On the 74th Republic Day month, PAYBACK loyalty program, is running numerous offers, for its millions of members, ranging from bonus points earning to getting exciting shopping vouchers from PAYBACK VoucherWorld platform on redeeming points and special cashback.   With Apple joining PAYBACK network as affiliate or online partner, for Republic Day celebrations have got a ₹5000 cashback offer on iPhone orders over ₹44,900 and No Cost EMI for 6 months (Limited time offers with qualifying cards). Adding to it, PAYBACK members can earn Bonus 8,000 Points on purchase of iPhone 12 from Jan 21st – 28th.   In addition, PAYBACK’s online travel partner Thomas Cook India, is running a wonderful offer, where members on availing the Thomas Cook coupons on PAYBACK Coupons Platform get 5,000 Bonus Points for Domestic or International holiday bookings with Thomas Cook India till April 30th 2021.   Also, Amazon & Flipkart, the biggest online marketplaces and members of the PAYBACK partner network, are running big shopping discounts of upto 80% Off and members can earn upto 5 points per Rs 100 spent. With this, any new shopper who becomes a PAYBACK member gets a Bonus 100 Points on purchase of anything at Amazon marketplace.   PAYBACK VoucherWorld offers instant vouchers of 100+ leading brands, to be bought free by redeeming PAYBACK points. Members will additionally get access to exclusive discounts & exciting offers on vouchers from 100+ top brands on PAYBACK VoucherWorld.   Shop at Voucherworld and earn 30 points for every Rs. 1000 spent along with discounts:   Brand Vouchers Offers Till 26th January       Biba Online 12%       Café Coffee Day 10%       Chaayos 10%       Jockey 10%       Kama Ayurveda 10%       OLA 10%       PUMA 10%       The Body Shop 10%       Bata 5%                   January 2021 Offers Brand Voucher Denomination Offer Brand Offer construct frequency Amazon 5000 JioSaavn Rs 100 Flat Off on Annual Membership of INR 399 1 Per User Myntra 1000 Cure Fit Cure Fit 21 Days trial access to cure.fit Live 3 Per User Shopper's Stop 1000 Home Center Home Centre 500 Off on 5000 3 Per User Flipkart 5000 lifestyle Lifestyle 500 OFF on 2500 3 Per User Max 1000 Cure Fit Cure Fit 21 Days trial access to cure.fit Live 3 Per User Croma 1000 Home Center Home Centre 500 Off on 5000 3 Per User  

    With the 72nd Indian Republic Day around the corner, the country’s largest lifestyle platform, MensXP has unveiled the Republic Day Festival from January 22nd all the way until January 26th ‘21. This sale will offer Indian men the opportunity to explore some of the finest Indian brands across winter wear, grooming, innerwear, gadgets, work from home essentials, fitness essentials and more.    As a part of this retail extravaganza, MensXP will also showcase a comprehensive range of thousands of products at up to 55% off. The sheer range of gadgets, winter wear, innerwear & quirky masks, grooming products & fragrances, barware, gardening and healthy treats available during this period, along with the daily flash sales will make it the ultimate #golocal shopping experience this Republic Day. Besides MensXP’s own suite of leading fashion and beauty brands such as MensXP Mud and MensXP Basics, the platform is also hosting a wide range of premium homegrown brands including LetsShave, Bareek, SKO, Rare Planet, ETRG, Damensch, Cloud Nursery and a Fragrance Story among others.    Speaking at the launch of the brand’s Republic Sale, Angad Bhatia, Founder  & CEO - MensXP said, “On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, we are upholding ‘vocal for local’ values, i.e. our collective responsibility as a society to endorse and promote locally-made and locally-sourced products. Our special Republic Day Festival would prominently showcase premium minimalistic and sustainable home-grown labels across grooming, footwear and products for their home among others that would help the new generation of Indian men elevate their everyday lives!”   MensXP Shop hosts over 250+ premium brands with over 20,000 carefully curated products from bespoke homegrown labels spanning Home Decor, Kitchenware, Wellness & WFH essentials and much more to help you master the new normal. Within a year of its launch, MensXP Shop has emerged as the go-to destination for Indian men to discover content and products that help them navigate their social lives.     Check out MensXP’s Republic Day Festival now!: https://shop.mensxp.com/republic-day-sale

     A leading recruitment software company, Talentnow has announced its rebranding and transformation into CAYPRO. This transition reflects the unparalleled and fully integrated talent acquisition solution that will enable its clients around the world to hire at scale and scientifically, with the same continued support and best practices.  CAYPRO has been transformed into an API platform that now fully integrates with the company’s other offerings like COGBEE - Assessment and Video Interview platform and cFIRST –Global Background Check solution. Together with CAYPRO, COGBEE and cFIRST will provide a complete solution enabling clients to be fast, be wise and be sure of their hiring. While commenting on the same Viral Vora, Chief Executive Officer, CAYPRO, said, “CAYPRO builds-up on the experience and the expertise of working with 2000+ companies in the past decade to fuel all the recruitment industry’s technological needs. With the onset of the pandemic, technology needs and hiring processes of the recruitment sector has grown and changed significantly, and our new technology platform we will enable the industries worldwide to employ future-ready, skilled personnel that helps produce superior business outcomes.” CAYPRO, earlier known as Talentnow, offers, a SaaS-based ATS technology that brings an efficacious, unique and unparalleled recruitment domain expertise. It enables its clients from IT, ITES, BFSI, Healthcare, FMCG, Retail and more, to build future-ready winning teams. CAYPRO leverages AI-based search and parsing technology, digital workflows, integrations with client emails, popular job boards, WhatsApp, Email, Texting platforms, Mass email service providers, Google and Microsoft cloud apps, to empower recruitment teams to compete hard in the marketplace, and attract in skilled and driven employees. According to Viral Vora, Chief Executive Officer, CAYPRO, the time was right to modernize, streamline, and bring API platform, that enables clients to be ready for the future. Currently, CAYPRO, COGBEE and cFIRST serve over 2000 clients worldwide. From Fortune 500 giants to growing start-ups, several businesses across industries use this latest AI-technology solution to build robust and driven teams. Furthermore, CAYPRO is on a mission to take this platform to over 50,000 clients globally with its cutting-edge innovation and delightful client experience.  

