MAM
Chennai Super Kings ropes in Levista Coffee as official partners
NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind partnership, one of South India’s most preferred and favorite coffee brand, Levista Instant Coffee is on-board as ‘Official Licensed Coffee Partner’ for Chennai Super Kings this season of Dream11 IPL 2020. In a distinctive brand partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the revered teams in IPL, it also marks a distinctive milestone for a coffee brand to associate with the annual sporting extravaganza. Through this association, the brand will launch a special season/ limited edition package in its instant coffee range as well as other collector’s worth combo packs with special Thala MS Dhoni and CSK team keepsakes, a coveted range for both coffee and cricket fans.
The special CSK packaging and Levista “Special CSK combo packs” will be available from 10th September 2020 at over 34,000 general trade stores, in India as well as in modern retail formats through Reliance Retail, More Supermarkets, SPAR, Metro Cash & Carry among others. The range will also retail online at Amazon, Big Basket, Flipkart, and Udaan to ensure the special collector worthy packs are available to all in India and Internationally. Fans will also have the opportunity to place direct orders through Levista Coffee’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages. To ensure a memorable consumer experience the brand will formulate daily game highlights, fun trivia, and contests that will take the love for Coffee, CSK, and Cricket to the next level across their digital platforms.
As the gameplay shifts to UAE this season, the championship is expected to garner a lot of enthusiasm and interest among fans and followers of the game. There is anticipation and excitement from viewers and participants of IPL to see the players back in action after the ongoing series being plagued with a delay due to the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis worldwide.
Speaking on the association, Levista Coffee VP S. Shriram said, “We at Levista are ecstatic to announce our partnership with team CSK as their ‘Official Licensed Coffee Partner’ this season of Dream11 IPL 2020. Cricket and Coffee are desires that satisfy both the mind and body. It awakens and brings to fore creativity with renewed energy. The quality and flavor of Levista Instant coffee resonates with the vivacity and passion of all CSK and cricket fans. We look forward to delighting our consumers and CSK loyalists, one cup at a time. Brand Levista is honored to be part of this association which will also aid in relief fund contributions to the PM CARES Fund program through the sale of CSK combo packs. We look forward to driving support for team CSK with each cup of coffee and look forward to a successful ‘CUP’ winning for the team at Dream11 IPL 2020.”
Commenting on the partnership, Chennai Super Kings CEO KS Viswanathan said: “CSK is happy to welcome Levista on board as official Licensed Coffee Partner. Coffee and cricket conversations go hand in hand, and this IPL season Levista promises to enhance this experience for cricket fans with a special edition across their range of products.”
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
