Author: Delshad Irani

OpenAI to use Financial Times content to train AI models in latest media partnership

FT Group CEO John Ridding said the agreement recognises "the value of our award-winning journalism and will give us early insights into how content is surfaced through AI," adding that "this partnership will help to keep us at the forefront of developments in how people access and use information.”

While the financial terms of the agreement with Financial Times were not disclosed, this latest expansion of media partnerships follows similar deals by Microsoft-backed OpenAI over the past few months.

Axel Springer and Microsoft expand partnership across advertising, AI, content and Azure services 

Axel Springer is a media and technology company and active in more than 40 countries. The company has successfully transformed from a traditional print media company to Europe’s leading digital publisher. The company is headquartered in Berlin and employs more than 18,000 people worldwide.

Axel Springer SE and Microsoft Corp. will leverage each other’s strengths in digital publishing and technology to accelerate growth in the era of AI.

Gillette India sales up 10 percent for March quarter; ad and sales promotions expenses hit Rs 68.99 crore

The company's advertising and sales promotions expenses hit Rs 68.99 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2024, down from Rs 75.77 crore in the preceding quarter.

LV Vaidyanathan, Managing Director, Gillette India Ltd. shared, “We continue to deliver strong top line and share growth driven by our teams’ excellent execution of our integrated growth strategy.”

Indian creativity going global?: A 2023 Coke Brazil campaign seems to be inspired by a 2019 Swiggy activation

Viewers were quick to draw comparison between Coca-Cola Brazil's Magic Audios campaign from 2023 with Swiggy's 2019 Voice of Hunger activation for a specific reason, as pointed out by one of the minds behind the campaign.

Coca-Cola and Ogilvy’s 2023 Magic Audios campaign for the Brazil market appeared again on social media recently, prompting Indian viewers to highlight the similarity between the Coke campaign and a Swiggy activation that was done five years ago by Dentsu Webchutney.

Global connected car sales to exceed 500 million in 2024-2030; China, USA, India to lead sales

Global connected passenger vehicles unit sales share by key regions, 2030F. Electrification, autonomous and advanced infotainment capabilities are major drivers for growing connectivity in a car. (Source: Counterpoint Research Global Connected Car Forecast)

About nine out of 10 connected cars sold in 2030 will have embedded 5G capability. China is expected to lead the connected car sales market, followed by USA, India, Japan and Germany, according to Counterpoint research.

Unilever’s productivity programme will drive focus, faster growth and reduce costs: Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever

Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever said “We continue to embed the Growth Action Plan, doing fewer things, better and with greater impact."

In March, Unilever announced the separation of Ice Cream and the launch of a comprehensive productivity programme. These actions will drive focus, faster growth and reduce costs, said global CEO Hein Schumacher, adding that dedicated project teams are progressing the work at pace.

Snap’s DAUs increased 10 percent YoY to 422 million; Q1 2024 revenue increased to $1,195 million

Stating that Snap Inc is focused on accelerating and diversifying its revenue growth, the company said that Snapchat+ subscribers more than tripled year-over-year, surpassing 9 million subscribers in Q1. The number of small and medium sized advertisers on Snapchat increased 85% year-over-year.

Snap is also investing in its augmented reality platform: “We continue to invest in Generative AI models and automation for the creation of ML and AI Lenses, which contributed to the number of ML and AI Lenses viewed by Snapchatters increasing by more than 50% year-over-year.”

Bombay Shaving Company’s ‘opportunistic’, ‘desperate’, ‘laughable’ Dear-Prachi ad slammed by internet users

While moment marketing seems very exciting for advertisers, Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary-general, highlighted that they often slip up because in their hurry to launch their ad to ride the wave, there is very little diligence. The usual protocols of approvals within an organisation may be overlooked in a race against time. “It may also be the case that companies who indulge in mindless moment marketing do not have enough checks and balances in their creative development or approval process,” she added.

Internet users and marketing experts slam Bombay Shaving Company’s ‘Dear Prachi’ ad for its ‘desperate’ and ‘laughable’ attempt to ride on Prachi Nigam’s story of being bullied online.

HUL CEO Rohit Jawa: We’ve embarked on a journey of ‘Transform to Outperform’ to serve evolving aspirations of Indian consumers

HUL CEO and MD Rohit Jawa said “Our key thrusts of Growing our Core through Unmissable Brand Superiority, Market making and Premiumisation, Re-shaping our portfolio to high growth spaces and Leadership in Channels of future, backed by our distinctive capabilities will enable us to continue winning in the Indian FMCG sector.”