Week at a glance: ASCI bats for greater inclusivity in ads; Q&A: Spotify’s Arjun Ravi Kolady

Our focus is to make India one of the largest markets for Spotify: Arjun Ravi Kolady

In conversation with Adgully, Arjun Ravi Kolady, Head of Sales, India, Spotify, takes us through the audio streaming network’s growth story in India, catering to a vastly diverse audience base, keeping the focus centered on the Gen Z and Millennial audience base, and more.

We didn’t want a dumbed-down simple mass line: Agnello Dias on ABP’s Centenary ad

ABP Group has rolled out its latest campaign celebrating completing 100 years. Created by ad industry veteran Agnello Dias and Mumbai-based Sharpener Design Studio, helmed by Hetal Ajmera and Bianca D’Sa, the centennial milestone campaign sports the tagline: ‘Curiosity questions answers’.

Consumer is over exposed to information: Ashish Tiwari, CMO, Future Generali

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Ashish Tiwari, CMO, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Limited, talks about the characters they choose for the ad campaign, why they opted for animated educational videos, and social media strategies used for the campaign.

Time has come for PR agencies & institutions to jointly grow the talent pool for PR

While the PR and communication industry is growing, talent and training has always been a challenge. Today, we have some very premier colleges who are offering courses which are primarily a one-year course to students who would like to take PR as a career. While opting for a career in PR and communications is on the rise, is there some way students can be given more practical experience and exposure as they join PR companies after completing their courses?

Air cooler brands bank on new tech, competitive pricing to beat the unorganised market

The price advantage offered by air coolers is an attractive proposition, along with relatively low running and maintenance cost. For decades, people have been going for locally manufactured air coolers that have a simplistic mechanism – a metal body with a powerful pump, fan and lining of khus-khus. It has been middle class and the lower income groups’ saviour from the scorching heat.

How xp&dland is helping brands navigate through the metaverse and Web 3.0

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, xp&dland founders Sukrit Singh, Pratik Gupta, and Siddharth Bhansali decode the world of metaverse, the opportunities and challenges of Web 3.0, how xp&dland is helping brands in creating immersive experiences for their audiences, as well as give a tour of how the xp&dland platform works.

Need to break into Creator Economy? Here is how you can make it happen

Content creation is easier than ever in 2022, with a fast-growing creator economy that businesses in the digital space can tap into. The fastest-growing “Creator Economy” refers to micro-entrepreneurs creating content as a business.

ASCI updates code to add greater inclusivity in advertising depictions

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has updated its code to add greater inclusivity in advertising depictions. The ASCI code already required ads to not deride anyone on the basis of race, caste, creed, gender or nationality.

‘Aashram’ got 60 mn viewers just from Maharashtra and Delhi NCR: Gautam Talwar

In conversation with Adgully, Gautam Talwar, Chief Content Officer, MX Player, speaks at length about the traction received for the first two seasons, how has the AVOD business performed, his take on content piracy and much more.

BBC unveils blueprint for a digital-first media organisation

The broadcaster will adapt to compete and succeed in a busy, global market, while staying faithful to the values that have underpinned it for a century.

Zee Media revenue up 35.4% to Rs 2,477.3 mn in Q4FY22

Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) has reported audited consolidated revenues of Rs 8,668.6 million upto the fourth quarter of FY2021-22. The network incurred expenditure of Rs 6,132.0 million in the same period.

ZEE Signs Global Media Rights’ Contract with UAE’s T20 League

UAE’s T20 League today announced the signing of  a long-term global media rights’ contract with global media and entertainment  powerhouse ZEE. The League will air exclusively on ZEE’s linear channels and its OTT  platform ZEE5, in India and across the world.

Meta launches 3D Avatars in India

Meta has launched updated 3D Avatars to Facebook and Messenger in India. The new Avatars are more expressive, more customizable and more diverse. To better reflect the billions of unique people on this planet, Meta is adding new facial shapes and assistive devices for people with disabilities.

ALTBalaji direct subscriptions twelve-month revenue at Rs 52.39cr

ALTBalaji remains one of OTT’s most consistent hit content creators adding 13 shows in the twelve months taking the overall library to 90+ shows. The Company sold 3.88mn subscriptions during the twelve months ending 31st March 2022. This excludes subscribers on partner apps where the content continues to do well.

Marico acquires majority stake in HW Wellness Solutions

Marico Limited has announced a strategic investment in HW Wellness Solutions with an acquisition of ~54% equity stake through primary infusion and secondary buyouts. Co-founded by Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil, HW Wellness Solutions owns True Elements, a clean label, digital-first brand playing in the rapidly growing healthy breakfast and snacks segment in India.

How USC Games is building game maker ecosystems around the world

In conversation with Adgully, Danny Bilson, Chair of the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) and Director of USC Games, spoke about the gaming industry, the Expo, future of gaming and Game development courses.

Decoding the new dynamics of digital PR

Today, most Public Relations professionals have embraced effective and smart PR strategies to cater to a wide range of audiences who are not accessible through traditional ways. When the PR term evolved in the industry, traditional PR was a way to get a brand's name in print, such as in newspapers and magazines, as well as on traditional broadcasting channels like TV and radio.

How brands can get their programmatic strategies right

Programmatic advertising is an efficient, data-driven way of buying digital ads and getting your ad live in the current advertising landscape. It can help brands reach customers along their entire path to purchase and drive more valuable conversions. While programmatic is becoming a necessity today, it is important for brands to get the fundamentals and specifics right before starting on this journey.