MAM
Cars24 launches bold assurances
Auto-tech giant unveils lifetime warranty and 30-day returns in quirky campaign.
MUMBAI: Shifting gears from empty promises to ironclad policies, Cars24 is revving up the used-car scene with assurances that could make even a sceptical mother-in-law nod in approval. India’s leading auto-tech firm has unveiled a fresh brand campaign spotlighting two industry-first perks, a Lifetime Warranty for enduring peace of mind and a 30-Day Return Policy that lets buyers test-drive their decision without buyer’s remorse, a rarity in the pre-owned wheels world.
Conceptualised by the creative whizzes at Talented and directed with flair by Shivang Monga of First December Films, this marks the duo’s debut collaboration with Cars24. Ditching the usual symbolic fluff and emotional tugs, the ads put tangible guarantees front and centre, transforming trust from a fuzzy feeling to a firm handshake.
At the heart of the films is Cars24’s India CEO Himanshu Ratnoo, who steps into the spotlight to deliver “family promises” think Mother Promise, Mother-in-Law Promise, and Sister Promise, all underscoring the brand’s rock-solid confidence in its revamped systems. These light-hearted spots treat cars like cherished kin, plonking them in cosy living rooms for that soap-opera drama, as Monga quips, “Cars have always been a soft spot for Indian households, a source of pride and treated like a member of the family. So placing cars inside living rooms felt like the right way to get the wheels turning. The CEO himself taking these ‘family promises’ just made the situations more dramatic and relatable, like a soap opera with cars!”
Cars24 co-founder and CMO Gajendra Jangid explains the backstory: “We have spent the last few years working on one thing more than anything else: the quality of the cars we sell. In this business, you can’t compensate for a weak product. So we became far more disciplined about what we source, how we inspect, and how we prepare every car before it reaches someone’s driveway. A lot of cars don’t make it through our filters. We don’t sell a car that we would not buy for ourselves and that has been a conscious choice.” He adds that these bold moves reflect genuine self-assurance, with Ratnoo’s on-camera role signalling internal seriousness. “This brand film is coming after three years and it feels good to finally share this side of our journey. We are genuinely excited about where the product stands today and proud to put our name behind it.”
Talented creatives Sanket Audhi and Udit Joshi from chime in on the cultural twist, “Buying a car in India is rarely just a transaction. It’s surrounded by opinions, advice and, most importantly, promises. Everyone has one: family members, friends, neighbours, even people who’ve never owned a car. While trust in this category has traditionally been communicated emotionally, the real shift needed to happen at a product level. With the Lifetime Warranty and 30-Day Return Policy, Cars24 is backing confidence with something tangible.”
Catch the films in all their promise-packed glory on Youtube. In a market often riddled with dodgy deals, this campaign might just steer buyers towards smoother rides.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
