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Representational image via Unsplash

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Piyush Pandey

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In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

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. 


'Byju Raveendran put himself on a pedestal and stopped listening': Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal

The Podcast Pulse, a comprehensive report on podcast consumption in India developed by UNPAC Research (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. with the support of Ideabrew Studios, offers unprecedented insights into the evolving landscape of podcasting in India.

Despite the gradual adoption of podcasts into daily media consumption routines, a lack of comprehensive data on consumption patterns has hindered its recognition as a powerful platform for connecting with consumers.

India has surged to become the third-largest market for podcast listeners globally, yet only 12 percent of Indians are currently engaged, leaving a vast untapped audience waiting to be explored. The Podcast Pulse addresses this gap by offering actionable insights into consumer preferences, content choices, favored hosts, and preferred platforms.

The methodology behind The Podcast Pulse involved a meticulous blend of quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Engaging 2,170 individuals across 10 cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore, Patna, and Jaipur, the report gauged awareness and listenership statistics. Additionally, detailed interviews with 1,800 active listeners provided invaluable insights into their behavior and preferences.

Key findings from the report include:

•       82 percent of respondents were initially unaware of podcasts, highlighting a significant opportunity for awareness-building efforts.

•       78 percent of consumers discovered podcasts less than a year ago, indicating a recent surge in interest.

•       Authenticity and vulnerability in podcast conversations are highly valued by listeners, fostering a deeper connection with hosts and content.

The report also explores consumption patterns, including weekday vs. weekend trends, preferred episode lengths, and the rise of regional language content. Regional podcasts are identified as a driving force in shaping the industry's future, offering audiences a more relatable and culturally resonant listening experience.

Furthermore, The Podcast Pulse profiles the Aware listener – detailing gender, occupation, age, and level of education – and conducts a deep dive into genre dynamics and explores the nuances between audio and video podcasts.  It charts the four stages of podcast enthusiasts’ journey, from their curious Exploration and Discovery phase to Advocacy as they actively promote and champion their favorite podcasts.

Sheetal Choksi, Director, UNPAC Research says, "We believe The Podcast Pulse is a game-changer, providing insights into India’s podcast consumption and offering a roadmap for creators and platforms to navigate the evolving preferences of Indian audiences, empowering industry professionals and stakeholders to unlock its full potential. As a podcaster myself, I experienced firsthand the challenges in accessing comprehensive data about our audience. Beyond some basic data, no one was able to answer questions like who was listening to podcasts, when, why certain genres did well, etc. This realization was the genesis of The Podcast Pulse – an earnest attempt to fill the void and provide actionable insights for the entire industry."

Aditya Kuber, CEO, Ideabrew Studios says, “At Ideabrew Studios, we are passionate about fostering innovation in audio storytelling. The Podcast Pulse not only showcases the immense potential of podcasts in India but also underscores the importance of diverse and authentic narratives in shaping the future of audio entertainment. This report will be a definitive look into podcast consumption data for advertising agencies, brands and everyone looking to meaningfully engage with a large audience.”



India third-largest market for podcast listeners globally; yet only 12 percent Indians currently engaged

GOZOOP HAWK, and online reputation management and customer support agency under the GOZOOP Group, has bagged the listening and digital response management duties for Amazon miniTV, a leading free entertainment service in India.


As part of the mandate, GOZOOP HAWK’s key responsibilities will include handling digital customer support, monitoring online brand chatter, amplifying positive stories, measuring sentiments, providing timely resolutions and deriving actionable business insights for the brand by understanding and tracking valuable web conversations to delight customers. 


Amazon miniTV offers a large library of popular web series, movies, reality shows, dubbed international content, in multiple genres like comedy, romance, slice of life, thriller and more.


Commenting on the partnership Aruna Daryanani, director and business head, Amazon miniTV said, “ORM is an important component of brand building and reputation management. With the right strategy, ideation and creative thinking we can further strengthen our brand presence. We are excited to partner with GOZOOP HAWK and look forward to their expertise to continue to raise the bar on customer experience.”


Commenting on the win, Premkumar Iyer, president, GOZOOP HAWK said, “HAWK has always demonstrated capability of delivering some of the most unconventional listening and online customer support solutions. This habit to push boundaries coupled with Amazon miniTV's disruptive approach towards the dynamic OTT space makes the relationship click. We have already done some stellar work e.g. during Amazon miniTV’s recent launch of dubbed K-dramas, we turned the whole response management strategy to Korean language generating shift in outreach. We look forward to doing more such unconventional work for them in times to come.”


