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Representational image via Unsplash

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Piyush Pandey

SC directs MIB to file affidavit within three weeks with recommendations on SDC | Ampverse shuts 7Sea Esports

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In conversation with IHCL’s Puneet Chhatwal & GroupM’s Kate Scott-Dawkins

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In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

Virat Kohli is a name that resonates with cricket fans worldwide. From his audacious stroke play to his fiery on-field demeanor, Kohli has redefined the game with his sheer passion and commitment. However, Kohli’s is a story of controversy and confrontation, a narrative that has shaped his journey to greatness. Whether it's his heated exchanges with fellow cricketers or his outspoken nature off the field, controversies are no stranger to him. 

Clash with Gautam Gambhir: One of the most memorable incidents involving Virat Kohli occurred during the 2013 IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. As the captain of RCB, Kohli engaged in a heated argument with Kolkata's skipper Gautam Gambhir, resulting in a tense standoff that was eventually diffused by umpires and players.

Middle Finger Incident: During his early days in international cricket, Kohli courted controversy during a tour to Australia when he was seen showing the middle finger to the Sydney crowd. Kohli later explained that his actions were in response to abusive language directed at his family, highlighting his fiercely protective nature off the field.


Outburst at Journalist: The 2015 Cricket World Cup saw Kohli embroiled in another controversy when he lashed out at a journalist whom he believed had written an unfavourable article about him and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Anushka Sharma. 

Umpiring Controversy: In a Test match against Australia in 2017, Kohli accused Australian captain Steve Smith of seeking illegal assistance from the dressing room for a review.


Sunil Gavaskar Controversy: During the 2020 IPL, Sunil Gavaskar made a comment about Kohli’s performance, suggesting that he only practiced batting during the lockdown with Anushka Sharma bowling to him. Sharma’s public response underscored the challenges of being a public figure in the age of social media scrutiny.


As Virat Kohli continues to etch his name in the annals of cricketing history, his journey serves as a reminder of the complexities of success. While controversies may have punctuated his career, they have also been a testament to his unwavering spirit and fierce determination. Kohli's story is not just about cricket; it's about resilience, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As he continues to push the boundaries of the game, Kohli remains a symbol of inspiration for aspiring cricketers and sports enthusiasts around the world. His legacy is not just in the runs he scores or the matches he wins, but in the indelible mark he leaves on the hearts of fans everywhere.


Virat Kohli: A brief history of controversies and confrontations

Microsoft owned LinkedIn was down for a brief period, impacting thousands of users on Wednesday after a brief outage.


According to outage tracking website Downdetector.com, there were 48,000 reports of outages related to LinkedIn in the US.


March 5 saw the global outage of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Following the outage, as per multiple reports, parent company Meta’s chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg net worth declined by $ 2.79 billion, in a day, to hit $ 176 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.


However, he continued to maintain his position as the world’s fourth richest person.


The global outage of Meta-owned apps Facebook and Instagram sent users rushing to Twitter now known as X to check about the outage. The apps were not working for users across the globe who experienced problems with Meta's popular apps. #InstagramDown started trending.


Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter) and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s rival, shared a series of tweets about the outage stating, “we know why you’re all here now”.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/metas-facebook-instagram-down-for-thousands-of-users-worldwide-25534.htm">Elon Musk reacts to Instagram and Facebook outage</a> 

After Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn sees brief outage

<em><strong>Note to readers: Our latest column Marketing Mocktail breaks down and explains the big ideas, new disruptions and old concepts and marketing practices that matter in the modern age.</strong></em>


The creative brief is one of the most integral parts of advertising.


Yet, of late, briefs have become griefs - sterile and unimaginative.


We keep indulging in the over optimism of giving a bland brief and hoping for exciting creative work in return. Garbage-in, garbage-out.


Putting together a good brief is a dying art which needs to be revived.


<strong>From logic to magic</strong>


A brief is the inflection point in creating advertising and communication.


It’s the point where logic (the strategy) starts turning into magic (the idea).


It’s where planning ends and creativity begins.


<strong>Re-energising the brief</strong>


Definition of the brief should read, ‘The most insightful, inspiring, and igniting point in the creation of advertising’.


<strong>Insightful -</strong> Packed with gems and nuggets that bring the strategy to life.


<strong>Inspiring -</strong> Makes the creative team go ‘Wow!’ and take ownership of the brief.


<strong>Igniting -</strong> Triggers the creative to buzz with ideas that they can’t wait to get cracking on.


In fact, a good brief is like ‘an ad for creative people’.


<strong>What makes a great brief</strong>


While most agencies have their own briefing formats, based on their conceptual frameworks and creative philosophies, the basics of a great brief remain the same.


Here are a few key ideas that can help re-energise creative briefs.


<strong>Keep it simple and sharp</strong>


Don’t try to impress with mumbo-jumbo or jargon. Make it simple.


Rather than saying, ‘Increase TOM (Top-of-mind awareness) and brand salience’, it’s much better to say, ‘Make the brand famous.’


Instead of ‘Enhance width and depth of consumption’, why not ‘Get more people to use more’.


Also, never overload - stay focused, sharp and crisp. A brief should not be more than a page or two (that’s why it is called a brief).


<strong>Pull out little nuggets</strong>


Don’t dwell on information, instead dive for gems that bring your strategy to life and tell a story. Embed your brief with evocative and powerful nuggets.


When Taj Mahal tea bags were being launched, the nugget in the brief was to position them as ‘The Walkman of Teas’ to encapsulate the mobility, convenience and modernity of the format.


When Dabur honey was being repositioned as a health food from a home remedy, the brief summed up the challenge as moving the brand from ‘the medicine chest to the dining table’.


<strong>Bring your target person to life</strong>


One of the biggest sacrileges in briefs is the vague and rather generic definition of the target audience. You really can’t get a handle of who you are talking to until you bring that person alive.


This is how a bland brief will define the target audience for Axe deo:

Young men aged 16-25, who are concerned about their appearance and how they attract the opposite sex. They buy deodorants to smell fresh and feel confident. Axe with its masculine fragrance is the perfect choice to be attractive to girls.


Here’s an inspiring definition of the Axe target person:
Imagine Benjamin… he thinks about women a lot. A lot, a lot. But he’s not dreaming of romance, he’s a dirty boy who can’t stop thinking about sex with extraordinarily welcoming women. Yet in the real world, women are a completely different country - it’s somewhere he’s never been, it may be a while before he gets to go there, and you’re guaranteed he won’t be able to speak the language when he does. 
Deep down he wishes he could just be himself around girls and that it wasn’t so complicated, that he didn’t have to try so hard. What he wants isn’t deodorant at all, but a secret babe-magnet.


Which one do you think created the ‘Axe Effect’?


<strong>Dramatise it</strong>


A brief is more than just a piece of paper. It’s a piece of theatre.


Once, a bunch of creative people were packed like sardines into a cramped car and were told they were being taken to the client’s office for a briefing. Midway, they were intercepted by the account supervisor, driving a Maruti van (a move that was engineered). 


They were immediately transferred into the more spacious confines of the van and as they sprawled themselves, someone exclaimed, “Guys, this is the brief - travel in space.” How’s that for a powerful demonstration?


Here’s what a leading creative director told me, “I once had an account executive give me a brief with a hole burnt into it. That got me curious. Then I noticed it was for a fiery hot pizza. Right there, she got me.”


It’s time we changed the way we look at briefs, because great advertising is born out of great briefs. It may be a good idea for the industry to introduce an annual award for the best briefs as an incentive to encourage and reward great briefs. 


Can we bring the glory back into briefs? Can we have more briefs than griefs?


Yes, we can!


<em><strong>Anand Narasimha is a corporate turned academician with over three decades of experience spanning Brand Marketing, Advertising, Consulting, and Teaching. He writes the column Marketing Mocktail for Storyboard18. Views expressed are personal.</strong></em>



Marketing Mocktail: Brief or Grief - the creative brief explained

Most brands divide their advertising budget between creative development and media buying in a ratio of 1:10. However, when recalling famous advertising campaigns, it's likely that people remember the creative teams behind the ads, rather than the media planners and buyers who ensure that the ads reach the right audience with the right frequency.

In the past, when advertising was limited to one or two mediums such as TV and print, media planning and buying were relatively straightforward. However, with media becoming increasingly segmented, this is no longer the case. The role of media in the success of any campaign has therefore increased significantly. Without proper alignment between the creative campaign and media plan, the chances of failure are high.

Traditionally, advertising campaigns were conceptualised by establishing business objectives, which were translated into marketing objectives, and then communication objectives. Based on these, a brief was created, and the creative agency would uncover consumer/category insights and develop a core campaign idea. This idea would be presented alongside the TV commercial script, which formed the centrepiece of the campaign. The campaign idea would also be extended to other media such as print, digital, and OOH.

Although media objectives and planning would also be carried out concurrently, they were often not considered inputs or constraints for the creative agency.

