MAM
Truebil assigns creative mandate to Publicis India
MUMBAI: Truebil, a leading Mumbai-based auto-tech company catering to the pre-owned car market space has appointed Publicis India to manage its creative mandate. Won after a competitive multi-agency pitch, Publicis India has been tasked to strategise and execute a forward-thinking communication plan that would pitch Truebil as a solutions provider with a difference.
Launched in 2015, Truebil uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to predict the ideal price of used cars based on various parameters like the condition of the car, geographical and seasonal factors. It is among the leading new-age start-ups catering to the used car marketplace and is backed by multiple investors including Kae Capital, Kalaari Capital, Inventus Capital and Tekton Ventures among others.
On appointing Publicis India as its creative partner, Truebil co-founder Shubh Bansal said, “Truebil’s core principles of trust, transparency and high quality are the exact values we wanted in our branding partner. Being a start-up, we have different needs and aspirations that a lot of agencies may not understand. But, after weeks of research and numerous meetings we narrowed down on one of the biggest names in advertising, Publicis India. With Publicis, we knew we had found the ideal partner because of their enthusiasm to work with young brands such as ours along with their years of expertise in the automobile industry.”
On winning the mandate, Publicis India EVP Suraj Pombra said, “Truebil might sound like yet another car sale brand. But when we met them, we were infected by their unique point of view, purpose and ambition, which we know will power them onto quick and large successes. We’re very fortunate that they’ve chosen Publicis as their brand partners. For us agency folk who are accustomed to the big-client, big-brand universe, partnering with passionate start-ups like Truebil is a refreshing and challenging experience. While we’ll bring all our experience and expertise to bear on the tasks at hand, we equally look forward to learning from what is a delightful and enthusiastic bunch of people at Truebil.”
Truebill today offers features like valuation, quick sell guarantee, vehicle buying consulting, smooth paper transfer, loan assistance and insurance, among others.
Brands
AI becomes key tool for Indian travellers, Agoda report finds
68 per cent plan to use AI for trips as 33 per cent already rely on it.
MUMBAI: Holiday planning is getting a software upgrade less “Where should we go?” and more “What does the algorithm say?” Indian travellers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to map their journeys, with new data from Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook Report suggesting that AI is fast becoming central to how trips are imagined, planned and booked.
While 33 per cent of respondents said they already use AI tools for travel planning, a far larger 68 per cent indicated they are likely to rely on it for their next trip pointing to a sharp acceleration in adoption in a market already comfortable with digital-first travel.
What travellers want from AI, however, goes well beyond basic search. The report shows 38 per cent are looking for recommendations on local attractions and activities, while 37 per cent expect personalised itineraries. Destination discovery remains a key use case at 29 per cent, with dining suggestions (23 per cent) and budget management (22 per cent) also emerging as practical applications.
The shift reflects a broader change in expectations AI is no longer a novelty but a planning companion expected to work across every stage of the journey, from inspiration to execution.
Trust levels appear to be keeping pace. Nearly 88 per cent of respondents said they either trust or feel neutral about AI-generated recommendations, including 53 per cent who expressed clear confidence. This builds on earlier trends, with Agoda’s 2025 survey showing nine in ten Indian travellers already using apps to book travel suggesting AI adoption is more evolution than disruption.
The company has been testing this appetite through initiatives such as its 2025 AI-powered Vacation Planner campaign, which generated customised itineraries and visuals based on user inputs, delivered with a layer of celebrity-led engagement.
For platforms like Agoda, which aggregates more than 6 million properties, over 130,000 flight routes and 300,000 travel activities, AI offers a way to navigate scale without overwhelming users turning abundance into relevance.
As AI continues to embed itself into everyday decision-making, India is emerging as a market where travel planning is not just going digital, but decisively intelligent.