GOZOOP HAWK bags listening and digital customer support mandate for Amazon miniTV

The marketing team within media giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims it has the capability to listen to ambient conversations of consumers through embedded microphones in smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices to gather data and use it to target ads, according to a review of CMG marketing materials by 404 Media and details from a pitch given to an outside marketing professional. Called “Active Listening,” CMG claims the capability can identify potential customers “based on casual conversations in real time.”

The news signals that what a huge swath of the public has believed for years—that smartphones are listening to people in order to deliver ads—may finally be a reality in certain situations. Until now, there was no evidence that such a capability actually existed, but its myth permeated due to how sophisticated other ad tracking methods have become.

It is not immediately clear if the capability CMG is advertising and claims works is being used on devices in the market today, but the company notes it is “a marketing technique fit for the future. Available today.” 404 Media also found a representative of the company on LinkedIn explicitly asking interested parties to contact them about the product. One marketing professional pitched by CMG on the tech said a CMG representative explained the prices of the service to them.

“What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations? No, it's not a Black Mirror episode—it's Voice Data, and CMG has the capabilities to use it to your business advantage,” CMG’s website reads.

The part of CMG advertising the capability is CMG Local Solutions. CMG itself is owned by Apollo Global Management and Cox Enterprises, which includes the ISP Cox Communications. CMG operates a wide array of local news television and radio stations.

With Active Listening, CMG claims to be able to “target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for.” The goal is to target potential clients or customers based on what they say in “their day to day conversations,” the website adds. Specifically, those could include:

Clients can “claim” a territory where they want to use CMG’s services, which are available in a 10 or 20 mile radius, the website says. After setup, “Active Listening begins and is analyzed via AI to detect pertinent conversations via smartphones, smart tvs and other devices,” the website adds. CMG also claims it installs a tracking pixel on its client’s website to monitor the return on investment (ROI).

With an audience created, CMG then delivers adverts to these people through streaming TV, streaming audio, display ads, YouTube, and Google and Bing search, the website says.

“The result? Unprecedented understanding of consumer behavior, so we can deliver personalized ads that make your target audience think: wow, they must be a mind reader,” another section of CMG’s website reads.

Claims about this capability raises obvious and immediate legal concerns; intercepting communications without proper consent can violate wiretapping laws. CMG’s website addresses this with a section that starts “We know what you are thinking…”

“Is this legal? YES- it is totally legal for phones and devices to listen to you. That's because consumers usually give consent when accepting terms and conditions of software updates or app downloads,” the website says.

Beyond CMG’s website, very little information is available about the capability, including how exactly the data is gathered, be that via a software development kit (SDK) bundled into apps, or via collection at another point. For its part, Apple does alert iPhone users when an app is accessing the device’s microphone with a small icon in the UI.

The marketing professional pitched by CMG told 404 Media that after a call with the company, they disabled microphone access on much of their own technology: “I immediately removed all my Amazon Echo devices and locked down microphone permissions on things like my phone as receiving confirmation they are doing things like this have confirmed my worst fears and I, for one, will not take part in it,” they said.

CMG says “the ROI is already impressive” and is actively soliciting potential customers, though. On LinkedIn, Chris Marxmiller, a senior sales consultant at CMG, invites people in his bio to “Ask me about our NEW product - ACTIVE LISTENING.” Marxmiller did not respond to a request for comment which asked for more information on the Active Listening product.

CMG lists a number of other companies as its partners and publishers. These include Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. Microsoft declined to comment. Google told 404 Media in a statement that “For years, Android has prevented apps from collecting audio  when they're not being actively used, and whenever an app activates a device’s microphone, there is a prominent icon displayed in the status bar.” Google did not answer 404 Media’s question in its statement.

Amazon said in a statement that “the advertising product being described would not be possible with Echo devices. We do not share voice recordings with third parties.”

CMG said in a statement that “CMG Local Solutions markets a wide range of advertising tools. Like other advertising companies, some of those tools include third-party vendor products powered by data sets sourced from users by various social media and other applications then packaged and resold to data servicers. Advertising data based on voice and other data is collected by these platforms and devices under the terms and conditions provided by those apps and accepted by their users, and can then be sold to third-party companies and converted into anonymized information for advertisers. This anonymized data then is resold by numerous advertising companies.”

“CMG businesses do not listen to any conversations or have access to anything beyond a third-party aggregated, anonymized and fully encrypted data set that can be used for ad placement. We regret any confusion and we are committed to ensuring our marketing is clear and transparent,” the statement added.

