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The Director of Marketing, Vikram Chandratrey of Mondelez International has joined Tata Consumer Products Limited for the ready to drink category. He was the director of marketing for Indonesia and head of innovation and equity for SEA. 

Chandratrey has been appointed vice president of marketing for the ready-to-drink (RTD) category at Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) in India. Effective September 16, Chandratrey has relocated from Jakarta to Gurugram, India to oversee the marketing of brands such as Himalayan Water, Tata Gluco+, and Tata Copper+.

Chandratrey has been replaced by Lucas Levy, former marketing head for Dove Hair in Southeast Asia at Unilever. Levy will be the regional marketing head. 

Chandratrey was associated with Mondelez International since more than 11 years. He worked closely on products such as Cadbury and Oreo. 

Mondelez’s Indonesia marketing head joins Tata consumer products

Cashify has announced the appointment of Ujjwal Sinha as Head of Marketing. With over 15 years of extensive experience in the marketing domain, Ujjwal brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the company, further strengthening Cashify’s leadership team. 

In his new role, Ujjwal will oversee and direct all aspects of consumer marketing at Cashify.

Before joining Cashify, Ujjwal served as Associate Vice President of Marketing at CARS24, where he played a pivotal role in driving business growth through innovative marketing strategies.  

Coming from auto industry re-commerce, at CARS24, he led the growth marketing for the supply side, optimizing marketing efforts through data and technology, and spearheading media planning, buying, and offline efforts. His work in enhancing the company’s online reputation and ensuring the brand’s physical presence across multiple cities were significant milestones during his association with CARS24. Prior to his roles at CARS24, Ujjwal held senior marketing positions at AutoPortal India and Tata Motors. 

“We are thrilled to have Ujjwal join our team,” said Nakul Kumar, Co-Founder & CMO of Cashify. “Building a strong team has always been key to our vision, and with Ujjwal on board, we're excited about the growth and opportunities ahead. We are confident that joining forces with talented people will definitely help us grow, innovate and redefine the re-commerce industry in India.” 

Cashify appoints Ujjwal Sinha as head of marketing

Pizza Hut, a division of US-based Yum! Brands, has announced the appointment of Rohan Pewekar as the Managing Director of the Indian Subcontinent. Based in Gurgaon, Pewekar will spearhead the brand's expansion efforts across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, as Pizza Hut prepares for its next phase of growth in the region.

An alumnus of IIM Calcutta and The Wharton School, Rohan has been with Pizza Hut for over four years, serving as Chief Strategy and Finance Officer, where he played a crucial role in the brand's rapid ascent in the market. With nearly 15 years of experience in B2C sectors across various countries, he brings a wealth of expertise in finance, go-to-market strategies, and channel expansion.

In his statement, Pewekar expressed enthusiasm for his new role, stating, "Pizza Hut has seen incredible growth, now reaching close to 900 restaurants across 200+ cities in India. I am honoured to lead the brand in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. As we set our sights on the future, we're not just expanding - we're reinventing the experience with bold partnerships, industry-first products, and innovative marketing that connects with the next generation, unlocking new possibilities in the Indian market."

Pewekar acknowledged the mentorship of Merrill, his predecessor, emphasizing its significance in his career development. He added, "I am eager to collaborate with our incredibly talented team and dedicated franchisee partners as we continue driving our growth, delivering outstanding results, and setting new benchmarks for success."

Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Rohan was with Samsung Electronics India, leading several high-impact strategic initiatives. He also worked at Accenture Strategy Consulting, where he advised clients on market entry strategies, brand launches, and digital transformation across multiple consumer industries.

Yum! Brands appoints Rohan Pewekar as MD, Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent

Milind Shah has taken on an exciting new role as Chief Marketing Officer of MG SELECT, the company's luxury brand channel.

MG SELECT aims to redefine the luxury car experience in India, marking a strategic shift for MG Motor as it continues to expand its footprint in the premium segment of the automobile industry.

Shah shared the news in a recent <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/milindshah1987_mgmotorindia-mgselect-luxurycar-activity-7241790971204542464-0YMz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop">LinkedIn</a> post, expressing his excitement for the next chapter in his career. "After playing a pivotal role in establishing the MG brand in India, I'm now leading the launch of MG Select, a luxury brand channel that promises to redefine the luxury car experience," Shah stated.

Reflecting on his two-decade journey, which he refers to as his "startup life," Shah remains passionate about building innovative teams, creating new markets, and pushing boundaries. He also took the opportunity to thank his colleagues, mentors, and loved ones for their continuous support throughout his career.

As Shah steps into this new role, he looks forward to collaborating with fellow innovators, industry experts, and luxury car enthusiasts. 

Shah has previously worked with Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Milind Shah takes on new challenge as CMO of MG Select, MG Motor India's luxury brand channel

Amazon's Samir Kumar will now take over the reins of the e-commerce giant's Indian operation. Kumar has been appointed as Amazon India's Country Manager, following the resignation of Manish Tiwary. Kumar will continue overseeing the consumer businesses of the retail giant across the Middle East, South Africa, and Turkey. 

Kumar joined Amazon in 1999 and was part of the core team that launched Amazon.in in 2013.  Kumar is an engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. He got his master's degree from Utah State University in 1995.

Ami Agarwal, Amazon’s Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets, announced the leadership transition. Amazon.in leadership team—Saurabh Srivastava (Categories), Harsh Goyal (Everyday Essentials), Amit Nanda (Marketplace), and Aastha Jain (Growth Initiatives)—will now report to Samir. Additionally, Kishore Thota (Emerging Markets Shopping Experience) will report directly to Amit Nanda.
 
Kumar will work closely with Manish Tiwary during the transition period. Tiwary, who has been with Amazon India for eight-and-a-half years, announced his decision to leave in early August. 

Kumar will assume his new role on October 1, 2024.

Samir Kumar takes helm as Amazon India's new country manager

GroupM has appointed Bharat Rajamani as managing partner - growth, acceleration. In his new role, Rajamani will look into all marketing and alliances initiatives of Acceleration - Industry and client events.


He will target Non-GroupM Clients, GroupM's emerging client cluster across all agencies and clients in Sri Lanka Market. 


Rajamani began his career at M/s Dalal & Shah, and M/s Parihar & Sonpar, and went on to work across EY, KPMG India, and GetaFixM.


At EY, as executive director and solution leader - marketing and advertising risk services, he was responsible for the MARS Solution with direct reporting to the Industry Leader for Media & Entertainment in India & Global MARS leaders. 


His clients cut across various industries – FMCG, CP, Telecom, Services, Oil & Gas, and Governments. He performed the following key roles: Pursuit identification & Risk Management, Pursuit strategizing, tracking & co-ordination with Partners, Sales, Team Utilisation, Solution & People Development, Fee Negotiation, Project Execution, Client Deliverables, Billing of project fees & Collections. 


