CCI raids could accelerate shift from “media muscle” to “strategic agility”, writes indie ad agency Famous Innovations founder

The raids could lead to rebirth of strategic creativity, rise of agile, insight-driven agencies and a redefinition of media value, says Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO of Famous Innovations.

CCI raids on media agencies will allow new players and independent agencies to also have a fair playing field in the media landscape, shares Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO of Famous Innovations.

Hypothesis by OML wins Influencer Marketing mandate for Ather Energy

This collaboration marks a significant step in redefining Ather Energy’s communication strategies by leveraging influencer-driven content to strengthen brand affinity and audience engagement.

The partnership will see Hypothesis harnessing its proprietary influencer marketing technology capabilities—marrying data-driven insights with creative storytelling to connect meaningfully with Gen Z and millennial audiences.

SEBI’s ID mandate for intermediary ads welcomed, but industry seeks stronger AI oversight

Experts suggest that SEBI incorporate public awareness campaigns, grievance redressal mechanisms, ease in reporting frauds, and AI monitoring of digital platforms to combat financial frauds online.

SEBI recently mandated identity verification for intermediaries advertising on social media after having observed a surge in scams where scammers lured investors with false promises and deceptive content on digital platforms.

Global Ads Spotlight: Gatorade turned city streets into sports playgrounds with bold ‘Turf Finder’ campaign

The campaign not only took home a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions this year but also introduced a future-forward way to think about urban space.

Gatorade’s innovative ‘Turf Finder’ campaign took over busy streets, and made space for play and winning big at Cannes Lions. Read and watch in our Global Ads Spotlight column.

Sports AdEx up 7% in 2024 to reach Rs 7,989 cr: GroupM

The growth signals a steady rise in investments across various sports properties, driven by increasing viewership, brand engagement, and the expanding digital ecosystem. (Image source: GroupM)

GroupM’s latest Sporting Nation report reveals that sports adex in India is on track to surpass $1 billion. While TV media spends on sports remained flat in 2024 due to fewer matches played by India compared to 2023, digital ad spends surged by 25%.

CCI Raids: AAAI’s WhatsApp exit advisory could backfire, say experts

Interestingly, in the wake of the advisory, multiple senior agency CEOs were notably absent from a major industry event last week.

Empowered under section 36 of the Competition Act, 2002, which grants the Commission extensive regulatory powers. These include summoning individuals, enforcing document production, examining witnesses, and requisitioning records from various offices.

ChatGPT hits one million users in an hour as Ghibli maker free image generation goes live

Powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o model, the image generation tool enables users to create visually striking images directly within the ChatGPT interface.

Following overwhelming success among premium users, OpenAI’s new image generation tool, powered by GPT-4o, is now available to all free-tier ChatGPT users, sparking a wave of creative outputs online.