Brands
Cashless Bano India movement launched by NDTV & Mastercard
NEW DELHI: ‘Cashless Bano India’, a campaign aimed at accelerating the adoption of digital forms of payments through an on-ground and TV campaign, has been launched to educate the masses about digital payment solutions and encourage its usage for everyday spends.
This campaign launched by NDTV Mumbai and Mastercard will work with partners in driving behavioral change and spread awareness on the importance of digital payments to millions across the country.
The campaign was launched through a high decibel panel discussion focusing on the need for a robust digital payments ecosystem in the country.
Cashless Bano India would also extend to Tier-II and Tier-III cities through on-ground educative sessions aimed at reaching public-at-large as well as merchants with the support of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
The panel discussion was attended by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Mastercard Asia Pacific co-president Ari Sarker, CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal, Sr. Fellow, Brookings & Former Government Chief Economic Adviser Dr. Arvind Virmani, former IMF Executive Director, IMF; Axis Bank executive director Rajeev Anand and Punjab National Bank MD and CEO Sunil Mehta and moderated by NDTV consulting editor Vikram Chandra
Kant said, “The Government has been aggressively driving the push to a less-cash society, bringing a number of policy reforms and initiatives. The vision is to make India lead the world in the evolution of payment systems with technology paving the way. Initiatives like Cashless Bano India will further propel the efforts in bringing a behavioral change towards digital payments and further help in the penetration of digital payments to the last mile.”
“With digitization becoming a part of our life in more ways than one, cashless payments are the future of our country. While the benefits of digital payments to the nation and to individuals are obvious, many roadblocks to speedy implementation still remain. This brain storming session with all stakeholders including the government, bankers, traders and the aam aadmi hopes to charter a blueprint for secure and simple cashless transactions to help build a better India”, said Chandra.
“The digital payments industry in India is at an inflection point. Enablers like Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar, mobile penetration, and more recently demonetization have created a strong foundation for large scale adoption of digital payment systems in India. This is a long term story, which will require a combination of infrastructure, sleek user experience with highest standards of safety and security, last mile distribution and reach, together with the right policy initiatives, and significant marketing and communications efforts to build awareness on the benefits of a digital economy”, said Sarker. “Through our collaboration with like-minded partners like NDTV, we want to do our bit to realize the vision of a cashless India.”
The panel discussion ended with Amitabh Kant, Vikram Chandra and Ari Sarker flagging off a bus, scheduled to travel across the five cities of Kanpur, Jaipur, Surat, Indore and Nagpur. This would be an extended on-ground activation of the campaign, whereby financial literacy and adoption camps would be conducted at the respective cities for traders and merchants.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
