansion and marquee live milestones, the founders are now focused on building artist-first infrastructure, structured

Mumbai: Strengthening its commitment to building a future-forward content ecosystem rooted in culture, creativity and scale, ‘Z’ has announced the launch of the Zee Short Film Contest — a pan-India, omnichannel initiative aimed at identifying, nurturing and celebrating emerging filmmaking talent across the country.The contest brings together some of the most distinctive cinematic voices from across regions on a unified national platform. Designed as a multilingual and inclusive gateway, th

Mumbai: McCain Foods India has announced strong traction for its latest brand campaign, #PartyShuruWithMcCain, which has garnered over 12.1 million views, reached 7.9+ million users, and generated 4M+ engagements across Instagram and Facebook. The campaign marks a strategic push by the brand to expand beyond everyday snacking and deepen its presence in the growing in-home celebration and sharing occasions category.Built on the insight that most house parties begin with polite small talk and awkw

Mumbai: InstaMoney, a digital lending platform and part of Vartis Platforms Group, has unveiled its latest brand campaign titled ‘InstaMoney – Apka Superdost’. The high-energy digital film blends humour and relatability to spotlight how instant credit can help users navigate sudden financial emergencies. The campaign features actor Kashish Rizwan in the lead role.At the centre of the film is a young professional portrayed by Rizwan, known for her appearances in Jalsa and Rocky Aur Rani Kii

Hyderabad: Mindspace EcoRun 2.0 returned to Hyderabad with strong participation, as over 4,200 runners gathered at Mindspace Madhapur on Sunday for the second edition of the sustainability-led marathon. Organised by Mindspace REIT in association with Radio Mirchi, the event combined fitness with environmental consciousness.The marathon featured 5 KM, 10 KM, and 21 KM categories, drawing a diverse mix of seasoned runners, first-time participants, families, and corporate teams. The turnout reflect

Mumbai: Linear television (LTV) continues to deliver high-value audiences and strong brand credibility for advertisers during marquee cricket tournaments, according to a new Cricket Audience Insights study released by JioStar and conducted by Kantar.The research profiles the affluence signals and consumer behaviour of LTV cricket viewers, positioning them as a premium, high-spending segment with deep trust in televised advertising—an important finding for brands planning media investments arou

Mumbai: Acclaimed advertising professional Chirag Sangai has announced the launch of “a Simple agency”, an integrated advertising and marketing firm designed to simplify creativity and brand communication through impact-driven, objective-oriented ideas. The agency launches under Loggerheads Group as part of a broader integrated communications vision.Positioned as a response to fragmented attention spans and content overload, a Simple agency aims to cut through noise with culturally resonant

Chennai: Redis, a fastest real-time data platform, has announced the appointment of Abhoy Kumar Sarkar as Country Manager & Managing Director for India. In his new role, Abhoy will spearhead the company’s growth strategy in one of its most strategic markets, overseeing go-to-market execution, customer expansion, and partner development across the region.Abhoy joins Redis at a pivotal time as demand for real-time data infrastructure surges across India, fuelled by mobile-first applications, clo

Mumbai: Creativefuel has been recognised as a Great Place To Work Certified™ organisation, marking a significant milestone as the company scales its independent full-funnel creative network and strengthens its position as a bootstrapped creative and media partner for leading consumer brands.Founded in 2020 as a social media and culture-first agency, Creativefuel has evolved into a profitabl`e, media-led organisation with a workforce of over 350 employees across content, media, community, and m

Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Monday is set to hear appeals by Meta Platforms Inc and its messaging arm WhatsApp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order that imposed a ₹213.14-crore penalty over the messaging service’s controversial privacy policy and data-sharing practices.A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, will take up the matter. The proceedings also include a cross-appeal filed by the competition wa

Mumbai: Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, has announced the launch of The Comic Book Trust of India, a non-profit initiative dedicated to documenting, acknowledging, and elevating the comic book medium in the country. As part of the Trust’s initial corpus, Varma has committed INR 1 crore from his personal earnings to support initiatives aimed at empowering creators, preserving comic culture, and building long-term institutional support for the medium.The announcement marks Varma’s fir

Mumbai: Uber has elevated longtime marketing leader Ally Doub to the role of Asia Pacific Marketing Director, tasking her with overseeing the company’s marketing across mobility, delivery and membership businesses in one of its fastest-growing regions.An Australian executive based in Tokyo, Doub has spent more than five years with Uber, most recently serving as Head of Marketing for Japan and South Korea. Her earlier roles included APAC Head of Brand Strategy for Uber and Uber Eats, followed b