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GroupM names Bharat Rajamani as Managing Partner - Growth, Acceleration

Entrepreneur Mayank Bidawatka, the co-founder of India's defunct microblogging platform Koo, has started a new venture called 'Billion Hearts Software Technologies'.

Bidawatka informed in a LinkedIn post by writing, "I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Founder at Billion Hearts Software Technologies!".


According to Bidawatka, the Billion Hearts will build digital products. He wrote on LinkedIn, "Billion Hearts as a name represents the dreams of many. And hopefully the usage of billions of users around the world for whom this startup will build beautiful digital products".


Bidawatka will launch the startup in a few months as per his LinkedIn post.


<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/a-product-customers-never-wanted-the-rise-and-fall-of-koo-36220.htm">A product customers never wanted?: The rise and fall of Koo</a>


In a previous post, he said that his upcoming venture has secured funding from several founder friends who have established big consumer tech startups in the country. He added, "We are busy talking to some known VCs for seed funding".


Koo, similar to the X platform, was shut down this year due to unsuccessful talks on mergers with several companies and high maintenance costs. 


Backed by Tiger Global, Koo was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Bidawatka and Aprameya Radhakrishna. It was last valued at $274 million.

Before founding Koo, Bidawatka had also started companies like Goodbox and The Media Ant.


Koo co-founder Mayank Bidawatka starts new venture 'Billion Hearts Software'

India has taken another step toward becoming a global leader in broadcast technology with the appointment of Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Board Business Advisory Council.

ATSC, a leading global body focused on advancing broadcast standards, sees Vempati's inclusion as a strategic move to bring India's insights and technological prowess into the global conversation, particularly in the development and expansion of ATSC 3.0.

Vempati's role on the Business Advisory Council will involve guiding the intersection of business strategies and technical advancements. His extensive experience in media and technology positions him well to drive innovation and foster cross-sector partnerships, essential for the widespread adoption of ATSC 3.0. His appointment is also timely, as India explores Direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting - powered by ATSC 3.0 - which promises unprecedented access to multimedia content and strategy services, even in remote regions.

With ATSC 3.0's seamless multimedia delivery framework, India's gigantic population can leverage this technology in a multitude of ways. By enhancing education, digital inclusion, and disaster management services, it will also further align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' vision.

Former Prasar Bharati CEO joins ATSC Board Business Advisory Council

Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, announces Shubhradeep (Shubhra) Guha as its new Global Chief Delivery Officer. He will be responsible for ensuring effective delivery across all client engagements globally while partnering with Publicis Sapient’s global capability leads to drive the evolution of the company’s SPEED capabilities (Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data and AI) and the AI transformation of global delivery. He will be based in Gurgaon.


Guha joins Publicis Sapient from Google’s North America division, where he spent nearly a decade leading integrated teams and delivering transformative, AI-led solutions for some of Google’s largest clients. 


“Shubhra knows how to harness the magic that comes from equipping talented people with powerful AI,” says Nigel Vaz, Publicis Sapient CEO. “We’re working on AI transformation for some of the world’s biggest companies right now. Not prototyping, but actively delivering real work. It’s been part of what we do for years and it’s going to be part of every business going forward. I’m excited to have Shubhra on board to help us continue to deliver with excellence, agility and innovation in this truly transformative era.”


“It’s been incredible to see how Publicis Sapient has advanced its delivery capabilities over the last several years: connecting top-tier strategy, product and experience capabilities to high-end engineering and data, producing transformative outcomes for clients,” says Guha. “As we enter the AI era, I’m excited to return to Publicis Sapient and work with our incredible teams to take delivery to the next level, bringing the best to Publicis Sapient clients, while creating an unmatched environment where our people can learn and grow.”


Outgoing Chief Delivery Officer, Bob Van Beber, will become Global Head of Sales Management. "Bob has served in multiple executive leadership positions throughout his tenure at Publicis Sapient with deep roots in sales and client development,” said Vaz. "I look forward to the impact he will create in this critical new role."


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Publicis Sapient names Shubhradeep Guha as Global Chief Delivery Officer

Snap Inc. announced that Jim Lanzone, Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo Inc., has been appointed to the company's board of directors, effective as of September 12, 2024.


“We are excited to welcome Jim to our board of directors and benefit from his experience in technology and digital advertising,” said Evan Spiegel, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Snap Inc. “We look forward to working with and learning from him as we continue to grow our business.”


“Jim’s strong technology background will be a key asset for Snap,” said Michael Lynton, Chairperson of the board of directors of Snap Inc. “We are glad to have him on the board and I look forward to beginning our work together.”


“Snap has long been a tech pioneer and innovator and I'm thrilled to join the board,” said Lanzone. “With significant long-term opportunity ahead, I’m eager to begin collaborating with Evan, Michael, and the other directors to grow its iconic business.”


Lanzone has been Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Yahoo Inc. since September 2021. Prior to that, Lanzone served as CEO of Tinder. Previously, he served as President and CEO of CBS Interactive for over 8 years, as well as becoming CBS Corporation’s first Chief Digital Officer. He has also previously served on the board of directors for GoPro, Inc. and Edmunds.com.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/carolina-dybeck-happe-joins-microsoft-as-evp-and-coo-newly-created-role-42473.htm">Carolina Dybeck Happe joins Microsoft as EVP and COO in newly created role</a> 

Jim Lanzone joins Snap Inc. Board of Directors

Former chief executive officer of Flipkart, Ayyappan R, is reportedly set to start a quick commerce retail venture. According to The Economic Times report, Ayyappan is in talks with venture capital firms Accel and RTP Global for seed funding. 

Storyboard18 could not independently verify the information. 

The venture will reportedly focus on delivering premium products across various categories such as FMCG, health and fitness, and fashion of both local and international categories. It will also have an offline retail presence too. As per the ET report, the new venture may deliver products within 20-30 minutes. 

Citing sources, the ET report mentioned that the venture would offer a diverse range of products including dry fruits, avocados, blueberries, healthy gummies, etc.

It may operate on a subscription-based model, offering platform access exclusively to its members or by providing better pricing.

Further, the English daily mentioned that the venture is being positioned as "Costco for India". However, the registered name is FirstClub.

Before being the CEO of Flipkart-owned Cleartrip, Ayyappan was the Chief Business Officer of Myntra.

Recently, Flipkart also announced to entry into quick commerce with its service called 'Minutes'.

As per Bofa Securities, the quick commerce market is expected to grow to nearly $22 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) by 2027 from $2.8 billion in 2023.

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Carolina Dybeck Happe, who led GE as SVP and CFO, has joined Microsoft as executive vice president and chief operations officer in a newly created role. Happe will leverage expertise in global transformation at scale, digitization, and continued improvement to accelerate AI-based transformation across the company. 


