Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz steps down, Laxman Narasimhan assumes leadership ahead of schedule

“We're going to have, early this year here in India, the Starbucks Reserve Monsooned Malabar. This is going to be in all US stores in the middle of the year.”(Image source: CNBC-TV18)

The announcement of his official appointment has come as a surprise, as Starbucks had previously indicated that the transition would not be complete until the end of March, with Narasimhan assuming full duties in April.

Rajasthan Royals announces Luminous Power Technologies as IPL 2023’s Title Sponsor

Having previously extended their support to the sport through in-stadium and linear TV partnerships, Luminous is re-entering the IPL space with this partnership with Rajasthan Royals for the 2023 season. (Image source: Twitter handle - @rajasthanroyals)

Luminous Power Technologies, the power and solar solutions brand will feature on the front of Rajasthan Royals’ official playing kit.

Mullen Lintas appoints L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s Sharon Picardo as executive director

Sharon Picardo has worked with other leading agencies like DDB and L&K Saatchi & Saatchi leading the charge for a wide spectrum of brands. Picardo has also worked with cross-functional teams for brands like Tata Motors, Amul Parle, Big Bazaar, Renault, Diageo, NPCI, ICICI Bank, Bharti AXA, among others.

Sharon Picardo comes with 22 years of experience as a P&L head and brand strategist.

Carat India appoints Wavemaker’s Simantini Ghosh as VP – Content

WPP’s media agency Essence roped Simantini Ghosh in as the business executive and in a span of five years, she held various positions. Her last position was as the associate director - content and innovation. Her skill set, which ranged from content strategy, brand solutions, client servicing, video production, the key clients whose mandate she handled were Britannia, Flipkart and Global Consumer Products. (Image source: LinkedIn)

Simantini Ghosh’s last position was as the regional head – South, content at Wavemaker where she led content campaigns along with multiple strategic partners.

Deepali Naair of IBM to join CK Birla Group as group CMO

In financial services, Deepali Naair has held leadership positions with L&T Insurance & HSBC. She has worked with Tata Motors, BPL Mobile, Draft FCB-Ulka; was the marketing manager for Saffola and Mediker at Marico. She headed products and marketing at HSBC Global Asset Management and at L&T insurance she was head – marketing, digital sales and customer service. (Image source: LinkedIn)

A marketing veteran Deepali Naair was with IBM for nearly five years and was serving the company as director, digital sales-India.

Marketing Mocktail: The purpose of Brand Purpose explained!

Today, while many marketers have bought into the idea of Brand Purpose, it has its share of critics who label it as mumbo jumbo. While the cheerleaders argue that today a successful brand must have a reason for being, not just a reason for selling. (Images sourced via Twitter)

The biggest trend of the past decade – Purpose. But what does it really mean? Here’s the only primer you need on Purpose and how to wield it in marketing and brand building.

Simply Speaking: Buy or Bye Bye?

Humans have high risk consciousness but low risk assessment capability. The human mind does not appreciate probability instinctually. Therefore, risk is beaten by belief. Shared stories create belief. (Representational image by Jeffrey Grospe via Unsplash)

The tug of war between perceived risk and perceived value.