Cox Media Group claims to have capability to listen to ambient conversations of consumers for targeted ads

On June 1, 1945, Fritz Sennheiser, a German inventor and entrepreneur, founded the audio equipment manufacturing company that bears his name and went on to become a global brand. Today, Sennheiser has three business units: Pro Audio, Business Communication and Neumann.Berlin. 


In a conversation with Storyboard18, Andreas Sennheiser, the company’s chief executive officer, said, “The first thing is you have to hit a ‘need’. To not get complacent and to not be happy with what we've achieved, we have to keep listening to the customer and at the same time have a creative dissatisfaction with the status quo. So, the achievements of the past should always be seen as just the new standard. From there, we can iterate again.”


Edited excerpts:


<strong>Tell us more about Sennheiser’s India story.</strong>


We started bringing good audio to India in 2007. At the time, it was really hard to understand where the general public was with audio consumption. We found out that listening to music via headphones wasn’t a known principle. 


So, over the last 16 years, I think we've done quite well in developing the taste of enjoying music on the consumer side. For two years, we focused on the pro business only, along with business communication, and then our Neumann products also.


Particularly, in the last one-and-a-half years after the pandemic, we've seen very strong growth. On the live part, everyone wants to enjoy music, festivals, weddings and all kinds of corporate events. But on the business communication side, government, corporate and also higher education facilities are gearing up significantly for hybrid meetings, for remote lectures and also for a digital government.


<strong>Where do you see India in Sennheiser's growth map?</strong>


In the last two years, India has had one of the highest growth levels, with more than 50 percent annual growth.


As far as the general business globally is concerned, we could supply all our customers with products even during the pandemic. So, we were never really out of products.


<strong>From a product lens, what’s the focus?</strong> 


We have several focuses. There’s a general common focus that more and more of the technology that we’re using—it is highly advanced—is hidden behind very simple user interfaces. 


So, we want to make it as simple as possible, come up with seamless integration, plug and play with our installed business like ceiling microphones… This is so that an integrator, a consultant or the end user really doesn’t need to deal a lot with technology but actually can focus on the experience.



<strong>Many global CEOs are surprised by the way Indian consumers have evolved over the last few years. From a price-conscious market, we now are a value-conscious market. So, what are your observations and what is unique about Indian consumers?</strong>


Well, you just gave the right keywords. 


It has evolved from a price sensitive market of buying at the lowest possible level to now buying the highest possible value. So, with that, we are in an excellent position because we love competition. We love the direct comparison of our products with competitive products because usually this is when we win.


That's why value-based buying decisions are very much in our favour, because we provide superior audio quality. 


<strong>Globally, what are the trends in the audio space and do you see the adoption of those trends in India anytime soon?</strong> 


One of the big trends is that high–quality audio is being more and more appreciated. This is particularly when it comes to immersive audio and spatial audio. In the studios, we have more and more Atmos installations with our Neumann speakers. Also, on the playback side, we see a lot of venues now having full arrays of speakers for an immersive experience.


So, the whole appreciation for good audio has significantly increased over the last few years. At the same time, there’s also a strong trend of simplification of workflows. So, we try to focus on making the lives of our end users as simple as possible, particularly because there's also cost pressure on production, music production, news gathering etc. We want to give them the gear that they can operate with the least possible amount of people. 


<strong>What is the brand perception of Sennheiser?</strong> 


Sennheiser has a brand reputation of being extremely reliable, creating remarkable audio experience and being a highly innovative brand. 


The topmost factor is always reliability. In a meeting room, you don’t want to spend 20 minutes getting the system to work. An artist in front of 50,000 people, the only thing he or she can hold is a microphone, and that should not fail.


<strong>In terms of marketing, what are the big plans for India and what are the investments like?</strong> 

Our main investment is in people and education. So, it's people on our end and education on the customer side.

We see that the more there are highly talented technicians, audio engineers and people who know the difference between an okay system and a great system.

During the pandemic, we produced 200 tutorial videos: how to use our microphones, how to set up gear in general, and how to build a studio. A lot of things to just help the audio community do a better job.


<strong>In India, startups have been weaving a very different story in the last few years. As a family-owned company and one of the oldest startups in the audio space, do tell us what it takes to make a successful business and your advice for startups here. </strong>

The first thing is you have to hit a ‘need’. This is not only true in a startup, but also when a company like ours gets older. Now, we’re closer to the 80th year of our existence. To not get complacent and to not be happy with what we've achieved, we have to keep listening to the customer and at the same time have a creative dissatisfaction with the status quo.

