From ChatGPT to Maaza, brands are trying micro drama series as storytelling beyond the 30 second ad. Schbang's Dipshika Ravi says the real win is giving viewers a reason to return for the next episode, and experts say early engagement metrics look encouraging. The ad now has a cliffhanger.
Read more at BusinessLine →
L'Oreal says India recorded double digit growth in its consumer products division in the September quarter. Its SAPMENA SSA region posted adjusted like for like growth of 19.2 percent in the third quarter, with India and Indonesia accelerating on haircare and skincare. India, it seems, is worth it.
Read more at The Economic Times →
A case study looks at how KFC adapted after entering India in 1995 with a global fried chicken brand, facing diverse food cultures, a large vegetarian population and price sensitive consumers. A chicken brand met a vegetarian market and stayed. The full case study is for subscribers.
Read more at afaqs! →
Creative Bloq spoke to Ben and Jerry's chief marketing officer about how the ice cream brand puts its values into practice. Its activism has included renaming Chubby Hubby as Hubby Hubby to celebrate marriage equality and using marketing to challenge racial injustice.
Read more at Creative Bloq →
KISNA Diamond and Gold Jewellery has launched its #GiftHappiness campaign with brand ambassadors Shahid Kapoor and Mira Kapoor. It runs on more than 300 billboards across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata, on high traffic roads and shopping destinations. Traffic jams now come with diamonds.
Read more at indianjeweller.in →HOCCO Ice Cream has entered East India with a Kolkata launch and a Payesh flavour inspired by the Bengali dessert. Havas Creative India created the Durga Puja campaign Pujo Jome Galo HOCCO'r Shathe, playing on jome, meaning both setting and coming alive. Dessert has entered a serious market.
Read more at MediaNews4U →Hyundai Card has issued more than 150,000 Alphabet Cards since launching the standalone credit card brand in South Korea in July. The cards target beauty, dining and travel spending, with a custom typeface, special packaging and no corporate logo on the front. The brand's big idea is hiding the brand.
Read more at brandinginasia.com →Homegrown premium chocolate brand Entisi Chocolatier has unveiled its first ever advertising campaign for Diwali 2026, built around a personalised Gifting Concierge service. Humorous reels play on everyday Indian gifting, from repetitive gift boxes to mismatched presents. The dry fruit box has been called out.
Read more at Adgully →Fossil has appointed Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur as global ambassador for its Signature Collection of watches. The campaign was filmed in Jaipur to highlight local architecture and culture, and Fossil India managing director Johnson Verghese expects it to resonate with Indian consumers. Jaipur supplied the scenery.
Read more at brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com →Union Mutual Fund has extended its Tukka Nahi, Tareeka Chahiye campaign on informed, disciplined investing to Mumbai Metro Line 1. The campaign now runs inside the Metro on the Ghatkopar to Versova corridor, beyond digital and social platforms. Commuters can reflect on discipline between stations.
Read more at MediaNews4U →Crisp makers fear new EU rules could stop vegetarian snacks being described as meat flavoured. The rules ban terms such as steak and bacon for vegetarian alternatives to avoid confusing consumers, while still allowing labels like veggie burgers and meat free sausages. The sausage survived, the bacon crisp may not.
Read more at inkl.com →Speaking at the afaqs BankFin 360 conference, Visa's chief marketing officer for India and South Asia, Gaurav Ramdev, said the challenge is making payments seamless while building a human connection beyond the transaction. The brand would like to be invisible and loved. The full report is for subscribers.
Read more at afaqs! →Bollywood actors Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal have joined emerging beauty and wellness brand DrVeda as faces of a campaign for its skincare and haircare portfolio. The campaign is creatively executed and produced by Story Bakers, according to the announcement, which used the word creatively.
Read more at news24online.com →
Hindustan Unilever was named Best Media Client, Mindshare Best Media Agency and WPP Media Best Media Agency Network at The Advertising Club's EMVIES 2026 in Mumbai on October 23. Wavemaker India and Colgate won the Grand EMVIE for the Colgate Oral Health Movement. Clients and agencies agreed on something.
Read more at Storyboard18 →
Omnicom reported third quarter 2026 revenue of 6.42 billion dollars, up from 4.04 billion dollars a year earlier, largely reflecting its acquisition of Interpublic Group, completed in November 2025. Buying a rival remains a reliable growth strategy. The full report is for subscribers.