She will lead teams with engineering and operational capabilities to work across the businesses to improve security, quality, and delivery to customers by simplifying and improving processes and enhancing operational excellence. Happe will create value through continuous improvement by enabling the flywheel between customer needs, technology innovation, and business impact.


Happe will be a part of the senior leadership team and will report to Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer, Microsoft.


Commenting on her appointment, Nadella stated, "I’ve come to admire Carolina through her work as a global business leader, including most recently her role in leading GE’s historic turnaround. She is recognized for her ability to drive transformational change at scale while delivering improved customer experiences and faster time to value. Carolina will partner with the SLT to help us drive continuous business process improvement across all our organizations and accelerate our company-wide AI transformation, increasing value to customers and partners."


He further added, "As part of this transition, the Commerce + Ecosystems organization in Cloud + AI, the Microsoft Digital organization in Experiences + Devices, and the Microsoft Business Operations organization in Finance will move to report to Carolina. These teams are doing mission-critical work for us with high ambition plans on how to empower our partners, customers, and employees with world class technology and experiences."


Happe started her career at EF Education First and went on to work across Establish, ASSA ABLOY Group, and A.P. Moller.


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Carolina Dybeck Happe joins Microsoft as EVP and COO in newly created role

Paul King Ruban, who had joined watch brand Timex as brand head this year in March, has resigned from the company due to personal reasons. 

He had joined from Fossil Group where he was director - planning, APAC and EMEA. Ruban has more than 21 years experience in sales, product, merchandise planning, marketing and brand across diverse categories and brands.

This year, at the 17th edition of TATA IPL, the global watch brand had announced its partnership with Punjab Kings that makes it the ‘official timekeeper of the Kings’. This association saw Timex branding on Punjab Kings with a very prominent logo placement on the trousers.

In February, Tobias Reiss-Schmidt, president and CEO, Timex Group, stated that their focus will always be on analog watches. 

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Paul King Ruban, Brand Head of Timex, resigns

SuperGaming, a Series-A funded game developer of the Indo-futuristic battle royale game Indus, has announced that the game will finally launch for users this year. SuperGaming, backed by investors including Bandai Namco, Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund, Skycatcher, BAce Capital, and Dream Incubator, has been has been hyping up its launch multiple times via teasers and announcements since its inception in January 2022.

In addition to Indus, SuperGaming is developing its own gaming engine, called SuperPlatform, to run hyperscale, real-time multiplayer games.

<strong>Roby John, Founder and CEO of SuperGaming</strong>, spoke to <strong>Storyboard18</strong> about the game’s launch, investments, and the company's Licensing and Merchandising (L&M) strategies. Last month, the Pune-based gaming studio officially launched Indus, its made-in-India battle royale game, in an open beta phase.

The Indian Gaming industry was abuzz over SuperGaming's strategy to hype up its launch for users. When asked if SuperGaming is hyping its launch date multiple times to raise investor funding, John responded, “Whether you raise less or more money, people will always talk about it. But from an investor's perspective, does one think that investors are dumb to buy into hype? Investors don't buy into dumb hype. They are very smart people. The days of investors falling for hype are over. No investor is giving you money just because of some hype you’ve created.”

He added, “They are actually looking at your real product and its metrics. That’s how I’ve raised every dollar—not based on hype or promises, but on hard-earned metrics in the game.”

Speaking about the time and effort it takes to create a video game, John explained, “Not everyone can understand what it takes to make a game. It’s very difficult to explain that a game can take a decade of your life. That’s something very hard for anyone to grasp.”

<strong>How much money is required to build a battle royale game?</strong>

According to Tracxn, SuperGaming has raised a total of $6.8 million over three rounds, with the first round of funding on November 12, 2019.

When asked how much money it takes to develop a video game, John said, “Video games are like a hungry dragon. To make any kind of game, you’ve got to keep feeding that dragon forever. I’ve spent the last 15 years feeding the dragon to make these games. I’ve lost count of how much I’ve fed it, but we’ve made and raised money, putting all of it into making these games because we want to create the best experience.”

John declined to share the total amount needed to develop a game like Indus, saying, “We’ve had 150 people working on it, and we’ve invested our youth in developing the game. That’s worth more than any dollar amount. We spent eight years building the engine on which Indus runs. So, when you think about six to eight years of work going into it, it’s a considerable amount of money.”

When asked if the company has any timeline to be profitable, John said, "My goal is to always be profitable. We see the launch as a pivotal moment in our history which is an opportunity to building complex products. It takes years of engineering to build some of these and requires lots of investments."

To build a product that is profitable will obviously be the natural direction of how we're proceeding further. We have an engine business as well, where other companies use our licensed engine. So that offers us other opportunities to make money as well. John added. 

<strong>Are Indians paying for virtual goods?</strong>

According to Lumikai’s report, the Indian gaming industry experienced significant growth during FY23, reaching 568 million gamers, with 25% being paying users. This reflects a 12 percent increase in gamers and a strong 17 percent growth in paying users compared to FY22.

When asked if Indians are paying for in-app virtual products, John said, “India is the fastest-growing new payer market in the world. India is adding more new payers every month on Google Play than the rest of the world combined. These are people paying for in-app purchases for the first time. The user base of those paying for virtual goods is growing fastest in the world here.”

He added, “In India, the way to make money is to earn a little amount but from a lot of users. We’ve noticed that users don’t make just one purchase. They might start with a small one but make multiple purchases over time. This increases value, but the volume comes first as users make small in-app purchases.”

<strong>Licensing and Merchandising</strong>

According to Global Market Insights, the gaming merchandise market was valued at USD 420.7 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% between 2024 and 2032. The Asia Pacific gaming merchandise market is projected to reach USD 650 million by 2032.

Speaking about SuperGaming’s L&M strategy, John said, “We’ve already started working on our merchandise. We’ve been approached by many companies to build products around our IPs. We make sure to wear Indus merch everywhere. We’ve received a lot of inbound partnership offers from those wanting to license our IP. We’ve raised money in Japan and the US, and we have connections with large companies to figure out which IPs to focus on.”

For now, however, John mentioned that it’s too early to pursue L&M deals with FMCG or Indian companies. “Once we scale our user base, we’ll look into it. We’d like to collaborate with companies that value what our game represents.”

The Indian Gaming industry is waiting for Indus’ launch to celebrate the success of India’s first homegrown battle royale game. 

