Week at a glance: The Maharaja’s downfall; Foodtech ecosystem; Mahindra’s electric move

The Maharaja’s downfall – The many lessons from Brand Air India
With the latest disinvestment move by the Indian Government, Air India is up for sale – yet again. This time, the Government is inviting bids for 100 per cent stake sale in the national carrier. It may be recalled that in 2018, too, the Government had sought to sell Air India, but found no takers in the loss making airline.

First move towards consolidation – the road ahead for the Foodtech Ecosystem
The Foodtech Ecosystem has taken an even more interesting turn with Zomato acquiring the Indian operations of Uber Eats for a reported deal worth $350 million (₹ 2,485). 

Electric mobility in India is the need of the hour: Mahesh Babu, Mahindra Electric
Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd, a part of the $20.7 billion Mahindra Group and the pioneers of electric mobility in India, unveiled a new corporate brand identity with a new logo and tagline – ‘Spark the New’. The new brand identity is meant to give the brand a renewed thrust to achieve its global ambition of being a leading player in electric mobility technology solutions.

Corona confounds: The virus, the beer & some very perplexed Twitteratis
With the world in the grip of fear of the deadly Coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan in China but is rapidly spreading globally, people have been searching for more information on the virus, its symptoms, how it spreads and how to avoid getting infected on Google. These have been among the top 5 searches on Google over the past week. 

‘Trivago guy’ makes a comeback in Paytm ad. What makes the move a smart one?
Remember that ‘Trivago Guy’? A very familiar face in all Trivago ads, who was often trolled and found ‘annoying’ by some, Abhinav Kumar now crops up in Paytm ads. The former Country Manager of Trivago joined Paytm as Vice President - Product Marketing in September 2019.

Aspirations of youth in Bharat & India closer than ever: Navin Shenoy, MTV India
For over 2 decades, MTV has led the way in understanding the pulse of its young audience. MTV has been focussing on the changing mindsets of the Indian youth through its longest running Youth Insights Study – MTV Insights Studio. Titled ‘MTV Mera Bharat Amazeballs’, the 2020 edition of the study explores the multi-dimensional and conscientious facets of the youth – highlighting their belief in a new India, that is replete with opportunities and progress and in alignment with their world view.

I am expecting a growth-oriented Budget: Ashish Bhasin
With the Union Budget 2020-21 slated to be presented on February, the advertising and media industry has been vocal about its expectations from the Finance Minister. Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman, India - Dentsu Aegis Network, is upbeat about the Budget and is looking forward to the Government taking steps to drive consumption and free up capital.

The Budget needs to be people-friendly & growth-oriented: Anand Bhadkamkar
As the country gears up for the presentation of the Union Budget 2020-21 tomorrow, February 1, Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India, echoes the views of the advertising as to their expectations from the Budget. 

Budget should stress on implementation of National Centre of AI: Prasad Shejale
Taking a step closer to the Digital India initiative, Prasad Shejale, Founder and CEO, Logicserve Digital, called for the Union Budget 2020-21 to include a key emphasis on the implementation of the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence. According to Shejale, it would prepare organisations for better human-machine partnership and analyse consumer patterns using Big Data. 

Trends 2020: Gear up for explosion in OTT, life without cookies - Mohit Joshi
The year 2019 saw several important developments in the media and entertainment industry. Speaking to Adgully on some of the key developments that took place in 2019, Mohit Joshi, Managing Director – India, Havas Media Group, highlighted some important trends.

Trends 2020: When digital will play a critical role in augmenting customer intelligence
Sonia Khurana, COO, Digitas India, lists her favourite digital campaigns of 2019, and also shares her predictions on the next big thing in digital in 2020. 

Despite slowdown, Digital to show growth of 28-30% - Kosal Malladi, Madison Media
Kosal Malladi, General Manager, Madison Media, highlights some of the major changes in the media & Advertising industry in 2019, as well as the industry defining trends expected in 2020.

Trends 2020: The media verticals that will vie for our attention this year
Stanley Fernandes, Sales Director, BBC Studios, turns the spotlight on the big developments expected in the content consumption space in 2020. 

