Sidharth Rao dies; Industry mourns the loss of pioneer and OG startupper

Being in the industry of well over two decades, Sidharth Rao has crossed many milestones along his journey. He can truly be considered as one of the pillars of the strong foundation of the A&M community.

The sudden demise of Sidharth Rao, founder of Webchutney and Punt Partners, has stunned the community that is mourning the loss of a pioneer, a visionary and a people’s leader.

O&M and Eastman Kodak: How the Kodak KB 10 campaign deepened their association

After the commercial’s release, it received critical and commercial acclaim, and KB 10 was sold in millions in the first year of its launch. It changed the whole landscape of the photography market, distanced it from being an expert’s domain and made it available to the average user. (Still from the ad)

O&M released an ad on the Kodak KB 10 camera in the mid-1990s to educate consumers on the ease of photography the product offered. The commercial helped the brand sell in millions, and the ad etched itself a permanent place in the memory of those who watched it.

P&G Shiksha launches new campaign to bridge invisible learning gap

The campaign was launched with a panel discussion in Mumbai with leaders from diverse walks of life including Girish Kalyanaraman, vice president – brand operations, P&G India; Ritesh Agarwal, assistant vice president, educational initiatives; and Sagar Singh, faculty mathematics, gov. high school Banah Ki Ser, Sirmour (HP). It was moderated by Priyanka Khanna, author and former journalist.

The film reveals the problem of ‘invisible gaps and the impact they have on a child’s confidence and potential growth. It then goes on to highlight how the right kind of support and interventions, like that being driven by P&G Shiksha, can play a pivotal role in bridging these learning gaps.

Government meets influencers to tighten self-regulation to curb misleading ads

Guidelines makes disclosures mandatory and they should be displayed prominently and “extremely hard to miss” with the endorsement messages. The influencers should be able to substantiate the claims made by them. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides the framework for the protection of consumers against unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements. (Representative Image: 愚木混株 cdd20 via Unsplash)

The department of consumer affairs had in January released endorsement guidelines for social media influencers to protect consumers from misleading advertisements.

How Nestle sponsored Hum Log and changed the TV advertising landscape in India

Pradeep Pant said, "During that period, sponsored programmes did not exist. Shobha Doctor, producer of Hum Log, approached Nestle. We saw the pilot episode of the show.Nestle had the courage and foresight to back up the show. The marketers were very excited about it and we got support from the seniors. We went ahead and sponsored Hum Log." (Stills from Hum Log episode 1 on YouTube)

Pradeep Pant, who was the advertising manager of Nestle India in the 1980s, opened up on the launch campaign of Nestle’s Maggi, its advertising and marketing strategies, sponsoring the acclaimed Doordarshan show Hum Log.

Paid Rs50 per tweet to several lakhs to spread negative influence: How “smear campaigns” work

These eight YouTube channels had a cumulative count of almost 23 million subscribers. (Representational image by bruno neurath-wilson via Unsplash)

Smear campaigns ought to be taken more seriously now more than ever with social media being at an all-time high, and with influencers being the new decision makers for consumers.

Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad: P&G India’s Sharat Verma and BBDO India’s Josy Paul on committing to a brand purpose

In an interview with Storyboard18, Sharat Verma, chief marketing officer, P&G India, and vice president - Fabric Care, P&G Indian subcontinent and Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, share that #ShareTheLoad movement has been able to voice the right message and tonality because there is no template. (Image: A still from Airel's new ad film)   

Procter & Gamble India’s detergent brand Ariel’s long-term advertising movement #ShareTheLoad is back. This time Ariel spotlights the long-term impact of the unequal distribution of chores on relationships. Storyboard18 caught up with the makers of the campaign.