So, the achievements of the past should always be seen as just the new standard. From there, we can iterate again. 

<strong>There are a bunch of profitable startups in the audio space here in India. What impresses you about them and are there any lessons that you can pick from them? </strong>

When startups have a platform economy in mind and then scale that up, they can very quickly cover a very broad demand, be it with fintech platforms or be it any other integration.


That is an approach that I find highly attractive because it's not product and gear oriented, but really platform oriented. And this is also a strategy that we're adopting more and more. We are not just selling gear to our customers, but we actually provide the control platform with it to make it as easy as possible. 


That has been a strategy for a couple of years—to have a lot of allies in the industry in order to allow a seamless integration for the end user. So, the platform is really the main focus. And, what we're selling in terms of gear is just an endpoint to the whole platform.

<strong>Has the target audience of Sennheiser evolved over time?</strong> 

Yes and no. Our target audience grows with us.

While there was an entry target audience a decade back that has now matured in age and in income, they are now being lifted to the next level.

I had a chance to meet with music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman. We had a chat about technology particularly, and they stressed upon how they started with simple gear and then moved to higher-grade gear.

Andreas Sennheiser: We have to keep listening to the customer and have a creative dissatisfaction with the status quo

Gen Z consumers are 50 percent more likely to take their friends' recommendation over an influencer or a celebrity when making a purchase decision, revealed a study from Yuvaa – the Indian Gen Z-driven youth media, impact, and research organization.

An Economic Times report states that the findings are based on a report titled 'Not All Gen Z'. The findings are based on responses from over 900 Gen Z participants, spanning over 20 cities across tier I, II, and III cities and towns of the country. Gen Z represents people born between 1997 and 2012 who show distinctive behavior in their lifestyle and shopping habits. At over two billion, Gen Z forms roughly 25 percent of the global population. It makes up for over 35 percent of India's population, according to Yuvaa.

Their estimated spending power is in excess of €235 billion, according to BCG. 

<strong>Influencers provide brand visibility</strong>

Karthik Srinivasan, a communications strategy consultant, believes that we trust the references and recommendations of the people we trust the most within our family or friends circle. However, influencers have a different role to play.

"They have come to usurp the role of mainstream media and advertising to a large extent and have become predictable sources of visibility more than influence. In other words, influencers (along with mainstream media and advertising) are sources of introducing products or services, use-cases, and giving them visibility, but they may not necessarily persuade people to make the purchase. That's where friends and family (known peers, colleagues too) would come into play," he explains.

Srinivasan tells Storyboard18 that influencers are merely shilling a product for a fee and have long stopped pretending to be actual users of a product to offer use-based/experience-based content/information.

"Even if they claim to offer personal experience-based recommendations, if viewers/followers see the disclaimer about paid content, they'd automatically discount that factor and take that recommendation with a pinch of salt," he adds.

Yuvaa's report findings also highlight a few key aspects of a Gen Z consumer who is not only willing to support brands that support social causes but also cares about sustainability. Around 63 percent of Gen Z shoppers surveyed said they prefer brands that support social causes. 

71 percent of Gen Z prioritize brands that are environment-friendly, and 77 percent consider price when buying something, even if it's not sustainable. Gen Zs are split equally between feminist and non-feminist brands, but 60 percent of women prefer them.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/amazon-vs-myntra-who-will-win-over-more-gen-z-shoppers-in-india-8247.htm">Read more: Amazon vs Myntra: Who will win over more Gen Z shoppers in India?</a>

<strong>E-com platforms chasing Gen Z</strong>

These trends are being closely followed and implemented in product and marketing strategies by e-commerce platforms in India. Storyboard18 reported that there has been intense competition between online retailers to woo the next generation of shoppers, with e-commerce platforms Amazon and Myntra actively investing in the Gen Z cohort.

Flipkart-backed fashion portal Myntra, for instance, announced the launch of FWD, an in-platform experience offering additional brands and styles curated for Gen-Z shoppers.

The move comes days after rival Amazon Fashion introduced the ‘Next Gen Store,’ catering to the unique needs of Gen Z shoppers, who seek to experiment with fashion and have varying preferences in terms of styles, sizes, brands, and fitting.

While Nykaa Fashion has not yet launched a dedicated platform for Gen Z shoppers, it has been onboarding brands that target this cohort. Recently, it added MIXT, which offers streetwear-inspired modern apparel options such as bodysuits, corsets, jumpsuits, jackets, cardigans, and footwear. It brought in Cider, a US-based label, expanding its global offerings to Indian consumers.

