MAM
AI Plus calls time on gimmicks with Abhishek Banerjee’s smart turn
MUMBAI: In a world where phones shout louder than they think, AI+ Smartphone has quietly dropped the mic and a national campaign that says smart isn’t smart enough. With its first-ever national TV commercial, AI+ Smartphone isn’t just entering the Indian market, it’s barging in, taking a stand against overhyped specs and underwhelming performance. Featuring Abhishek Banerjee in full deadpan glory, the TVC slices through the noise with a crisp message: “Smart is not enough. It needs to be smart where it counts.”
Set inside a typical mobile store scene equal parts chaos and jargon, the ad shows Banerjee’s character calmly shutting down an overzealous pitch laced with buzzwords and baffling features. In just 30 seconds, the film lays bare the industry’s addiction to gimmicks and asks the only question that really matters: Is your phone working for you, or for your data?
This clarity has found strong resonance particularly among women. According to qualitative research cited by the brand, data privacy concerns were frequently raised unprompted, with users voicing anxiety over surveillance and leaks. AI+ is making this its ground zero: a phone that protects your data without preaching about it.
“For us, privacy isn’t a feature, it’s foundational,” says AI+ Smartphone marketing & communications lead Archi Gogoi. “Consumers today are sharper. They know when they’re being sold to. We’re building trust, not just specs.”
The brand’s national rollout strategy backs this claim with a multilingual media plan across nine Indian languages from Hindi and Tamil to Bengali and Odia. The film, localised for each region, will be seen across TV, OTT, and digital platforms, ensuring the message lands in the language users trust most.
Launching on 8 July 2025, the first AI+ devices AI+ Pulse and AI+ Nova 5G promise a cleaner, simpler, and smarter experience without the noise. No circus of megapixels. No spyware dressed as smart features. Just a phone that gets out of the way and lets you live.
With Banerjee’s dry wit and a sharp swipe at bloated marketing, AI+ isn’t trying to win the loudness war, it’s gunning for the trust deficit. And in today’s crowded, clickbait-heavy smartphone scene, that may just be the smartest move of all.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