   Gaussian Network Private Limited  announces the appointment of Mr. Shivanandan Pare as Chief Executive Officer of Gaussian Networks Pvt. Ltd.   Mr. Pare joined Gaussian Networks in July, 2020 as the CEO of Adda52Rummy. He is a business leader with over two decades of rich experience in helming some of India’s leading digital and e-commerce ventures. Commenting on his new role, Mr. Pare said, “I am thrilled and honoured to lead Gaussian Networks, custodian of Adda52.com and Adda52Rummy.com, the leading brands in online real money gaming, Poker & Rummy.”  

  On the 74th Republic Day month, PAYBACK loyalty program, is running numerous offers, for its millions of members, ranging from bonus points earning to getting exciting shopping vouchers from PAYBACK VoucherWorld platform on redeeming points and special cashback.   With Apple joining PAYBACK network as affiliate or online partner, for Republic Day celebrations have got a ₹5000 cashback offer on iPhone orders over ₹44,900 and No Cost EMI for 6 months (Limited time offers with qualifying cards). Adding to it, PAYBACK members can earn Bonus 8,000 Points on purchase of iPhone 12 from Jan 21st – 28th.   In addition, PAYBACK’s online travel partner Thomas Cook India, is running a wonderful offer, where members on availing the Thomas Cook coupons on PAYBACK Coupons Platform get 5,000 Bonus Points for Domestic or International holiday bookings with Thomas Cook India till April 30th 2021.   Also, Amazon & Flipkart, the biggest online marketplaces and members of the PAYBACK partner network, are running big shopping discounts of upto 80% Off and members can earn upto 5 points per Rs 100 spent. With this, any new shopper who becomes a PAYBACK member gets a Bonus 100 Points on purchase of anything at Amazon marketplace.   PAYBACK VoucherWorld offers instant vouchers of 100+ leading brands, to be bought free by redeeming PAYBACK points. Members will additionally get access to exclusive discounts & exciting offers on vouchers from 100+ top brands on PAYBACK VoucherWorld.   Shop at Voucherworld and earn 30 points for every Rs. 1000 spent along with discounts:   Brand Vouchers Offers Till 26th January       Biba Online 12%       Café Coffee Day 10%       Chaayos 10%       Jockey 10%       Kama Ayurveda 10%       OLA 10%       PUMA 10%       The Body Shop 10%       Bata 5%                   January 2021 Offers Brand Voucher Denomination Offer Brand Offer construct frequency Amazon 5000 JioSaavn Rs 100 Flat Off on Annual Membership of INR 399 1 Per User Myntra 1000 Cure Fit Cure Fit 21 Days trial access to cure.fit Live 3 Per User Shopper's Stop 1000 Home Center Home Centre 500 Off on 5000 3 Per User Flipkart 5000 lifestyle Lifestyle 500 OFF on 2500 3 Per User Max 1000 Cure Fit Cure Fit 21 Days trial access to cure.fit Live 3 Per User Croma 1000 Home Center Home Centre 500 Off on 5000 3 Per User  

  Wunderman Thompson India begins the new year on a high. At the recently concluded 11th India Digital Awards presented by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the agency was awarded gold as the ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ and stole the show with a stupendous win of 8 metals for multiple campaigns crafted for its PepsiCo India business. The agency’s  winning tally included 7 metals for PepsiCo India Beverages (brand Pepsi) – 3 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronze and 1 gold for PepsiCo India Foods – Brand Lay’s. The dominant performance of the agency in categories ranging from ‘Best Use of Mobile for Content Marketing’ to ‘Social Influencer Campaign’ and ‘User-Generated Content’, are a testament to the agency’s claim of being an integrated communications partner, offering end-to-end solutions for its clients.   Commenting on the awards win, PepsiCo India spokesperson, said, “Congratulations to the team at Wunderman Thompson for a well-deserved win. As a brand, it's a humbling experience to be recognized, given it's a testimony of consumers enjoying and resonating with our work. Wunderman Thompson has been a valuable partner in delivering culturally relevant campaigns focused on driving hope, trust and fun amongst our consumers. We look forward to creating more content with them that is relatable and impactful  going forward.”   On being named the ‘Digital Agency of the Year’, Chairman and Group CEO, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Tarun Rai, said, “I am immensely proud that we have won the Digital Agency of the Year Award from such a respected industry body, for two reasons. First, for the past few years my effort has been to get our agency, with eight decades of building some of the best brands in the country, to pivot and exploit the exciting opportunities of various digital platforms. The merger of JWT and Wunderman, and the formation of Wunderman Thompson a couple of years ago, accelerated this transition. As we celebrate the second anniversary of Wunderman Thompson, this recognition gives me immense satisfaction since we competed, and won, against the top purely digital agencies, besides all the mainline ones. And second, that we have won this huge accolade basis the work we have done on PepsiCo India, a cherished and long standing relationship of over thirty years. The PepsiCo India marketing team has constantly encouraged us to create the same magic that we’ve created on traditional media over the years, on digital platforms. Their exciting and youthful brands gave us ample opportunity .”   Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson India, added, “It is a huge honour to win Digital Agency of The Year for work done on two of our biggest and most coveted brands at Wunderman Thompson; Pepsi and Lays. The fact that most of this work was done while the teams worked from home and collaborated across various locations in country remotely adds a genuine edge to the creative and digital potential of Wunderman Thompson India. The work that wins over the masses in the marketplace is the work that moves the award juries as well. This win will build our culture of inspiring growth for our brands and drive the agency forward into the future blurring the lines between traditional and digital media with the power of ideas that break boundaries.”   India Digital Awards (IDA) is the most esteemed accolade in India and a true symbol of digital excellence. Founded in 2009, IDA celebrates organizations, teams and practitioners who have surpassed landmarks and delivered successful business outcomes using digital as a medium. Breakdown of Wunderman Thompson India’s wins: S. No.   Category   Entry Name   Acknowledgement   1   Best Brand Awareness Campaign using Mobile   Pepsi Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine’s Day   GOLD   2   Best Viral Marketing Campaign   How India Celebrated 'Being Single' On Valentine’s Day   SILVER   3   Best Viral Marketing Campaign   How Pepsi Brought Back Salaam-Namaste Into Pop Culture With Swag   GOLD   4   Best Brand- Influencer Collaboration   Pepsi & The Ultimate Bachelor Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine’s Day   SILVER   5   Best Use of Mobile for Content Marketing   How India Rediscovered Salaam-Namaste With Swag During Covid   BRONZE   6   Best User-Generated Content used for a Campaign   How Pepsi & The Swag Generation Revived Salaam-Namaste As The Right Way To Greet During Covid   GOLD   7   Best Social Influencer Campaign   Pepsi & The Ultimate Bachelor Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine's Day     BRONZE   8   Best Messaging Campaign   Getting India to Smile with Lay's   GOLD