Gen Z segment has a distinct aesthetic that impacts their brand choices, which have been driving fashion trends – crop tops, ribbed dresses, chunky sneakers, and baggy jeans.

Unlike previous generations, which were heavily influenced by Bollywood and sports celebrities, Gen Z shoppers are more picky about who they follow. Social media influencers have emerged as a significant force in shaping their purchase decisions.

However, there is a catch. This group only follows influencers or celebrities who ‘walk the talk’ and are more trustworthy.

<strong>Value for sustainability, inclusivity</strong>

Bindiya Bhatt, senior director of category management at Myntra told Storyboard18 that for Gen Z, inclusivity, authenticity, and unconventionalism take centre stage as well.

"By embracing these values and catering to their specific needs, businesses can create more meaningful and impactful experiences that resonate with this important and influential demographic," she said.

Technopak Advisors' Ankur Bisen had a deeper insight, saying Gen Z shoppers are community-driven and seek better products rather than stay loyal to brands.

"...they are definitely seeking better products than brands and they are also looking at the consumption of fashion through communities. For example, there are communities towards gaming, nature, and even limited edition products. The spin-off from this trend could be the 'sneaker culture' in India and the craze to buy limited edition sneakers that are being sold online. These are some micro trends that one needs to notice," he said.

Influencers’ influence waning? GenZ listen to friends over social media influencers

Why PepsiCo India’s Lay's launched gourmet chips

Storyboard18 x Momo Media: Let's Talk - Masculinity in Advertising

“We will have another incremental billion dollars in the next three years for the home-grown billion dollar brand Thums Ups,” says Arnab Roy, vice president and head of marketing, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia to Storyboard18’s Shibani Gharat. He also talks about the brand’s new advertising campaign #HarHaathToofan.

<iframe title="Coca Cola's Arnab Roy On Thums Up New Campaign 'Har Haath Toofan' | Storyboard 18 | CNBC-TV18" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fXe4to9HL4Q" width="853" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Coca-Cola's Arnab Roy on Thums Up’s new ad campaign #HarHaathToofan

GE's Linda Boff on what it takes to reinvent a 130-yr old brand

Storyboard18’s first edition of Brand Blitz Quiz is truly national. Brand Blitz Quiz, which is India's first panel business quiz show, received over 600 registrations from different corners of India. From Shillong, Bokaro, Thrissur to Tezpur, Surat and Trichy, and from top metros cites in the country, Brand Blitz Quiz got madvertising geniuses from across India together for the National Prelims. 

Our quiz master Sai Ganesh, founder of India Wants To Know, was joined by guest panellist Mithila Saraf, CEO, Famous Innovation. The duo shared lesser known brand stories and fun-facts from the world of marketing.

Watch the full episode that features iconic brands like Burger King, Oreo and Uncle Chipps, among others. 
 
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Brand Blitz Quiz: What you should know about iconic brands

Don’t miss the lesser-known stories of brands like Burger King, Oreo, Uncle Chipps, that were discussed in Brand Blitz Quiz's National Prelims.

n the final regional round for the West Zone of the Brand Blitz Quiz, quizmaster Sai Ganesh was joined by Roshan Abbas, a media professional, actor and partner - The Glitch. 


An image of a makeup collection is shown to participants during one of the rounds of the quiz. 


Ganesh’s question to the panellists was on Rare Beauty’s ‘Mabel Mora’ collection being a collaboration with which popular show. One of the panellists answered ‘Only Murders In The Building’. Ganesh went on to further reveal that American singer and actor Selena Gomez owned Rare Beauty, and the collection was named after her character. 


Abbas shared a fun fact that the shooting took place in an actual building and not on any set. One of the panellists shared another fact stating that the music for the show was by an Indo-American music composer named Siddhartha Khosla.


Another panellist highlighted that the show made fans recreate the look using Rare Beauty makeup, which became a big trend. 



Another fun fact is that throughout the show, the makeup brand has been prominently displayed. 

What is the connection between Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty and 'Only Murders In The Building'?

In the final regional round for the West Zone of the Brand Blitz Quiz, quizmaster Sai Ganesh was joined by Roshan Abbas, a media professional, actor and partner - The Glitch. 


An image of Shah Rukh Khan's movie's posters Jawan and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa were shown to participants.


Ganesh posed a question to the panellists, “Which brand did SRK endorse in Jawan, that made a return after two decades since Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa?” It was Yezdi motorbike (from Mysore) that was featured in the film. 