Mumbai: Branding Edge, a capital markets-focused strategic communications consultancy, has been appointed as the official strategic communications and media partner for S45, positioned as India’s first AI-native investment banking platform.Under the mandate, Branding Edge will lead S45’s long-term positioning at the intersection of capital markets, technology, and institutional trust. The engagement comes as S45 rolls out an AI-led operating system aimed at transforming how Indian companies

Mumbai: Microsoft has appointed Asha Sharma as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Gaming, placing her at the helm of one of the world’s largest interactive entertainment businesses. She will report directly to Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.Sharma joins the role from Instacart, where she served as Chief Operating Officer, and previously held leadership positions at Meta. Her appointment follows a planned leadership transition after longtime gaming chief

Mumbai: Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) has appointed long-time company executive Pavanjit S Bedi as Chief Marketing Officer – Foods, marking a shift for the marketer from Beauty & Personal Care to the company’s foods portfolio in India.Bedi, who has spent more than two decades with Unilever, most recently served as Global Brand Vice President, a role he held for over four years. In that capacity, he steered the global rebranding and repositioning of Glow & Lovely, one of the company’s large

What if Context-Driven AI could make extremely engaging content without you creating endless prompts?If you've found yourself rewriting prompts repeatedly just to come up with an acceptable AI-generated response, then you're not all on your own. For many years it was our belief that having more precise prompts would yield more effective outcomes. However, as AI is evolving and improved, this notion is being tested.Today Context-driven AI is changing how content is produced. Instead of relying on

The Banyan is a pre-school and corporate day care brand launched in 2003, it was born from a deep understanding of the challenges faced by working parents, especially mothers, in balancing the demands of their careers and caregiving responsibilities. In response, The Banyan set out to build a supportive, high-quality childcare ecosystem that enables parents to pursue their professional goals with confidence and peace of mind.The Banyan currently operates in centres across Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, M

Mumbai: PepsiCo India’s Sting Energy has unveiled the next chapter of its sonic brand universe, transforming every cricket Six into a signature ‘STIINNGGG’ moment. With the idea “Longer the Six, louder the Sting sonic,” the brand aims to own the sound of every Six this season, reinforcing that not every boundary — and certainly not every Six — is the same.Building on its growing cultural footprint, Sting Energy’s nationwide campaign positions the brand at the heart of cricket’s

Mumbai: Harpic, India’s No. 1 toilet and bathroom cleaner trusted by over 100 million households*, has announced the launch of New Harpic Bathroom Ultra Cleaner, marking its biggest innovation in bathroom cleaning in over a decade. Alongside the product unveiling, the brand has welcomed filmmaker Rohit Shetty as its new brand ambassador, reinforcing its promise of powerful and confident stain removal.Indian households, particularly in urban regions, often face persistent bathroom challenges su

Mumbai: Matrimony.com has appointed Ajit Nair as Business Head – Assisted Services, reinforcing its focus on strengthening its premium, people-driven matchmaking vertical. The move underscores the company’s strategic emphasis on deeper customer engagement and service excellence in a category where personalized interaction remains a key differentiator.A seasoned professional with over two decades of experience across customer operations, sales, strategy, and service excellence, Nair is recogn

Mumbai: SoCheers has unveiled Breaking the Metro Myopia , a strategic report and playbook aimed at challenging entrenched metro-centric growth assumptions and unlocking the next wave of demand emerging from India’s hinterland markets.While many brand strategies continue to mirror metro-led consumption patterns, the report highlights the subtler cultural cues, behavioural shifts and trust signals shaping growth in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. It calls on brands to reassess long-standing urban b

Bengaluru: Coca-Cola India has brought back its cult classic Rimzim Jeera with a bold new campaign that celebrates the brand’s distinctive jeera flavour and nostalgic legacy. Anchored in the thought “Jeere mein heera, Rimzim Jeera,” the comeback positions the beverage not just as a retro favourite but as a proudly OG ethnic drink for a new generation of consumers.As India rediscovers its love for local flavours, Rimzim Jeera returns with a campaign that embraces its unapologetic personalit

