Author: Kashmeera Sambamurthy

#TBH: Can advertising take the lead in bringing social change?

While sticking their necks out on issues may imperil the brands, they do take calculated risks to be able stand out in the clutter. To be sure, the representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in advertising is a more recent phenomenon. This may be a result of the successful challenge to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that effectively decriminalised consensual adult same-sex relationships, providing a huge fillip to the LGBTQIA+ movement. (Stills from ads)

Gone are the days when brand advertising just meant highlighting the features or attributes of a product. Today, brands are strongly aligning their communication strategies with a cause. With the proliferation and the growing popularity of social media, the medium has played its part in brands strongly associating with a cause.

Jitender Dabas on making Goafest great again

Every industry needs its marquee events to showcase its best. Every industry must have forums where it can present views. Every industry needs festivals to celebrate itself and make its people feel happy and proud to be a part of it.

Senior advertising executive and McCann WorldGroup India’s COO Jitender Dabas opines on key steps that could steer Goafest to glory again.

Online retail in Indian garners $60B GMV in FY23; Flipkart Group maintains market share: Redseer

In contrast to the pre-covid levels e-tailing market has grown deeper across categories, with more users making purchases online. Although mobile phones dominated the category divide in FY19, fashion is now the single largest category with 27 percent share whereas BPC, grocery and home categories are the fastest growing. (Representative Image via Unsplash)

Ads monetisation contributed $1.2 billion in revenue for Indian e-tailers in FY23, according to Redseer’s new report.

Weekly Shorts: Granfluencers’ experimentations with social media

According to affable.ai, there are over 106 granfluencers in India, making it the second top country with a high number of granfluencers, after the USA. Compared to India and USA, brands in Southeast Asia and UAE countries have yet to tap into the potential of these older content creators. (Representative Image: Tiago Muraro via Unsplash)

What’s buzzing in influencer marketing and the creator ecosystem? What’s the next big thing coming down the line? Catch the big trends and hot topics in our weekly shorts.

JioCinema to grab two-thirds of total IPL AdEx this season

According to BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) sponsorship guidelines, highest bid submitted by the parties are subject to Tata Sons Private Limited exercising its ‘Right to Match’, wherein BCCI is required to notify Tata of the highest bid amount (highest bid) received for the Title Sponsorship Rights. (Image source: Twitter - @IPL)

This season, the number of sponsors during IPL’s digital streaming has reached 26, which is the highest ever for any sporting tournament.

Why is there a sudden rise in scam messages in agency business

The scams which continue to take place evoke sensitivity and worry because the access of agencies and clients to a broader network is fairly deeper. And, such messages would have a negative impact. (Representative Image: Max Bender via Unsplash)

Scamsters posing as advertising or digital marketing agency representatives have seen a constant rise. They often pose as representatives from agency’s HR teams making job offers and extracting information. Storyboard18 decodes the scam and measures to prevent it.

IPL on digital ensures laser sharp targeting for brands, says DDB Mudra’s Chirag Bhatia

DDB Mudra Group's Chirag Bhatia says, "The IPL product offering overall has evolved over the years with the slicing and dicing that is possible on digital for both viewers and advertisers. For viewers, things like commentaries in 13 languages and various camera angle options are amazing. For advertisers the option of being able to choose from various cohorts ensures a better bang for their buck."

Chirag Bhatia, senior VP – Digital, DDB Mudra Group talks about advertisers seeing good ROI and reduced ad spend waste in IPL 2023 on JioCinema.

Meta India’s head of partnerships, Manish Chopra resigns

Over the last eight years, Meta says it has rolled out industry-leading transparency tools for ads about elections or politics, developed comprehensive policies to prevent election interference and voter fraud, and built the largest third party fact-checking programme of any social media platform to help combat the spread of misinformation. (Representative Image: Dima Solomin via Unsplash)

The growing number of departures raises questions about the ongoing changes and strategic direction within Meta’s operations in India.

Indian Ocean on making and releasing music in the streaming era, reels, creators and more

Rahul Ram says, "we are very modest about what our art does. We don’t believe we can change people or their ways. It's just as creative people and artists and being lucky to be doing what we are, we just reflect on the times we live in, and hopefully people resonate with it."

Popular Indian folk fusion band Indian Ocean is adapting to new platforms and exploring new ways to distribute and market music, from collaborations with creators and animated music videos to making reels.