MAM
Nykaa and BookMyShow come together to launch India’s first ever beauty festival ‘Nykaaland’ – the wonder world of beauty
MUMBAI: Hop on board the beauty bandwagon as India’s leading beauty retailer Nykaa and BookMyShow, India’s leading entertainment destination, launch the country’s first ever beauty festival Nykaaland. Thoughtfully curated by the two powerhouses, Nykaaland further widens the out-of-home entertainment ecosystem creating a rich experience in a genre, as yet untouched. The maiden edition of the festival will be hosted in Mumbai, on March 21-22, 2020 at the Member’s Enclosure, Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
Nykaaland will host more than 40 home-grown and international beauty brands, interactive sessions with celebrity beauty trailblazers like Masaba Gupta and master classes with industry experts like Namrata Soni, Sonic Sarwate and Anthony Cole.
Headlining the festival and known by his Instagram moniker MakeupByMario, the makeup maestro who has been the long-time make-up artist for global sensation Kim Kardashian, will host an on-stage makeup demonstration on March 21, giving makeup lovers a chance to catch him at work, receive a participation certificate and exciting beauty goodies. Mario Dedivanovic’s makeup master class sessions have been an attraction for make-up lovers all over the world, and will make a grand India debut at Nykaaland.
Makeup whiz Mario Dedivanovic said, “Indian beauty draws heavily from history and culture, making it one of the most varied and rich definitions of beauty, the world over. I am extremely excited to visit India and look forward to hosting a masterclass for the first time ever at Nykaaland. Masterclasses are my way of connecting with makeup lovers from different parts of the world and my session at Nykaaland will be inspired by the sensibilities and preferences of the iconic land of beauty that India is. I can’t wait to interact with Indian beauty enthusiasts and together, create a magical beauty canvas!”
The beauty festival, which has on-boarded PayPal as the payment partner, will be led by live demos, experiences and the spirit of discovery. Nykaaland has something for everyone across the beauty spectrum and will also host healthy food options, feature instagrammable zones and a host of Indian and international live music entertainment experiences to choose from
Featuring popular brands like M.A.C Cosmetics, Huda Beauty, Kama Ayurveda, Kay Beauty, Innisfree, L'Oréal Paris, Lakmé, Pixi by Petra, Clinique and Simple amongst several others the festival will also have a dedicated ‘discovery zone’ for customers to know more about upcoming brands in the world of beauty.
Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO, Nykaa said, “Nykaa has been instrumental in shaping the beauty industry in India with our extensive brand selection, omnichannel retail and tech-driven beauty solutions. This unique event gives us yet another opportunity to delight our customers with exceptional beauty experiences and expert interactions. For this flagship property we have found the perfect partner in BookMyShow to be able to create a truly unique festival.”
Albert Almeida, COO – Live Entertainment, BookMyShow said, “The out-of-home entertainment ecosystem in India is a kaleidoscope of growing recreational choices, with users lapping up new and unique experiences like never before. As BookMyShow forays into yet another experiential space with India’s first ever beauty festival ‘Nykaaland’, we are delighted to partner with Nykaa, the pioneers in this category, to expand India’s experiential entertainment horizon. The debut edition of the festival will bring together a highly desirable and curated ensemble of unique events and experiences, giving millions of consumers, access to local and international brands as also artists.”
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.
