Brands
Birlanu seals the deal with leakproof promise in playful new campaign
MUMBAI: When it comes to plumbing promises, Birlanu isn’t letting a single drop or secret slip. The CKA Birla Group company has rolled out a cheeky new brand campaign built around the pledge of “Infinite peace of mind with Birlanu Leakproof Pipes”, tackling one of homeowners’ biggest frustrations: leakage.
The star of the show is Birlanu’s Trufit Technology, an engineering precision process that ensures perfect alignment between pipes and fittings, delivering truly leakproof joints. The company’s pipes span more than 20 product categories, from CPVC, uPVC and SWR to silent, underground drainage, HDPE, MDPE, gas lines, water tanks and more.
The film, conceptualised by DDB Mudra with media handled by Madison, takes a refreshingly light approach: two mischievous kids share secrets through a pipe, with not a whisper or a drop escaping. The metaphor is clear: what happens inside a Birlanu pipe, stays inside a Birlanu pipe.
Birlanu chief marketing officer Peeyush Bachlaus said the campaign reflects “the trust our customers place in the Birla name every day” and presents the leakproof solution “in a loving manner”. Birlanu chief business officer for Pipes, Arun Kumar Magoo, added that Birlanu is also the first in the industry to adopt Organic Based Stabilizers (OBS) for uPVC pipes and fittings, offering a 100 per cent heavy metal-free formulation, a move that reinforces its nature-positive, safety-first credentials.
Backed by advanced mould design, precision extrusion, and a future-focused product portfolio, BirlaNu aims to blend engineering excellence with sustainable practice. The integrated campaign is hitting TV, OTT, digital, OOH and BTL channels, targeting both urban and rural markets for maximum reach.
With its pipes promising to hold water literally and figuratively Birlanu is making sure leakage is nothing more than a childhood game.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
