MAM
DDW to handle Rock.in’s creative duties
MUMBAI: Online fashion portal Rock.in has awarded its creative duties to integrated agency Digital Driftwood (DDW).
DDW account manager on the Rock.in business Firoz Merchant said, “We won the account after a multiagency pitch initiated in February and look forward to working on it in the online as well as offline space.”
The agency will be in charge of the brand‘s online advertising, offline BTL activities and advertising through mainstream mediums like print and television.
DDW director Vikram Varma said “We are excited at being selected. We think that, with the emphasis on premium international brands and high quality products instead of the usual discounts and offers, Rock.in has an edge in the crowded e-commerce space. We are really looking forward to be working alongside them in achieving their marketing goals.”
The media planning and buying for the brand is handled by an in-house team. The digital duties of Rock.in will be looked into by a UK based agency High Performance (HP) that has worked on brands like Sony, LLoyds TSB and House.
Rock.in marketing head Pradeep Mohindroo said, “We wanted to hire the best people in the world for the job, we met quite a few agencies in India, and a lot of proposals came from abroad as well. At the end of it, with HP we found partners who could simplify the complicated and had the confidence of making an entirely new model of remuneration, based out of performance.”
Talking about the brand and where it is coming from Rock.in CEO Surah Sharma added, “We have a very clear idea of our target group; he or she has a discerning taste, is well travelled and aspires to be more of a world citizen. Fashion is such an important part of life, and by bringing some of the top fashion labels we aim at meeting the needs of this ever growing target group. Our work doesn‘t stop at just selling the products; it is our aim to WOW our customers at every touch point. Thus, we‘ve focused a lot into touch and feel aspects of the company. In the long run, it will not just be our products that will differentiate us from the competition; it will also be these softer aspects that will make us stand apart.”
DDW, a nine year old company, has offices in Mumbai and Delhi and has worked on brands like Yahoo!, Hindustan Unilever, Filmfare, Marico, LinkedIn and MTV.
Rock.in, which was launched in May 2012, has licenses and distribution rights for some of the global labels across London, Paris and Milan. Some of these brands include La Redoute, Paris Hilton, Lipsy London, Calvin Klein Men, DKNY and House of Dereon.
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
