Month: December 2023

Spotify layoffs: Audio streaming service to cut 17% of workforce globally

Spotify India's Amarjit Singh Batra stated, "At Spotify, we are making it easy for them by working on plans and offers which suit everybody. From monthly offers to annual offers, they are priced very competitively. We have offers and products like Duo which is for two people. We have products like family plans which are for multiple people in the household. There are student plans also." (Image source: Moneycontrol)

Spotify layoffs: The company is going for layoffs despite posting a notable operating profit of €32 million in Q3 2023, marking its first profitable quarter in the last two years.

Book My Makeup launches AI-driven social commerce beauty services platform

The brand’s target demographic is Indian women in the age group of 18-24 years, “who prioritise innovation and quality at accessible price points”, he added.(Representative Image: Freestocks via Unsplash)

By embracing technology, Book My Makeup introduces features like augmented reality makeup trials, virtual consultations, and customized beauty recommendations, making beauty services more engaging, personalized, and convenient for users.

Explained: No end in sight for Byju’s woes; what went wrong?

The payment due is regarding a contract between the two parties for sponsorships on the jerseys of the Indian Cricket Team. (Image source: Moneycontrol)

The year 2023 has been a year of challenges for Byju’s. Storyboard18 gives a peek into all the issues that have plagued the financially beleaguered edtech company.

Pro Kabaddi League: Bengal Warrior bags six brand partnerships

On the right arm, the Maninder Singh-led team will sport the Royal Green logo and on the left sleeve it will sport - the League 11 logo. One of India’s news organisations, Zee News have acquired the rights for their crest to be on the shorts. And Big FM logo will be on the nape of the jersey. (Image source: News18)

The Bengal Warriors, who recently released a new jersey, will continue to wear the Sports Gaming News Only website DafaNews’ logo as the front of the jersey partner. Meanwhile, on the back of the jersey, the Warriors will have the Kajaria Ceramics logo.

AAAI re-elects Prasanth Kumar as president

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is a not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed trade association of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their industry interests so that they continue to make an essential and ever-increasing contribution to the nation.

Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Worldwide India was unanimously elected vice-president of the Association.

Mankind Pharma awards D2C digital mandate to Social Beat

ITC's packaged atta, which is sold under the Aashirvaad brand, is the largest revenue contributor. ITC has been launching food FMCG products every year. (Representative Image: Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash)

Social Beat will be responsible for crafting and executing comprehensive digital marketing strategies for Mankind Pharma, encompassing various channels such as social media, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and more.

What streaming services can learn from direct to consumer companies

Regional OTT content volumes exceeded Hindi language content in 2023 for the first time. (Representative Image: Bastian Riccardi via Unsplash)

A neutral interoperable technology stack for the streaming industry has huge benefits for the industry. Companies can focus more on their own sales and operations. More importantly, they need not worry about investing in a direction less technology stack, instead they can focus on building a universally accepted unit economics.

Indian advertising industry’s go-to man Shashi Sinha revisits his four-decade long career

Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands India, gives his distilled take on the report's key findings and what he thinks will be the biggest disruptor for India's media and entertainment industry.

Sinha, who has spent nearly four decades in the advertising industry, is a seasoned professional who has dedicated the majority of his career to a single agency group: Interpublic Group (IPG). The listed American advertising company is the parent of major agencies such as FCB, McCann and IPG Mediabrands, among many others. In a leadership trajectory spanning 25 years, Sinha progressed from being the head of media at FCB Ulka to CEO of all media units under IPG Mediabrands India in 2013.