Now, there are three problems that happen with this approach:

1. This leads to some campaign ideas/scripts which are not native to the primary platform as per the media plan. Because of a digital native TG, you might have a media plan which is heavily skewed towards Youtube to build awareness. And the best way to build awareness on Youtube is by using the 15-second non-skippable ad. Now if your hero creative is a 30 sec one and impossible to tell a coherent story in the 15-second cut, the campaign will fail.

2. Sometimes you have a wonderful clutter-breaking script, but it is not going to be registered by consumers when they watch it only once/twice. You might have a budget constraint which will limit the input GRPs in your markets. That would mean that at best you can optimize your plan to maximize reach at a three-plus frequency instead of 5/6. Now if your hero creative is witty/difficult to understand easily, your campaign will fail because of lack of enough number of exposure.

3. You might have a media plan which is skewed towards a certain region, but the core insight/communication might not resonate with that region. For Example, 50 percent of your sales might come from the five Southern States, but your campaign idea/core insight resonates more with the Hindi belt. If the TVC is also conceptualized in Hindi and only translated later to regional languages, the chances of the campaign failing will be higher.

All of these problems could be solved by making only a single change in the approach to rolling out a campaign. Include a tentative media strategy/plan, and the constraints that come with it as part of the brief that goes to the Planning team of the creative agency. This will ensure ideas and creative outputs which fit like a dream with our media strategy and plans.

If you want to use Meta in your media plan, your creative agency will ensure that vertical videos that seem native to the platform( Reels) are part of the creative output. If you have a reach plan to maximize reach at three plus frequencies, your creative agency will ensure that the communication is simple enough to understand in one go. If Kerala is a major market for you, your creative agency might recommend creating a separate campaign altogether conceptualized and taught in Malayalam using insights from the Kerala market.

The real magic happens when creative and media teams work together on a brief right from day one. This used to happen few decades back. Maybe it's time to go back to the same practice to ensure that brands get the highest RoI from their marketing spends.

<strong><em>The writer is the founding member and chief business officer of Atomberg. Views expressed are personal.</em></strong>

The power of collaboration: How including media planning in briefs can improve RoI

<strong>MAST</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Oakley

<strong>Campaign:</strong> Be Who You Are

<strong>Agency:</strong> Brandmovers India

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Growing up, we were constantly asked to fit into the mould of societal expectations. Somewhere, amongst the increasing noise, doubts, aspirations and constant chatter, ‘being ourselves’ took a backseat. We forgot to focus on ourselves, be comfortable with making mistakes, and taking risks.

The latest commercial by Oakley stays true to its value of “Be Who You Are.” As the ad film rolls on, right from the hopes of 1.3bn people being shouldered by cricketer Rohit Sharma, to the doubts and noise surrounding him, the commercial shows how Sharma does not let the people’s uncertainties stop him from always giving his best. The ad film conveys the message of being your authentic self, and the importance of knowing “Who you are", where every frame of the film radiates courage and confidence. Overall, the ad film gets a thumbs up for its realism on a crucial subject.

<strong>MEH</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> NutriGlow

<strong>Campaign:</strong> NutriGlow

<strong>Agency:</strong> In-house

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For years, most of the ads that touched upon the subject of beauty have either been explanatory in nature, or had a pair of girls dancing to stress upon the brand, and convey positive effects. NutriGlow’s latest campaign follows the same unsatisfactory pattern. Actor Genelia Deshmukh along with a bunch of girls are portrayed as ‘GlowGirls’ who are moving to a beat to highlight NutriGlow’s varied range of products. However, Deshmukh, who serves as the brand ambassador for the brand and is known for her bubbly and fun loving nature could not save the commercial from being a dull and disappointing one to watch. An engaging and different storyline could have prevented a Meh.

<strong>Mast</strong> 

<strong>Brand</strong> - Thums Up

<strong>Agency</strong> - Ogilvy India

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From sitting on tree-tops, listening to radio commentary to gathering around paan shops, Indians have found many unique ways to tune in to their favourite cricket matches. Cola brand Thums Up, plans to provide cricket fans in India with a never seen before, innovative experience through in its feature. The ad featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Umran Malik and Brett Lee, showcases an option that allows you to experience watching an ICC T20 World Cup match through a camera fitted in a wicket. Fans will have to scan a QR code on the Thums Up bottle to get access to the camera feed and become part of this immersive experience. That is as close as one can get to being present at the actual game. If this works, it is bound to leave all cricket fans stumped!

<strong>Meh</strong>

<strong>Brand</strong> - Casio India

<strong>Agency</strong> - In-house

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Are you an over-thinker? Yes? Then Casio’s latest ad is definitely one for you. The film opens with a student, who asks his father to buy him a Casio calculator. When his father asks if he can get any other calculator if he doesn’t find one by Casio, the son starts to overthink a series of probable events and scenarios that might impact his life, all due to the repercussions of using an ordinary non-Casio calculator. While the concept works well on paper, the execution doesn’t translate well onto screens. A great concept, poorly planned and executed resulted in us providing this spot, a meh. 

<strong>Mast</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Tata Motors

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Festive ads can seem too filmy and over the top with all the songs, dances and unnecessary drama around festivities. However, sometimes there are ads that truly have a feel good factor to it. The Durga Puja TVC from Tata Motors is a perfect example. The ad features the most celebrated actor of Bengali cinema, Prosenjit Chatterjee for the spot but not in a way you’d normally expect. His presence is subtle. His role is of the narrator who acts like a catalyst, adding a slight hint of glamour to the ad without being completely involved in it. The narrative is clean and well packaged with the integration of car features that seamlessly blend in. In true festive fashion, there is a sweet story, a great song and a product that is being rightfully celebrated. All the fun elements work perfectly in unison which makes this new TVC from Tata Motors a good one to watch. A definite Mast in our books. 

<strong>Meh</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Hindware

<strong>Agency:</strong> In-house

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Hindware has a new TV campaign – ‘Go Larger Than Life’  starring actor Tamanna Bhatia and The Great Khali. This is the first ever TVC from Hindware Italian Collection since the company forayed into the tiles segment. The tiles shown in the spot look beautiful and appealing for sure but unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the spot itself. With an inane narrative and an unnecessary objectification of a tall man being compared to huge tiles is unimpressive and doesn’t leave a good lasting impression. A very poor concept and even poorer execution awards this spot a MEH 

<strong>MAST</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Cadbury Dairy Milk

<strong>Campaign:</strong> Cadbury Dairy Milk Bodyguard – Kissi aur ki Khushi mein shaamil hokar dekhiye

<strong>Agency:</strong> Ogilvy India

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Tigmanshu Dhulia never fails to impress viewers with his performances. In this spot, his appearance as a politician paints him as a ‘larger than life’ character. Dhulia, who is seen making his way towards the dais along with his bodyguards amidst the cheering crowd, to celebrate the success of one of his guard’s daughters who cleared the medical entrance exam is warm and comforting to watch. He is seen feeding the daughter a piece of Cadbury Dairy Milk as a token of appreciation and celebration. The ad film stays true to its message “Kissi aur ki Khushi mein shaamil hokar dekhiye.” A ‘Mast’ watch in our opinion. 

<strong>MEH</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Myntra

<strong>Campaign:</strong> Myntra Big Fashion Festival

<strong>Agency:</strong> In-house

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The absence of any fun factor for an ad that aims to be comical is very evident right from the start. The campaign, which aims to promote Myntra’s Big Fashion Festival does not really generate any curiosity to check out how interesting the fashion festival might be. Even the presence of celebrity couple Virat Kohli and  Anushka Sharma, does not seem to add any drama to the dulness. Ironically, Myntra’s idea of using ignorance to draw attention not only tanked on screen but also failed to attract audiences in real life. An interesting build up to the story along with some festive cheer to promote the fashion festival could have prevented a Meh.

<strong>Mast</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Coca Cola

<strong>Agency:</strong> In house

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Durga Puja for Bengalis is like a five-day long party. Like any party, food and soft drinks are an important part of this celebration. So if you are telling a Durga Puja story and you add food and soft drinks to it, you definitely make for a good storyteller. This new puja anthem from Coca Cola is a perfect spot for the pre-festive weeks. Casting the OG cool guys of Bengal (read members of Bengali band Chandrabindoo) and the catchy song add to the festive mood and cheer. The ad comes with its share of glam factor too, with Bengali superstar Dev adding spark and being a part of the 39 second screenplay. Overall, Coca Cola has done a great job with capturing the mood of the Bengal market right now with everyone preparing for the upcoming celebrations. 

<strong>Meh</strong>

<strong>Brand:</strong> Pantaloons

<strong>Agency:</strong> Production: KITCHEN, Concept: Ogilvy

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Rap songs and hip/hop as a genre are very popular with millennials and Gen Z. However, when used in an ad, it resonates only if executed and performed well. Unfortunately, this new Durga Puja spot from Pantaloons banks on a below average rap jingle that pulls down the overall vibe of the piece. Moreover, the Bengali voice overs are heavily accented. It could’ve been done on purpose to go with the background score but doesn’t help the tune in any way. It stands out as  a noticeable blunder. The song, the script and overall performance of the cast makes this a wannabe number desperate for attention. We’re still on the look out for an ad that captures Gen Z mentality correctly and executes it well. 