‘Not hyping to raise funds, investors are not dumb,’ says SuperGaming Founder

In a special chat, Storyboard18 caught up with the top women leaders at Dentsu. Amanda Morrissey, global president, iProspect, and chief growth officer, media, Dentsu  and Shenda Loughnane, global brand president, dentsu X, the arm of the Japan-headquartered agency that delivers customised marketing services, were on their India visit and were joined by Prerna Mehrotra, chief client officer and CEO, media, Asia Pacific, and Anita Kotwani, CEO, media, South Asia, at a special all-women Dentsu roundtable.


Morrissey outlined the pillars that have shaped the agency’s growth trajectory this year: a focus on clients, talent development, growth and capability building.


She said that Dentsu has made commendable progress in each of these areas, enhancing its operational structures to better serve clients in a fast-changing environment.


Morrissey explained that in 2024, Dentsu concentrated on realigning its teams and structures to adapt to ongoing geopolitical shifts, post-pandemic recovery and a rapidly evolving media landscape. This reorganisation, coupled with integrating client leadership at the highest decision-making levels, has strengthened the agency’s client partnerships.


On her part, Loughnane highlighted that the company has successfully transitioned from the broadcast era to the precision era and now into the algorithmic era, where AI controls much of the digital experience.


Kotwani underlined India’s role in the company’s growth strategy. As one of the fastest-growing markets for global media agencies, Dentsu’s approach in India focuses on deepening client relationships and expanding service offerings in areas like commerce, retail, content and data analytics.


"We have added 80 new clients so far this year, and this growth has been supported by a dedicated squad focused on driving new business," Kotwani shared.


Below are the excerpts of the discussion.


<strong>What are the plans set out for Dentsu for 2024 and how much of that has been achieved so far?</strong>


<strong>Morrissey:</strong> The real focus areas for us as we have come into 2024 were number one, clients. We always put clients at the centre of our business. As we have come into 2024, there's a lot of insecurity. Obviously, because we've come out of COVID, there's a lot of geopolitical change within the environment. There's a lot of media landscape shifting.


So how do we really make sure that we are creating the right team structures, the right operational structures for our clients? We spend a lot of time doing that to give them the flexibility and resources that they need. We have been very successful at that. We have reorganised our top clients globally and how they fall in regions and markets.


We have also put client leadership on the board within Dentsu as well, making sure they are part of the decision making, that their point of view and conversation is important for us as an organisation. So that's been a really big strategic priority for us and one that has really helped us drive growth for Dentsu and for our clients and build that business partnership because that's really what is at the heart of our business. 


Our second one was around talent. I am relatively new to Dentsu, I was amazed by how long people have actually been here. And one of the things that's really surprised me when I first arrived was just the generosity of spirit and the quality of the talent here. 


People are having to upskill all the time, the geopolitical landscape and the way people are having to work is having to change. So how do we set our talent up for success, make sure we train and develop them and make sure we've got the right talent capabilities within our business to move forward?


The third part for us with Dentsu has been growth. We need to grow our business and so we've been really focused on growth and we've achieved fairly significant growth this year. We've seen really good growth as we've come into the first eight months of the year. 


You asked about the industry trends, we've really focused this year on capability building. When we thought about capability building, it's very much been around our clients and what's going to drive growth for them and for us as well. And so we've been looking at those really fast currents for growth. And obviously, a lot of that is in retail because everything is commerce. So retail, media and commerce have  been big focus areas.


Effectiveness is a really big thing that clients are asking us for. Media's actually got onto the boardroom table. And so what a lot of our clients are asking for is business intelligence. How are my media dollars really driving my business impact so they can take it to the board?


Marketing ROI (return on investment) has been another area that we've really focused on. Not just media ROI, but marketing ROI. 


And I guess the final piece for us has been around content, and the emergence and proliferation of content around social influencer and live commerce as well. So we've been building those capabilities as well. So I think we've done a lot.


I have actually been here in India this week and seeing what the team have done and achieved here across those strategic priorities, it's just blown my mind.


<strong>Dentsu has been through quite a shapeshift, a turmoil, so to speak, over the past couple of years. Now, finally, we see some sort of stability. Over the past few months, how much of client trust have you regained? And how successful have you been in attracting talent?</strong>


<strong>Loughnane:</strong> The industry has changed quite fundamentally. We're seeing some really interesting developments, of course, in AI. Everybody's talking about AI. We say that we've come from an era that was very much the broadcast era, which was all about brand building, into the precision era, which was all about sort of performance marketing. And we're now in what we call the algorithmic era, which is all where AI is the gatekeeper and is controlling aspects of our lives and also deciding what content is displayed and what brands are displayed. That's required some changes.


So what we've done over the last, I guess a number of years, is to really look at how we reorganise our business to be ready for that change in the industry. We've done all of that work over the last number of years. We've done work to rationalise our brands. We went from 150 brands down to five key brands that we focus on. That's all been in the service of delivering for our clients and really thinking about how we drive growth for our clients.


So to your question about driving growth for our clients, that organisation is about facilitating how we build brands for our clients across media, creative, data and technology, and bringing those skills together really holistically to be able to drive that growth for our clients. So that's the journey we've been on. We're really starting to see the fruits of that. The growth that we've delivered over this year, I think, is really a testament to that, not just at a global level but also in India as well.


I think that is really what is now driving growth at a global and at a local and regional level as well.


<strong>What are the strategies you're focusing on to drive growth for Dentsu in India? Because we all know, whoever I speak to, everyone's focus is on India. They speak about how India is going to be the next big market for the holding company. So what are some of the things that you're focusing on to drive growth?</strong>


<strong>Kotwani:</strong> One of the most important parts that we've pulled in in our growth agenda is really saying, how do you define growth? For us, it's the depth that we get into with a client. How do we immerse ourselves into our clients' businesses? So the sheer depth gives us the expansion of services. The new-age ones that Amanda talked about are very much prevalent in our country.


Whether it's total commerce, retail, content, influencer marketing, data and analytics—these are all specialisations that we have very much in India as well. So that's one level of saying, I have a client, how do I expand my services to that client?


The other one is really around the new logos. How do I bring in the additional new logos that are going to give us the badge value that Dentsu really, really needs? We've added 80 so far in the year. So we're pretty happy with the momentum in growth that we are seeing.


There is a dedicated growth squad within the organisation that has helped us deliver a lot better momentum compared to, let's say, what probably other agencies are, where you have your client leaders striving to drive the new logo. But we've created a special team that's really helping us accelerate growth. So that's how we're looking at it from an India standpoint.


<strong>What are some of the things that clients are speaking about? How has the year been for Dentsu? What is the sentiment like for 2024? From conversations I've had with CMOs and CEOs, they are saying they are cautiously optimistic. Are you also hearing that?</strong>


<strong>Mehrotra:</strong>  It's fair to say that it is cautiously optimistic because clients are moving in with a lot of caution when even dollars are being channelled to us, as agencies.