Trends 2020: Advertisers now eyeing meaningful & outcome-based media
Saket Sinha, Senior Vice President, Client Leadership, m/SIX, lists the big changes expected in terms of content growth, consumers’ digital footprint, data regulation and AdEx growth in 2020. 

ETMONEY demonstrates shock value of their tax savings proposition for millennnials
As March 31^st approaches, taxpayers scramble to opt for tax saving schemes before filing their income tax returns. ETMONEY has launched their new ad campaign with a unique tax saving proposition that allows customers to eke out the most from their tax savings product. Conceptualised by DAIKO FHO and produced by Cellardoor in partnership with the marketing team at Times Internet, the campaign is currently live on digital.

ManForce leverage Kamra vs Goswami controversy for latest creative
Earlier this week, social media went crazy over the way Comedian, Kunal Kamra confronted Arnab Goswami of Republic TV on an Air India flight. A video put up by Kamra himself shows him confronting Goswami on his Nationalist attitude and the way he conducts debates and asks questions to the people involved. Kamra also claims that Goswami called him mentaly unstable during the confrontation and is seen ignoring Kamra during the length of the video. 

24% of our users listen to 'News on the Go': Mayank Jain, Shortpedia
Launched in 2017, Shortpedia has been offering snacky content with a ‘news on the go’ approach. The app offers English and Hindi content and is growing fast. The technology-driven content destination had roped in Mayank Jain as Chief Product Officer last year to strengthen their advertising proposition. 

Dabur Q3FY2020 revenue up 7%; India FMCG volume growth at 5.6%
Dabur India effectively managed the risks and mitigated the impact of macro-economic headwinds to deliver a strong performance during the quarter ended December 31, 2019. Dabur reported a 7 per cent increase in its revenue and a 10.7 per cent growth in operating margin during the third quarter of 2019-20. Dabur’s consolidated revenue for Q3 of 2019-20 stood at Rs 2,353 crore, up from Rs 2,199 crore a year earlier.

Omnicom Media Group names Kartik Sharma CEO for India
Omnicom Media Group has appointed Kartik Sharma as CEO for its operations in India. Sharma joins the Omnicom entity from GroupM’s Wavemaker, where he was most recently CEO for South Asia.

Wavemaker appoints Ajay Gupte as Chief Executive Officer
Wavemaker has announced the appointment of Ajay Gupte as Chief Executive Officer for Wavemaker, South Asia. Gupte, who is currently COO of Wavemaker India, takes over from Kartik Sharma, who steps down to pursue other opportunities in the industry. Gupte will continue to be based out of Wavemaker Gurugram and will report into Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM South Asia and Gordon Domlija, President Wavemaker Asia-Pacific and China CEO.

BBH India Hires Nivedita Agashe as Creative Director
BBH India today announced the appointment of Nivedita Agashe as Creative Director in its Mumbai Office. She will report into BBH India’s Chief Creative Officer & Managing Partner Russell Barrett and will lead a talented team of copy, art and design professionals.

Ad land’s Young Guns: Anirudh Sharma, RepIndia
Anirudh Sharma, Group Account Manager - Client Strategy at RepIndia, services some of the marquee brands of the organisation and is a core part of the 40-member servicing team at RepIndia. In a short span of four years in the industry, he has accomplished more than he imagined while working as a content writer initially in his career.

Data privacy a global theme for marketers in 2020
Data privacy is both a trend in regulation, and a growing consumer demand. As such, it is one of the most important global themes for marketers in 2020. While new regulations change the data landscape, there are opportunities for brands to present themselves as ‘privacy first’ to consumers who are wary of how their data is being used.

iProspect India to handle search engine optimization for ZEE5 global
iProspect India, the digital performance agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), will now be the search engine optimization (SEO) in-charge for ZEE5 global. 

New Skill Set for Advertising: Bringing Authentic Purpose
Kenneth Pao, Executive Managing Director, Criteo APAC, writes about how intention and purpose can create a better advertising experience across the consumer ecosystem.