MAM
Seshadri Shankara joins Bennett Coleman as general manager
MUMBAI: In his new role, Shankara will be responsible for business strategy and revenue planning across the company’s publishing operations. His mandate includes designing long-term growth plans, developing pricing models, overseeing yield management and supporting high-value deal structuring across print and digital platforms. He will work closely with Response leadership to drive category-led strategies, go-to-market plans and portfolio optimisation initiatives.
Shankara joins Bennett Coleman after more than a decade at GroupM, where he served as national head for agency investments. During his tenure, he led investment strategy, inventory valuation and pricing negotiations, and worked closely with media owners and agencies to optimise returns. Prior to that, he held senior roles at GroupM including head of strategic partnerships in India and business head for inventory media.
Earlier in his career, Shankara was head of business strategy and product for inventory media at Matrix, where he focused on supply acquisition, yield management and outcome-based advertising solutions. He has also served as director of a media consulting practice, advising media companies on sales strategy, business planning, organisational structuring and digital transformation.
His previous experience includes roles in product and revenue strategy at Star TV, sales strategy at Times Internet, and yield management and strategic insights at AOL. Shankara began his professional career in the telecom sector, with engineering and operations roles at Tata Communications and Alcatel-Lucent.
With nearly two decades of experience spanning telecom, television, digital media and advertising services, Shankara brings a strong analytical and commercial background to his role at Bennett Coleman. The appointment comes at a time when media companies are increasingly focused on pricing discipline, yield optimisation and data-driven revenue growth amid changing advertiser behaviour and fragmented audiences.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
