MAM
RuPay kicks-off IPL innings with new campaign featuring Ishant Sharma
Mumbai: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has floated its first Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign ‘RuPay. Be On-The-Go.’ Featuring Indian fast-bowler Ishant Sharma, the campaign highlights the many benefits of RuPay On-The-Go on cards and other convenient form factors such as smartwatches, keychains, mobile stickers, and wristbands.
As part of the high decibel campaign, five advertisement films are released on television, OTT, digital, and social media platforms. The brand has also roped in popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag to endorse the campaign on Twitter.
The film revolves around the banter between three characters- an umpire struggling with payments, a batsman who knows how incredible RuPay is, and who takes it upon himself to educate our umpire on it, and fierce pacer Ishant Sharma. The umpire gets so distracted by the amazing and innovative RuPay offerings that the batsman is sharing with him, he doesn’t even notice that Ishant Sharma has bowled, rapped the opener on the pads, and is now screaming ‘Howzzaaaatt!,’ waiting for an ‘Out’ from him. What follows is a ‘match freeze’ where the entire match pauses, as we see Ishant now doing his best to catch the Umpire’s attention by shouting ‘Howzzatt’ in hilarious ways. With RuPay on Umpire’s mind and his conversation with the non-striker still on, he registers Ishant’s appeal and starts to raise his finger finally shouting ‘Out-standing’ for RuPay.
Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the new campaign has beautifully and humorously captured Ishant’s dynamic action of ‘Howzat’ to weave together the films. The campaign also features four short films which reinforce the concept in various situations involving payments for international use, for the convenience of paying using RuPay On-The-Go enabled watch(at a grocery store) and keychain (at a drive-thru), and for bus/metro travel. The films not only create awareness about RuPay On-The-Go but also show how payments can be quick, safe, easy, and hassle-free for customers.
The films underscore the availability and accessibility of the RuPay cards. The advertisements highlight that every bank in India is issuing RuPay Debit cards and a large number of banks and prepaid/credit card players are also issuing RuPay prepaid and credit cards.
Furthermore, the films also create awareness amongst customers to ensure activating their cards for contactless, e-commerce, and international transactions per the regulatory requirements in India.
Brands
Primus Partners appoints Akasa Air co-founder Neelu Khatri as independent director
Veteran aviation and defence professional joins as independent director
NEW DELHI: Primus Partners has appointed Neelu Khatri, a founding member of Akasa Air, as an independent director, strengthening the consulting firm’s board as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
Khatri brings more than three decades of experience across defence, aviation, aerospace technology and consulting. She was part of the core team that helped build Akasa Air from concept to launch, contributing to what has been widely described as one of the fastest airline scale ups in recent aviation history.
At Primus Partners, she will provide strategic guidance on corporate governance and help steer the firm’s long term growth plans. Her experience of building a start up into a full scale organisation is expected to support the consulting firm as it expands its footprint.
Primus Partners co-founder and chairperson Davinder Sandhu, said the appointment brings valuable expertise to the board. “Neelu’s journey across defence, aviation and consulting brings a rare blend of operational insight and strategic thinking. Her experience in rapidly scaling Akasa Air will be invaluable as we continue to grow while maintaining a strong focus on corporate governance,” he said.
Primus Partners, an India headquartered management consulting and solutions firm, has emphasised governance and board oversight since its early days. The company has also taken an unconventional approach by inviting its Gen Z employees to attend board meetings so that younger perspectives can contribute to discussions.
Speaking on her appointment, Khatri said the consulting sector is entering a transformative period shaped by emerging technologies. “The industry is evolving rapidly with the rise of AI. This is an exciting moment for an Indian origin consulting firm like Primus Partners to expand its product offerings and strengthen its presence globally,” she said.
She added that as the firm pursues ambitious expansion plans, her focus will be on ensuring strong governance frameworks and effective risk management as the organisation scales.