Guwahati: As Assam moves closer to the 2026 Assembly elections, News18 Network is set to host ‘Agenda Assam’ on 22 February in Guwahati, bringing the eminent policymakers, influential voices and thought leaders together on one platform.The forum will feature discussions on governance, infrastructure, development priorities, and the evolving socio-economic landscape, while examining Assam’s progress, key challenges, and emerging opportunities shaping the state’s future.Hon’ble Chief Min

India: As artificial intelligence platforms begin testing advertisements and sponsored recommendations within conversational interfaces, marketers are reassessing how influence operates in real time. Unlike traditional digital advertising that relies on segmented audiences and predefined creatives, AI-led conversational marketing responds dynamically to user intent as it unfolds during an interaction.According to 0101.Today, this shift signals a move away from broadcast-style messaging toward co

Mumbai: Shubhangi Bhatia Gupta has joined Nirmit Bharat as Brand Lead for the parent brand and its consumer-facing app, DigiHaat. Nirmit Bharat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the Government of India’s initiative aimed at democratizing e-commerce and creating an open, inclusive digital commerce ecosystem.In her new role, Bhatia will be responsible for shaping the overarching brand strategy, driving key initiatives, and leading integrated marketing effo

Mumbai: Paramount Skydance has crossed a critical regulatory milestone in its $108bn pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery, after US antitrust authorities allowed the statutory waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act to lapse without objection. The move removes a significant procedural hurdle and strengthens Paramount’s hand in its high-stakes contest with Netflix.In a regulatory filing, Paramount Global said the expiration of the HSR waiting period means there is no statutory barrier

Mumbai: Paramount Skydance has crossed a critical regulatory milestone in its $108bn pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery, after US antitrust authorities allowed the statutory waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act to lapse without objection. The move removes a significant procedural hurdle and strengthens Paramount’s hand in its high-stakes contest with Netflix.In a regulatory filing, Paramount Global said the expiration of the HSR waiting period means there is no statutory barrier

Chennai: Colgate-Palmolive India has launched its latest campaign for Colgate Visible White Purple, featuring Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon and Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma. The new campaign brings together the worlds of cinema and cricket to position teeth whitening as an integral part of today’s beauty and grooming routine. The campaign seeks to elevate whitening from […] The post Kriti Sanon and Abhishek Sharma unveil ‘The Beauty Secret’ with Colgate Visible White Purple appeared fi

Mumbai: JioStar has sharply increased the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of several individual television channels while keeping bouquet price revisions relatively modest, signalling a stronger push towards bundled consumption in its 2026 reference interconnect offer (RIO) for distribution platform operators (DPOs).The broadcaster, which operates more than 130 channels across languages and genres, has reset both a-la-carte and bouquet pricing in the fresh RIO. The new structure shows steep year-on

New Delhi: Pizza Hut has unveiled a new campaign film to introduce Crafted Flatzz, its latest pizza innovation, featuring Indian cricketers Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana. Designed to stand apart from conventional formats, Crafted Flatzz brings a fresh twist to the pizza experience with its distinctive oval shape, generous toppings and a thin, crisp, lighter crust.Breaking away from the traditional round base, Crafted Flatzz is positioned as a bold, flavour-forward offering tha

Mumbai: In a significant development for India’s film industry, Abundantia Entertainment, under its Artificial Intelligence-powered storytelling division aiON, has announced a strategic partnership with global AI video technology leader invideo to launch an AI-driven film production studio. Backed by a corpus of ₹100 crores, the initiative marks the largest structured commitment to AI-powered filmmaking in India to date.The partnership combines Abundantia’s established creative and filmmak

Mumbai: A mysterious teaser featuring actor Pankaj Tripathi has surfaced online, leaving audiences intrigued and speculating about what’s to come. Set against hauntingly familiar, eerie background music, the clip instantly establishes a suspenseful tone that has captured viewers’ attention across digital platforms.The teaser thumbnail shows Tripathi with widened eyes and an open mouth, seemingly reacting to something lurking behind him. Adding to the suspense, bold text flashes across the sc

Mumbai: Cheil India has launched a new brand film for Samsung Galaxy Book5 that captures the quiet moments of contemplation Gen Z experiences while making life-defining decisions. The film presents AI not as a feature-led proposition, but as an intuitive enabler that transforms everyday moments into opportunities for exploration and self-expression.Set against scenes of reflection and transition, the narrative brings alive the concept of “Many Me’s in Me.” As the protagonist navigates vari

