Category: Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Tata Group’s StarQuik not in Q-commerce rat race’, says K Radhakrishnan, Co-founder

StarQuik was launched in Gurgaon, in 2014, as GrocerMax by K Radhakrishnan and Gaurav Juneja, it came under Tata’s aegis in 2017, when the latter was looking to enter the e-grocery space.

Star Bazaar, a retail chain owned by Trent Hypermarket Pvt Ltd is a part of the Tata Group. Trent recently announced plans to add 20-25 Star Bazaar stores in FY25, taking the overall footprint to around 90 stores by the end of the year.

We strive to be globally knowledgeable while being locally relevant: Gianmauro Vella of PepsiCo

Since the creation of PepsiCo’s Greater China Design team in 2014, led by Gianmauro Vella, the PepsiCo APAC and AMESA design team has been recognised with more than 500 design awards, globally.

While artificial intelligence, by all means, is a beautiful tool that is helping PepsiCo accelerate brainstorming of ideas and enhancing productivity at a global level, it is not yet a proven tech to save costs, shares its Head of Design – APAC and AMESA, Gianmauro Vella. He talks about the growing role of design in driving a brand’s purpose and PepsiCo’s glocal approach in design.

Festive AdEx forecast: E-commerce to dominate spending

TV still commands significant festive ad spend, especially for big-budget campaigns that focus on mass reach. However, advertisers are more selective, prioritizing prime-time slots and integrating with digital strategies (such as using QR codes or encouraging social media engagement), says Deleise Ross, Senior VP & Business Head, DDB Mudra.

During festive seasons, such as Christmas, Diwali, or New Year, advertisers face the challenge of ensuring visibility across a variety of media touchpoints while maximizing return on investment (ROI), says Deleise Ross, Senior VP & Business Head, Mudramax.

GroupM predicts record festive growth for TV, Digital and OOH

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, GroupM, South Asia says TV and Print are expected to grow at high single digits, driven by investments in non-fiction programming on TV and impactful formats in Print.

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, GroupM, South Asia expects digital media to grow between 15-20% this festive season, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising to see healthy double-digit growth.

hoichoi achieves 60:40 gender balance; 200 percent ad revenue growth

In addition to direct subscription revenue, hoichoi has diversified its revenue streams through bundling partnerships and initiatives, such as Hindi dubbing of its Bengali shows. Mukherjee points out that hoichoi's extensive original content catalogue, including Hindi-dubbed versions, has contributed significantly to its revenue, especially in the Hindi market.

While West Bengal remains hoichoi’s core market, over 45% of its users come from other regions of India, says Soumya Mukherjee Chief Operating Officer – hoichoi (India & Bangladesh).

Innerwear brand Jockey focusses on digital amidst quick commerce boom

Jockey has 6-8% market penetration for women’s innerwear with metro cities witnessing the most demand, says Nihal Rajan, CMO, Jockey.

Nihal Rajan, CMO, Page Industries shares how Jockey is developing a range of products that aren’t just fleeting trends or seasonal fads and the significance of merging cricket with fashion.

Martech tools enable sustainable, profitable business models, says Neelima Burra of Luminous Power Technologies

India Premier League (IPL) has been one of the biggest brand investments and channel engagements for us, says Neelima Burra, chief strategy and transformation officer, Luminous Power Technologies.

With plans to transition into a consumer-technology brand, Luminous Power Technologies is strengthening itself beyond just the inverters, this year. Burra, chief strategy and transformation officer, talks about investing in AI for marketing and retail expansion.

Justdial says 95% of Indians still loyal to offline stores, sees faster growth in Tier 2 and 3 cities

About 85 percent of Justdial's 181 million visitors in the first quarter of FY25 accessed its services through mobile devices," says Shwetank Dixit, Chief Growth Officer, Justdial.

About 90-95 percent of Indians still prefer to visit local businesses where they can interact with the service providers, bargain, and build relationships despite players like Urban Company and Yes Madam existing in the market, says Shwetank Dixit, Chief Growth Officer of Justdial.

‘Not worried of Shein entering Indian market’, says CEO of Brand Studio Lifestyle

Brand Studio Lifestyle, which operates Highlander, Tokyo Talkies, Vishudh, Ketch, and Locomotive, has expanded its offline presence with Highlander and Tokyo Talkies.

The house of fashion brands, which operates brands like Highlander, Tokyo Talkies, Vishudh, Ketch, and Locomotive, is aggressively adopting an omnichannel approach.