MAM
ARTH launches ‘World Peace is Out of stock’ campaign on Humans Rights Day
Mumbai: ARTH, an inclusive MSME Fintech start up launched an OOH and social media campaign ‘World Peace is Out of stock’ on Humans Rights Day. Through a unique campaign hashtag #ReStockWorldPeace, ARTH, a brand that is firmly committed to improving the lives of the marginalized and underrepresented communities in India, aimed to increase awareness of the importance of preserving world peace. ARTH also held a music event and a candle-lighting ceremony to raise awareness in youth about the importance of the values of freedom, equality and justice for one and all.
The ‘World Peace is Out of stock’ campaign shows a standard e-commerce storefront with the product ‘World Peace’ listed as ‘Out of Stock.’ This suggests that even in this hyper-consumerism era, where practically anything can be easily purchased, world peace is still an object that is out of sight and out of reach. The campaign creative’s optical play, which depicts an e-commerce site with the white dove—a symbol of peace—out of stock, also represents how consumerism—driven by social media, e-commerce, and other platforms—is diverting attention from problems that affect humanity as a whole.
At the core of this campaign, ARTH highlights three stories of women nano business owners that represent equality, freedom and justice. These women are customers of ARTH.
In stories that echo resilience, determination, and unwavering strength, Manju, Pinky, and Ganga Devi epitomize the spirit of women carving their paths in India. Manju, a single parent in Ayodhya, transformed her life by seizing the opportunity provided by Arth, establishing a thriving tailoring shop and securing additional support through the widow pension scheme. Pinky defied societal norms in Dharuheda, excelling as the owner of a fitness center with the backing of Arth, bouncing back from pandemic setbacks to expand her business. Meanwhile, Ganga Devi from Pragati Puram exhibited her entrepreneurial spirit, pivoting her tiffin service to mask and hygiene kit production during challenging times, showcasing her freedom to pursue her dreams and support her family.
Manju’s resilience speaks volumes about justice for widows, Pinky’s unconventional career choice challenges societal norms, symbolizing equality, and Ganga Devi’s freedom to choose her path and support her community mirrors the aspirations of countless women across India striving for autonomy and empowerment.
Speaking on the campaign, ARTH founder Shweta Aprameya said,”Amidst the frenzy of consumption, let us not forget that the most essential ‘product’—world peace—cannot be bought or sold. The campaign for us symbolises the fact that every individual counts and can make a difference in society.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