New Delhi: At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang positioned India at the centre of the company’s next phase of artificial intelligence deployment, highlighting the country’s creator economy, small-business ecosystem and developer talent as key drivers of real-world AI adoption.In his keynote, Wang underscored Meta’s ambition to move beyond generic AI systems toward what he described as “personal superintelligence” — AI deeply integrated into ever

New Delhi: HDFC Mutual Fund, through its Investor Education and Awareness Initiative, has unveiled two investor education films spotlighting its on-ground participation at the 2026 Magh Mela in Prayagraj. The films centre around the ‘Barni Se Azadi’ campaign and a culturally rooted Diya Floating activity, reinforcing the importance of transitioning from traditional savings habits to informed, long-term investing.The first film documents the ‘Barni Se Azadi’ activation staged amid the vib

Mumbai: After 18 successful seasons, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has cemented its position as one of the world’s premier sporting properties, delivering unmatched broadcast reach and commercial scale. As the league continues to evolve into a global commercial powerhouse, attention is now shifting toward how individual franchises can unlock and maximise their standalone enterprise value.According to Sports Innovation (SI), the next phase of IPL franchise economics lies in reframing broadcas

Mumbai: Feeding India, in partnership with District by Zomato, has announced the third edition of the Feeding India Concert 2026, featuring global pop icon Shakira as the headline act. The four-time Grammy Award winner will perform in Mumbai on April 10 and in Delhi on April 15, marking the first time the concert will be hosted across multiple cities. The shows are presented by HSBC India, and will be produced and exclusively ticketed by District by Zomato.The multi-city expansion represents a s

On paper, AI disclosure sounds straightforward.Tell people when AI is being used.In reality, it is anything but simple.As AI becomes part of everyday products, disclosures stop being a legal checkbox and turn into a deeply operational problem. They affect product design, engineering workflows, platform governance, and eventually trust. Most discussions today focus on what disclosures should say. Far fewer talk about whether they can realistically work at scale.AI Is No Longer a FeatureOne of the

Mumbai: TRENDS, a fashion retailer, marked Valentine’s Day with a tech-led campaign that blended style, romance and innovation. In partnership with Bangalore-based creative agency Phantom Ideas, the brand launched ‘Say It With A Song’, a digital activation that uses AI to generate personalised love songs for consumers to share with their loved ones.At the centre of the campaign is the ‘Tune With Trends’ microsite, where users can create customised tracks by entering simple prompts such

Mumbai: Spinny, a used-car platform, marks a decade of operations with the launch of its new brand campaign, “The Master: India’s most-trusted and loved car home,” featuring Sachin Tendulkar. The milestone campaign underscores Spinny’s decade-long focus on building trust, transparency and consistency in the pre-owned car market.Over the past ten years, Spinny has served more than five lakh families and offers over 10,000 refurbished, high-quality cars on its platform at any given time. T

MUMBAI: In line with its branding efforts to strengthen national reach, Jivraj9, a tea brand, recently unveiled its third television commercial showcasing its Instant Tea Mix - part of its versatile product range – underscoring that convenience and authenticity of homemade-like tea can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.The new TVC’s opening montage features Jivraj9’s brand ambassador, Neena Gupta, sitting at the centre of three generations — a middle-aged woman on one side and a young woman o

MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network and Galleri5, today, launched a production-grade operating system built specifically for cinema at the India AI Impact Summit. The Galleri5 AI Studio claims to be India’s first cinema-native production technology platform, an end-to-end orchestration layer designed for film and television. It brings together generative systems, LoRA-driven character architecture, controlled shot pipelines, 3D/VFX integration, lip-sync, upscaling, quality control, and delivery

New Delhi: Fabindia has announced the launch of its Spring 2026 campaign, ‘The Song of Spring,’ spotlighting a new Chikankari collection that spans ethnic and western styles for men, women and kids.Reimagining centuries-old embroidery for the modern wardrobe, the collection blends traditional craftsmanship with bold textile innovation. Moving beyond classic pastels, the range introduces a vibrant palette of plum, berry and fuchsia across cotton, crepe and yarn-dyed textures. The silhouettes

Mumbai: Jaypore, the artisanal lifestyle brand from the house of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, has launched its Spring–Summer 2026 campaign titled ‘The World of Botanicals’. The seasonal narrative draws inspiration from English gardens in bloom and the understated elegance of colonial Indian courtyards, blending heritage influences with contemporary Indian craftsmanship.Through sunlit florals, softened colour palettes and thoughtful visual compositions, the campaign captures the