MAM
Ipsos India appoints Amit Adarkar as its managing director
MUMBAI: Ipsos India has found a new country head and managing director in Amit Adarkar, who will take charge from first week of September. He replaces Mick Gordon who successfully held the role and will now take up a senior regional responsibility within Ipsos.
Gordon has been CEO of Ipsos India since November 2011 and managing director of Synovate India since September 2008. He has been responsible for substantial growth of revenue and profits over the period and merger of two large businesses of Ipsos and Synovate in India.
Commenting on Adarkar’s appointment, Gordon said, “I am confident that with the experience and expertise of Amit, Ipsos will continue to delight our clients and he will prove to be an immensely capable successor.”
“I am delighted to be appointed as Ipsos India’s new managing director. Ipsos is at a decisive point in its history and I am looking forward to working with the Board, the Regional Directors and Ipsos India staff to ensure we take this opportunity to create a stronger and more effective organisation for the future,” added Adarkar.
Adarkar who had joined Ipsos InnoQuest, India as its managing director in January 2013 has been a member of the India management team ever since.
He has been in the research industry for over 22 years, and has worked for organisations such as IMRB, Synovate, and Org-Marg. He was earlier MD at Market Probe, and a VP at Nielsen-Bases. He also has rich experience with a number of key Ipsos InnoQuest clients.
He is a chemical engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (1987-91). Post engineering, he completed Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), from XLRI, Jamshedpur (1991-1993).
MAM
Star Sports under fire for ‘cringe’ India vs South Africa Super 8 promo
Broadcaster accused of arrogance and disrespect as fans slam Super 8 promotion
AHMEDABAD: Star Sports is facing a wave of criticism after its latest promotional campaign for the India–South Africa T20 World Cup Super 8 match triggered a fierce social media backlash, quickly dubbed “Cupcakegate”.
The advertisement, released this week, hinges on a cupcake metaphor that many viewers have condemned as patronising and disrespectful. In the clip, an Indian supporter mockingly offers a pink cupcake to a South African fan, a visual jibe widely interpreted as portraying the Proteas as a soft, easily beaten opponent.
The backlash has been swift across platforms such as X and Reddit, with fans and commentators accusing the broadcaster of tone-deaf bravado at a crucial stage of the tournament. The criticism is sharpened by the context: both India and South Africa arrive in the Super 8s unbeaten, undermining any suggestion of a one-sided contest.
Online, the cupcake symbol has been read as carrying multiple barbs. Some users argue it alludes to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s domestic nickname, while others see it as recycling the long-running “chokers” trope associated with South Africa in ICC tournaments. The casting choice has also drawn scrutiny, with viewers noting the physical disparity between the actors playing the two fans, which critics described as a cheap attempt to belittle the opposition.
Even Indian supporters have joined the pile-on. Many warned that such chest-thumping marketing risks “jinxing” the team, pointing to past tournaments where aggressive campaigns preceded unexpected defeats.
Star Sports is no stranger to rivalry-led advertising, having struck gold with its earlier “Mauka Mauka” series. But analysts say the cupcake campaign misreads a fanbase that has grown less tolerant of overtly mocking narratives and more attuned to sporting parity and respect.
India and South Africa meet on Sunday, 22 February, at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium. With South Africa securing their Super 8 berth through a commanding win over the UAE, the fixture is widely billed as a heavyweight clash, not the walkover the ad appears to suggest.
