MAM
Nearly 80% of urban consumers use ecomm portals for online product research: GroupM report
Mumbai: WPP’s GroupM and Wunderman Thompson in partnership with Amazon Ads launched the ‘Content Strategies for the New-age Digital Consumer’ playbook. According to the report, nearly 80 percent of urban internet users in India use ecommerce portals for online product research, and 25 percent of them visit ecommerce portals for product research even for their offline purchases. 350 million Indian consumers are expected to make a purchase online in 2025, as per an MMA-GroupM report, which is a steep jump from 150 million online buyers in 2020.
The playbook seeks to be a complete guide for building content/ creative communication strategies for the touchpoints in ecommerce networks, with the aim to help marketers and agency professionals in making efficient decisions around revamping their online content strategies. It covers key reasons why brands should have a separate communication strategy for ecommerce touchpoints. It also touches on ideas around content and engagement strategies to efficiently drive visibility and recall with millions of ‘intent’ consumers.
GroupM South Asia president – growth and transformation Tushar Vyas said, “Brands have aimed to reshape their marketing strategies considering the consumer behaviour transformation that has taken place in the last two years. Before digital started dominating our lives, consumers preferred going to stores to make their purchases; but today, be it any commodity, it’s fascinating to see consumers doing thorough research online and then buying things online or going to stores. Digital Consumers are increasingly spending more time on emerging digital platforms and hence there is a need for a separate communication approach, which is why we’ve come up with this playbook with Amazon Ads and Wunderman Thompson to help marketers build stronger consumer connections.”
The pandemic saw several long-term lifestyle and consumption changes in the last two years. All these changes, adaptations, and revelations took place with the massive rise of digital convenience. Be it researching, purchasing products or buying services like insurance, digital platforms have now become crucial partners. These ‘Digital consumers’ are more informed, participative, well-employed and more affluent than the average internet users in India. They have diverse interests and an evolved lifestyle and they rely on ecommerce networks for their product research and shopping needs.
Wunderman Thompson South Asia chief digital officer Manoj Mansukhani said, “We saw an exponential growth of consumers moving to online shopping during Covid-19. The trend only continues to grow as more customers are coming online to shop from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. With marketplaces like Amazon becoming the first port of call for product searches, brands need to develop a separate content strategy to help engage with customers on these platforms. The playbook with Amazon Ads and GroupM showcases ideas for brands to help build the right communication strategy with consumers on these platforms.”
Amazon Ads India director-ad sales Vijay Iyer commented, “Digital Channels are now an inseparable part of our lives and have forever changed why, how, what and where we buy. Ecommerce marketplaces are playing a crucial role in not just aiding, but shaping the brand and product discovery. Marketers have the unique opportunity to build connections with customers through an immersive content experience rather than restricting themselves to “advertising real estate”. This playbook will help marketers and agency professionals get ideas for building customized content marketing strategies for ecommerce touchpoints.”
The playbook leverages audience intelligence resources to help understand a brand’s TG better through product research/shopping based deterministic affinity signals. It also covers content marketing levers for building integrated experiences and establishes retail readiness with optimal detail pages and innovates with immersive and integrated experiences through Stores.
MAM
Hyphen launches sunscreen campaign featuring Kriti Sanon as SPF Police
Campaign drives SPF habit; Blinkit tie-up enables instant sunscreen delivery.
MUMBAI: No SPF, no mercy Kriti Sanon is out patrolling your skincare routine. Hyphen has rolled out a new campaign film starring its Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer Kriti Sanon, who steps into a playful alter ego as the brand’s “SPF Police”, turning sunscreen reminders into a full-blown public service announcement with a wink. The campaign kicked off with a cheeky social media tease suggesting Sanon had “stepped down” from her role, sparking chatter online before the brand revealed the twist: she hasn’t gone anywhere, she has simply taken on an additional avatar, one dedicated to ensuring people do not skip sunscreen.
The film leans into humour to drive home a serious point. In a slice-of-life setting, Sanon intercepts a gym-goer about to step out without sunscreen, promptly handing over Hyphen’s ‘All I Need Sunscreen’, which arrives instantly via Blinkit. The message is clear: forgetting SPF is no longer a valid excuse when it can be delivered in minutes.
Beyond the laughs, the campaign taps into a well-known gap in everyday skincare habits. Sunscreen, despite being one of the most recommended steps, is often the most ignored. By gamifying the reminder through an “SPF Police” persona, Hyphen aims to turn a routine into a reflex.
The multi-stage rollout from intrigue-led teasers to the final film has been designed to spark conversation while embedding the brand into daily behaviour. It also spotlights Hyphen’s quick commerce partnership with Blinkit, positioning accessibility as a key enabler of consistency.
Sanon, who remains closely involved in product development and brand strategy, noted that the idea stemmed from a simple insight: skincare works best when it is easy, habitual and hard to ignore. The campaign reflects that philosophy equal parts science, storytelling and a nudge you cannot quite escape.
The film is now live across Hyphen and Blinkit’s digital platforms, with further activations expected to extend the campaign’s reach and perhaps keep the SPF Police on duty a little longer.