But what has happened in the last few years, I would say, is that there is a lot more accountability expected from agencies than ever before. So whether it's a review process or an existing brief, there is a demand that clients have where, as Amanda mentioned, media takes the front seat. But media also takes full accountability of how and where that money is being spent. So we need to ensure that the money being spent by these clients is in the right places to target the right consumers. Hence, a lot of the conversations have been around ROI and how media could become the growth driver for their business. I think there's a lot of linkages that we are seeing in that space.


But clearly, money's flowing when you're able to show value. So it's all about value creation. What clients are expecting from us is to show value through the full funnel experience that the consumer goes through in ensuring that from start to finish you're able to deliver the KPIs (key performance indicators). But eventually, deliver business results. So the expectation is you become a growth partner for them.


And if you are the growth partner, in my view, money flows.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/dentsu-group-india-biz-showing-encouraging-signs-after-long-period-underperformance-39680.htm">Dentsu Group: India biz showing "encouraging signs" after long period underperformance</a>

Rajat Mendiratta, who led Modi Naturals as chief operating officer, has stepped down from his position.


Mendiratta began his career at Pooja Enterprises as general manager, and went on to work across Tulsi Foods and International Clinical Epidemiology Network.


His innings at Modi Naturals began in 2016 as general manager - operations. 


During his stint as the general manager operations at Modi Naturals, he oversaw the entire business operations and strategy, from distribution and sales. He led a team of 150+ employees across multiple locations and functions.


He developed strong expertise in new business development, supply chain and sales operations. He has also implemented innovative and cost-effective solutions to optimize operational efficiency and quality. 


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/nikes-anurag-pandey-joins-carlsberg-group-as-chief-technology-officer-42357.htm">Nike's Anurag Pandey joins Carlsberg Group as chief technology officer</a> 

Modi Naturals' COO Rajat Mendiratta resigns

Godrej & Boyce has elevated Mehernosh Pithawalla as Executive Vice President - Strategic Projects, CEO's office. Godrej & Boyce confirms this development with Storyboard18. He was the Senior Vice President and Head of brand and strategic insights at Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. 

Pithawalla holds a degree in BE for mechanical engineering, Walchand Institute of Technology, and an MBA from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies. He started his career at Godrej as head of global marketing, sales and innovation, and then rose up the rank as vice president - sales and marketing, Godrej Security Solutions.

Previously, he also headed Marketing, Sales and Innovation in Godrej Security Solutions, one of India’s leading brand in the security industry. As the head of International Business, he was instrumental in expanding the footprint of Godrej Security Solutions’ around the world, especially in the developed markets such as Europe, US and the Middle East. 

He has been a strong advocate of user insight based innovations at Godrej Security Solutions and has spearheaded several innovations that are a first of its kind in the Indian Security Industry.

<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/godrej-consumer-makes-changes-in-the-senior-management-team-41935.htm">Godrej Consumer makes changes in the senior management team</a> 

Godrej & Boyce elevates Mehernosh Pithawalla to EVP - Strategic Projects, CEO's Office

Gaurav Verma, who led PharmEasy, an online pharmacy startup as chief marketing officer, has been elevated to the position of a chief business officer.


His skills ranged from strategic marketing management, marketing communications and creative marketer.


Verma started his career at ITC Foods as assistant brand manager and went on to work across Lenovo, Tata Tea Limited, PepsiCo and Zomato.


In April, PharmEasy secured Rs 1,804 crore in a funding round that was led by Manipal Education and Medical Group, stated a media report.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/nikes-anurag-pandey-joins-carlsberg-group-as-chief-technology-officer-42357.htm">Nike's Anurag Pandey joins Carlsberg Group as chief technology officer </a>



PharmEasy CMO Gaurav Verma elevated to chief business officer

After a career spanning over three decades in the advertising industry, Rohit Ohri is retiring from his role as Global Partner at FCB.

 
Ohri spent eight years at the helm of FCB Group India before being elevated to FCB Global Partner to bolster the FCB network, working closely with Global CEO, Tyler Turnbull.

 
During his time at FCB, Ohri has played an instrumental role in steering the company towards unprecedented growth, as the driving force behind the acquisition of Kinnect, the region’s digital-first creative agency; spearheading the creative transformation within the Group; and leading the agency towards numerous awards and accolades, both on a local and global scale, stated the company.

 
FCB Global CEO Tyler Turnbull stated, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rohit in India and in our offices across the world for the past nine years and can safely say his contribution has been invaluable. Not only did he play an integral role in helping FCB become the creative powerhouse it is today, but he’s helped set the company up to thrive for many years to come and taught me a few things along the journey too. Rohit is a great leader, and more importantly, a great person, so it truly has been a privilege to have him as part of the network.”

 
Ohri added, "When I joined FCB in 2016, my mission was clear: to transform the agency’s creative reputation and make it future-ready. This mission was proven a success when FCB Group India was named Adweek's International Agency of the Year, which was a moment of immense pride for my leadership team and me. It was a great recognition of the incredible journey we embarked on - producing work that set global benchmarks and building world-class capabilities. I’m deeply grateful to Susan and Tyler for the unstinting support they gave me and the India business. FCB is, and always will be, close to my heart, and I will forever be its biggest cheerleader. Now, under Dheeraj’s leadership, I’m confident the agency will scale even greater heights."


“Rohit has left an indelible mark on both the agency and industry at large, so we want to thank him for his leadership and contributions to FCB and the industry over the past 30 years. His guidance in India has been instrumental in our agencies' success, and we wish him all the very best for his future endeavours ,” added Dheeraj Sinha, CEO, FCB Group India & South Asia.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/fcb-ulka-appoints-sucharita-gahlot-as-national-creative-director-40883.htm">FCB Ulka appoints Suchitra Gahlot as national creative director</a> 

Rohit Ohri retires from FCB

Jennifer Dulski, the Founder and CEO of Rising Team and a prominent lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, has shared insights into her unconventional career journey, emphasizing how taking strategic demotions plays a pivotal role in her success.

Dulski began her career in 1999 with Yahoo, accepting a marketing position that offered significantly less compensation that other opportunities she had at the time. "Most of my peers didn't understand that choice at the time, but I was excited about getting started in tech," Dulski told Business Insider. Her passion for technology and business outweighed the financial considerations, setting the stage for her future achievements.

Her career has been marked by a series of bold decisions, including her willingness to take a demotion. When Dulski chose to transition into a general management role at Yahoo, she took a step down from her marketing position. "People looked at me and said, 'what are you doing?' But I knew I wanted to try to run a business," she recalled. This move, though seemingly counterintuitive, proved to be a strategic one. "It set my career on a different path. I ended up being promoted. And in around 18 months, they gave me six businesses to run."