<strong>MAST</strong>

<strong>Brand</strong> - The Body Shop

<strong>Agency</strong> - In house

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Breaking the popular notion that young citizens are becoming increasingly apathetic towards societal issues, The Body Shop launches a campaign calling upon policy makers to evaluate lowering the age of candidacy in the Lok Sabha from 25 to 21 years of age. The goal is to get greater youth representation in the Lok Sabha. To spread the message, the brands video campaign features young leaders from across the country including Sudhanshu Kaushik, founder, Young India Foundation (27), Jalandhar High Court lawyer Inderpreet Kaur (24) and Sachin Rathod, independent panch ingalangi (29) talking about their efforts in bringing change in society thereby inspiring others. The ‘Be Seen Be Heard’ initiative is being rolled out through a partnership with Young India Foundation. The WHY25 drive has been launched across India at all The Body Shop stores in September 2022 and will run till end 2024 in over 25 states with offline and online petitions to support the cause. Now, that's what you call a brand with a purpose. A mast ad, definitely a great watch. 

<strong>MEH</strong>

<strong>Brand</strong> - Levi’s India

<strong>Agency</strong> - Spring Marketing Capital

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Levi's India’s series of ads with Deepika Padukone follow a pattern that has become repetitive and boring. In the new ad Padukone is seen in a space that needs to be set up and decorated. The camera follows her doing various chores like pushing a sofa into place, sticking a poster on a wall while ambling around with her friends, etc dressed in a new baggy Levi’s jeans of course. The spot ends abruptly leaving viewers confused. While Levi's baggy collection might be in vogue, its advertising seems really last season! It’s time for a refresh. 


<strong>MAST</strong>

<strong>Brand</strong> – Bombae Fuzz Off Trimmer | Painless hair removal for women

<strong>Agency/Production House</strong> – Talented, StudioFry

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This 30 seconder is an edgy one. It’s probably the only hair removal brand that has shown body hair before women shave/wax/trim it off. Bombae says #FuzzOff to societal expectations. It shows the pain women go through to go hairless and attempts to normalise never-seen-before body hair imageries. An empowering ad that breaks boundaries. It’s a mast watch because it is changing the narrative of the category.


<strong>MEH</strong>

<strong>Brand</strong> – Manyavar | Taiyaar Hokar Aaiye

<strong>Agency</strong> - Shreyansh Innovations

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The hyperactive actor Ranveer Singh for the new commercial of Manyavar is featured as a spunky wedding photographer. For a change, he is dressed perfectly fine. However, he singles out a suit-clad ‘mausaji’ by saying he is ruining the perfect family photo in his western outfit. Okay, we get it, this was all supposed to be in good fun and maybe for the sake of advertising. However, we think the brand could have picked a better line of thought to stitch the script. After all, isn’t fashion a personal choice? Shouldn’t Singh know that better than anyone else?



Mast & Meh: Oakley, Thums Up, Tata Motors, Myntra, Levi's India

The biggest test Indian girls face in their school years is the "beauty test", says Unilever-owned beauty brand Dove in its latest campaign released on International Daughters Day 2022 (25 September). The ad has been viewed by millions of netizens, garnering over 12 million YouTube views in four days. 

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While the campaign gained appreciation for starting a conversation about deeply ingrained beauty biases, a section of audiences also criticised the company for double standards. Unilever sells Glow & Lovely (earlier called Fair & Lovely) which largely hinged its communication equating fair/light skin with success. However, in 2019  Unilever changed the product name and also its advertising strategy to be more inclusive and conscious. 

This is reflected in the new Dove ad as well. 

Made by advertising agency Ogilvy India, the ad shows how young girls are subjected to socially accepted standards of beauty which drastically impact their confidence and self-esteem. The Stop The Beauty Test 2.0 is an extension of its previous campaign that was focused on beauty judgements faced by women during marriage.  

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To be sure, Unilever said that Dove launched a study which stated that 80 percent of Indian school girls have faced unjust beauty tests as a teenager. Hence, this year the conversation has shifted focus from prospective brides to the stage where it all begins – adolescence.

 In an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18, Harman Dhillon, vice president, hair care, Unilever talks about the backlash on its new campaign, changing ideas of beauty and how Dove is striving to stay relevant among Gen Z consumers.

Edited excerpts:

<strong>There is a certain set of audience that have criticised the new campaign. How does the brand deal with the negative feedback?</strong>

Our intent with #StopTheBeautyTest campaign was clear - to make society aware of a prevailing issue faced by young girls on a daily basis. To bring about a tangible impact with the Dove Self-Esteem Project, we are training teachers to deliver educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem to young minds. Our purpose of the campaign is to create awareness regarding when these beauty biases start, and the impact it has on women. We respect everyone's point of view and hope they see that our objective is to redefine the scope of beauty - celebrating it in its authentic and diverse form.

<strong>What kind of research went behind picking the theme for this edition of the campaign?</strong>

At Dove, we’re constantly working towards making beauty a source of confidence and not anxiety. Last year, we brought to light beauty-based judgements women especially faced during marriage and the impact it had on their confidence. However, during our research we uncovered a key moment of truth wherein societal standards of beauty are imposed on women much earlier on - as young as adolescence. Capturing this sentiment, we shifted our focus on the root of the problem - moving our communication from prospective brides to teenage girls. At a time when these girls should be concentrating on education, they are being unknowingly subjected to beauty biases by society. We felt that this was a crucial stage of intervention and wanted to bring about a tangible change. Thus, with #StopTheBeautyTest 2.0, we aim to raise the self-esteem of these young girls and break through beauty led stereotypes. 

<strong>Where did the inspiration for the execution of the campaign come from?</strong>

As always, we wanted to share real stories enacted by real girls and feature the real-life implication beauty judgements have on their self-esteem. So, the brand film is a portrayal of exactly that. We want to highlight how family and peers, in the guise of guidance, are pressuring young girls to fit prescribed beauty standards and how this can lead to body image issues in their young minds - eventually stunting their confidence. The #StopTheBeautyTest movement is an attempt to bring awareness about this issue so we can stop subjecting young girls with beauty-based report cards and grading them on external appearances. The focus instead should be on building their self-esteem so that they can be comfortable in their own skin and realise their potential to the fullest. 



<blockquote>While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.</blockquote>



<strong>What is Dove doing to stay relevant among the Gen Z? How do they define beauty and is it different from older consumers?</strong>

The Dove Self-Esteem Project is aimed at the Gen Z with a vision to empower 8 million young minds by 2025. As part of the initiative, we partnered with experts in the fields of psychology, health and body image to create educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem which will be delivered by teachers under the life skills curriculum. Through this we will be reaching girls and boys in grades 6, 7 and 8 in selected schools across 8 states.

The ultimate goal is to change ‘beauty’ from its conventional lens and redefine and realign what it means to be beautiful. In comparison to the older generation, the younger audience is demanding an ethical, inclusive and diverse representation of beauty in media and Dove’s Real Beauty motto stands tall to deliver on the ask - ensuring beauty is not defined by shape, size or colour but being beautiful is to be the best version of yourself.

<strong>Any unique trends in terms of advertising or consumption you are witnessing among your TG in India? How's it different from Dove's global markets?</strong>

The Indian woman has gone through a complete metamorphosis in the recent time, especially when it comes to her portrayal in advertising and media. We’ve come a long way from women being conditioned to believing their self-worth is dictated by the perception of others, to now where they are seen taking charge and having a voice of their own.  At Dove, we’re proud to have been one of the leading contributors to this change and are glad that brands across categories are following suit.

Today, our TG makes their own choice and has the spending power. Beyond expecting brands to deliver high-quality products, they also demand the brand drive a thought-provoking dialogue. While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.

<strong>How do you measure the success of a campaign now? Has the benchmark changed over the years?</strong>

Today, the success of a campaign, especially when it comes to the type of campaigns Dove has been leading, is very different from the benchmarks traditionally set in place. The impact is no longer purely number driven. The campaigns of the current era are heavily driven by the impact they have on people and the type of change we can drive through the efforts of the campaign. 

<strong>Are the days of big splash TV campaigns long gone? What works for new gen consumers?</strong>

Television is a relevant medium even now, in my opinion. There is still a large set audience in the deeper pockets of our nation who yet rely on television for entertainment as well as information. Thus, given that our target isn’t just the metro markets but pan India, TVC’s are a prime medium for us to bring our narrative alive. On the other hand, speaking about the new generation of consumers, social media has emerged as a stronger medium of communication than most others since it allows a two-way communication unlike TV. Thus, it is essential for us to keep the balance while strategising our media plan.

Exclusive: Unilever’s Harman Dhillon responds to feedback on viral Dove ad

Two years ago, YouTube introduced Shorts in India. Today, Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day, which is four times more than one year ago. Ajay Vidyasagar, Regional Director, APAC, YouTube Partnerships, says the language platter and the content genre is only growing in the market and Shorts is fueling the growth. He also talks about monetization on the platform and more. 

Edited excerpts.

