MAM
Clear Premium launches its ‘NU’ brand in India
Mumbai: Clear Premium Water has made a significant announcement on the launch of its natural mineral water brand ‘NUbyClear’ in India.
NU, positioned as a premium offering by Clear Premium Water, is a range of natural mineral water, bottled at the source, boasting the goodness of natural mineral compositions such as calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, fluorides, sodium, chlorides, potassium, nitrates, and alkalinity of 7.70 ±.
What truly distinguishes this brand is its exceptional approach to encapsulating the essence of the Himalayas – bringing the very elements from the ‘roof of the world’ right to your taste buds. A truly distinctive concept for the Indian market, featuring four captivating designs across the range, all designed to transport you directly to the heart of the mountains.
NU is poised to delight a discerning clientele encompassing upscale dining establishments, luxurious hotels, trendy cafes, renowned restaurants, exclusive clubs, airports, and more across Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. It will soon be expanding the product, PAN India. This premium experience does come with a higher price point compared to the other bottled mineral water options in India
Clear Premium Water’s strategic objective behind launching the NU brand is to offer a diverse range of products to cater to a broader audience within the elite segment.
Clear Premium Water founder & CEO Nayan Shah expressed, “In the wake of the post-COVID era, it has become evident that people are increasingly gravitating towards healthier lifestyle choices. Simultaneously, there has been a notable surge in spending within this particular sector. Recognizing this burgeoning trend, we seized the opportunity to introduce NU as a distinct product line tailored to the discerning tastes of the elite consumer segment.”
Since its establishment in 2010, Clear has been at the forefront of providing high-quality drinking water to consumers across India. The brand has built a stellar reputation for itself by adhering to the most stringent global safety, hygiene, and quality standards. Each drop of Clear water undergoes an exhaustive 11-stage purification process and is subject to 121 quality checks, ensuring consumers receive nothing but the best.
Clear’s unwavering dedication to quality shines through its impressive array of certifications, which includes ISO 22000:2005, ISO 9001:2015, HACCP, FSSAI, CGWA, BIS, CCA, GPCB, NEPHRA, and EPR. This commitment extends to a sustainable ethos, demonstrated by its vertically integrated, environmentally conscious manufacturing facility. Clear Premium Water has set ambitious sustainability targets, aiming to achieve plastic neutrality by 2027, reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, and attain water positivity by 2030. These goals underscore Clear’s unwavering commitment to both quality and environmental responsibility.
When it comes to NU this range encapsulates the true essence and richness of the Himalayan glaciers, delivering pure goodness directly in a bottle – just nature’s finest. While Clear already enjoys widespread popularity, ‘NU’ serves as a gateway to an untapped market segment.
The introduction of ‘NUbyClear’ marks a significant milestone for Clear as it expands its product portfolio, aiming to quench the thirst of India’s elite consumers with the untamed essence of the Himalayas, captured within a single bottle, leaving an indelible mark on their palates and hearts. Available in a wide variety of 250ML, 500ML, 1LTR.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