    With the 72nd Indian Republic Day around the corner, the country’s largest lifestyle platform, MensXP has unveiled the Republic Day Festival from January 22nd all the way until January 26th ‘21. This sale will offer Indian men the opportunity to explore some of the finest Indian brands across winter wear, grooming, innerwear, gadgets, work from home essentials, fitness essentials and more.    As a part of this retail extravaganza, MensXP will also showcase a comprehensive range of thousands of products at up to 55% off. The sheer range of gadgets, winter wear, innerwear & quirky masks, grooming products & fragrances, barware, gardening and healthy treats available during this period, along with the daily flash sales will make it the ultimate #golocal shopping experience this Republic Day. Besides MensXP’s own suite of leading fashion and beauty brands such as MensXP Mud and MensXP Basics, the platform is also hosting a wide range of premium homegrown brands including LetsShave, Bareek, SKO, Rare Planet, ETRG, Damensch, Cloud Nursery and a Fragrance Story among others.    Speaking at the launch of the brand’s Republic Sale, Angad Bhatia, Founder  & CEO - MensXP said, “On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, we are upholding ‘vocal for local’ values, i.e. our collective responsibility as a society to endorse and promote locally-made and locally-sourced products. Our special Republic Day Festival would prominently showcase premium minimalistic and sustainable home-grown labels across grooming, footwear and products for their home among others that would help the new generation of Indian men elevate their everyday lives!”   MensXP Shop hosts over 250+ premium brands with over 20,000 carefully curated products from bespoke homegrown labels spanning Home Decor, Kitchenware, Wellness & WFH essentials and much more to help you master the new normal. Within a year of its launch, MensXP Shop has emerged as the go-to destination for Indian men to discover content and products that help them navigate their social lives.     Check out MensXP’s Republic Day Festival now!: https://shop.mensxp.com/republic-day-sale

     A leading recruitment software company, Talentnow has announced its rebranding and transformation into CAYPRO. This transition reflects the unparalleled and fully integrated talent acquisition solution that will enable its clients around the world to hire at scale and scientifically, with the same continued support and best practices.  CAYPRO has been transformed into an API platform that now fully integrates with the company’s other offerings like COGBEE - Assessment and Video Interview platform and cFIRST –Global Background Check solution. Together with CAYPRO, COGBEE and cFIRST will provide a complete solution enabling clients to be fast, be wise and be sure of their hiring. While commenting on the same Viral Vora, Chief Executive Officer, CAYPRO, said, “CAYPRO builds-up on the experience and the expertise of working with 2000+ companies in the past decade to fuel all the recruitment industry’s technological needs. With the onset of the pandemic, technology needs and hiring processes of the recruitment sector has grown and changed significantly, and our new technology platform we will enable the industries worldwide to employ future-ready, skilled personnel that helps produce superior business outcomes.” CAYPRO, earlier known as Talentnow, offers, a SaaS-based ATS technology that brings an efficacious, unique and unparalleled recruitment domain expertise. It enables its clients from IT, ITES, BFSI, Healthcare, FMCG, Retail and more, to build future-ready winning teams. CAYPRO leverages AI-based search and parsing technology, digital workflows, integrations with client emails, popular job boards, WhatsApp, Email, Texting platforms, Mass email service providers, Google and Microsoft cloud apps, to empower recruitment teams to compete hard in the marketplace, and attract in skilled and driven employees. According to Viral Vora, Chief Executive Officer, CAYPRO, the time was right to modernize, streamline, and bring API platform, that enables clients to be ready for the future. Currently, CAYPRO, COGBEE and cFIRST serve over 2000 clients worldwide. From Fortune 500 giants to growing start-ups, several businesses across industries use this latest AI-technology solution to build robust and driven teams. Furthermore, CAYPRO is on a mission to take this platform to over 50,000 clients globally with its cutting-edge innovation and delightful client experience.  

