Author: Kashmeera Sambamurthy

WhatsApp launches broadcast tool Channels in 150 countries; Mark Zuckerberg shared the news on his Channel

With Channels, WhatsApp’s goal is to build the most private broadcast service available. Channels are separate from chats, and who you choose to follow is not visible to other followers. It also protects the personal information of both admins and followers, the company said in a statement.

WhatsApp and BCCI partner to launch the Indian Cricket team’s channel ahead of the ICC Men’s World Cup.

Bharat vs India: Blue Dart rebrands Dart Plus as Bharat Dart

Bharat Dart is a delivery service backed by speed, security and handling with features and benefits like complete visibility on last mile through a robust system and easy payment options.

Blue Dart’s decision to rebrand this service stems from an extensive discovery and research process aimed at aligning itself to the evolving needs of its customers, the company stated in a statement.

Apple event: Take a look at Tim Cook’s cameo in Apple’s latest ad

As part of Apple 2030 and the company’s broader environmental efforts, the company has also ended the use of leather across all of its product lines, announced its first entirely fibre-based packaging for the new Apple Watch line-up and continued to expand the use of recycled materials in iPhones. (Stills from the ad)

Fans were all praise for the ad featuring Hollywood star Octavia Spencer and the tech company’s CEO Tim Cook, as well as the message conveyed

The Minimalist wins the creative mandate for Movin

The review was led by Spotify's US office, its primary market, which gave the mandate to Publicis Groupe. India was not part of the pitch and as a result the account has landed in Publicis Groupe's India kitty from IPG Mediabrands-owned Lodestar UM. UM was Spotify’s media agency for the last seven years. Spotify also has an in-house agency. (Representative Image: Marc A via Unsplash)

As part of the mandate, The Minimalist will offer Movin a wide range of creative communication services, including managing social media channels, brand campaigns, ORM and internal communications.

Netcore Cloud rolls out $1 million accelerator program for Indian D2C startups

Going public is the beginning of a new story for brands. The credibility and trust net will just widen from here, as there is no scope for hiding. The true test of the brand is after the IPO, they say. (Representative Image: Clark Tibbs via Unsplash)

Tailored to foster startups with strong growth prospects, it will aid them in scaling effectively and carving out a robust brand identity.

Why is there a trust issue with Indian online holiday brands

A further 26 percent of respondents were put-off by a previous experience of subpar customer service during travel planning, that left them feeling unheard and unsupported. (Representative Image: Edgar via Unsplash)

According to a survey by social travel marketplace, Alike, 40 percent of respondents found the information on destinations, accommodations, or prices to be misleading, which erodes trust in online holiday brands.

Contextual advertising has boosted CTR by 164 percent: Report

The telecommunications (TEL) sector, i.e., smart and mobile phones, performed well in the first half of 2023, with a 12 percent increase in value despite a slight 4 percent decrease in volume. (Image via Unsplash)

The campaign was launched to evaluate the engagement rate during the festive season, covering five major metropolitan hubs, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. It was executed across a diverse network of over 1,000 websites.

Viacom18 opens its innings as the new home of Indian cricket with three-match ODI Series against Australia

On linear/ offline TV, the series will be aired live on Colors Tamil (Tamil), Colors Bangla Cinema (Bengali), Colors Kannada Cinema (Kannada), Colors Cineplex Superhits (Hindi), Sports18 – 1 SD, Sports18 – 1 HD (English). (Image source: BCCI via X)

Viewers will be able to watch the series in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam for free on JioCinema.

#BlastFromThePast: Pine Lab’s Nikhil Narayanan picks his all-time favourite ads

Nikhil Narayanan, creative head, Pine Labs, shares ads that from the past that are hard to skip even now, and a book that shaped his career. (Image source: Onida via Youtube, The Great Ads via YouTube and Amazon)

Nikhil Narayanan, creative head, Pine Labs, who is a popular voice on social media, also shares with ours readers a note on a book that convinced him to pick advertising as a career.

Mindshare’s Amin Lakhani: AI will not be AI without human intelligence

Amin Lakhani, chief executive officer - South Asia, Mindshare, said, "If you look at the opportunities in India, everything is 2X or 3X of what the global averages are. Therefore, there is massive opportunity, whether it is in classical creative, whether it is addressable creative, whether it is fast moving content, you name it, and there are ample opportunities."

Amin Lakhani, chief executive officer – South Asia, Mindshare, said, “I think AI is a great enabler for what humans can achieve, and process. But, there is no match to human creativity, human emotions, and human connection.”