Dulski's journey continued with a stint at Dealmap, a startup she joined after leaving her senior executive role at Yahoo. The startup was later acquired by Google, where she continued her career before making another unexpected move to become president and CEO of Change.org. Her path eventually led her to Facebook, where she managed groups and communities. 

After 25 years in leadership roles across major tech companies, Dulski launched Rising Team in 2020. Reflecting on her career, she noted, "I've taken what I consider the unexpected or less obvious career option at many points along the road. In 2020 I started my own company, which feels like the culmination of my career."

Ex-senior employee of Yahoo, Google, and Facebook reflects on career decisions

Chief Marketing Officer of TATA Motors (passenger vehicles), Vinay Pant has moved out of the organization after two years. Industry sources have confirmed the development to Storyboard18. Tata Motors did not respond to calls and messages. Tata Motors is undergoing multiple changes in the organization and at the agency level. 

Pant was associated with Maruti Suzuki for 15 years starting 2007, heading consumer analytics. At Maruti Suzuki, he also served as Head of Marketing and later as Senior VP for True Value.

He worked with Hero MotoCorp as a strategic planner in 1996 and was also a part of Reckitt Benckiser for three years. Pant is an alumni of BITS Pilani. 

He was also associated with TNS, IMRB International and GFK.  

Tata Motors PVs CMO Vinay Pant quits amidst multiple rejigs at the auto major

Neha More has joined Ferrero as Business Head, Modern trade. More brings over 14 years of experience in Business Development, Key Account Management,  Customer Marketing, Digital Activations, P&L management and Omni Channel Strategy driving revenue growth and profitability in both Ecommerce and Modern Retail.


In her Linkedin post, More said, “I’m thrilled to be joining Ferrero, a company renowned for its iconic brands, global leadership and a relentless focus on innovation, quality, and people. With Ferrero's strong legacy of brand building and strategic market expansion, I am eager to contribute my expertise to drive the company’s growth initiatives and further elevate its reputation. I look forward to this incredible journey with Ferrero and to being a part of its continued success."


Prior to taking up the new role, More served as the Head Modern Trade for Britannia Industries Ltd. She had been with the company since 2018.


She spearheaded accelerating newer categories online and in modern trade, leading growths for digital first portfolio, industry firsts digital activations and strategic initiatives with key channel partners, led reputation-building initiatives, joint business planning, internal backend operations project to strengthen fulfilment for the channel. 


She holds an MBA degree from IBS Pune and has over 14 years of extensive experience esp. in FMCD & FMCG industry. Throughout her career, More has made significant contributions by holding sales and business positions in organisations like LG Electronics, Stanley Black & Decker, Perfetti Van Melle & Britannia Industries Ltd.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/munir-lamba-joins-marico-egypt-as-country-business-head-42352.htm">Munir Lamba joins Marico Egypt as Country Business Head</a> 


Neha More joins Ferrero as Business Head, Modern Trade

Anurag Pandey, who led Nike as vice president, global technology, has joined Carlsberg Group as chief technology officer.

During his tenure at Nike, as per a report, Pandey led initiatives that seamlessly integrated technology solutions with business objectives, significantly enhancing customer experiences and positioning Nike at the forefront of innovation.


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He stated, "Almost a decade and it’s time to say goodbye to my Nike journey. It was an amazing run which I will always be grateful to. I guess the hardest part was saying goodbye to my amazing team in shanghai and leaving the city which had become my second home. 
As a team we always talked about our legacy and as I step away I feel proud to what we achieved together."


Pandey began his career at GE and went on to work across Infosys, CP Lotus Retail, adidas group. 


At Nike, Pandey joined as director - technology and moved up the rank as senior director - greater China/ Japan. 


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/gcpl-boss-sudhir-sitapati-on-dhaval-buch-and-what-happens-when-govt-and-pvt-sector-worlds-collide-42285.htm">GCPL boss Sudhir Sitapati on Dhaval Buch and what happens when govt and pvt sector worlds "collide" </a>

Nike's Anurag Pandey joins Carlsberg Group as chief technology officer

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the role of AI in shaping social media strategies and digital marketing has become increasingly significant. Bullish on AI, Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Motors CVBU, and Rohan Chincholi, Chief Digital Officer at Havas Media India, share their views on social media in an AI era with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani. 

In this episode of Media Dialogues with Storyboard18, dig into how future-facing marketing visionaries and practitioners are looking at the integration of AI tools in media, the balance between automation and authenticity, and the future of AI-driven personalization. Also, explore the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations that come with leveraging AI in social media marketing.

Watch and listen. 

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Content is king, but distribution is kingdom: Media Dialogues With Storyboard18

In an era where authenticity and relatability are the cornerstones of effective marketing, Harman Dhillon, Executive Director of Beauty & Wellbeing at Hindustan Unilever and General Manager of Beauty & Wellbeing at Unilever South Asia, emphasises the evolving role of brands like Dove in shaping societal values.


Dhillon highlights that modern consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that resonate with their personal beliefs and values, making it crucial for brands to present a genuine and consistent point of view.


Dhillon notes that Dove, a global beauty brand under Unilever’s portfolio, has long been at the forefront of purpose-driven communication. The brand’s latest campaign, "Mothermonials," is an extension of this ethos, addressing deep-rooted beauty biases that impact women and young girls, particularly within the context of marriage.


Drawing on insights from the 2020 "Beauty Report" conducted in India, Dhillon explains that nine out of ten women of marriageable age reported being adversely affected by societal beauty standards during the marriage process. These biases often start at a young age, pressuring girls to conform to certain physical ideals at the expense of their confidence and self-worth.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/exclusive-unilevers-harman-dhillon-responds-to-backlash-on-viral-dove-ad-2283.htm">Exclusive: Unilever’s Harman Dhillon responds to feedback on viral Dove ad</a> 


The "Mothermonials" campaign, now in its third iteration, seeks to challenge these generational biases by shifting the focus from physical attributes to values and ambitions when considering matrimonial matches. Dhillon points out that this campaign is not just about raising awareness but also about driving societal change, with Dove positioned as a catalyst for this transformation.


The campaign’s latest phase specifically involves mothers taking a stand against the superficial aspects of matchmaking, advocating for a more holistic approach that considers character, values, and mutual respect as the foundation of a strong partnership.


Dhillon also discusses the measurable impact of such campaigns. Dove, being one of Unilever's largest brands, ensures that the campaign reaches a broad audience, with significant engagement already evident in the early stages. According to Dhillon, the current "Mothermonials" campaign has garnered nearly 4 crore views within a week of its launch, along with 1,00,000 visits to the campaign's dedicated website and 13,000 women interacting with the content.


However, beyond these impressive numbers, Dhillon underscores that the true success of the campaign is measured by the increase in women’s confidence and their perception of their beauty. The ultimate goal is to ensure that more women and young girls feel positive about their appearance, aligning with Dove’s long-standing mission to make beauty a source of confidence, not anxiety.