Shah Rukh Khan, who played a dual role in Jawan, one of which was Vikram Rathore. He is seen riding a Yezdi bike along with the older Army generals trying to keep his son Azad and the girls squad out of harms way. 


One of the panellists shared that in Khan’s debut film, Deewana, his entry happens on a bike. 



Moreover, one of the first ads that featured Khan along with his wife Gauri was a Cinthol ad in the 1990s when a couple endorsing  a brand was considered uncommon at that time.


Another fun fact by a participant revealed that a lot of out-of-movie branding for Jawan was done by a company named Annie’s Media. 



Also, in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, there is a scene where ice cream falls from Anna’s (portrayed by Suchitra Krishnamurthy) hands. The same scene was recreated in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna where the ice cream falls from actor Rani Mukherjee’s hand.

Fun facts about SRK, Jawan, and Rani Mukherjee's ice cream

Storyboard18's Brand Blitz Quiz decided to have some fun with brand nerds from the Indian advertising and marketing community. We got Sai Ganesh, founder, India Wants to Know, and Varun Duggirala, founder, Plot Device Entertainment, to join us for the North Regional Final round on September 3



Ganesh asked the quizzers a question related to a Netflix film. In the 2019 movie Chopsticks, Mithila Palkar plays an independent woman working in Mumbai who loses her car. Throughout the film, people make fun of the name of her character because it’s the same as a popular brand name in India. Coincidentally, the brand too is named after a girl who died in a car crash. Ganesh asked the participants to guess which brand the question is referring to. 





Palkar’s name in the movie is Nirma. And yes, she is named after Nirma, the washing powder brand.



Karsanbhai Patel, named the washing powder brand – Nirma, inspired from his daughter’s name Nirupama who was the girl who died in the aforementioned car crash.


<strong>Read More:</strong><a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/brand-blitz-quiz-and-the-winners-are-14580.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Brand Blitz Quiz: And the winners are...</a>


Ganesh showed an illustration of Palkar as the Nirma girl and also shared that her character in the movie was made fun of and she was asked about discounts. “Madam, if we help you, we will get a discount on detergents, right?” flashed on the screen!



Varun Duggirala shared an anecdote about his childhood connection with Nirma. "As a kid whenever this ad played, I was made to close my eyes." It was his mother who made him do so, so that her son would watch less television! Quite appropriate, no?


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What’s the connection between Washing Powder Nirma, Chopsticks and Mithila Palkar?

After five weeks of intense quizzing, Brand Blitz Quiz, India's First Panel Business Quiz Show by Storyboard18 has come to an end. Rabi Sankar Saha and Raktim Nag (Team No Brainer) from Kolkata won the first edition of our quiz. Aniruddha Dutta and Francis Rodrigues (Team: Born Losers) from Mumbai came second. Aditya Morarka and Purvabh Surana (Team Bangy Bae-kens) from Bengaluru stood at third place.


We had one and only Piyush Pandey, chairman global creative and executive chairman India of Ogilvy, as the chief panellist of our grand finale. Pandey shared unheard stories and fun-facts of India's most loved ad campaigns, creative minds, and brands. 


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s quiz time!<br><br>You have 60 seconds to answer...<br><br>This one is an interesting one.<br><br>Watch our live stream now with Piyush Pandey and <a href="https://twitter.com/sai_ganesh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sai_ganesh</a>.<a href="https://t.co/apLU3nTvTl">https://t.co/apLU3nTvTl</a><a href="https://twitter.com/CNBCTV18News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNBCTV18News</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DairyMilkIn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DairyMilkIn</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AJIOLife?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJIOLife</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/IWTKQuiz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IWTKQuiz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/brandblitzquiz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#brandblitzquiz</a> <a href="https://t.co/XH6CuXVpjC">pic.twitter.com/XH6CuXVpjC</a></p>&mdash; Storyboard18 (@BrandStoryboard) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandStoryboard/status/1705208675114381823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



Watch the full episode here. 


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Brand Blitz Quiz attracted over 600 participants from 80 plus cities. The participants were from different parts of India including Shillong, Bokaro, Thrissur, Tezpur, Surat, Trichy, among top metros. Sai Ganesh, founder of India Wants To Know, our quiz master was joined by marquee panellists for all our rounds.  


Mithila Saraf, CEO, Famous Innovation, was a panellist for the National Prelims.


Devaiah Bopanna, co-founder, Moonshot and Saksham Jadon, founder, Youngun were the co-panelists for the South Regional Final round.