  Wunderman Thompson India begins the new year on a high. At the recently concluded 11th India Digital Awards presented by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the agency was awarded gold as the ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ and stole the show with a stupendous win of 8 metals for multiple campaigns crafted for its PepsiCo India business. The agency’s  winning tally included 7 metals for PepsiCo India Beverages (brand Pepsi) – 3 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronze and 1 gold for PepsiCo India Foods – Brand Lay’s. The dominant performance of the agency in categories ranging from ‘Best Use of Mobile for Content Marketing’ to ‘Social Influencer Campaign’ and ‘User-Generated Content’, are a testament to the agency’s claim of being an integrated communications partner, offering end-to-end solutions for its clients.   Commenting on the awards win, PepsiCo India spokesperson, said, “Congratulations to the team at Wunderman Thompson for a well-deserved win. As a brand, it's a humbling experience to be recognized, given it's a testimony of consumers enjoying and resonating with our work. Wunderman Thompson has been a valuable partner in delivering culturally relevant campaigns focused on driving hope, trust and fun amongst our consumers. We look forward to creating more content with them that is relatable and impactful  going forward.”   On being named the ‘Digital Agency of the Year’, Chairman and Group CEO, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Tarun Rai, said, “I am immensely proud that we have won the Digital Agency of the Year Award from such a respected industry body, for two reasons. First, for the past few years my effort has been to get our agency, with eight decades of building some of the best brands in the country, to pivot and exploit the exciting opportunities of various digital platforms. The merger of JWT and Wunderman, and the formation of Wunderman Thompson a couple of years ago, accelerated this transition. As we celebrate the second anniversary of Wunderman Thompson, this recognition gives me immense satisfaction since we competed, and won, against the top purely digital agencies, besides all the mainline ones. And second, that we have won this huge accolade basis the work we have done on PepsiCo India, a cherished and long standing relationship of over thirty years. The PepsiCo India marketing team has constantly encouraged us to create the same magic that we’ve created on traditional media over the years, on digital platforms. Their exciting and youthful brands gave us ample opportunity .”   Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson India, added, “It is a huge honour to win Digital Agency of The Year for work done on two of our biggest and most coveted brands at Wunderman Thompson; Pepsi and Lays. The fact that most of this work was done while the teams worked from home and collaborated across various locations in country remotely adds a genuine edge to the creative and digital potential of Wunderman Thompson India. The work that wins over the masses in the marketplace is the work that moves the award juries as well. This win will build our culture of inspiring growth for our brands and drive the agency forward into the future blurring the lines between traditional and digital media with the power of ideas that break boundaries.”   India Digital Awards (IDA) is the most esteemed accolade in India and a true symbol of digital excellence. Founded in 2009, IDA celebrates organizations, teams and practitioners who have surpassed landmarks and delivered successful business outcomes using digital as a medium. Breakdown of Wunderman Thompson India’s wins: S. No.   Category   Entry Name   Acknowledgement   1   Best Brand Awareness Campaign using Mobile   Pepsi Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine’s Day   GOLD   2   Best Viral Marketing Campaign   How India Celebrated 'Being Single' On Valentine’s Day   SILVER   3   Best Viral Marketing Campaign   How Pepsi Brought Back Salaam-Namaste Into Pop Culture With Swag   GOLD   4   Best Brand- Influencer Collaboration   Pepsi & The Ultimate Bachelor Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine’s Day   SILVER   5   Best Use of Mobile for Content Marketing   How India Rediscovered Salaam-Namaste With Swag During Covid   BRONZE   6   Best User-Generated Content used for a Campaign   How Pepsi & The Swag Generation Revived Salaam-Namaste As The Right Way To Greet During Covid   GOLD   7   Best Social Influencer Campaign   Pepsi & The Ultimate Bachelor Upends Age-Old Assumptions About Singlehood On Valentine's Day     BRONZE   8   Best Messaging Campaign   Getting India to Smile with Lay's   GOLD

     Wunderman Thompson, a WPP agency, announced today the launch of its annual Future 100 report, lifting the lid on trends shaping the coming 12 months. The report is developed by Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, the agency’s futures think tank and innovation unit.   These wide-ranging trends look at creative innovations set to go mainstream along with shifts in consumer behaviours across 10 sectors.   The one hundred trends are drawn from the culture, technology, travel, branding & marketing, food & drink, beauty, retail, health, business and finance sectors. For the first time the report also looks at work trends, as a mass shift to home working and rising unemployment upends our professional lives.   Mel Edwards, Global CEO, Wunderman Thompson commented, “At a time when gaining a competitive advantage has never been more important, the Future 100 report reveals the key trends that will shape consumer behaviour and define the way ambitious brands engage with their customers during the coming year. These insights will help marketing leaders inspire growth for their organisations and move forward into 2021 with confidence and optimism.”   Developments under the spotlight include:   Micropreneurs: Move over side hustles, there is a startup boom is in the making, fueled by the pandemic and rising unemployment, driving more and more people to make entrepreneurship their next career move   Immunity wellness: The world has never been so interested in how our immune systems can be boosted and the coming year will see numerous experts telling us how, from ancient treatments to DNA research   Mobilizing fandom: Fandoms are taking on a life of their own, moving from simply consuming pop culture to becoming amplifiers and content creators for their idols, online and en masse, with global K-pop fans leading the way   Unbiased banking: Another industry where inclusivity is on the rise is banking – specifically the online-only neobanks, including Simba and Greenwood, which address the frequently overlooked needs of minority groups   Cloud gaming: As video games become the latest media to get Netflixized, major players, including Amazon, Google, Tencent, Microsoft, Sony and Facebook, are betting big on cloud gaming   Touchless travel: From check-in and baggage drop to bathrooms and in-flight entertainment, every aspect of air travel is being reimagined to minimize contact and maximize hygiene to rebuild consumer confidence in travel   Big Brands Go Circular: From Gucci to Uniqlo, fashion brands are getting into the second-hand business, driven by rising sustainability concerns and slimmer wallets   Ghost kitchens: Influenced by the growth of delivery-first dining, this new restaurant concept sees off-premises dining prioritized   Foraged ingredients: Not another food trend, but a beauty one, with the emergence of new skincare brands made with wild-harvested plants and promising potent results   Live commerce: Retail-tainment is moving online with engaging, tailored shopping experiences using video streaming to demonstrate and sell products and interact with customers in real time   Emma Chiu, Global Director at Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, said: “Few of us will have experienced quite as much drama on a societal and global level as we did in 2020 and the fallout from that is more new trends than we’ve seen since we started publishing The Future 100, and behaviours which had been evolving slowly thrust into the mainstream. Knowing which of these trends matter and why has never been so important for marketers at a time when the very survival of many brands depends on adapting at pace.”   Download the full report here: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/insight/the-future-100  