<em><strong>Edited Excerpts</strong></em>


<strong>We know Dove is a very large iconic brand. But where do you take it from here? What does a campaign like Mothermonials do for the brand, the equity, bottom line?</strong>


<strong>Dhillon:</strong> At Unilever we believe that marketing is now moving to being more authentic, it is moving to being more relatable to the target audience and at the same time the brands need to have a view because the consumers are evolving and they really want to be with a brand which resonates with their value systems, which resonates with the point of view that they have in life and that's where having a point of view on a brand like Dove, like we do on a lot of other Unilever brands is going to be very critical and that point of view has to be very authentic because we have to live and breathe that point of view.


In the long run we believe if we are true to the point of view and if we are bringing about products and the regular advertising that we are doing which we are very committed that on a brand like Dove there is no digital distortion that we do, on a brand like Dove we are talking about really the authentic voices across the spectrum that we put out, in the long run that is going to differentiate one brand versus the other.


<strong>Dove has been at the forefront of purpose-driven communication, branding, marketing and you have recently come out with the third iteration which is now an ongoing campaign for you. Tell me a little bit about the insights that have driven this Mothermonials campaign from the start.</strong>


Dove is one of our mega brands and we do believe that this brand is special and unique and the reason for that is that the philosophy behind Dove is that we believe that beauty should not be a source of anxiety for women and this is the brand which really helps bring alive within women and young girls a positivity about how they look.


Actually in 2020, in India specifically, while of course globally the brand has been on this trajectory, in India in 2020 we partnered with a research agency and we published something which is called the “Beauty Report” and in that there were a couple of insights which were very unique to India. The first being, nine out of 10 women in the marriageable age were really getting impacted by the process itself, which was really focusing a lot on beauty biases. 


The second, we realised that this marriage process, while of course, it's a process to get the right partner, but at the same time, it is fraught with beauty biases, which not only start very young and early, it could be at the time of when the girl child, especially is supposed to be studying for tests, she is being nudged to say, can you do X and Y, so that the prospects for her improve. So that was the whole idea and insight. And that's when we decided that we are going to have a long-term campaign, which really addresses each of these biases, each of these moments when we really impact the confidence of young girls and women adversely as a society. And these are generational biases.


So for us what was very clear is, it is critical that we make the society aware of it and we bring about change with Dove being the catalyst. And last but not the least, it is an inter-generational trauma because the latest edition of the campaign, if you see, it's mothers who are really taking a stand to say, of course, we want to find the best match for the daughters. But at the same time, it should not be just about the physical attributes because any strong partnership is built on the value systems. It's built on the ambitions. It's built on how the person thinks, feels. And that's what we are trying to do- look at matrimonials through the eyes of mothers and hence Mothermonials, which is part three of the campaign.


<strong>And so far, what sort of response have you got on it? Are you looking at scale for a campaign like this? And also a second part to that question would be, what are you measuring on such a campaign?</strong>


<strong>Dhillon:</strong> Dove, is one of our largest brands in the country, so it has to have scale and impact. So for scale, we look at ensuring the message reaches maximum number of people. So if I was to just talk about the current campaign which we broke a week ago, we're already looking at almost 4 crore views for the campaign. On the Mothermonials website we are looking at almost 1,00,000 visits already. And we are looking at all the filters, etc., that we have put out, 13,000 women interacting with that, which tells us that so many women and the target audience is looking at it, but at the same time, we don't just stop at that. We measure the scale and impact by actually measuring the attribute of this helps me view myself in positive light in the way I look and feel, that has to go up. Because at the end of the day, why are we doing all this? We are doing all this because, like I started out by saying, Dove really wants women and young girls to feel more positive about how they look. So we measure that very regularly, and that's the impact we see of a campaign. If that's going up, and if we are seeing more and more women feeling more confident in their skin, we are bringing about a change.

<em>(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)</em>


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Modern consumers demand authenticity and relatability in brand messaging, says HUL’s Harman Dhillon

In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, the sheer complexity and fragmentation across platforms like TV, CTV, digital, and influencer marketing can be overwhelming. Kartik Sharma, CEO of Omnicom Media Group India, provides a nuanced perspective on these changes and their impact on advertising strategies.

Sharma highlights that while digital media is experiencing significant growth, it’s crucial not to overlook traditional media. Contrary to the belief that print is obsolete, Sharma emphasises that measuring its impact is essential. "You can't make a sweeping statement that a particular medium is dead or growing without measuring its effectiveness," he asserts.

India's media landscape is in a phase where various categories and media are growing at different rates. Some may see single-digit growth while others might experience double-digit increases.

Sharma highlights that the focus should not merely be on reaching the maximum audience at the lowest cost but on effectiveness and impact. "If I can save a dollar or a rupee for my client, it’s a dollar earned," he explains. This cost-saving can lead to reinvestment in business growth or increased profit margins, thereby significantly impacting a client's overall business strategy.

Turning the spotlight on Connected TV (CTV), Sharma notes that luxury brands and those targeting premium consumer segments are heavily investing in experimentation. CTV provides an avenue for these brands to test their strategies on a smaller scale before committing to larger budgets. "We never tell a client to start very big," Sharma said. "It’s always about testing and learning." This approach allows brands to tailor their strategies based on the unique reactions of different consumer segments.

Sharma’s insights reflect a broader trend towards personalised and adaptable media strategies. Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, Sharma emphasised the importance of bespoke solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs. "Over generalisation and saying this will paint the entire category with one brush is not going to work," he stated.

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OMG India CEO Kartik Sharma: Brands need to embrace personalised media strategies

In the latest episode of Media Dialogues with Storyboard18, Delshad Irani sits down with Shweta Jain, a prominent Chief Marketing Officer and one of India's most influential marketers.


Jain's career spans significant roles at Diageo, a major player in the alcoholic beverage industry, and now she serves as the Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at The Leela Group, a renowned name in hotels and hospitality. This episode focuses on the evolving role of forward-thinking CMOs.


Jain reflects on the unique opportunities presented to Indian brands today, noting, “We’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime moment where Indian brands are capturing global attention. This rare convergence of opportunity is something we haven’t seen in many years, and these years are all about seizing these moments and sharing our stories with the world.”


At The Leela Group, Jain and her team are harnessing these opportunities, especially around the festive season and emerging trends in leisure travel. She highlights how changing patterns in short breaks, longer indulgent holidays, and new travel occasions are shaping their marketing strategies, bringing together a blend of trends and energies for a dynamic approach to customer engagement.



