MAM
LINE, a free calling & messenger app launches brand and marketing campaign
NEW DELHI: LINE Corporation has launched a brand marketing campaign through a series of TV commercials targeted at the Indian youth to promote its new mobile messenger service in India capable of various types of communication with free call, voice chat and sticker chat.
LINE, headquartered in Shibuya-ward Tokyo and headed by Akira Morikawa as CEO, says its popular global messenger application is available on both smartphones and PCs across multiple carriers and operating systems including iOS, Android, Nokia Asha, Windows phone, BlackBerry, Windows and Mac. LINE messenger app comes packed with new features and functionality for a truly connected experience.
LINE has launched its first TV campaign in India on 30 June with two very interesting advertisements highlighting the ‘group voice chat‘ and ‘sticker‘ features. The primary thought behind the ads was to target the Indian youth, by associating the key app features to their day-to-day activities.
Born and headquartered in Japan on 23 June 2011, LINE has already achieved over 180 million registered users across 230 countries. LINE has already become popular messenger app in Asia with Japan having more than 45 million users, Taiwan and Thailand holding more than 15 million users respectively and 10 million users in Indonesia. LINE‘s popularity is going beyond Asia with Spain now claiming more than 10 million users and South American countries such as Mexico and Argentine also witnessing significant registrations.
Going forward, with its fast paced growth in overseas markets and expanding user base, LINE will further add new features and improve the usability of its service, with the aim to become the most preferred communication platform for consumers globally. LINE will also launch fun stickers that will suit the Indian sensibilities in the near future.
One of the main reasons why LINE is growing so rapidly compared to other major messenger apps is its stickers function. It is extremely well-received by users as they can send large-sized character pictures with the tap of a finger, thereby providing a simple, casual and exciting way to express their emotions. The sticker characters, include LINE‘s original characters and a variety of famous characters such as Disney, Hello Kitty and Ironman, are especially loved among the Asian youth, sparking LINE‘s growth in many regions.
Elaborating on the India launch LINE Corporation CEO Akira Morikawa said, “LINE has grown at a tremendous speed to reach more than 180 million in only 23 months after its launch. Today, it delivers five billion calls and messages across the world on its network per day. In fact, LINE is amongst a few services globally which has received an enthusiastic response by young generation in many countries in such a short period”.
“After witnessing solid growth in Asia, Europe and US, making inroad into the Indian market was a part of our overall strategy. With its huge youth population, increasing mobile and internet penetration, lowering bandwidth costs, India makes a hotbed for LINE messenger application which will change the way people communicate in the country,” he added.
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
