MAM
Piramal Finance partners with Sri Lanka Cricket for the India-Sri Lanka series
Mumbai: Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd (Piramal Finance), a subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd (PEL), announced its partnership as the associate gold sponsor for India’s Tour of Sri Lanka T20 series. The series includes three T20 Internationals (T20Is) and three one day internationals (ODIs), with matches scheduled for July and August.
As the associate gold sponsor, Piramal Finance will utilise this platform to enhance brand awareness and engage with cricket enthusiasts. The company’s logo will be prominently displayed across in-stadia branding and will feature in advertisements during broadcast. This association underscores Piramal Finance’s commitment to community engagement and promoting its diverse offerings in the finance sector.
Speaking on the association, Piramal Finance head of marketing Arvind Iyer said, “As the nation’s passion for cricket transcends boundaries, we recognize that ‘Budget Bharat’ is the very fabric of India. Across the length and breadth of India, whether it’s a brief pause at a local Kirana store or a glance at a TV screen in a bustling electronics shop, a fleeting glimpse in a barber’s mirror, or a moment’s distraction in office corridors, cricket has a way of bringing people together in moments of joy, excitement, and shared experience. Our association with Sri Lanka Cricket as an associate gold sponsor for the India-Sri Lanka T20 series is a testament to our commitment to being with the nation, wherever they are. By supporting this series, we aim to empower the financial well-being of ‘Budget Bharat,’ aligning our purpose with the country’s love for cricket. Through this partnership, we seek to build meaningful connections, foster brand growth, and make a positive impact on the lives of those who share our passion.”
Sri Lanka Cricket head of marketing Upul Nawaratne Bandara said, “We thank Piramal Finance for coming on board as the Associate Gold Sponsor for the T20 series. We are confident that this partnership will help them attain their goals and establish their presence as a leading name in the personal finance sector.”
This series kicked off with back-to-back T20Is from 27 to 30 July at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, followed by the ODIs starting on 2 August at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This series is particularly significant as it marks the debut of new coaches for both teams; Gautam Gambhir for India and Sanath Jayasuriya for Sri Lanka.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
