MAM
Sony DADC elevates Rajat Kakar as managing director – India ops
MUMBAI: After successfully launching Home Entertainment Services by Sony DADC in India, Rajat Kakar has been elevated as the managing director of Sony DADC India, reporting in to Sony DADC International president Dietmar Tanzer.
Kakar replaces CK Sunny, who joined the company in 1997 at a time when the audio cassette business was the prevailing format and had steered the manufacturing unit through the advent of compact discs and eventually into Blu-ray disc.
In his new role, Kakar will oversee the Sony DADC manufacturing and distribution unit operations in addition to the licensee business. Core to his new responsibilities, Kakar will provide strategic guidance to the company’s existing portfolio and expand the current verticals while exploring growth opportunities for the company in India.
Kakar joined the company in 2012 as the business head for its licensee business. Under his leadership, the home entertainment business portfolio expanded in a very short span of time, making it the biggest entertainment licensing and distribution entity in India. Under his guidance Home Entertainment Services by Sony DADC entered into exclusive home video marketing and distribution for major Hollywood studios like Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and National Geographic in India.
He also expanded the music portfolio encompassing Sony Music, Warner Music, Zee Music, Times Music and Saregama content in the music vertical for exploitation across all physical formats.
“I look forward to this new opportunity. We are a company that provides end-to-end solution for any entertainment media company and we hope to consolidate this further with the hallmark Sony service and geographical footprint that we offer – both to our current and potential partners,” he said.
MAM
De Beers launches ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ centenary book
Visual retrospective traces 100 years of iconic slogan and cultural impact.
MUMBAI: De Beers just dropped a century’s worth of sparkle between two covers because when a four-word line becomes forever, even the book needs a forever title. De Beers Group has released A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926–2026, a landmark visual retrospective celebrating 100 years of shaping the modern perception of natural diamonds. The book traces how the brand transformed diamonds from elite heirlooms into universal symbols of love, commitment and personal achievement, with rare archival material, campaign highlights and cultural commentary.
At its core is the legendary 1947 slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” penned by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety. The four words redefined diamonds as eternal promises, earning the title of the 20th century’s greatest advertising slogan from Advertising Age in 1999. The book explores how this idea and others like the “Two Months’ Salary” guideline and the “Right Hand Ring” influenced social rituals, female independence and consumer behaviour worldwide, including in India, where diamonds shifted from gold-centric traditions to emotionally resonant milestones.
Beyond marketing, it showcases collaborations with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Raoul Dufy, alongside icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Later campaigns, including the 1990s “Shadows” series set to Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, reinforced diamonds as timeless and unique. The narrative also addresses today’s focus on provenance, sustainability and ethical stewardship, positioning natural diamonds as symbols of both enduring love and responsible luxury.
The book arrives as De Beers marks a century of innovation in luxury marketing, from the Great Depression to the era of conscious consumption, offering a rare window into one of advertising’s most enduring brand stories.
In a world where trends fade fast, De Beers didn’t just sell diamonds, it sold forever, and now it’s bound the proof in pages that will outlast even the hardest carat.
