Author: Kashmeera Sambamurthy

Throwback: When Lalitaji shielded Surf from redundancy

The commercial was meant to be advertised on cinema screens. In the words of veteran ad man K S Chakravarthy, the 1984 Summer Olympics caught the eyes of Lintas’s client. Since airtime was already bought by the client, Surf’s Lalitaji debuted on the television screens in 1984, for Lintas didn’t have a backup commercial in hand. (Stills from the ads)

The 1984 commercial of Surf reinstated the brand’s position in the detergent market, which was threatened by Nirma. A large part of that credit goes to Lalitaji, an iconic character of Indian advertising, whose clutter cutter persona justified the price point of the brand due to the greater satisfaction derived by its use.

Big Tech’s ad business can be a monopolist threat: Standing Committee on Finance

The report said, “It should provide advertisers information on a daily basis, regarding price paid by the advertiser and the remuneration received by the publisher. It should provide advertisers and publishers with access to the performance measuring tools of the gatekeeper and the data necessary for advertisers and publishers to carry out their own independent verification of the advertisements inventory, including aggregated and non-aggregated data." (Representative Image: Aman Pal via Unsplash)

The committee also recommended that the government should consider and introduce a Digital Competition Act to ensure a fair, transparent and contestable digital ecosystem.

From waking up customers to delivering books in record time — How Indians used Dunzo in 2022

According to Dunzo, the sexual wellness category grew 2.5x, with condoms and lubes leading the category. Mumbai residents ordered three times the number of condoms and lubricants as Delhi residents. (Representatuve Image: @DunzoIt)

Dunzo, which offers a quick-commerce service called Dunzo Daily, stated that although lockdowns were done away by early 2022, ordering daily essentials online was the “single largest pandemic-triggered trend that is here to stay.”

Puma’s Shreya Sachdev on Anushka Sharma launch campaign, leveraging Virat-Anushka as power couple and more

Shrey Sachdev says, "While we officially on-boarded Anushka this week, the PUMA and Anushka partnership goes way back. Anushka loves PUMA and has worn it time and again over the years, and PUMA too has always resonated with what Anushka stands for. As the brand, PUMA built Propah Lady - a platform that celebrates fierce and unapologetic women. Anushka is the perfect embodiment of Propah Lady. She is known for charting her own path across spheres in life and without worrying about what the world thinks."

Sachdev, head of marketing, PUMA Group talks about the campaign planning, leveraging Virat-Anushka and whether such marketing gimmicks backfire.

Diageo India CEO Hina Nagarajan: Consumers are not necessarily drinking more, but they are drinking better

She also shared that living her purpose has defined the way she brings her best self to work. This is a formula for success she said. It’s how you deliver a win-win situation.

There’s been a structural shift in consumer choices and behavior over the last few years. Consumers are drinking better, they are living in the physical and the digital world now and really experimenting, said Hina Nagarajan, MD and CEO of Diageo India. In an exclusive interview with Storyboard18’s editor Delshad Irani, Nagarajan shared her views on the alcobev major’s premiumisation and M&A strategies, key consumer trends, advertising, women in leadership, ESG agenda and more.

Pepsi’s Saumya Rathor: We are building our muscle in the NFT space

Saumya Rathor says, "The collection is done by HUEMN, and we have a few pieces within that collection and it will have the Pepsi logo. It's essentially streetwear. Pepsi, as a brand, is all about really expressing. So, our collaboration is also in the lines that it should be easily accessible for the youth and easily wearable for the youth. And that's the reason why we've selected this particular label, because they live by those ethos."

Saumya Rathor, category lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India, talks about why the brand is building its muscles in the Web 3.0, NFT and metaverse spaces.

BYJU’s, FIFA World Cup and Messi: Divya Gokulnath on the moment Byju’s signed Lionel Messi as brand ambassador

The long-term engagement, which began as Lionel Messi embarked on his final campaign to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 as captain of Argentina’s national football team, was to see him feature in campaigns promoting Byju’s Education For All, Storyboard18 reported.

Calling founder Raveendran Byju’s words “prophetic”, co-founder Divya Gokulnath shared what happened in the moment Byju’s signed Lionel Messi as global brand ambassador for Education for All.

Puma-Anushka Sharma fake stunt: Are brands taking marketing gimmicks too far?

Puma, Monster (now Foundit) and Vim (owned by HUL) have recently used the device of fake stunts and staged drama online to get attention. The reactions are a mixed bag. (Representational image via Unsplash)

Brands are latching on to the trend of first fooling users and then revealing their actual intent. Some call it ‘shockvertising’ or simply an attempt to garner eyeballs in a highly distracted digital world.

IPL becomes Decacorn, valuation jumps 75 percent to $10.9 billion in 2022: Report

With two new teams (Gujarat Titans and Lucknow SuperGiants) getting bought last year at a combined staggering value of $1.6 billion, the average price tag of a team has seen a 16-fold jump from its inception. These two factors were instrumental in boosting the valuation of IPL to become a Decacorn and the second largest sporting league (on a per match basis from broadcasting fees) globally. (Representative Image via Unsplash)

At $6.2 billion, IPL has recorded a three-fold jump in its broadcasting deal since 2017, contributing to the rise in the overall valuation.