MAM
Dineout unveils ‘Dineout later, stay home now’ initiative
MUMBAI: Dining out and restaurant tech platform, Dineout despite of its brand name and objective, is encouraging users to practise responsible social distancing and superior personal hygiene to combat the spread of COVID-19. As a part of this public health initiative aimed at promoting the need to stay home and stay healthy, the brand has changed its name across social media platforms to ‘Dineout Later. Stay Home Now’ and also changed their popularly used hashtag #LetsDineout to #LetsStayHome to show their support.
Through social conversations with the hashtag #LetsStayHome, Dineout is sharing updates on how their team is working from home, having team lunch digitally together. They are also encouraging fellow Indians to stay entertained while indoors by exploring new hobbies, easy recipes, exercises and fun activities from the comfort of their homes amidst this crisis. People may also share their recipe ideas and photos of what they are cooking or eating with the same hashtag to promote healthy and safe eating habits. They have also created a unique Facebook event ‘Stay Home’ where they had invited people for a virtual dine-in on 22 March, the same day as Janta Curfew to have lunch from the comfort and safety of their homes. They have also announced the closure of their services and operations including denial of bookings and payments on 22 March to support the all India lockdown.
Speaking on the brand’s public health initiative, Dineout co-founder and CEO Ankit Mehrotra observed, “Social gathering is the key to the F&B industry, while social distancing is the key to fighting the widespread of COVID-19 and we’re strongly promoting it across all our platforms. We stand strong with our restaurant partners who have closed operations temporarily and #LetsStayHome is our collective effort to remind everyone to focus on what matters the most amidst this health emergency – the health and safety of our loved ones and our communities.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