     The Type Directors Club, the leading global typography organization, has enhanced diversity within its leadership with the announcement of a new TDC Advisory Board.   The Advisory Board, which includes five new members, is the first elected by TDC membership since the organization became part of The One Club for Creativity last October. The merger provides TDC with resources and infrastructure to broaden and grow its programming and aligns with TOCC’s existing emphasis on promoting diversity and inclusion.   Joining as new members are: Cey Adams, artist, designer, Cey Adams Studios, Brooklyn Dr. Nadine Chahine, director, ArabicType Ltd, London Manija Emran, founder, creative director, Me & the Bootmaker, Los Angeles Zelda Harrison, principal, ZHarrison & Associates/ZELDESIGN, Los Angeles Saki Mafundikwa, founder, director, Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA), Harare Returning to the TDC Advisory Board are: Elizabeth Carey Smith (chair), designer director, Saturday Design, New York Paul Carlos, principal, Pure+Applied, New York; adjunct faculty, Parsons School of Design, The New School Liz DeLuna, principal, main5design, New York; professor, Graphic Design, St. John's University Carrie Hamilton, designer, Carrie Hamilton Design, New York; instructor, The City College of New York John Kudos, managing partner, KUDOS Design Collaboratory, KASA Collective, New York Bobby C. Martin, Jr., founding partner, Champions Design, New York Joe Newton, designer, illustrator, educator, Anderson Newton Design, New York Juan Carlos Pagan, founding partner, executive creative director, Sunday Afternoon, New York YuJune Park, partner, cofounder, Synoptic Office, New York; assistant professor, Communication Design, Parsons School of Design, The New School Christopher Sergio, vice president, group creative director, Henry Holt & Co/Macmillan Publishers, New York Christopher Sergio has also been appointed to represent TDC on The One Club Board of Directors.  Carol Wahler continues in her role as TDC executive director.   TDC will continue to be run as an autonomous, committee-based organization, with the Advisory Board responsible for all TDC programming, effective January 2021.     A top priority of the new TDC Advisory Board is to take action on how to authentically address the industry’s stark inclusion and diversity problems through representation, membership and programming.     “The new members bring a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives to the TDC Advisory Board, helping us create new paths forward in the creative community and maintaining our commitment to celebrating typographic excellence,” said Elizabeth Carey Smith, TDC past-president who will serve as board chair.   Established in New York in 1946, TDC celebrates and amplifies the power of typography and serves as a global community united by the shared belief that type drives culture and culture drives type.  The organization runs the esteemed TDC Communication Design and TDC Typeface Design competitions, produces The World’s Best Typography® annual, coordinates traveling global exhibitions of award-winning work, offers scholarship programs and hosts conferences, classes, workshops, Type Salons and a design jobs board.   The One Club is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support the global creative community.  The club takes revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows -- including The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Young Ones Student Awards, Young Guns and others -- and puts it back into the industry to fund programs under its four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality and Professional Development.     These programs include the annual Where Are All The Black People diversity conference and career fair, ONE School free portfolio program for Black creatives, Creative Boot Camps for diverse college students, Right the Ratio Summits addressing gender equality, 2nd Skill to train traditional creatives on UX, UI and content strategy to upskill and future-proof them for the second creative career, Global Educators Summits, Creative Leaders Retreats, mentorship programs for more than 200 young creatives each year, bi-annual Saturday Career Workshops for high school students, and more.

  Earlier this month, Tata Pravesh, embarked on a multi-media campaign titled #AkelaHiKaafiHai, in an attempt to drive brand awareness and consideration about a new category of steel doors and windows, with Gajraj Rao as its brand ambassador.  The brand then followed this up with its first ever influencer film featuring VVS Laxman. The second film in its influencer series, features Bengali cinema’s reigning superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee and draws inspiration from Satyajit Ray’s Nayak (The Hero).   Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson South Asia in association with SVF Brands, the film is shot in Prosenjit’s apartment.  It is a nod to the opening sequence of Satyajit Ray’s Nayak (The Hero) in which the then superstar of Bengali cinema, Uttam Kumar, was getting ready to leave his home. The film attempts to recreate that sequence albeit in a contemporary setting. Incidentally, Ray had shot the sequence in a house in Kolkata which is now Prosenjit’s residence.   Prosenjit takes us on a tour of his apartment as he talks about another superstar - another nayak - with whom he shares his home. Someone who can walk through fire, unharmed. Someone whose stardom is not threated by anything. Someone who is there for the long run.   Who is this superstar who lives under the same roof as Prosenjit? Who is unfazed by fire and storm? Watch the film to discover Nayak 2.0.     Commenting on the film, P. Anand, Chief - Services & Solutions, Tata Steel Ltd., said, “Tata Pravesh steel doors & windows offer unmatched strength and durability along with style, eliminating all hassles associated with alternate offerings in the market. Mr Prosenjit Chatterjee has been the undisputed king of the Bengali movie industry for decades. He exudes sophistication and class, qualities which are true of Tata Pravesh as well.”   Vijay Jacob Parakkal, Senior VP & Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson, Kolkata, said, “Stylish, versatile and evergreen, Mr. Prosenjit Chatterjee is a true icon of Bengali cinema. As an influencer, he was an obvious choice, as he embodies Tata Pravesh’s  qualities of strength, elegance and timelessness.”   View the film here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D0I5y0Lh4o   View the film series here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwDLOD7SF6U&list=PL-8wJtAJZVwFUprWtr30K0mjrQKSKgsNw   Credits: Client: Tata Pravesh - a brand of Tata Steel. Agency: Wunderman Thompson   Project Head: Vijay Jacob Parakkal, Sr. VP & Managing Partner   Creative Team: Moeinuk Sengupta, Creative Director Sourav Mukherjee, Sr. Copywriter   Account Management: Nilanjan Sarkar, Client Services Director   Production House: SVF Produced by: SVF Brands Celebrity mgmt.: SVF Talent   Team SVF Brands: Brand Head: Arindam Biswas Account Manager: Subham Dasgupta Creative Team: Enakshi Roychowdhury, Abhishek Das   Director: Sudipto Roy Music Director: Souptik Mazumdar