<strong>Shorts completed two years in India. How has it been? And what has the growth story been like from where you started to where you are now? </strong>

YouTube as a platform is over 14 years old in India. When we got started, our primary mission was to democratize video creation. Until that point, the world really saw storytelling as being the forte of a few. Our goal was to really, truly, truly democratize this in a manner that anyone who is interested in sharing a story should be able to share it. Our role in that was to use technology to take out all the friction in the operationalization of it and help good stories to be discovered, consumed and engaged with. That is really what we’ve been able to do in scale over these many years.

YouTube Shorts was announced two years ago; we flagged that off in India. The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) program was only available and enabled for long form and mid form content.  So, we launched a YouTube Shorts fund, in which we worked closely with content creators to help them see a line of revenue for their work.

<strong>While we see a lot of entertaining content on the platform, what is the kind of interest you have seen brands? Are brands using Shorts like they are using other UGC platforms for integrations? Help us understand with some examples.</strong>

YouTube has enabled so many different formats to co-exist and speak to one another: long form videos, snappy Shorts, livestreams and deep dive podcasts. Advertisers can, therefore, choose to talk to their target audiences- in as many forms of stories, across as many devices, as many languages and as many times a day - effectively and at scale. 

YouTube Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day globally. India was the first country where we launched Shorts and we’re proud of how quickly YouTube Shorts have become popular in India. Brands are starting to see results too. For instance, Oreo, which started its very first Shorts Challenge in Tamil Nadu with 10 of our top creators in the market to launch Oreo Double Stuf during Pongal last year. With 8 million views on their content, the brand was able to build salience in the market, improving branded searches and household penetration in a key market for them. 

<strong>How important is India as a market for YouTube when it comes to Shorts? How does it compare to other markers?</strong>

We saw the great potential and engagement short form content has for today’s increasingly mobile viewer. That’s why two years ago, we introduced YouTube Shorts, first in India, to make it easier to watch and create short-form content on YouTube. It was where our journey began, and it’s encouraging to see the adoption and excitement the product brings to both creators and viewers. 

We truly believe that what moves India, has the potential to shape the world. Digital video has become a gateway to the world for millions of Indians. In particular, short form video, which is easy to consume and create, represents opportunity like no other - to be entertained and inspired, to learn and earn, to connect and grow. 

When we introduced Shorts, we knew that we were bringing an important new format for creators and that our creators are leveraging Shorts to help breathe new life into their existing channels or inform a new content and engagement strategy is testament to their creativity.

We’re constantly impressed that creators are getting really innovative with how they use the full breadth of video formats that YouTube offers to meet their personal and business goals: from growing views and subscribers, reaching out to new audiences and growing their earning potential. 

Shorts has helped capture the interest and imagination of mobile-first creators and viewers who from whom a smartphone is a window to a world of opportunity. In India, Shorts is lowering the barriers for under-represented voices to come to the fore and pursue their passions; many of whom may otherwise have not had a platform to do so. We’re seeing creators across languages, socio-economic backgrounds and even India’s hinterlands turn to Shorts to share their passions, grow their channels and build successful careers.

<strong>Shorts has introduced a new monetization format. Please help us understand how it will benefit the platform and the creators?</strong>

We recently unveiled the next chapter in rewarding creativity on the platform by expanding the platform’s monetization system, YPP, to allow more creators to join the program, introducing new ways for creators to earn revenue through Shorts, and re-imagining the music industry and creator dynamic by opening up ads monetization for those who feature music in their videos. 

Starting in early 2023, Shorts-focused creators can apply to YPP by meeting a threshold of 1000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. These new partners will enjoy all the benefits YPP offers, including ads monetization across Shorts and long-form YouTube videos. This is another option to the existing criteria where long-form creators can still apply to YPP when they reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Creators can choose the one option that best fits their channel while YouTube maintains the same level of brand safety for advertisers. To support creators who are early in their YouTube journey, YouTube will also introduce a new level of YPP with lower requirements that will offer earlier access to Fan Funding features like Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Channel Memberships. 

To reward the new creative class, beginning in early 2023, we’ll be moving away from a fixed fund and doubling down on a unique revenue sharing model for Shorts for both current and future YPP creators. Because ads run between videos in the Shorts Feed, every month, revenue from these ads will be added together and used to reward Shorts creators and help cover costs of music licensing. From the overall amount allocated to creators, they will keep 45 percent of the revenue, distributed based on their share of total Shorts views. The revenue share remains the same, no matter if they use music or not. 

<strong>YouTube Shorts came to India at a very opportune time. It came right when UGC was becoming very popular and the market was expanding beyond metros. Throw some light on how you managed to gain footing in the Bharat market?</strong>

When you look at all of the digital platforms in the country, YouTube is fueled by voice, video and vernacular. So, because of that, the innate ability for the platform to go to every nook and corner of the country, and be understood, be loved, and be engaged, is very natural. It actually is the easiest form of communication that somebody can get on the digital connected platform.

We started off with a predominantly English language journey and then Hindi language content started to take off from India’s metro cities. If you remember, back in the day a lot of our creators were comedy centric and from urban centers.

Now in the last five to seven years, two very big things have happened with YouTube. The content creation has gone into the heartland of Hindi speaking markets. Hindi has become far more reflective of the evolving user base that has happened. Now it’s no longer a metro phenomenon.

We’re also seeing a host of other languages also doing very well on YouTube. Telugu and Tamil continue to be heavy-use cohorts for us. The richness of the language space has been unbelievable for us. From Punjabi, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, to Marathi, Gujarati, there is just an extraordinary breadth of languages. Shorts has helped these markets as well. We have seen extraordinary volume from these language markets.

Ours is a journey that is really about going wider and deeper and Shorts is helping us fuel that in even more in a significant manner.

<strong>Platforms that offer both long form and short format content often see the latter stealing all the limelight. Have you noticed any such pattern?</strong>

No creator says that I want to be a short-form creator or a long-form creator. They want to be storytellers and they want to express themselves and tell their stories in different forms. We might think about telling a story today that may need 10 or 20 minutes but tomorrow, we may have a story that may shine in 30 seconds.

Our role as a platform is to give a very versatile toolkit that can help a creator succeed in every format. That’s the core of what we do.  When you think about video creation, our job is to give a toolkit that helps any video creator, do what they want to do, and express themselves with the least amount of friction.  We do believe that both creators and users do not ever say that I’ll only consume a story, if it is, of this size or this form.  They actually want a powerful story. The ability to have that sort of freedom with scale and the best technology is really what we do.  That’s what we’re focused on. That’s what we’ll always be focused on.

<strong>What are your future plans for the offering? What are the top priorities when it comes to new plans for Shorts in India in FY-23?</strong>

Shorts is a natural evolution for us: YouTube Shorts is a new way to create and watch short, mobile videos. If you think about YouTube’s earliest days, we launched with a short 18-second video, ‘Me at the Zoo’. What changed since then is how easy it’s become to create and watch short-form videos. We wanted to make it even easier for people to create short videos on YouTube using their phones, so Shorts is a natural evolution for us. 

We’re building features that are unique to YouTube. We’re bringing all short-form video to YouTube, and all of YouTube to short-form video in a really significant way. There are billions of videos on YouTube - by unlocking those videos for features like remixing so people can sample from those in their own Shorts, we’re creating a real playground of creativity like never before. We have the ability to connect multiple ecosystems - YouTube as we know it today, YouTube Music, and now YouTube Shorts. You can imagine what this might look like in the future - it will allow people to connect more deeply with the content, creators, and artists they’re most interested in. This truly is just the beginning.

EXCLUSIVE: What moves India has the potential to shape the world, says YouTube's Ajay Vidyasagar

<strong>Leo Burnett and Jim Beam</strong>

Publicis Groupe-owned Leo Burnett has been appointed as the global agency-of-record (AOR) for Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam, an American brand of bourbon whiskey. The account, which was won following a multi-agency pitch, will see the agency develop a new global positioning and creative platform. This is the second time Leo Burnett has been appointed as the AOR for Jim Beam. 2016 marked the year when the agency was first selected as the AOR for the American brand. Recently, Beam Suntory announced that it would invest $400 million in renewable energy systems while boosting bourbon production. 

<strong>Hashtag Orange and Signify India</strong>

Digital marketing company Hashtag Orange has won the creative mandate for Signify Innovations India, erstwhile lighting division of Philips Eindhoven of Netherlands. Their responsibility would include ideation, development, and execution of the company’s creative campaigns for both online and offline channels. As per a media report published in June, Signify was looking to grow by 18-20 percent during 2022 in India. Last month, Hashtag Orange appointed Shraddha Iyer as the branch head of its Hyderabad office. Further, the agency bagged mandates across several key accounts. They include GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Monte Carlo, Rock-It, Hype Ryno, EDGE by Pearl Academy, HOUSR co-living and Tulips Hygiene.