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The Leela Group's Shweta Jain on seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Indian brands

<strong>Note to viewers: Revised advisory issued on July 3 by MIB on Food & Health sector only with a provision of an annual declaration.</strong><em> 

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), On June 3, adhering to a Supreme Court directive, announced a new mandate requiring advertisers and ad agencies to submit a Self-Declaration Certificate (SDC) before any ad publication or broadcast. The initiative aims to curb misleading advertisements and protect consumers, but achieving this goal remains a significant challenge.


To delve into the impact of these measures on the advertising industry, Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani spoke with Gowree Gokhale, Partner at Nishith Desai Associates; Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and Investor; Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director of The Dialogue; and Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Global CEO and Co-Founder of Gozoop Group.


According to Mathias, there is a need for measures that penalise rogue advertisers without compromising freedom of expression. He proposed methods such as temporary bans on advertising for repeat offenders to ensure accountability and integrity in advertising practices.


“The government has kind of, put the onus or responsibility on advertisers, who, in turn, have pushed it to the agencies. And at the second level, they have also put the onus in a sense on broadcasters and media owners, saying, you guys are the second level of defence. However, the real problem is rogue advertisers who have made misleading claims and who have actually misled people, which possibly triggered this whole exercise in the first place. And, therefore, I think the onus has to shift in terms of how do you monitor rogue advertisers without creating a censorship issue,” Mathias stated.


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“I think the idea should be how do we reinforce integrity, and how do you penalise rogue advertisers? If someone has been an offender, I think there has to be a method where he or she gets penalised. If you've deliberately made a false claim, despite certification of which there are regulations in place, do you get banned from media, so to speak, so no advertiser registered in this country can take your communication for a six-month period? That will make advertisers far more cognisant about their responsibility to society. And like I said, there will always be rogue elements, like there is in any society. But I think the issue that needs to be resolved is at that end. What we have really done is right now just complicated the whole issue. At one level, we talk of the ease of doing business, I think this has just needlessly thrown open a can of worms," he added.


He also suggests a system of naming and shaming as a potential solution to enforce integrity within the industry.


Meanwhile, Ahmed Aftab Naqvi pointed to the self-regulatory frameworks of major digital advertising platforms like Google and Meta. These platforms enforce strict guidelines and penalise advertisers who violate them by blacklisting their accounts, which serves as a strong deterrent.


Naqvi suggested that adopting similar punitive measures, such as advertiser blacklisting, could effectively deter deceptive practices in traditional media.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/relief-for-advertisers-as-mib-restricts-sdc-for-ads-to-food-and-health-sectors-only-36128.htm">Relief for advertisers as MIB restricts SDC for ads to food and health sectors only</a>

Experts urge govt to penalise rogue advertisers without curtailing free speech

In a chat with Storyboard18's Shibani Gharat, Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director of Tata Motors, Passenger Vehicles and Electric Vehicle Mobility talks about expectations from 2024, what challenges lie ahead, bifurcating the ICE and EV business and being the largest electric passenger vehicle manufacturer in the country what are their plans with the EV business. 

Listen in. 


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Inflation has impacted entry-level segment: Tata Motors' Shailesh Chandra

In Davos at the recently held World Economic Forum, Ingka Group deputy CEO and CFO Juvencio Maeztu said that Ikea is going to cut prices - up to 20 percent price reduction in more than 250 articles. The price cuts will be implemented in the coming weeks. Maeztu said, “We have a long term vision to create a better life for the people. So, we have a long term approach at everything we do and the time is ready with high inflation and high interest rate."

In an exclusive interview with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, Ikea India CEO Susanne Pulverer, commenting on the price cuts, said, "We have seen a positive development when it comes to getting better prices on the products, especially the post-COVID; when we had seen a lot of inflation and increased costs on raw material, transports and everything. So that's what we will immediately give back to customers worldwide. And, of course, that goes for India as well. So, we are currently working on how we can further invest in lowering the prices on a number of products that we know are loved by our customers."

Watch here. 

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IKEA plans for multi-format stores in India: IKEA India CEO Susanne Pulverer

Tata Motors recently became the third Tata Group firm to cross Rs 3 trillion in market cap. In an exclusive client-agency dialogue with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, Shubhranshu Singh, VP and CMO, Tata Motors CVBU, and Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group, share how the customer journey has transformed in the commercial vehicles business, the role of media and acceleration of digital sales of CVs, and how the brand and its agencies are reimagining media and marketing for a new Indian consumer. 

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Media Dialogues with Storyboard18: AI and digital accelerating Tata Motors CV brand and business

French spirits manufacturer Pernod Ricard, known for its brands such as Chivas Regal, Jameson, Absolut and Blenders Pride, recently launched its first premium Indian single malt brand Longitude77. Now as we step in 2024, Pernod Ricard is taking their new Indian single malt brand to global markets. Ahead of their Dubai launch, in a special chat, Storyboard18 caught up with Kartik Mohindra, CMO, Pernod Ricard India, to understand the market for single malt in India, the marketing and advertising strategies that are undertaken to promote liquor, and the key trends to watch for. 

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Pernod Ricard's Kartik Mohindra on crowning India as a premier global whisky maestro

According to Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer, Maruti Suzuki, by 2030, the penetration of EVs for passenger vehicles in India will be around 20 percent. For Maruti Suzuki and their own powertrain, by 2030 it’ll be 15 percent EV, 25 percent strong hybrids and 60 percent to be a mix of ethanol blended fuel, CNG and biogas. 

There are a couple of challenges when selling an electric future to Indians. Srivastava said that the cost of acquisition needs to be reasonable. Currently this cost is 1.6 times that of ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. These costs have to be brought down and one solution to this is battery localisation. Secondly, range anxiety which can be solved by charging infrastructure being built.

Listen in. 

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Media Dialogues with Storyboard18: Maintaining continuity In change, Maruti-Suzuki & Mindshare drive ahead

Acer chairman and CEO Jason Chen reveals the company's plans, including venturing into new segments in consumer electronics, eMobility and AI PCs while in conversation with Storyboard18's Shibani Gharat. Chen says he is very excited about artificial intelligence and how it is being very rapidly being implemented.

The company's enthusiasm for the transformative potential of Generative AI is evident in its forward-looking stance. Acer is actively pioneering this technological shift by developing AI-powered PCs poised to redefine user interactions with computers. “We want to be the first one, if not the first then the first batch of suppliers to come into AI-ready PC,” he adds.

Acer's investments in AI extend across diverse applications, including Integrated Chip (IC) design and initiatives in the medical field. “One area where I'd like to invest some time is incorporating artificial intelligence into the medical field. Thousands of AI-related medical reports, known as smart medical research journals and papers, are being published. However, many of them remain as merely good reports without progressing into impactful scientific research projects,” he said, adding that Acer is in a position to commercialise that research into real products that will benefit medical requirements.

Watch the full interview here.

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