Week at a glance: Ad fraud & AI; Brands’ Diwali dhamaka; Viacom18’s regional plans

Dear friends,

The big fat Indian festive season reached a crescendo this week with Diwali. As the excitement ebbs, it will be time to take stock of the actual gains (or loss) this year. Quick commerce dominated the festive season this year. Meanwhile, brands were seen to veer away from the usual deals and discounts to offer customers a more personalised and immersive experience.

Battle plans to tackle Ad Fraud: Can AI Stay One Step Ahead? Part - 1

Eliminating ad fraud entirely is as unlikely as stamping out shoplifting for good, but in this intense battle, Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a powerful ally. Yet, AI is a double-edged sword.

Key to effective ad fraud prevention: AI tools have developed sharper antibodies - Part 2

Q&A: Bikash Kundu, Viacom18

National advertisers need to allocate more ad budget to regional channels: Bikash Kundu

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Bikash Kundu, Head of Regional Revenue at Viacom18, highlights how the network’s regional channels – Colors Kannada, Colors Marathi, and Colors Bangla Cinema – are witnessing growth through fresh programming choices and a surge in brand partnerships, particularly during the festive season.

AgTalk: Pavel Yurovitskiy, CEO, KIT Global

Navigating the future of performance marketing with KIT Global’s Pavel Yurovitskiy

In this exclusive insightful interview with Adgully, Pavel Yurovitskiy, CEO, KIT Global, sheds light on how performance marketing has transformed over the years and why it remains crucial to sustainable business success.

Bharti Airtel leadership plans

Bharti Airtel: Shashwat Sharma to be MD & CEO, Gopal Vittal as Executive Vice Chairman

Bharti Airtel has outlined a strategic succession plan for its leadership. Shashwat Sharma, who has been appointed as the CEO designate and will take over as Managing Director & CEO of Bharti Airtel Ltd in 2026. Gopal Vittal, who has led Bharti Airtel as Managing Director & CEO for the past 12 years, will step into the role of Vice Chairman.

Singham Again Vs Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Singham Again Vs Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3: Aa dekhen zara kisme kitna hai dum

This Diwali saw a clash between two hugely anticipated Bollywood releases – Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’ and Anees Bazmee’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’. Both belong to two highly successful franchises and two very different genres.

Festive Mood

This year, it’s about showing the real scale of what Diwali can be: Rohan Kumar, VML

In conversation with Adgully, Rohan Kumar, Group Creative Director, VML India, shares the campaign strategies he is adopting for clients this festive season and the trends he is observing in the advertising industry.

Quick commerce is definitely flavour of the season during festival period: Himanshu Arora

In an engaging conversation with Adgully, Himanshu Arora, Co-Founder, Social Panga, provides insights into the evolving consumer and market landscape this festive season. Observing a rising trend in quick commerce, Arora notes an upbeat consumer sentiment, with brands gearing up to seize the festive momentum.

Brands need to be more proactive than reactive towards festivities in future: Rashi Ray

In conversation with Adgully, Rashi Ray, Director, Response India, shares her observations on the overall market and consumer sentiment during the festive season this year, how advertisers are allocating festive ad budgets across different platforms.

Festive budget has been increased on traditional media this year: Uday Kumar Chandra

In conversation with Adgully, Uday Kumar Chandra, MD, PC Chandra Jewellers, shares his observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year.

Digital promotions, WhatsApp marketing powering Panasonic’s festive strategy

In an insightful conversation with Adgully, Dhiraj Sharma, Head of Marcom & Brand, Panasonic Marketing India, observes an optimistic consumer sentiment Against a backdrop of strong economic growth and rising per capita income, with a boost in spending anticipated across high-demand sectors like electronics and home appliances.

Instead of leading with discounts, Motorola is focusing on colours & AI: Shivam Ranjan

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing APAC, Motorola, shares insights into the company’s approach to this year's festive season and how Motorola is adapting its strategy to meet evolving consumer preferences.

boAt wanted to avoid the usual deal-centric approach this festive season: Vedansh Kumar

In an engaging conversation with Adgully, Vedansh Kumar, Head of Brand Marketing, boAt, shares his perspectives on the evolving advertising landscape and strategic trends this festive season.

Bikano has set a target to reach Rs 300+ cr in sales this festive season: Kush Aggarwal

In conversation with Adgully, Kush Aggarwal, Head of Marketing, Bikano, speaks about the brand initiatives and campaigns planned for this festive season, expectations in terms of sales and consumer engagement, how Bikano is preparing to meet increased demand.

Himalaya has increased its marketing & ad expenditure this year: Ragini Hariharan

In this interaction with Adgully, Ragini Hariharan, Marketing Director for Beauty and Personal Care at Himalaya Wellness Company, speaks about the company’s festive season strategy for 2024.

Pepperfry’s festive season marketing budget for 2024 is up 20% YoY: Mahip Dwivedi

In this interview with Adgully, Mahip Dwivedi, Vice President and Head of Marketing, Pepperfry, speaks about the brand’s approach to the festive season in 2024. With a keen focus on consumer sentiment and market trends, Dwivedi shares insights into how Pepperfry is adapting its marketing strategies to stand out in a competitive landscape.

40% of annual spends in cooking oil category happens in August-November: Subin Sivan

In this interaction with Adgully, Subin Sivan, Marketing & Commercial Leader, South Asia - Cargill Foods, speaks about his observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year, what forms the core of Cargill’s festive marketing strategy and campaign strategy, and more.

Shreegopal Kabra on fortifying RR Kabel’s ops with AI-enabled e-commerce solutions

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Shreegopal Kabra, Managing Director, RR Kabel Limited, outlines how the brand is embracing the festive season with a strategy that combines tradition with cutting-edge innovation.

There’s high demand for mid-range & luxury housing this festive season: Snehil Gautam

In conversation with Adgully, Snehil Gautam, CMO, Housing.com, PropTiger.com and Makaan.com, share his observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year, what forms the core of the festive marketing strategy of Housing.com  as well as the campaign strategy for the festive season.

How VOX is tapping into demand for home makeovers and décor

In conversation with Adgully, Varun Poddar, Founder of VOX, shares his observations and strategies for tapping into the season’s heightened demand for home décor and personalization.

Other Headlines:

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ZEE5 expands Manish Kalra’s role to drive global business growth

Tata enters the quick commerce arena with new delivery service

WhatsApp partners with Abhay Deol to raise awareness against scam

Until next week...

Shanta Saikia

Editor

Adgully