Brands
DS Group takes Pulse candy to Anime India Convention in Kolkata
Candy brand eyes Gen-Z recall through experiential and creator-led play
KOLKATA: DS Group is taking its confectionery brand Pulse Candy into new cultural territory, marking its first foray into India’s anime fandom at the Anime India Convention 2026 in Kolkata.
The move signals a deliberate shift towards experience-led, youth-focused marketing as consumer brands chase attention in passion-driven spaces rather than traditional media. The two-day convention, held on 14 and 15 February, offers Pulse a testing ground for Gen-Z engagement at scale.
Pulse has set up a 24-square-metre experiential zone designed to fuse confectionery branding with anime and cosplay culture. The activation features well-known cosplay participants, including Alisa, popularly known as Ruru, portraying fan-favourite characters Momo and Marin to drive organic interaction and social sharing.
The brand is also deploying anime-themed photo booths and interactive gaming challenges such as “Race to Pulse” and “Grab the Pulse”, encouraging visitors to create and tag content across Instagram and other platforms. The strategy leans heavily on peer amplification and creator credibility rather than overt advertising.
“Anime is shaping Gen-Z culture through creativity and community,” said DS Group senior general manager, marketing—confectionery Arvind Kumar. He said the initiative reflects the company’s push towards immersive formats that blend entertainment with brand storytelling.
Pulse’s anime debut comes as the brand looks to extend its relevance beyond mass confectionery into youth-led subcultures. Launched in 2015, Pulse has led India’s hard-boiled candy segment for nine consecutive years, building its equity on unconventional flavours and high-impact marketing.
Industry executives view the initiative as part of a broader recalibration among FMCG brands, where experiential spend and cultural relevance are increasingly being treated as long-term brand investments rather than short-term promotions.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