<strong>Carat India and TimesPro</strong>

Marketing agency Carat India has won the integrated media mandate of TimesPro, an edtech initiative of Times Group. The responsibility of the agency would include managing TimesPro's omnichannel media services, and this will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

<strong>Bharat Media Group and Newell Brands</strong>

Newell Brands has appointed Bharat Media Group, a 360 degree marketing agency to handle its brands - Reynolds and Sharpie's strategic and creative duties. The mandate includes co-creating the growth roadmap for both businesses in the Indian market. Three weeks ago, Bharat Media Group was appointed as the Agency-Of-Record (AOR) for Super4, Indian fantasy sports platform. The role of the agency will include overseeing the integrated strategy and media mandate which includes creative, performance and experiential marketing, media planning and buying (across medium, traditional and digital), OOH, and cinema. Bharat Media Group has recently made key hirings including Unilever’s former head of Trading and Partnerships, Rohin Desai, who joined as national buying head in August. Desai will head the group’s entire media buying activities across India. He will be based out of the Mumbai office and will report to Anand Charles, CEO, Bharat Media Group. In May, Debarghya Mitra joined as national head of planning. Mitra was VP of client services and head of South at WPP-owned Essence.

<strong>Option Designs and CFS Vision</strong>

Creative and digital marketing agency Option Designs won the creative and digital mandate of CFS Vision, an optical retail chain of Center for Sight Group of Eye Hospitals, which is backed by Mahindra Partners. Their responsibility would include developing creative digital branding strategies for the company. By 2027, CFS Vision aims to create 500 retail locations. In the coming years, the brand will also begin manufacturing frames and lenses under the Make in India initiative.

<em><strong>Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy</strong></em>

Biz Moves: Bharat Media Group gets cracking; Carat India, Hashtag Orange and Option Designs win accounts

Dating app Tinder, in a recent survey, reveals that most young adults in India have little or no confidence in navigating consent and find it hard to have conversations on the subject. Amongst those surveyed in Mumbai, more than 64% of young adults are hesitant to give consent, ask for it, and to withdraw consent when dating someone.

When asked about situations when their consent was violated, 65% of young Mumbaikars chose not to speak to their date/partner about it and turned to a friend and looked for resources online, illustrating the need for continuous dialogue on this subject. In fact, 83% of these young adults in Mumbai believe that consent should be discussed more openly with partners.

The findings are based on research conducted by YouGov which surveyed  1,018  young adults (18-30 years) across  Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Young Indians want to learn and discuss consent with 1 in 2 recognizing themselves as the biggest channel for normalizing conversations around consent.

Around 8 in 10 young adults in Mumbai believe that consent should be discussed more openly with partners, 76% want it to be even taught formally in schools and colleges, and 72% have taken steps to personally understand the concept of consent.

More than 7 in 10 young adults in Mumbai seek more resources and safe spaces (both physical and online) on consent to be more educated and aware in their personal settings. Amongst a broad group of stakeholders potentially responsible for normalizing conversations on consent, young people identified parents (55%), themselves (44%), and schools and colleges (39%) as the top three influencers responsible for that conversation.

Across various aspects of consent education, most of the young Mumbaikars are most interested in learning about how to give consent (44%), understanding their own boundaries and limitations (41%),  followed by how to ask for consent (40%), emphasizing the need for consent education in the city.

The survey highlights that there are a myriad of factors that prevent young adults from communicating consent or the lack thereof to their dates or partners. The most frequent reasons include: afraid of hurting the date/partner’s feelings (41%), themselves are awkward having such conversations (36%), not knowing how to say no (33%) and anxious about not being liked (30%).

Young adults in Mumbai also have clear categorisation of widely understood metaphors for warning signs.They listed top three red flags include making fun about your interests/beliefs, asking for personal/intimate pictures, and not being empathetic towards others.

Yet putting them into practice proves harder than imagined: 3 in 5 young Mumbaikars say that they would hesitate to say no to a kiss and an almost equal number say they would hesitate to dismiss intimate advances even though it might make them uncomfortable.

Young adults in Mumbai believe that consent extends beyond intimacy and includes a larger concern for privacy and emotional boundaries.
 
The survey was a part of Tinder’s effort to create awareness around the importance of consent.  The platform is bringing back ‘Let’s Talk Consent’, its initiative to encourage conversations around consent and safe dating. This year, the campaign launches with “We Need To Talk”, a short film that explores the nuances of consent in interpersonal relationships amongst young Indian adults.

This will be followed by a Consent and Safe Dating curriculum, developed by experts and available online and in person in select universities, to give young adults access to appropriate information and a safe space to have a healthy discourse on the subject.
 
''Our Let’s Talk Consent initiative aims to give young adults the tools and resources to understand how consent equates freedom in making choices, mutual agreement and normalizes open discussions on tough topics. Coupled with safety products in the app and initiatives such as these, we are committed to working towards creating a healthy dating ecosystem in the country,” says Taru Kapoor, GM, Tinder & match group, India.

Young adults don’t know how to give, ask or withdraw consent while dating, Tinder study

Sleeping disorders are so common and yet there is not enough awareness about them in India. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), for instance, is a disorder caused by the repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep which leads to difficulty in breathing while sleeping. While it's one of the most common sleeping disorders, not many people know about it.

To tap this massive gap in the market, medical equipment company ResMed India has launched a campaign featuring singer and rapper Baba Sehgal.

Created by advertising agency Bang in the Middle, ResMed’s #AwakenYourBest campaign is aimed at creating awareness on sleeping disorders like sleep apnea and emphasis on sleeping well.

In the video, Sehgal, in his quintessential rap style, is seen crooning a rap or sleep anthem that talks about taking a simple at-home test to diagnose sleep related disorders. The purpose of the campaign is to create awareness about the importance of good sleep in a full-filled manner.

“There’s a great gap when it comes to talking about sleep disorders and we wish to start the conversation and create awareness,” says Seema Arora, business head - consumer and digital, South Asia, ResMed.

<strong>Acute sleep deficit</strong>

ResMed conducted a study, speaking to over 5000 people digitally to understand the impact on sleep post-pandemic. The findings show that Indians take a long amount of time (close to 90 minutes) to fall asleep which is far higher than Japan (25 minutes), China (42 minutes) and Korea (30 minutes). The longer duration is equated with extended screen time on devices.

“Data also confirmed a severe pandemic impact on sleeping habits in India. The survey also stated that 62 percent Indians agreed that stress has impacted their sleep during the pandemic as well as post pandemic. Erratic work schedules, excessive digital exposure and unhealthy lifestyle is contributing to poor sleep quality,” shares Arora.

Although ResMed is targeting consumers aged 30-69 years residing in the top 20-25 cities, it is also looking to connect with young Indians (under 25 years) who could be potential influencers in their household.

“We do wish to speak to audiences above the age of 25 years to have the information and encourage their loved ones to take the test and check about the quality of their sleep,” says Arora.

Social media and digital platforms are the likely places where ResMed is hoping to engage with potential customers.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DLyzgN_IKEQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<strong>Market potential</strong>

India is a huge market for ResMed. Arora quotes a Lancet Respiratory Medicine 2019 study, which states that an estimated 5.4 percent of all Indians ages 30-69 years (28.8 million) have moderate to severe sleep apnea. The level of sleep awareness continues to remain low in a country like India, with only a handful of sleep labs for a population of over 1.3 billion.

The study states that people are often unaware about sleep issues and even if diagnosed with sleep disorders, they tend to hide them. Hence, there is a need to create awareness about the importance of sleep and sleep related disorders.

“The potential in the India market is huge. 28.8 million people could be dealing with sleep apnea. Diet and workout can have a positive impact but it is not the gold treatment for a sleeping disorder. It requires a proper sleep check-up followed by a CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) machine to treat sleep apnea. As we start creating awareness we foresee a demand for these products,” says Arora.  

Currently, there are barely 30,000 to 35,000 odd CPAP devices which are being sold in a year. Compared to the population the penetration of these devices is still less. ResMed is looking to change that.

<strong>Agency speak</strong> 

Naresh Gupta, co-founder and CSO, Bang In The Middle says that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a life-threatening condition and it's easy for the brands to be in the zone that is a bit scary.

“All our consumer chats pointed towards the fact that instilling fear doesn't work as well as creating a happier curative story. Baba Sehgal has a unique style of telling the story, we merged it with an interesting way of taking the consumer on a journey with us," says Gupta.  

"The way the music flows and the way the scenes change in the commercial brought the audience into the brand fold,'' he says, adding, "The simple call to action of asking for a Home Sleep Test was made possible with the magic that was weaved through earworm quality of the music." 

ResMed has kicked off its campaign with a song and dance and the hope that its rap track can help Indians sleep well.


ResMed hopes its rap track can help Indians sleep well

India has been a buzz word since the last couple of years. Many believe that this decade will be India’s decade. Be it manufacturing, innovation, growth, India is at the centre of it all. CNBC-TV18 recently caught up with Ad legend Piyush Pandey at the India Business Leadership Awards (IBLA). 

Pandey has been the eternal cheerleader of brand India. When asked about why people all over the world are suddenly talking about India and why they believe that the next ten years belong to India, he said, “It’s an awakening for those of us who have forgotten to talk about our nation. If the talk is against India or for India, at least India is the centre of all of it.” 

“Let’s be less concerned about why they’re doing it and more about the fact that they’re doing it,” he added. 