Roshan Abbas, co-founder, Kommune India and Varun Duggirala, founder, Plot Device Entertainment joined for the West and North Regional Final rounds respectively.


Sumanto Chattopadhyay (aka The English Nut), former chairman and CCO, 82.5 Communications and Tista Sen, CEO and CCO, Ladyfinger were the co-panelists for the East Regional Final round.


Brand Blitz Quiz was presented by Cadbury Dairy Milk, and our style partner is Ajio.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/watch-what-happened-when-we-quizzed-lloyd-mathias-karthik-srinivasan-and-sanket-audhi-brand-blitz-quiz-12236.htm">Watch what happened when we quizzed Lloyd Mathias, Karthik Srinivasan and Sanket Audhi: Brand Blitz Quiz</a> 


Brand Blitz Quiz: And the winners are...

Piyush Pandey, chairman global creative and executive chairman India of Ogilvy, will be joining Storyboard18’s Brand Blitz Quiz’s grand finale on 22 September 2023. The episode will be live streamed on CNBC-TV18’s YouTube channel from 6:30 pm.

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Brand Blitz Quiz, India's First Panel Business Quiz Show, attracted over 600 participants from 80 plus cities. The participants were from different parts of India including Shillong, Bokaro, Thrissur, Tezpur, Surat, Trichy, among top metros.

Here are the teams who have made it to the final round.

<strong>Bangy Bae-kens</strong>: Aditya Morarka & Purvabh Surana

<strong>Brandits</strong>: Shivram Vedula

<strong>The Sad Raccoon Company</strong>: Asmit Kumar & Anaamika S

<strong>Kanpur Kwiz Klub</strong>: Aditya Narayan Padhi & Arqam Patel

<strong>No Brainer</strong>: Rabi Sankar Saha & Raktim Nag

<strong>Quizzer Sans Buzzer</strong>: Shubham Lahoti & Sagar Agarwal

<strong>What's in a name???</strong>: Rajarshi Chanda & Meghashyam Shirodkar

<strong>Born Losers</strong>: Aniruddha Dutta & Francis Rodrigues

Sai Ganesh, founder of India Wants To Know, our quiz master were joined by marquee panellists for all our rounds.

Mithila Saraf, CEO, Famous Innovation, was a panellist for the National Prelims.

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Devaiah Bopanna, co-founder, Moonshot and Saksham Jadon, founder, Youngun were the co-panelists for the South Regional Final round.

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Roshan Abbas, co-founder, Kommune India and Varun Duggirala, founder, Plot Device Entertainment joined for the West and North Regional Final rounds respectively.  

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Sumanto Chattopadhyay (aka The English Nut), former chairman and CCO, 82.5 Communications and Tista Sen, CEO and CCO, Ladyfinger were the co-panelists for East Regional Final round.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p_vdFQM68zk?si=5oyrRJLnk3jkG6E7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Brand Blitz Quiz is presented by Cadbury Dairy Milk, and our style partner is Ajio.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/watch-what-happened-when-we-quizzed-lloyd-mathias-karthik-srinivasan-and-sanket-audhi-brand-blitz-quiz-12236.htm">Watch what happened when we quizzed Lloyd Mathias, Karthik Srinivasan and Sanket Audhi: Brand Blitz Quiz</a>


 

Piyush Pandey to join Brand Blitz Quiz’s finale as chief panellist

During the regional final of the south zone of Storyboard18’s Brand Blitz Quiz, quizmaster Sai Ganesh posed a very interesting question to the participants. It was regarding a logo of creative agency Ogilvy, done for our neighboring country Pakistan.

What is interesting about the original Ogilvy logo is that it’s the actual signature of founder David Ogilvy. The logo for the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and soon to be Middle Eastern market is an adaptation of it. It can be read from both sides. In English, from left to right it reads ‘Ogilvy’ as signed by David Ogilvy himself. However, when read from right to left, it reads the same in Urdu or Persian. 

One of the guest panelists Devaiah Bopanna, who worked at Ogilvy in the early days of his career, mentioned that the only problem he ever had with the logo was that it was small and illegible from afar. And as it is one of the most important things in marketing, he suggested that the logo needs to be bigger. 

Watch the full episode here. 

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What is interesting about the Ogilvy palindrome logo?

Storyboard18's Brand Blitz Quiz, India's First Panel Business Quiz, decided to have some fun with brand nerds from the Indian advertising and marketing community. We got Sai Ganesh, founder, India Wants to Know, and Varun Duggirala, founder, Plot Device Entertainment, to join us for the North Regional Final round on September 3.


