Week at a glance: Budget 2021; Jeff Bezo’s move; Alphabet, Unilever, ZEE in upbeat mode

This is a great Budget for the economy & ad industry: Ashish Bhasin

Reacting to the Budget 2021, Ashish Bhasin, CEO-APAC and Chairman - India, Dentsu, said, “According to me, this is a great Budget for the economy as well as for the advertising industry. It is clearly a growth-oriented budget and I am particularly enthused about the investments in Infrastructure and Health. What is also good is that the taxes have not been raised and the process of taxation has been attempted to be simplified. Disinvestments and Borrowings have been proposed as the preferred funding route, rather than increased taxation, which is helpful.”

Budget 2021 is very pro-development, pro-transportation: Anupriya Acharya

Reacting to the Union Budget 2021-22, Anupriya Acharya, South Asia CEO, Publicis Groupe & President, AAAI, remarked, “Well, going by all views and surveys shared on expectations from the Budget, one was expecting mostly cautious incrementalism, but it is really a great Budget. Budget 2021 is very pro-development, pro-transportation.”

It’s a growth-oriented Budget for the Media & Advertising industry: Anand Bhadkamkar

Calling it a growth-oriented Budget, Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO India, dentsu, said, “The Finance Minister has done an excellent job and has made sure that there is no increase in taxes. The disinvestment of PSU banks, LIC, consolidation of SEBI Act, etc., are the right steps ahead and we need to see how she will deliver on that aspect.”

Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO in Q3, to take on role of Exec Chair

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will be stepping down as CEO in the third quarter of 2021. He will be replaced by Andy Jassy, current CEO of Amazon Web Services. Bezos will transition to, what is being said an even more powerful role of Executive Chairman at Amazon in Q3. By stepping down as CEO, Bezos will be moving away from the day-to-day operations of the e-commerce behemoth.

35% of Unilever’s turnover comes from US, India, China: Alan Jope

While presenting the results for full year 2020, Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever, stated, “Unilever has strong brand and category leadership positions in the US, India and China, with around 35 per cent of our turnover coming from those three countries alone, and we believe we can bring sharper focus in those geographies and build even stronger positions.”

As long as you have consumers, you will attract advertising: Vikram Sakhuja

Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH, lists a host of business in 2021 leading to the adoption of digital media, which include: Need for greater localisation and more optimisation of TV advertising will lead to greater role of Video. More online transactions will lead to sustained growth in performance and exceptional fillip to e-commerce marketing. Social Media obsession will continue to fuel Social Media Advertising, Influencer and Content Marketing; and more.

Budget 2021 gives a message of a more self-reliant, digitally-led India: Corporates

The Union Budget for 2021-22, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament earlier today, is being seen as a growth-oriented Budget by the industry. The industry has hailed the various provisions in the Budget to give a boost to MSMEs, start-ups and the massive push for Digital and Atmanirbhar India.

This Budget truly has the potential for transforming India: Start-ups hail Budget boost

The Union Budget 2021 has brought much cheer to the start-up camp. Tax holidays for start-ups have been extended by one year, till March 31, 2022. Meanwhile, the capital gains exemption given to start-ups was also extended by one more year. The Government also proposes to reduce margin money requirements from 25% to 15% for start-ups.

SOPs for movie halls further eased, but will cinema lovers return to pre-COVID levels?

The Union Home Ministry, as part of its announcements for Unlock 5.0, allowed the opening up of cinema halls from October 15, 2020 onwards with strict COVID-19 protocols. However, with no big Bollywood releases taking places, the audience mostly stayed away from the movie halls. The release of big-budget Tamil film ‘Master’, starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, in January 2021 saw huge numbers of movie goers thronging the cinema halls. ‘Master’ could be seen as showing the way for the movie industry to usher in the much needed revival.

Outlook for Indian Gaming in 2021 – Optimism amid call for ban in certain states

In 2020, online gaming was one sector within the digital ecosystem that saw tremendous growth. The gaming ecosystem grew tremendously with new users, higher time spent and new players in the market. According to Statista, India recorded about 365 million online gamers in FY2020, and this number is estimated to reach 510 million by FY2022. Overall, India ranked the highest in terms of the growth in online game downloads on app stores, with a growth rate of 165 per cent between 2016 and 2018, Statista said.

Data Privacy is an animal that needs to be tamed over time and over & over again: Experts

Is data privacy really an illusion? Experts have time and again pointed out how encryption is fundamentally flawed. Moreover, unlike the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that governs Europe, the data protection laws are at a very nascent stage in India. All eyes are on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, which will be tabled in Parliament in February 2021. However, here too concerns have been voiced about how this Bill could give the Government overall powers to access the data of all Indian citizens.

Why CEO activism is a double-edged sword that needs to be wielded with caution

CEOs have a voice beyond the board room and their influence has a significant impact on how businesses are carried out. This is now the age of the ‘modern CEO’, where influence is a confluence of many factors. That power has to be exercised carefully, because a lot is at stake for organisations. CEOs need to be the vanguard of their organisations. Indeed, heavy is the head that wears the crown.