One of the leaders recognised at IBLA was Asian Paints’ Ashwin Dani. Now, Asian Paints and Piyush Pandey have had a long-standing relationship. Pandey has a lot of fond memories of working on the brand and alongside Dani. 

“Dani is a very humble man. He gave his managers a job to do and never interfered. That is the mark of a great leader. When you lead a set of people but allow them to play. It shows your trust in them, your belief in them. That was Ashwin Dani for me.”

“Each time he met me, he would say, ‘Naya Kya Kamal Kar Rahe Ho’. Leaders don’t have to talk all the time. Their presence and the way they treat those who follow them is what makes the a better leader. Ashwin Dani was one of them.”

Asian Paints' Ashwin Dani to Piyush Pandey, 'Naya Kya Kamal Kar Rahe Ho'

Ad legend Piyush Pandey shared his optimism for brand India at IBLA and reminisced his time working with Asian Paints' Ashwin Dani.

On July 16, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted Byju's parent company, Think and Learn Pvt Ltd, into the insolvency resolution process following a plea filed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

The embattled edtech company will attempt to settle the matter with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) outside the court, sources close to the development told Moneycontrol.

The tribunal has appointed Pankaj Srivastava as the interim resolution professional, in charge of running the company till the lenders form a committee known as the Committee of Creditors.

"The Interim Resolution Professional shall after collation of all the claims received against Think and Learn Pvt Ltd the Corporate Debtor and the determination of the financial position of the Corporate Debtor constitutes a Committee of Creditors," the order said.

The NCLT also dismissed Byju's request to refer the dispute to arbitration. 

BCCI filed the case on September 8, 2023 and it came up for a hearing on November 28, 2023, when the NCLT issued a notice to Byju’s and sought its response.

According to the November 2023 order, the BCCI claimed that Byju’s had defaulted on a payment of Rs 158 crore. “It is stated that the general notice was issued to Byju’s vide email dated 06.01.2023 and the default amount of Rs 158 crore, excluding TDS as reflected,” the NCLT order from November read.



Byju's crisis: NCLT admits BCCI's plea for insolvency against the edtech firm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached 100 million followers on X, becoming the most followed world leader on the micro-blogging platform. From the 100 million, 30 million followers were amassed over the last three years itself. 

Prime Minister Modi took to X to share a message on achieving the milestone. He said, "A hundred million on X! Happy to be on this vibrant medium and cherish the discussion, debate, insights, people’s blessings, constructive criticism and more.”

“Looking forward to an equally engaging time in the future as well,” he added. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A hundred million on <a href="https://twitter.com/X?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@X</a>! <br><br>Happy to be on this vibrant medium and cherish the discussion, debate, insights, people’s blessings, constructive criticism and more. <br><br>Looking forward to an equally engaging time in the future as well. <a href="https://t.co/Gcl16wsSM5">pic.twitter.com/Gcl16wsSM5</a></p>&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1812482830108426279?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Among other Indian politicians, PM Modi surpasses the rest with a substantially greater following. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has 26.4 million followers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has 27.5 million, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav has 19.9 million, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has 7.4 million. While other notable politicians like RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav has 6.3 million followers, Tejashwi Yadav has 5.2 million, and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar has 2.9 million.

Globally too, PM Modi has significantly more followers on X that other prominent world leaders. US President Joe Biden has 38.1 million followers, Dubai's HH Sheikh Mohammed has 11.2 million, and Pope Francis has 18.5 million. 

Additionally, when compared to global sports and pop culture icons, PM Modi surpasses even some of the biggest names in the world. Virat Kohli (64.1 million), Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr (63.6 million), and American basketball player LeBron James (52.9 million). Celebrities like Taylor Swift (95.3 million), Lady Gaga (83.1 million), and Kim Kardashian (75.2 million).

PM Modi has a large following across social media. While the number on X is staggering, YouTube and Instagram don’t fall short by any regard. On YouTube, the PM has around 25 million subscribers and on Instagram, he has around 91 million followers. 



PM Narendra Modi amasses 100 million follower on X; Becomes most followed world leader

Haswanth Vadlapudi, 25, a cricket fan from Hyderabad, travelled to New York to attend the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, held on June 9. Vadlapudi told Storyboard18, "The US visa and the entire planning was a huge hassle. Overall, I spent around Rs 4.5 lakh for the visa, flight tickets, hotel, and match ticket".


Like Vadlapudi, a vast number of people from India travel abroad to watch marquee sports events such as the Wimbledon, the UEFA Champions League, the cricket and football World Cups, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, etc., every year. Notably, sports tourism is gradually becoming a major driver for the Indian market as several international games played in India, like the 2023 World Cup, attracted tourists from various countries like England, Bangladesh, Australia, and South Africa, thus promoting inbound tourism. 


According to the United Nations data, sports tourism is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.5 percent between 2023-2030 globally, with the sports tourism market projected to reach $1.8 billion by the end of the decade.


Daniel D’Souza, President & Country Head - Holidays, SOTC Travel said that the increased demand for international sports tourism among Indians can be attributed to the rising middle class, an increasing appetite for unique experiences, and a rising HNI / UHNI segment. Aloke Bajpai, Chairman, Managing Director, and Group CEO, ixigo, told Storyboard18, "Over the past few years, we have seen an exponential rise in demand for sports travel. Indians are increasingly traveling, both domestically and internationally, to attend major sporting events like the IPL, the cricket World Cup, and the Olympics. The finals of the T20 World Cup between India and South Africa witnessed enthusiastic participation from Indian fans, with flight searches for Barbados surging by over 100 percent year-on-year."


Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India and Gulf, Tourism Australia, said sports events down under are also a big draw for Indians. "Events like the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2024-25, have already signalled a surge in interest from India," Kashikar added. According to Cricket Australia, ticket sales from India in the current calendar year have witnessed a 10x rise as compared to the 2018 and 2019 years for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. "Most of the tickets purchased from India have been for the Boxing Day Test, especially corporate groups traveling from India for Hospitality & Premium Experience products," Cricket Australia added.


<strong>The Olympics</strong>

Now that the T20 Cricket World Cup is over, Indians are preparing to fly to Paris to witness the Summer Olympics starting on July 26. According to the Paris Tourist Office, around 15 million spectators may attend the 17-day event. Just the opening ceremony is expected to have 3,00,000 visitors. 

"In May this year, search data revealed a 30% year-on-year increase in searches by Indian travellers for Paris during the Paris 2024 Olympics. India was also among the top 5 countries in Asia-Pacific searching for flights to Paris between 26 July and 11 August," Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com said. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Indians plan to travel for international sporting events and 70% are keen on travelling for national sporting events this year, Kumar added.


Monish Shah, Founder, and CEO, DreamSetGo, a sports travel firm, said most of his clients are between 35 to 50 years old with high disposable income, as well as some young people from affluent families. DreamSetGo is the official sub-distributor for Paris Olympic hospitality programme this year.


According to Rajeev Kale - President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa - Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, Indians have demonstrated that they are willing to spend on premium sports events, such as the Olympics, which costs Rs 11 lakh per person for a group of around 50.


<strong>Packages</strong>

Inderjit Singh, an Indian based in Lagos, Nigeria, is getting ready to travel to the Olympics. "I am a sports fan and love travelling to watch games. There is nothing bigger than the Olympics as far as sports are concerned. I was determined to travel to Paris this year," said Singh, and added that his overall package including, visa, flights, tickets to the games, etc., cost him nearly Rs 11 lakh for 14 days. Singh said he approached VUSportX for planning his trip to Paris. VUSportX  designs packages for sports fans within India and abroad, which include hotels, flights, and other allied services.


Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip said that the average cost of tickets can range from about $50 to $200, depending on the type of seat and the location of the game. The average budget required to attend international sports events can vary from $1,400 to $4,000, depending on the lifestyle of the attendees.


An HNI (high net-worth individual) spends Rs 5 lakh per package on average, while the average corporate client spends around Rs 2.5 lakh per package, and premium packages (such as the Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies) can go up to Rs 10-12 lakh per person, DreamSetGo's Shah told Storyboard18.

Flying Fans: More Indians are travelling for international sports events

Billionaire Nikhil Kamath’s recent podcast 'WTF, Alcohol is a $70B Business in India?’, covered the A to Z of the alcohol business in India. However, it had managed to irk a popular liver specialist Cyriac Abby Philips, known as “The Liver Doc” on social media, who criticised Kamath for glorifying alcohol consumption that can cause strokes, cancer, liver diseases, and even mental health disorders.

Abhishek Khaitan, MD of Radico Khaitan in the podcast said that countries that have banned alcohol have led their economies to shambles. "Drinking alcohol in moderation is very good,” Khaitan said.

Dr. Philips took to X to point out that no safe level of alcohol is good for human health. "No amount of alcohol is safe because it is not just a liver poison, it is systemic poison. It gets to every part of your body. Even single to lowest exposure can wreck your DNA and promote cancer formation," he said.

