Author: Indrani Bose

‘Viagra ads are okay, but vibrators aren’t’: Meta and Google ad policies drive sexual wellness brands to Reddit

With its anonymity, community-driven ethos, and tolerance for nuanced conversations, Reddit is fast becoming a go-to destination for other D2C sexual wellness brands like Sangya Project, Manzuri, and MyMuse, each of which is trying to build authenticity and trust in a culturally complex market.(Representative image by Brett Jordan via Unsplash)With its anonymity, community-driven ethos, and tolerance for nuanced conversations, Reddit is fast becoming a go-to destination for other D2C sexual wellness brands like Sangya Project, Manzuri, and Mymuse, each of which is trying to build authenticity and trust in a culturally complex market.(Representative image by Brett Jordan via Unsplash)

Meta mutes, Google filters, Reddit listens. Founders of sexual wellness brands decode the shift.

Is your favourite influencer real? The blurring lines of authenticity in the age of AI

The real question isn’t whether brands or influencers will adopt AI—they already have. The question is: Will audiences care? (Image Source: Unsplash)

AI-generated low-effort and machine-generated content has flooded every social media platform. Whether it’s fabricated travel photos, algorithmically optimized engagement bait, or entirely fake influencer accounts, AI is reshaping the digital landscape at an unprecedented scale.

UnderNeat by Kusha Kapila: Can creator-led brands go the distance?

Ramya Ramachandran, Founder of Whoppl, sees creator-led launches like Kapila’s as shaping a new kind of brand-building. What sets them apart, she says, is how naturally the journey unfolds. “Kusha started this back in December by addressing what people wear under their clothes. Three months later, it became her brand.” (Image source: Moneycontrol)

Influencer-led brands are no longer a novelty. The question is whether they can evolve into enduring businesses – or remain extensions of internet fame.

From budget crunch to global rethink: US tariffs force Indian brands to adapt

The report points to a paradox in the Indian and APAC markets, while personalization is acknowledged as essential, the region still lags behind in key engagement metrics. (Photo: Unsplash)

India’s repeal of the controversial equalisation levy designed to tax digital services was widely seen as a gesture toward international cooperation. But for many, the US’s tariff imposition in its wake feels like a letdown.

Global social media ad spend projected to reach $239 billion in 2025, $273 billion by 2026: Report

Referencing a study conducted by Social Media Matters, the petition highlighted that a significant number of young users spend over five hours a day on social media, engaging with content designed to induce addictive behaviours.

Over 80% of performance marketers use multiple tactics to combat diminishing returns, with more than half expanding into additional digital channels beyond social media ads.

Creative control or creative caution? What’s really driving content choices on Indian OTTs

The platforms that once promised to democratize storytelling and liberate Indian creators from the box office, are now boxed in by the very commercial priorities they claimed to transcend.(Representative Image: Bastian Riccardi via Unsplash)

There is a broader unease brewing among Indian creators: has the OTT revolution become too risk-averse, too data-led and too scared to trust artistic instinct?

55+ advertisers jump into IPL 2025: Parle, Vimal, Apple, and Dream11 lead early ad blitz

IPL 2025 is also being broadcast across 28 channels, compared to a smaller footprint in IPL 17—signaling a push for wider syndication and deeper regional reac

Parle Biscuits led the advertiser leaderboard with an 8% share of total ad volumes. Vimal Elaichi (marketed by Vishnu Packaging) followed with 6.1%, while Apple India secured third place with a 5.7% share.

Media agencies’ turmoil and hybrid in-housing surge | AAAI’s WhatsApp exit advisory could backfire | WPP drops DEI language, Ogilvy CEO champions DEI

Rather than a move away, experts foresee a recalibration of expectations, with clients seeking more transparency and agencies responding with stronger governance and accountability from media buying agencies, after the CCI probe into ad firms.

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