Read more at afaqs! →
Exchange4media's weekly ad review covers ChatGPT's film of an Indian family using the assistant, Swiggy's Durga Puja idol and Diwali pushes from Cadbury, Reliance Jewels and Axis Bank. It says festive work this week leaned on emotion, humour and familiar faces. Festive ads remain festive.
Read more at exchange4media.com →
Coca-Cola has selected Omnicom as its media partner in North America after reviewing its global marketing operating model, while retaining WPP Open X globally. Announced on October 22, the move aims to strengthen marketing through data, technology and AI. Both agencies get to say they won.
Read more at karvtechinsider.com →
Research by RedBridge Group for the Australian Recording Industry Association finds 78 percent of Australians would keep the rule that AI firms need permission to use Australian creative work. Just 9 percent would change the law, in a poll of 1,524 people. The music industry's poll sides with music.
Read more at bandt.com.au →Wipro has appointed Kuldeep Sehrawat as director and head of marketing for India. He announced the move on LinkedIn after more than eight years at IBM in marketing leadership roles, and brings around 17 years of experience. A marketer announced his news on the right platform.
Read more at Mint →Anuj Somani has been elevated to head, integrated marketing and performance, at Volvo Car India from September 2026. He joined the luxury carmaker in 2021 and held four roles in five years, rising through brand and retailer positions. Safe and steady, in the Volvo manner.
Read more at indiantelevision.com →PUMA India has elevated Deven Deshpande to lead, sports marketing, from October 2026, after a brief stint as lead for social and influencer marketing. He joined PUMA India in 2019 as a management trainee. A fast career, appropriately for PUMA. The full report is for subscribers.
Read more at afaqs! →Vicco Laboratories has named Aditya Aole head of international business to build Vicco into a global Ayurvedic brand. Aole has around 15 years of international marketing and business experience with Himalaya. The jingle may need translating. The full report is for subscribers.
Read more at afaqs! →Behavioural science company Split Second Research, which runs neuroscience based surveys and research, has joined the Marketing and Technologies Group at its Shrub Hill headquarters in Worcester. Co founder Dr Eamon Fulcher called the move a genuine win win for clients. The genuine was presumably measured.
Read more at worcesterobserver.co.uk →
Meta has pushed back revised Commercial Terms and Self Serve Ad Terms from October 30 to November 20, a spokesperson told Reuters. Publishers and advertisers had complained to EU and UK antitrust authorities that the contract gives Meta unlimited rights to use their content for AI. Unlimited has been postponed.
Read more at PPC Land →
The Verge's Stepback newsletter traces how publishers spent years learning to win clicks from Google, only for new AI search features to tear that ecosystem apart. It looks at how long digital publishing has relied on Google for traffic. You found this through a link.
Read more at The Verge →
Instagram for TV, focused on Reels, live streams and other video, is now on Apple TV after launching on Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TVs and Google TV. MacRumors spotted the update in the App Store, with little fanfare from Meta. Scrolling has reached the sofa.
Read more at The Verge →
Amazon announced on October 19 that eligible Indian creators can tag its products in YouTube videos and Pinterest Pins and earn commissions on qualifying purchases. It says its Indian Influencer Program has 200,000 creators, double its size a year earlier. Every video is now a shop.
Read more at quasa.io →
YouTube is rolling out Custom Feeds, which let eligible viewers create permanent Home feeds by describing what they want to watch, replacing topic chips. It is also testing a redesigned mobile Home screen that puts Subscriptions closer to the main feed. The algorithm has asked for instructions.
Read more at wersm.com →
Canva has released Craft, its first image generation model, built with help from researchers at Leonardo.ai, which it acquired in 2024. The model plans spatial relationships, scale and text before generating images up to 2K resolution across 30 aspect ratios. The text, it promises, is planned.
Read more at theaiinsider.tech →Martech pioneer Scott Brinker tells Mi3 that customers are getting their own AI agents that research brands, filter marketing and deal with businesses for them. He warns the balance of power may shift, leaving brands unable to see or control decisions. The ad may soon be read by software.
Read more at mi-3.com.au →
At TechSparks 2026, Deep Agrawal of PhonePe and Khilan Haria of Razorpay discussed how contextual payments and AI can improve customer experience, widen access to financial services and help small businesses grow. The session was a PhonePe brand publisher feature on YourStory. The sponsor spoke well of the sponsor's field.