Speaking about the disclaimer shown throughout the podcast about alcohol consumption being injurious to health, Dr. Philips said, "To claim drinking alcohol in moderation is good, is actually a crime. It is a crime towards humanity, it is not in good faith. It is in good faith to run the business, yes, because the many people who use it occasionally, move on too frequently, and then get dependent or 'routinize' it. These businessmen have nothing to lose - because they have already put up a stupid disclaimer to get away with it - 'drink responsibly’.”

Kamath owns around 1.6-1.7 percent of Radico's stock worth Rs 400 crore. The ‘Liver Doc’ also stated that it's the business people who support drinking alcohol who have the money to afford expensive medical care incase of any diseases caused due to alcohol consumption.

"I treat alcohol use disorder and related acute liver disease, chronic liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure (the most devastating of them all with the highest death rate without a timely liver transplantation) on a daily basis," Dr Philips said. "Patients and families struggle to make ends meet for proper healthcare because alcohol use destroys their life savings. And by the time they find the funds to get things going, the patient is already on the ventilator and in multiple organ failure,” he added. 

Nikhil Kamath targeted by 'Liver Doc' for promoting consumption of alcohol in latest podcast episode

In April this year, Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath acquired a significant amount of shares of Ather Energy from Flipkart’s co-founder Sachin Bansal, an existing investor in the company. 

In a social media post Kamath shared recently about the importance on buying local and promoting homegrown brands.   

“Patriotism is a different thing to different people, mine today seems to be to dream of young Indian products and entrepreneurs killing it inside and outside India,” he said. 

Kamath added, “Enough of the foreign franchise is better, clothes, jewellery, food, auto, content, shoes, and just about everything else.” 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Patriotism?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Patriotism</a> is a different thing to different people, mine today seems to be to dream of young Indian products and entrepreneurs killing it inside and outside India. Enough of the foreign franchise is better, clothes, jewellery, food, auto, content, shoes, and just about… <a href="https://t.co/trYDpJnujj">pic.twitter.com/trYDpJnujj</a></p>&mdash; Nikhil Kamath (@nikhilkamathcio) <a href="https://twitter.com/nikhilkamathcio/status/1810230933980848447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Talking about why he decided to make an investment in Ather, Kamath shared, “Will pick great products with terrible marketing every time, sales I hope can be solved for easier than product. The reason we made this investment is also this, every ancillary player in this space said #Ather, the product is the best, but they don't know how to sell, conservative, measured, etc.”

"Let us Indians buy more Indian brands, until one day non-Indians buy Indian brands. Every one of us has pluses and minuses, Ather has sh*t marketing but great product,” he said. 

Kamath also shared that he bought an Ather scooter last year at MRP, with no discount because "Tarun (Mehta, CEO of Ather Energy) didn't even give me a discount”.

Speaking about why he chose Ather, Kamath said that his journey with Ather Energy began when he started being bullish on the EV sector sometime last year and found interesting insights. He shared that the Indian EV market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.4 percent to $117.78 billion by 2032.

He shared, “1 in every 2 EVs sold in India is a two wheeler. Additionally, India stands second to China in the sales of electric two wheelers globally. There are 1319 EV startups registered in India.” 

He also spoke about the government’s plan to make 30 percent of all new vehicles sold in India electric and how in 2023,  EV sales in India  have witnessed 47 percent growth. 

Ather responded to Kamath's musings, where the company's CEO Tarun Mehta shared Kamath's post on his Instagram story with the tagline, "Marketing team be like "isko discount hi de dena chahiye tha."

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/07/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-5.40.38-PM-2024-07-2527af060d0f76b8351ee7804a4e7086-473x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="473" height="1024" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-36600" />


'Ather has sh*t marketing but great product': Nikhil Kamath on why he invested in Ather Energy

How happy were Indians in June 2024? More happy or less? Interestingly, overall happiness levels have stayed constant and high in June wave at 77%, like the previous month. 

June wave shows that the cities and cohorts most happy were tier1 (88%), east zone(85%), north zone (84%) and west zone (83%) citizens; full time parents and homemakers (83%), 45+ age group (81%), low education citizens (80%), females (79%), SEC A (78%), SEC C (78%), SEC B (77%), males (76%), employed – part time/ full time (78%), tier 2 (76%), 18-30 years (77%) and 31-45 years (76%), high education (74%) among others.

Citizens dwelling in non-metros were happier (80%) vis-à-vis those residing in the metros (71%).

South zone residents continued to be the least happy, at 56%.

These are the findings of the Ipsos IndiaBus Happiness Survey, that is the monthly barometer of happiness of urban Indians. 

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Parijat Chakraborty, Group Service Line Leader, Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation, ESG and CSR said, "Largely, majority of Indians are happy, across cities, cohorts and age groups. For a growing, emerging market like India, it is understandable as people are happy and filled with hope and aspirations and are driven. Monsoons in several parts of the country could have worked as a mood elevator, amplifying happiness; more so after a hot and prolonged summer season. And non metros are seeing a lot of improvement in infrastrucure, with a manageable cost of living, making it conducive for the citizens to lead a comfortable life and be joyful." 

"Full time parents/ homemakers seem the happiest across all cohorts – spending time with children as they have their holidays and family, socializing/ outings and binge watching OTT at home, could be other reasons for their elevated happiness levels," added Chakraborty.        
 
Further, the survey showed, that in the June wave, urban Indians were the happiest about family (77%) (-2%), health (72%) (-2%), friends’ circle (70%) (-2%), economic conditions (66%) (+2%), colleagues/ business associates (68%) (+2%), employment/ work (65%) (=), neighbours (65%) (+1), situation of the country (62%) (-1%), situation of the world 58% (=).  

"Happiness is not just a fleeting feeling. Different aspects of our daily life have a bearing on happiness and it manifests in our relationships, wellbeing, social network, work and other key areas," said Chakraborty.


Happiness levels remain high in June 2024 with 77% citizens claiming to be happy: Ipsos Report

The shutdown of the homegrown microblogging platform Koo has raised several eyebrows over entrepreneurial ventures in consumer tech sectors like social media, edtech etc. Experts believe the inability to build sustainable monetisation models and overcoming high operational costs sank Koo.

Earlier this week, the app which was once touted as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter), shut down its operations, following a series of unsuccessful attempts to sell or merge the platform.

Koo's co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna, took it to LinkedIn to make the announcement. He wrote, "We explored partnerships with multiple larger internet companies, conglomerates and media houses but these talks didn't yield the outcome we wanted." 

Radhakrishna stated that most of them didn't want to deal with user-generated content and "the wild nature of a social media company". 

"A couple of them changed priority almost close to signing. While we would've liked to keep the app running, the cost of technology services to keep a social media app running is high and we've had to take this tough decision," he said. 

That was the demise of Koo. 
 
In 2022, Radhakrishna called Elon Musk Koo's Chief Marketing Officer, a hit at the American Billionaire after he purchased Twitter and went at it with a sledgehammer, dismantling old teams and strategies at the US-based microblogging platform. 

“We were rejoicing when our CEO took a direct jab at the now X Chairman, but little did we know that our entire team would be laid off,” said a former employee from Koo’s brand and communications team.

 
Koo raised $4.1 million in its Series A round in February 2021, and just three months later, raised another $31 million led by American investment firm Tiger Global, valuing Koo at $100 million. By June 2022, according to market intelligence data firm Tracxn, Koo had raised over $57 million and reached its peak valuation of $285.5 million.

 
Koo spent almost $16.5 million on advertising and promotions during the 2022 financial year, when its revenue was over $650,000, according to an analysis by local tech media platform Entrackr.

 
<strong>Cost of Operations</strong>

 
Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director of The Dialogue, said, “The shutdown of Koo, which aimed to compete with global social media giant Twitter, can be attributed to severe financial challenges and high operational costs. Despite a 75 percent growth in operating revenue to Rs 14 lakh in FY22, Koo’s expenditure surged over 8X to Rs 202 crore, leading to substantial losses.”

 
Rizvi further said, “High advertising costs, employee benefits, technology expenses, and legal fees significantly strained finances. While the founders could have diversified revenue streams, secured strategic partnerships earlier, and optimised costs to sustain themselves, we must appreciate the testing times they operated in. While brands like HDFC, Amul, and Snapdeal advertised on Koo, the platform’s revenue was insufficient for sustainability.”

 
Around February 2023, Koo terminated the contract with a leading PR and communications agency mid-year after signing the contract in 2022 to cut down on operational costs. “The reason they cited was lack of funds to continue the service, and they chose to continue their PR activities via their internal team,” said a former employee.


<strong>Major Advertisers Stayed Away from Koo</strong>


Kumar Awanish, Chief Growth Officer of Cheil India, said, “The only differentiation in the Koo app was the native language offerings. Otherwise, it was just a microblogging site like Twitter (now X). Advertisers think from the perspective that the content and reach have to be different. The audience base has to be unique for the genre of the content. Then it attracts the advertisers' interest. When compared with the giants such as Meta or X, it was nowhere near, and that was the reason advertisers stayed away.”

 
Awanish elaborated, “I know at least 20-22 major brands who invest heavily in advertising but stayed away from Koo as a platform for advertising. A few companies in the e-commerce space did advertise on Koo, but it was just on a trial and experimental basis for a short period of time. It was mere luck that Koo managed to sustain for such a long period.”

