MAM
Tata Motors’ digital campaign for new XL trucks
MUMBAI: Tata Motors has created a unique digital first campaign to introduce its new XL range of trucks called, ‘Keep Loading’.
The campaign was created and conceptualised by Rediffusion Y&R and executed by Havas Media to amplify that the new range of Tata trucks have15 per cent more loading capacity. It was implemented on digital channels across India by creating an industry-first innovation of changing the core loader icon of most video players (about 200+ sites).
A game-in-game module was also created that helped strengthen the brand promise, by communicating ‘Keep Loading’ and letting users play the concept. Users were gratified with gaming points for playing the proposition of ‘Keep Loading’. The campaign utilised all key facets of digital media – search, social, video, innovation, display, programmatic and tactical premium inventory. Tata’s loader icon popped up whenever people searched for Tata Motors, visited the targeted sites, social media, watched a video, played a game or booked a railway ticket and also when they reached out to competition.
Tata Motors partnered with YouTube, TrueCaller, IRCTC, Facebook, news websites and other social media platforms to promote the campaign.
Tata Motors head of marketing communications commercial vehicles business unit UT Ramprasad says, “With increasing number of commercial vehicle customers engaging in the online space and consuming digital content, it was important to address every aspect of this digital spectrum with an idea that was very online intrinsic.”
Ramprasad pointed out that the objective of the campaign was to own a mnemonic that can resonate with Tata Motors’ CV segment while strengthening the core promise of the ‘Keep Loading’.
Havas Media managing partner, west and south Kunal Jamuar adds, “The beauty of the idea lay in its simplicity. The buffering icon is a reality that the core target group faces consistently given their mobility. The additional load carrying ability of the vehicle fitted brilliantly with the buffering pneumonic to seamlessly communicate the benefit to the consumer. The width and depth of sites that we tied up with allowed us to reach out to the majority of the audience in a manner that was disruptive and at the same time well integrated.”
India has over 180 million mobile subscribers who access 3G/4G networks and get their everyday tasks done through the web while 63 per cent of Indian internet users is over 25 years. An average Indian spends around 38-42 per cent of mobile data on video and audio services, 18-22 per cent on social networking, 16-20 per cent on communication services and about 20-24 per cent on other services.
With this impending digitisation of India, there has been a huge rise in the consumption of data and people are changing the way they consume content. Tata Motors realised that there was a need for the brand to effectively utilise the potential of digital to channelise the traction generated as a result of the traditional campaign and funnel the incremental prospects with the help of digital.
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.