WhatsApp reassures users on privacy by expanding status messaging

After facing massive backlash over the new upcoming privacy policy, WhatsApp was using the Status feature to assure users in India for some time now, however now the "commitment to you le privacy" messaging has expanded to users in US and UK as well. 

Xaxis Creative Studios won’t be stepping on the toes of creative agencies: Rita Sahajpaul

With the aim of giving brands access to data-driven digital design capabilities and real-time campaign insights for better media outcomes, Xaxis, the advanced programmatic arm of GroupM, launched a new programmatic creative services solution arm, called Xaxis Creative Studios (XCS), for the Indian market on February 2, 2021.

Affordability will be Tesla’s biggest entry barrier in India

Tesla is poised to enter the Indian market by 2021. It has registered a subsidiary in Bengaluru under the name Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt Ltd. The company is expected to enter the Indian market with its Model 3 product, estimated to be priced at Rs 60 lakh. It is unlikely that the price point will be attractive to many customers until Tesla begins manufacturing in India.

Women have much higher EQ and hence, can manage teams better: Nisha Singhania

W-Suite is a special initiative from Adgully that has been turning the spotlight on some of the most remarkable women achievers in M&E, Advertising & Marketing, PR & Communication industry. In conversation with Adgully, Nisha Singhania, Co-Founder and Director Infectious Advertising, speaks about her mantras to become an efficient leader, how COVID has widened the role and scope of women entrepreneurs, mastering work-life balance during pandemic times and much more.

Uday Shankar joins Business Standard as non-executive Director

Former Chairman and CEO of Star India and President of Walt Disney APAC, Uday Shankar, has joined the board of Business Standard as non-executive director.

Central Consumer Protection Authority issues notices to 14 Cos for misleading ads

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued show cause notices to 14 companies since its inception on July 24, 2020 for resorting to misleading claims in their advertisements such as immunity, COVID-19 virus protection, etc. These companies span across various sectors such as water purifier, paints, floor cleaner, apparel, disinfectant, furniture.

ZEEL sees sharp recovery in ad revenues post lockdown; up 7.5% in Q3 FY21

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) domestic advertising revenue for the quarter grew by 7.5% YoY and 43.6% QoQ; a sharp recovery post H1 reflects the rebound in consumer demand and spending.

Buoyed by strong ad revenues, Alphabet’s Q4 2020 revenues up 23%

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has reported $56.9 billion in revenue in Q4 of 2020, a growth of 23% from $46.075 billion in Q4 2019. Alphabet beats analysts estimates as it reported strong growth in its core advertising business.

Women leaders need to leverage their innate strengths in these times: Savita Pai

In conversation with Adgully, Savita Pai, Chief Digital & Media Officer, Diageo India, speaks about how women leaders are leveraging their areas of strength to adapt to the new post-pandemic world. 

Consumer intent shifted significantly to online channels in the last year: Rohit Dosi

In this interaction with Adgully, Rohit Dosi, Director, Microsoft Advertising, InMobi, sheds light on how trust has become a critical factor for consumers in the new normal, and how digital has been an anchor that has addressed the needs for consumers during the lockdown.

How Tata Capital aims to help India make a new start with 6 differentiated products

Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group, has unveiled a new slice of life ad campaign – ‘Karz Nahi Farz Bhi’ – to mark the launch of its new loan offerings – Shubharambh Loans. In conversation with Adgully, Abonty Banerjee, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Tata Capital, speaks at length about the campaign, help India make a new start with their latest financial offering – Shubharambh Loans, and much more.

Trust built through human-to-human connect has no alternative: Ruby Sinha

In conversation with Adgully, Ruby Sinha, Managing Director, Kommune Brand Communications, speaks about her experience of turning entrepreneur in the PR field, encouraging work-from-home mothers, and how personal interactions still remain critical in the PR profession, despite the advent of virtual nodes of communication. 

Transparency on social media is gaining more importance: Sooraj Balakrishnan

For Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing, Acer India, transparency and trust will be key factors for brands in 2021. He also sees social commerce gaining momentum in the year ahead as brands will use social to not only engage the audience, but also to sell the products.

Cars24 may look at altering its media strategy for 2-wheeler sellers & buyers: Nida Naushad

Cars24, the online marketplace for used cars, has gained unicorn status after $200 million funding round by DST Global. In conversation with Adgully, Nida Naushad, Head of Brand, Cars24, speaks about how the brand’s plans to scale its marketing communications in alignment with scaling of operations post the recent round of funding.

Social media & influencer marketing powering Hilton’s focused strategy

Being one of the first few properties to be launched in COVID times, Hilton Goa Resort is committed to bringing industry-first initiatives much like the Digital key technology and the delight the customer in every way makes their stay memorable. In conversation with Adgully, Amandeep Grover, General Manager, Hilton Goa Resort, Candolim, Goa, speaks about how Hilton has geared up to serve their customers during the pandemic times.

#TwitterChat: The changing game of Social Media Engagement

Adgully’s weekly flagship property, #TwitterChat, will turn the spotlight on ‘The New Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Engagement’ in its latest edition, which will take place on Friday, February 5, 2021, between 3 pm and 4 pm.