Category: Brand Marketing

Zomato infuses Rs 1,500 crore into Blinkit amid fierce quick-commerce race

According to a regulatory filing from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Blinkit's board approved a special resolution to issue 7,612 equity shares at an issue price of Rs 19,70,181 each, underscoring the company's commitment to scaling up its operations.

Capital injection aims to fuel rapid expansion as market rivals jostle for dominance in India’s swift delivery segment.

Starbucks lays off 1,100 corporate employees amid restructuring

The restructuring affects Starbucks' global corporate support staff, which totals approximately 16,000 employees. However, the layoffs will not impact all positions; roles such as roasting, warehouse operations, and in-store baristas remain unaffected.

Under new CEO Brian Niccol, the Seattle-based coffee giant targets streamlining operations as sluggish sales spur decisive action.

Celebrities In Action: The rise of celeb investors in sports leagues

For leagues, celebrity association provides instant credibility, media traction, and fan engagement. For celebrities, it’s a way to diversify their investments beyond entertainment and into a space with long-term growth potential.

Celebrity investors are moving beyond endorsements and actively seeking opportunities that offer sustained fan engagement, strong business potential, and long-term value. Investing in sports leagues also position them as visionary leaders.

Australia slams Telegram with $1 million fine over delay in answering child abuse questions

Telegram maintains that it answered all of eSafety's queries last year and insists that the penalty, based solely on response timing, is both unfair and disproportionate.

Australia’s eSafety Commission penalizes messaging app over months-long delay in responding to inquiries on child abuse and extremist content controls.

Simply Speaking Shorts #6: The “—er positioning” – Logic loses to Magic

Your brand possesses only comparative value, rather than having its own inherent value, writes Shubhranshu Singh. (Image Source: Unsplash)

In this week’s Simply Speaking column, Shubhranshu Singh highlights that successful marketing isn’t about optimizing efficiency but about understanding human perception, emotion, and irrationality.

App stores, brands, influencers and fake reviews: AI-generated ratings and fake reviews on app stores are cause for concern

Prashant Puri, CEO & co-founder of AdLift, acknowledges the issue, stating, "Fake reviews are a disaster waiting to happen. Both Google Play and the App Store rely on user engagement signals like ratings, reviews, downloads, and retention to rank apps. A sudden surge of five-star reviews can push an app higher, but if not backed by real engagement, the boost is temporary. Google and Apple’s detection systems aren’t perfect, but they are improving, and manipulated reviews eventually get flagged." (Representative Image: Bernard Hermant via Unsplash)

Calling out the fake reviews, Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath said, “I wonder how many Google India Play Store and Apple App Store reviews are genuine. I was going through Zerodha’s reviews and compared them with those of other financial services apps in India. Most of the 5-star reviews seem fake — many even read like AI-generated content.”

Ranveer Allahbadia row: Are AI or virtual influencers the answer to avoiding scandals and controversies?

Amid Ranveer Allahbadia's controversy, can virtual influencers become the new face of marketing for brands? (From left to right: Kyla (virtual influencer), Ranveer Allahbadia, Naina Avtr (virtual influencer))

Brands could increasingly swap scandal-prone humans for AI influencers who never mess up, demand pay raises, or tweet something regrettable at 3 a.m.