MAM
Perfetti leverages Nimbuzz‘s Chatbuddy for its marketing campaign
MUMBAI: Cross-platform global communications solution provider Nimbuzz has roped in confectionary manufacturer and marketer Perfetti Van Melle India (PVMI) as the company‘s first client for its mobile-based brand interactive platform Nimbuzz Branded Chatbuddy.
Under this partnership, Nimbuzz has developed a unique proposition for Perfetti‘s latest marketing campaign “Mentos Batti Jalao” by leveraging its Chatbuddy module.
Mentos currently has a contest in progress by the name Khooni Kaun Hai? A television commercial consisting of a series of clues is being aired and the viewers are asked to guess the killer‘s identity in order to win a prize.
Chat Buddy will enable PVMI‘s confectionary brand Mentos to leverage the mobile platform and establish a one-to-one connect with its target audience by directly connecting with 25+ million Nimbuzz users as chat friend.
Under this initiative, the Chat Buddy will allow Nimbuzz users to install Mentos Batti Jalao Buddy on their mobiles, participate in the contest and solve the murder mystery. The Mentos Batti Jalao Buddy will also release daily hints to unfold the mystery. This Chat Buddy will be visible to all Nimbuzz users across India.
“With the ever-increasing mobile user base in India, mobile is an important medium for marketers today. With an average time of 55 minutes per session spent by a user, Nimbuzz offers a great platform for us to connect with our target audience on a one-to-one basis,” said Perfetti Van Melle India Director Marketing Nikhil Sharma.
Nimbuzz head-sales Anubhav Sharma said, “We are thrilled to connect with the excitement of Mentos and we are confident that Khooni Kaun Hai mystery will bring more enthusiasm for our users. We are pleased to work with some great marketing minds from PVMI, Maxus India and certainly, this endeavour will bring a change in the mobile advertising thought process.”
Maxus South Asia head of digital Unny Radhakrishnan added, “Mobile phones have now become an indispensable consumer touchpoint. Marketers, solution providers and technology partners are discovering newer and innovative ways to interact with consumers instead of interrupting them. Here, Chat buddy enhances the overall communication story delivered in traditional channels by offering consumers real time interaction with brand on their personal handsets.”
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