During the North Regional final round, Duggirala picked the theme “Kissa Kauntroversy Ka” and Ganesh asked the first question on one of the print ads of Tuff Shoes featuring former Miss India Madhu Sapre. Sapre, who was a national level discus thrower, was seen in beachwear aiming a discus in the picture. Like Sapre, Milind Soman was an athlete as well – he was a national-level swimmer. Both Soman and Sapre were chosen by Tuff Shoes for the print campaign because of their athletic and tough figures.

Apart from featuring individually in the ad campaign, Soman and Sapre were featured together for a print ad too. In the shot, the duo were wrapped in a firm clinch, showing off only Tuff's shoes with a python, around Soman’s neck. The ad is considered to be one of the most controversial ads in the history of Indian advertising because it faced backlash for being obscene. However, the controversy made consumers gravitate more towards the shoes.

Another case was slapped by the animal rights group against Ambience Advertising, the agency behind the campaign, under the Wildlife Protection Act. They were accused of using a python illegally and for being cruel towards animals. The matter dragged on in court for 14 years.


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Things you may not know about Madhu Sapre, Milind Soman and their controversial Tuff Shoes ad

During one of the thrill-packed rounds of the regional final of the south zone of Storyboard18’s Brand Blitz Quiz, quizmaster Sai Ganesh put up a question to the participants that spiked nostalgia for all 90s and early 2000s kids. It was about a 2021 ad campaign inspired by popular music groups Vengaboys and Boyzone. The famous CRED ads that sparked a buzz during the 2021 IPL season. 

This ad by CRED, called Venkaboys, featuring OG cricket legends Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath and Maninder Singh was an inspired take on the two famous music bands from the early days. The ad had these cricketers performing a music number in classic Vengaboys style. This really was a nostalgic and out of the box idea, executed very well.

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One of the guest panelists Devaiah Bopanna, who worked on the campaign, shared two fun facts about the ad. He mentioned that Venkatesh Prasad is the coolest guy around. During the shoot, he was over-enthusiastic to dance. Secondly, Javagal Srinath is a connoisseur of rap music. Yes, you read that right. Classic rap music is what Srinath loves to listen to. Who would’ve thought!

Watch the full episode here.

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Fun-facts about Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath and ‘The OG’ CRED ad

In one of the very interesting rounds in the regional final of the south zone of Storyboard18’s Brand Blitz Quiz, quizmaster Sai Ganesh asked a question to participants that brought out the pop culture enthusiast and meme lovers in them. It was regarding an ad campaign inspired by a famous meme of American actor and stand-up comedian Jordan Peele profusely sweating in a scene from the comedy series Key and Peele. Of course, the ad being referred to is the Subway ad featuring chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. 

The ad sees the ever-present dilemma of awkward social interactions and not being able to decide what and how to order at Subway. Vishy Anand is seen sweating copiously, unable to speak a word while thinking of what to order. He gives up and runs for the door, only to hit the glass door and fall. The ad is truly hilarious.  

One of the guest panelists Devaiah Bopanna, who worked on the campaign, mentioned that they as writers had so much creative liberty for this ad. Every time they included a self-indulging comedy scene in the script, they were worried that Vishy Anand would turn it down, not wanting to possibly ruin his public image. However, he agreed to literally everything they asked of him, said Bopanna.

Moreover, the other guest panelist, Saksham Jadon worked on the marketing for the campaign. They used meme marketing to revive an otherwise dead Twitter (X) account of Vishwanathan Anand. They used meme language and clever innuendo to promote the campaign before its launch. 

Listen in to the full story here.

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Did you know? Subway’s recent ad ft. Vishwanathan Anand was inspired by a meme

Storyboard18’s first edition of Brand Blitz Quiz is truly national. Brand Blitz Quiz, which is India's first panel business quiz show, received over 600 registrations from different corners of India. From Shillong, Bokaro, Thrissur to Tezpur, Surat and Trichy, and from top metros cites in the country, Brand Blitz Quiz got madvertising geniuses from across India together for the National Prelims.

Our quiz master Sai Ganesh, founder of India Wants To Know, was joined by Devaiah Bopanna, co-founder, Moonshot and Saksham Jadon, founder and CEO, Youngun. The duo shared lesser known brand stories and fun-facts on some of India's most viral ad campaigns. 

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Brand Blitz Quiz: What you should know about iconic brands

Don’t miss the lesser-known stories of brands like Burger King, Oreo, Uncle Chipps, that were discussed in Brand Blitz Quiz's National Prelims.

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