   Gaussian Network Private Limited  announces the appointment of Mr. Shivanandan Pare as Chief Executive Officer of Gaussian Networks Pvt. Ltd.   Mr. Pare joined Gaussian Networks in July, 2020 as the CEO of Adda52Rummy. He is a business leader with over two decades of rich experience in helming some of India’s leading digital and e-commerce ventures. Commenting on his new role, Mr. Pare said, “I am thrilled and honoured to lead Gaussian Networks, custodian of Adda52.com and Adda52Rummy.com, the leading brands in online real money gaming, Poker & Rummy.”  

  IdeateLabs, India’s largest independent digital-first creative agency has appointed Lokesh Shah as Vice President – Brand Solutions. He will be based out of the agency’s Mumbai office and will be reporting to Vrutika Dawda, Director. The agency is growing at a rapid pace and has continued winning new clients, despite the nation-wide pandemic lockdown. The rich client-base of IdeateLabs consists of premier brands as well as the admirable start-ups across diverse industries like BFSI, Real Estate, Retail, Lifestyle, Consumer Durables, Travel & Hospitality, among others. Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs commented, “We welcome Lokesh as a part of the Senior leadership team at IdeateLabs. His strong professional background spans across two decades of rich experience in both Indian and international markets. It is this experience that we would like him to help us bolster our accounts – Indian consumer insights clubbed with the best international practices. Lokesh will lead the IdeateLabs Mumbai business and will be playing a pivotal role in the agency. He will mentor the team in crafting effective strategy and oversee seamless implementation. His thinking complements our brand promise of ‘Building Conversations’; which is all about seeding positive chatter among the brand, the stakeholders and the consumer. We are confident he will effectively take charge of the Mumbai business.” Lokesh’s experience across India and SE Asia has made him an expert in delivering successful, integrated brand campaigns. He enabled many a prestigious new business win across agencies he worked for, including Cheil India, Lowe, FCB Ulka, Havas Worldwide, and TBWA.  Commenting on his new role, Lokesh Shah said, “I’m excited to work with the young and vibrant team at IdeateLabs, a leading marketing agency that is committed to setting newer benchmarks. I’ve always worked best with agencies that put work culture and high standards of brand management as their mantras. Effective campaign creation and development has always been my forte. I’m looking forward to introducing path-breaking campaigns for the existing brands and getting exciting new client accounts in diverse sectors.”

  MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions, the outdoor unit of Madison World has appointed Prashant Mishra as Vice President – North & East.    Prashant Mishra has over 19 years of experience in Brand Management, Business Development & Buying with specialization in  Out of Home and Activation. Prior to joining MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions, Prashant was the North Regional Head at Milestone Brandcom based in Delhi, where he worked for 10 years. He is also an ex-Madisonite, having worked with MOMS as a Sr. Manager – Client Servicing from 2003 to 2009.    Commenting on this appointment to the team, Jayesh Yagnik, CEO, MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions says, “We’re happy to welcome back Prashant to the team as VP – North & East region. Prashant comes with close to 19 years of experience armed with the knowledge of new business development, client servicing, strategic buying skills and many other aspects to help grow the business and strengthen our work in the North & East region. I look forward to working with him.”    Returning to MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions Prashant Mishra, VP – North & East says, “I’m excited to be back at MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions and Madison World, this time in a new role with added responsibilities. I’m looking forward to working with the team and grow the business. We have exciting times planned ahead.”    Madison OOH is a part of Madison World and operates several brands including MOMS, Platinum Outdoor, Activation specialist - Madison TURNT, Rural specialist - Anugrah Madison, Retail Specialist – MRP, Out-Sel and Entrust. MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions handles marquee clients like Asian Paints, Raymond, HDFC Life Insurance, Discovery, IDFC First Bank, Welspun, Blue Star, Walmart and MedLife to name a few. MOMS Outdoor Media Solutions is a part of Madison World, which through its 11 companies served last year, as many as 500 advertisers.   

     Viacom18 today announced the appointment of Kunal Gaur as Chief Commercial Officer. Kunal will be taking over from Utpal Das who ends his stint at Viacom18 on 31stMarch 2021.   Through the past 7. 5 years, Utpal Das has led the Commercial, Facilities & Corporate Services functions at Viacom18. He was instrumental in not only shaping and leading these functions but also towards building Viacom18 into one of India’s top media networks through his role as a key member of the company’s leadership team.   Kunal Gaur, a Chartered Accountant by qualification, has over 19 years of experience across organisations like Star India, Netflix & PWC. Prior to joining Viacom18, Gaur was a part of the Netflix India’s leadership team in the capacity of Director, Production Finance where he was instrumental in crafting budgeting strategies and leading production finance for all original series, film, non-fiction and documentaries.   Kunal Gaur will be reporting into Rahul Joshi, MD, Network18.

