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Vatsal Asher joins DMA: India as CEO
MUMBAI: Direct Marketing Association: India (DMA: India) has appointed Vatsal Asher as chief executive officer. In his new role at DMA: India, he will be responsible for strengthening DMA: India’s presence as an apex body for advocacy of direct marketing practices.
Asher said, “With multitude of choices, Indian consumers are becoming more discerning about their brand preferences and where they spend money. Considering this consumer behaviour and the increasing media clutter, it is imperative for marketers to create data driven customer centric campaigns. From traditionally being defined as ‘response generating’ domain, direct marketing is now used for ongoing customer engagement. By emphasising on global best practices for marketing services providers and marketers, I aim to carry forward DMA: India’s vision of establishing industry standards and promote the direct marketing community.”
Direct marketing has gained popularity in past few years with emphasis not just being laid on measuring the returns on marketing spends but also campaigns being created to initiate a dialogue with the customer. With advent of new media and innovative usage of technology to engage with customers, spends on direct marketing have also increased significantly.
Prior to DMA: India, Asher was associated with Deepak Fertilisers’ consumer facing VARE division as VP. He has also worked with Reliance Retail, Tata Teleservices and RPG group.
He comes with over 15 years of experience in domain of marketing communications across brand management, sales and promotions, loyalty and customer experience. With understanding of consumer behaviour and approach to engage with consumers, he has strategised and executed marketing campaigns.
Vatsal added, “Thanks to direct marketing going digital, it now considered as targeted and customer specific media rather than an intrusive form of marketing. In coming months I look forward to promote new trends and technology in direct marketing, besides creating platforms for knowledge sharing and innovation. We envisage instituting forums with active stakeholder participation in form of industry councils and regional chapters. We shall be organising webminars, periodic meet ups and an annual colloquium modelled on global format to meet the objectives. Emphasis will also be laid on protecting consumer’s interest, thereby strengthen their belief in direct marketing.”
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Campus Activewear launches Zeenat Aman-led Women’s Day campaign
Icon fronts ‘You Go Girl’ extension celebrating choice and freedom in motion.
MUMBAI: This Women’s Day, Campus didn’t just drop a campaign, it dropped the rulebook and handed women the pen to rewrite their stride. Campus Activewear has unveiled a powerful new cinematic campaign starring cultural icon Zeenat Aman, extending its long-running ‘You Go Girl’ initiative. Titled around the theme of freedom to move on her own terms, the film transcends conventional markers of success wealth, fame or nostalgia and focuses on choice as the true driver of progress.
Through striking visuals, Zeenat rejects glitter, noise and imposed expectations, embracing unapologetic forward motion. Her journey becomes a metaphor for every woman evolving, leading and inspiring on her own path, free from permission or predefined roles.
Campus Activewear, chief innovation officer Prerna Agarwal said, “For us, empowering women goes far beyond a campaign or a single day of celebration. It begins with creating an environment where women feel confident, supported, and free to pursue their ambitions without hesitation. We focus on understanding their everyday movements and designing products that genuinely make day-to-day lives easier comfort through long days, reliability through changing roles, style that reflects individuality.”
Zeenat Aman added, “I have spent a lifetime being told what I should look like, what I should wear, and what I should represent. And for a lifetime, I have walked my own way regardless. That is not rebellion that is simply knowing who you are. When Campus approached me with this campaign, I said yes immediately, because the message is not about me. It is about every woman who has been handed a label and decided to wear it as a badge of honour instead. You go girl move your way.”
The campaign reinforces Campus’s belief that freedom is not granted, it is claimed. By featuring Zeenat Aman as both voice and symbol, the message gains deeper resonance: progress happens when women are heard, barriers are removed, and momentum is created for everyone around them.
In a world that still tries to set the pace for women, Campus and Zeenat aren’t asking for permission, they’re reminding every woman that the only approval needed to move forward is her own.