Read more at YourStory →
Just Eat has apologised and is removing AI generated food images after the BBC reported grotesque results on its UK app. Examples included a bacon and egg soda bread cocktail and a jacket potato shown as an actual jacket with pictures of potatoes. The model took the menu literally.
Read more at Creative Bloq →AI content platform Wizstar, which offers video generation, image creation, digital avatars and marketing tools, has integrated Nano Banana 2.1 into its image generator. It says the addition gives marketers more flexibility to produce visuals in multiple formats. Nano Banana remains a real product name.
Read more at MarTech Cube →Marketing and brand roles checked today. Every listing links to the original posting. Nobody is checking your engagement rate.
Marketing festivals and meetups coming up, each checked against its own page this morning. Business cards are optional. Opinions seem to be required.
It sits on your phone like an app and has never once asked for an update.
iPhone
Social Media and Creators
YouTube tests bonuses for creators who post Shorts consistently
wersm.com
YouTube is testing a monthly Shorts bonus on top of regular earnings for creators who upload consistently. The trial covers select Partner Program members in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Japan and South Korea, and creators cannot opt in. Consistency is now a paid feature.
Read more at wersm.com →Indian Roblox creators grow 96 percent a year
Storyboard18
Indian creators eligible for Roblox payouts grew at a compound annual rate of 96 percent between 2020 and 2025, crossing 250 in 2025, according to a report on Roblox's economic impact on India's video game industry. Ninety-six percent growth sounds bigger than 250 creators.
Read more at Storyboard18 →Extreme Reach launches XR Pay to fix creator brand deal payments
wersm.com
Extreme Reach has launched XR Pay for Creators to tidy up the back office of creator marketing. Contracts, deliverables, tax forms, rights information and payments are often scattered across email, direct messages and consumer payment apps. Influencers, it turns out, also have admin.
Read more at wersm.com →M&S food boss Kathryn Turner rips up the influencer rulebook
vogue.co.uk
Vogue profiles Kathryn Turner, M&S Food's director of product development, who has become the brand's biggest marketing weapon on social media. The 50 something executive rose over decades and has 3.3 million TikTok likes and 230,000 Instagram followers. The rulebook met someone who reads product specs.
Read more at vogue.co.uk →Scripted influencer marketing may not work with Gen Z, says inde wild founder
Storyboard18
Beauty entrepreneur and creator Diipa Buller-Khosla, founder of inde wild, tells Storyboard18 that social media can capture attention but long term success depends on product quality, community and consistency. She wants the brand to stand on its own beyond her influence. An influencer recommends the product.
Read more at Storyboard18 →Indian companies are turning employees into influencers
ET Now
An ET Now feature looks at how employee generated content is reshaping brand marketing in India. Companies that spent heavily on celebrity ambassadors are turning to staff, betting on authenticity and industry expertise. The new brand ambassador is in accounts.
Read more at ET Now →Jetstar and Qantas ban influencer over life jacket stunt
theaviationhub.co.uk
Jetstar and Qantas have banned Hugh Lovett, one of the brothers behind TikTok account The Lovetts, after he inflated his life jacket during the safety demonstration on flight JQ768 from Sydney to Adelaide on October 16. Australian Federal Police met the aircraft on arrival.
Read more at theaviationhub.co.uk →PluggedIN Lagos pushes brands and creators to build lasting IP
premiumtimesng.com
The second PluggedIN event in Lagos, organised by Woof Studios Africa and Insight Redefini, asked brands and creators to move beyond one off sponsored posts. Hosted by Bisola Aiyeola, it explored original content, digital series and long term intellectual property. The sponsored post has been asked to grow up.
Read more at premiumtimesng.com →Jason Tammemagi surveys the animation creator economy
animationmagazine.net
In Animation Magazine's November issue, Jason Tammemagi looks at what he calls a new golden age of the animation creator economy. He points to creators and independent studios building audiences on YouTube, while noting that success is far from easy. Golden ages are usually hard work.
Read more at animationmagazine.net →How brands can turn festive influencer buzz into buying decisions
indiantelevision.com
In a guest column, Manoj Kumar, founder of Brandsadvert Media, argues that festive influencer marketing must move from visibility to influencing decisions. Brands should match creators to shopper needs, from discovery to purchase, and track measurable outcomes. The influencers are being asked to influence.
Read more at indiantelevision.com →