 
Arijit Basu Vice president Growth & Strategy, BC Web Wise said, "While Koo managed to acquire millions of subscribers in a short span of time due to the regional penetration and digital sovereignty, they soon realized that the most important job of a product or brand is not customer acquisition but customer retention which is actually marketing 101."


Basu said, "Koo had the genesis of being a really great and innovative platform but did not attract enough advertisers or subscription models. The lack of a steady revenue stream made it difficult to sustain operations in the long run considering the likes of global giants, so only funding was not enough to sustain."


<strong>Did Bharat Really Want Koo?</strong>

 
Saurabh Parmar, Fractional CMO, said, “Koo's closure is unfortunately one of the simplest ones. It was a product customers never wanted. The entire idea of a microblogging platform for Bharat seems to have been done without any of the decision-makers really asking, 'Does Bharat really want to microblog? And if so, what differentiates Koo from X, the major microblogging platform?'"

 
Elaborating further, Parmar said, “Koo is not a marketing or fundraising failure. They excelled at both - from politicians getting onto it to media stories when the tide was against X (then Twitter), they got a lot of free PR and buzz, and despite having just a few million users, they raised $60 million.”

 
“It’s a business insight failure, and if any lesson is about really understanding India — which can’t be done based on reports and Excel sheets but by living and talking to the real India, which fewer and fewer marketing or business folk do. Also, if you have to keep buying users for a social network instead of word-of-mouth spread, then there is something strategically wrong. A product like Koo is built on PLG marketing (product-led growth) and not performance ads,” Parmar added.

 
<strong>Game of Hope: NaMo didn't join the party</strong>

 
Koo gained prominence in 2021 after several ministers endorsed it amid a row between the Indian government and X, which was then known as Twitter. Hoping that the government would ban X in India, Koo’s persistent efforts to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the microblogging platform failed. The microblogging platform faced another blow when Meta launched Threads, which initially gained 100 million users within a week, due to its integration with Instagram.


In 2022, Koo claimed it had an active user base of 9 million, with many users from Nigeria, where Twitter is banned, and Brazil.
 

A senior employee from Koo’s product development team said, “We were constantly told to try and get PM Modi and Home Minister Shah onboard along with their ministers to bank on their popularity and fan base, which failed, but similar developments had also taken place with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. When Koo entered Nigeria, all the ministers and government officials followed suit.”


However, the Koo saga illustrates the precarious balance between innovation and market viability. It also reflects the broader challenges faced by tech start-ups in India. The platform's story highlights the critical need for sustainable business models and a deep understanding of market needs.

A product customers never wanted?: The rise and fall of Koo

Edtech startup Unacademy has laid off 250 employees in a cost-cutting measure, according to a report by CNBC-TV18. 

The report mentioned that the latest round of layoffs has impacted staff across various functions, including marketing, sales, and product.

Citing sources, the CNBC-TV18 report added that around 100 affected employees were fired due to "sales performance-based exits".

The previous round of layoffs happened in March last year in Unacademy when the startup reduced its workforce by nearly 10-12% following a slowdown in its online business growth.

Notably, Unacademy has laid off around 2,000 employees in multiple restructuring exercises in the past two years.

A spokesperson told CNBC-TV18, "To streamline operations and enhance business efficiency, we have recently undergone a restructuring exercise. This was necessary keeping in mind the company's goals and vision for the year, as we focus all our efforts on sustainable growth and profitability. Consequently, some roles have been impacted. While this transition won't be easy, we will be supporting all impacted individuals during this transition".

In FY23, the SoftBank-backed firm's revenue grew by 26.15% to Rs 907 crore from Rs 719 crore in FY22. Unacademy also managed to cut down losses by 39% in FY23.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/social-media/byju-raveendran-put-himself-on-a-pedestal-and-stopped-listening-unacademy-ceo-gaurav-munjal-35837.htm">Read more: 'Byju Raveendran put himself on a pedestal and stopped listening': Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal</a>


Unacademy lays off 250 employees in cost-cutting move; marketing and sales teams hit

What is a trend? In the social media world, it’s a topic on which we see multiple innovative posts for a short period of time. The key phrase here being ‘short period’. That’s what makes trends great. They come, they go, and you have fun while they last. This avoids saturation and keeps the audience intrigued. 

What if a trend never left? What if it came, it conquered but now wants to stick around longer? Relevance is oh, so important these days. Well, that would work in case of lifestyle trends, like an easier cooking technique or a simple yet beneficial exercise. 

However, the trend being referred to here isn’t a lifestyle one. It does makes lives easier - of marketers, not the audience. Case in point: CGI advertisements. To put it in a way that’s relatable - CGI ads are those relatives who visit your home but have no intention of leaving despite the many signals. 

Computer-generated imagery or CGI is a quick and simple way for marketers to capture a moment and quickly have an often exaggerated social media post or campaign ready to upload. Today, CGI ads are OOH but not quite. They appear to be out in popular locations or hoardings but are really just on your digital screens. 

Brands today are using the CGI format to market products, services, movies, TV shows, social campaigns and much more. The format is quite popular because they help create life-like visuals that help with relatability. Initially, CGI ads made quite a buzz. They rode the hype cycle and became quite popular. 

WhatsApp’s privacy campaign at The Gateway of India in Mumbai is a great example. The campaign released in August 2023 and was an amazing concept, executed effectively. The campaign did well to grab eyeballs. Similarly, Barbie’s CGI campaign for their doll collection at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was one of the early examples of what a grand spectacle CGI can help create. The Chelsea FC kit reveal with Nike in September 2023, where the jersey was hung over the London Bridge too was a good representation of the capabilities of CGI in advertising. 

Well, we’re now in 2024, a year later and the trend is still going. There’s one important aspect that helps maintain relevance in today’s age, and that is innovation. Unfortunately, the CGI ads category has seen little to no innovation ever since it ‘trended’. 

We see the same concept everywhere. A large product of a brand at a popular location, a product popping out of a billboard, a plane flying with the product suspended. There’s only so much you can do. When does saturation hit? For the audience, really quick. For the marketer, well, clearly not yet. 

A CGI ad would require lesser effort than an elaborate campaign. You get a prominent location at probably no cost, you get as much creative liberty as you want, and not to forget, you save on the massive production costs. It’s relatively a much easier method. Maybe, that’s why the ad fraternity loves it so much as is unwilling to let go. 

CGI ads often walk on a thin line between marketing and possible misinformation. A brand recently released an ad of an Indian cricketer’s statue being erected at New York’s Time’s Square. While in it’s YouTube video, the brand did mention that the statue was a CGI creation, social media users believed it to be the truth. After all, the statue did look real. 

CGI ads do still create buzz, but they have now become monotonous and quite frankly, boring. They’re the shiny new toy that became dull. But is still in use. Saturation is a funny thing and too much of anything is too bad. Repetitiveness creates not only boredom but frustration as well. Which is why trends remain short term. Which is why it is important to know when the time period of a trend has expired. 

A common word in most effective advertising and marketing today is ‘insight’. It’s time brands start collecting insights more effectively on social media trends as well. CGI ads have overstayed their welcome. It is time for the relatives to finally go home.

CGI ads should be done and dusted; Find out why

Gaurav Munjal, the CEO of Unacademy recently shared what he feels were the reasons behind edtech company Biju’s’ downfall. Byju's was once the world's leading edtech unicorn and India's most valuable startup. Until its dramatic fall. 

Munjal, who is the co-founder of edtech firm Unacademy said said, “Byju failed because he didn’t listen to anyone. He put himself on a pedestal and stopped listening. Don’t do that. Never do that.”

Munjal shared some of his learnings on X, positioning Byju’s as an example of what could have been done differently. “Don’t listen to everyone but have people who can give you blunt feedback,” he said. 

Sharing his learnings before arriving on Byju’s, the CEO emphasised on the importance of understanding the business’s unit economics on day one itself. He shared that it’s the best thing one can do. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Byju failed because he didn’t listen to anyone. He put himself on a pedestal and stopped listening. Don’t do that. Never do that. Don’t listen to everyone but have people who can give you blunt feedback.</p>&mdash; Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) <a href="https://twitter.com/gauravmunjal/status/1806402278427127821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Munjal also shed light on the current investor landscape. "Some Investors are assets, some are liabilities. Trick is to figure out the ones who are assets and listen to them,” he said. 

He elaborated saying that not all investors provide equal value beyond their financial contributions. It is important for a founder to have the ability to take into account the advice given by beneficial investors. This can be the deciding factor of a startup’s success or failure, he said. 

There have been mutiple exits at Byju's over the past few months, from employees, to the CEO and other prominent board members. Additionally, founder Byju Raveendran too recently lost his billionaire status, as it was revealed that his net-worth plummeted from a staggering Rs. 17545 crore to Zero. 


Asian Paints' Ashwin Dani to Piyush Pandey, 'Naya Kya Kamal Kar Rahe Ho'

Ad legend Piyush Pandey shared his optimism for brand India at IBLA and reminisced his time working with Asian Paints' Ashwin Dani.

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