Digital
Ajio debuts Instagram micro-drama ahead of Valentine’s Week
Six-part series anchors new Ajio Originals content slate
BENGALURU: Ajio has kicked off Valentine’s Week with the launch of an Instagram-first micro-drama series, signalling a shift towards long-form, character-led storytelling as part of its brand-building strategy.
Titled Suit Yourself, the six-episode series extends the universe of Ajio’s latest advertising campaign and follows three friends and flatmates: Anya, Rohan and Rhea, as their shared living arrangement descends into emotional conflict, blurred boundaries and personal reckonings.
Each episode runs for about 180 seconds and is designed for social-first consumption, with cliffhangers built in to sustain viewer engagement across the season. The series stars Anya Singh, Rohan Gurbaxani and Helly Thakkar.
Moving beyond the constraints of a traditional brand film, the micro-drama allows its characters to exist within a narrative of their own. What begins as light-hearted banter around everyday urban life gradually escalates into heightened drama, reflecting the complexities of modern relationships. Ajio’s fashion offerings appear organically within the storyline, integrated as expressions of character and mood rather than overt advertising cues.
Suit yourself is the first release under Ajio Originals, the brand’s newly launched branded content slate aimed at building proprietary narrative-led intellectual property.
The move reflects a broader shift in audience behaviour towards story-driven formats over interruption-based advertising. Micro-dramas, in particular, offer brands the ability to sustain emotional continuity while remaining native to social platforms where episodic storytelling drives repeat engagement.
An Ajio spokesperson said the format allows the brand to blend entertainment with effortless presence, positioning fashion as part of everyday narratives rather than a forced insert.
Filmmaker Afroz Khan of Orange Elephant said the series was built on the belief that audiences connect with stories before advertising, with an emphasis on relatable situations, authentic casting and character-led writing.
The micro-drama rolled out exclusively on Ajio’s Instagram handle and app, with daily episodes released from February 7 to coincide with the start of Valentine’s Week. The final two episodes will premiere on the AJIO app before being released on Instagram.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