  Esports has arisen as a new and highly riveting form of entertainment across the globe in 2021. It comprises computer and mobile games which involve high stakes for the players as the entire esports ecosystem is fiercely competitive. The year 2020 proved to be eventful for the esports segment, owing to the technological advancements and pandemic-induced behavioral changes amongst people. As a consequence, the esports gaming industry amassed huge audiences, remarkable cash pots, and sponsorships that empower seasoned gamers to turn their passion into rewarding careers. In fact, research has shown that esports industry is likely to raise $1.79 billion per year by 2022. Unfortunately, this estimated amount is quite likely to be impacted by the ongoing global pandemic. Though many of the components of esports games are found online, the major competitions are held offline in large venues which won’t be conducive in light of social distancing. Covid-19 pandemic brought with it an economic catastrophe of unprecedented levels. Nonetheless, the esports industry has been thriving. It has emerged as one of the most lucrative markets in recent times and currently ranks at no. 17 globally. Though computer gaming is rising on a large scale, its counterpart – mobile gaming – is taking the Indian gaming landscape by storm. With access to multi-genre games in mobile, the Indian mobile gaming industry is touted to reach 628 million users in 2021 positioning India as the next major gaming market. With mobile gaming, the Indian Esports marketis witnessing increasing engagement by attracting users which PC and console gaming were not able to garner. In light of social distancing norms that have curbed consumer and business activity, gaming provides an outlet for people cooped up at home and seeking social interaction. As it is an interactive and community-driven industry, gaming saw a surge in online gaming content by content creators. The rise in gaming tournaments has further opened op opportunities for casters and managers as well. Here's a roundup of the best esports gaming platforms that will help you beat boredom while at home as well as make productive use of your time: 1) Indian Gaming League (IGL)–IGL is India’s most popular & competitive gaming and esports league that organizes online gaming tournaments. Games on IGL can be played on different platforms including PC, smartphones, PS4, and Xbox.   IGL was the brainchild of a team of gamers who strongly felt that Indian players need a launchpad for their gaming careers. Participating on IGL will not only give amateur and professional gamers the opportunity to earn some serious cash, but top-tier gamers will also be able to compete with other professionals on a national level! Link:- https://iglnetwork.com/   2) JetSynthesys – JetSynthesys is primarily a part of the JetLine group that mainly focuses on IT services, digital media and new enterprises in the entertainment and organized consumer retail sector. JetSynthesys was formed with the central aim to enrich the lives of all Indians. They know the turf well and are molding the Indian culture and consumers. They are constantly keeping a track of the evolving trends and the demands of Indian and western audiences. They are nimble and strategic, constructing support structures for the two worlds to connect with each other. Link: -https://www.jetsynthesys.com/products/ 3) Nazara Technologies–Headquartered in Mumbai, Nazara Technologies is one of the premier mobile games company. It is involved in the acquisition of, value addition to and distribution of mobile games across emerging markets such as Middle East, South East Asia, India, Africa and Latin America. Nazara Technologies develops mobile content in India. The company offers a variety of games, themes, multimedia, and wallpapers. It further provides solutions for the deployment, development, targeting and tracking of promotional campaigns on various mobile platforms. It also specializes in wireless solutions which integrates and intertwines the content of media agencies, marketing messages, and wireless carriers. Link: -https://www.nazara.com/index 4) Gaming Monk - The company was started as an e-commerce marketplace for games, but recently they took to organizing esports events. It proactively conducts sports tournaments in India via offline and online portals. The venture aims to create an avid gaming community that can compete with each other and hone their skills for the upcoming tournaments.   Link:- https://gamingmonk.com/   5) Team Brutality - Team Brutality strives to be an excellently performing team of Asia and is registered with numerous racing game squads like Need for speed, Forza Motor Sports, and so on. Team Brutality is a leading team of the CSGO community.   Link:- http://www.teambrutality.in/

    Esports Federation of India (ESFI) in a bid to streamline the sport as well as bring in legitimacy among the gamers involved, released the first-ever national ranking system based on the open ranking tournaments played in the last two months to determine the best performing players. Team Resilience, Checkmate and Adbhut Esports have topped the individual categories in the national rankings. ESFI released national rankings for games- Call of Duty Mobile (Battle Royale), FreeFire and Valorant, which are some of the most popular video games and played by many. The performances of 60, 65 and 26 open matches conducted for Call of Duty Mobile, FreeFire and Valorant respectively during the period of November to December in 2020 were considered while announcing these rankings.  “With esports being included as a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games among other major Championships, it is important that we follow all the necessary requirements like in any other medal sports to determine the best players of the country. In the month of November and December, we organised several scrims and there have been huge responses in these events. While the gamers (athletes) showcased great technique and competitive, each scrim was keenly contested before the champions were declared,” ESFI Director Lokesh Suji said. Seven-member Team Resilience pitted themselves very strongly with 682 points and were declared the top team in the Call of Duty (Mobile) category followed by Team Revolution (629) and Zelotz 2EZ (627) taking the second and third position respectively. Checkmate (111) and Adbhut Esports (78) became the winners in the Freefire and Valorant categories respectively. “Creating a pool of credible national gamers is a key responsibility that ESFI intends to shoulder in order to initiate and streamline a professional approach towards playing and organizing tournaments that are played in India. The athletes will help to maintain a certain standard of play, it will also regulate the esports ecosystem,” Suji further added.  While Esports witnessed exponential rise in the pandemic which catapulted the urge to create a community closer and build a much bigger plethora of professional athletes in order to determine the future of Esports in India. ESFI will continue with the process of announcing national rankings for various games in the future as well.  While, Free Fire Daily T1/T2/T3, Call of Duty Mobile Battle Royale scrims season 2 and multiplayer are already underway, Valorant will also begin from the last week of January with more games like PES, DOTA 2, FIFA , CR, COC and Brawl Stars to take place soon.  

     Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils, the leading brand of edible oil has been recognised among the Urban Indian Consumer’s Top 5 Cooking Oil choices in the India Today- Ipsos Urban Consumer Sentiment Survey 2020. This highlights the consumer’s preference for the brand through an independent third-party survey, as they appreciate the quality, consistency and trustworthiness of their favourite edible oil brand – Freedom, in-spite of its presence in selected geographies across India. The survey was conducted to understand the change in consumer perception towards brands since COVID-19 lead us to a new normal. The survey presented over 4,000 respondents from 15 cities, across the country with a list of well-known brands from 51 categories. The respondents were asked to choose their most preferred brands based on the criteria of price, quality, trustworthiness etc. While the price remained a factor of concern, consumers were willing to pay more for hygienically produced food products that have been consistent with their quality and brand messaging, which are what instilled a sense of trust in the brands. Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils has been making strides in the public eye by keeping consumer preferences at the top of their priority lists.   Speaking on the occasion Mr. P Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils said “We are delighted to be recognized as most trusted brands in cooking oils & consumer’s top choices in edible oil. We thank our customers for their trust, unflinching support and patronage of Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils over the last decade. The pandemic posed a lot of struggles for our industry, but it was of the utmost importance to us that our consumers felt comfortable and assured while purchasing our products. This honourable recognition is the result of our focus on the consumer’s preferences. Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils has been making strides into consumer’s hearts and the past year has been a significant one, despite the hardships. From encouraging our consumers to cook at home through our campaigns ‘Freedom Foodshala’, ‘Freedom Celebrity Kitchen’ and ‘#ImmunityBeginsintheKitchen’, we have tried our best to connect with our customers and be a part of their culinary journey in COVID-19 imposed lockdown. We have recently roped in actors Yash & Radhika, vouching for the health benefits of switching to Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils to feel great. This year has been an ode to our consumers and how much their safety and health mean to us. We wish to continue winning over our consumers through sincerity and dedication towards their health and goodwill.”

  Acer today unveiled a host of new products in its expanding Predator and Nitro portfolios with three gaming monitors suited to a wide range of gamers, from elite professionals requiring top-of-the line technology to casual gamers who play for fun. Additionally, Acer is the first to deliver TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe-certified gaming monitors that have been specially designed to emit less high-energy blue light than industry-standard LCDs. “Our newest gaming monitors feature the industry’s latest technology to give gamers smooth performance and comfortable ergonomics,” said Victor Chien, President, Digital Display Business, Acer Inc. “Designed to appeal to the most power-hungry gamers, our Predator gaming monitors have proven their quality and reliability as a top choice of pro-gamers as well as those who just want to have fun. The new Predator and Acer Nitro monitors are available in a variety of designs and sizes to support just about anyone in the market for a gaming monitor.” Predator XB273U NX - Mythic Speed for a Professional Gaming Experience The Predator XB273U NX gaming monitor is for gamers seeking a cutting-edge gaming experience. Packed full of the latest gaming and display innovations, the 27-inch monitor brings games to life with a WQHD (2560 x 1440) panel, 275 Hz refresh rate (overclocked) and up to a 0.5 ms response time (G to G), allowing it to deliver smooth and tear-free visuals even when fast-moving objects race across the screen. The HDR capable monitor covers 95% of the DCI-P3 spectrum to offer vibrant colors and deeper blacks, and its display is further enhanced by Acer’s Agile-Splendor IPS technology that makes crystal clear images possible even at wide viewing angles.   The recently launched NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer, a revolutionary system latency measurement tool that detects clicks coming from the mouse and then measures the time it takes for the resulting pixels (i.e., a gun muzzle flash) to change on screen, while NVIDIA G-SYNC® provides tear-free gaming in addition to an expanded contrast ratio and color palette.    Predator XB323QK NV - 31.5 Inches of 4K Resolution The new Predator XB323QK NV is a 31.5-inch NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible UHD (3840 x 2160) gaming monitor with a rapid 144 Hz refresh rate. On top of the buttery smooth visuals that this technology entails, games look pleasantly vivid with the vibrant range of colors offered by the monitor’s DCI-P3 90% Wide Color Gamut. It also includes Acer’s Agile Splendor IPS and a VESA DisplayHDR™ 400 certification. Acer VisionCare 4.0 – Game More Comfortably Both the new Predator XB3 series monitors feature Acer VisionCare 4.0, a comprehensive suite of technologies that help protect users’ eyes during longer gaming sessions and tournaments. Acer VisionCare 4.0 includes LightSense, for adjusting the monitor’s screen brightness based on ambient lighting, in addition to AdaptiveLight, ColorSense and ProxiSense, a suite of technologies that measures environmental and ambient light to automatically adjust the monitor’s brightness and color-temperature accordingly. Both are among the first monitors in the world to be TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe certified. They rest upon Acer’s ErgoStand, an innovative stand that gives users the freedom to adjust their monitor’s swivel, pivot, tilt and height in order to find the perfect viewing angle.   Acer Nitro XV282K KV - 4K UHD Monitor with Support for the Latest Game Consoles The Nitro XV282K KV immerses users into spectacular worlds in incredible detail with its 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS panel, features a 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio to display sharp visuals and covers 90% of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut to allow for intense color representations. Also featuring AMD® FreeSync™ Premium technology, the 144 Hz refresh rate panel boasts a 1 ms response time for speedy frame rendering. Additionally, the Acer Nitro XV282K KV comes with HDMI 2.1 and a cable for hassle-free support for the latest gaming consoles at 4K UHD 120 Hz with VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). The monitor has also achieved TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe certification and features Acer’s new Agile-Splendor IPS technology to deliver clear images, even at wide viewing angles.   The new Acer Nitro XV2 series monitor features Acer HDR 400 and liquid crystal IPS for increased image quality, while Acer VisionCare 3.0 incorporates several technological innovations to help reduce eye strain experienced by heavy users such as programmers, writers and graphic designers. These technologies include LightSense, ColorSense, ProxiSense and BluelightShield Pro.   For more information about Acer VisionCare, please see here. Pricing and Availability The Predator XB273U NX monitor will be available in North America in May starting at USD 1,099.99; in EMEA in May starting at EUR 1,179.00; and in China in March, starting at RMB 7,999. The Predator XB323QK NV monitor will be available in North America in May starting at USD 1,199.99; in EMEA in May starting at EUR 1,199.00; and in China in March, starting at RMB 8,999. The Nitro XV282K KV monitor will be available in North America in May starting at USD 899.99; in EMEA in May starting at EUR 949.00; and in China in February, starting at RMB 6,999. Exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. To learn more about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office via www.acer.com.