ITV News
Think9 acquires Whoppl, launches Nova9 for culture-led marketing
New unit blends creators, strategy and data to power fast-moving brand stories
MUMBAI: Think9 has acquired digital-first marketing firm Whoppl, marking a decisive step in its push to build culture-led, future-ready brands. The deal also signals the launch of Nova9, a new unit designed to help brands move at the speed of the internet with high-velocity storytelling systems.
Founded by Ashni Biyani, Avni Biyani, and Santosh Desai, Think9 is bringing together Whoppl’s creator-first approach with its own brand-building expertise. The result is Nova9, positioned as a cultural intelligence and storytelling engine aimed at navigating today’s fragmented and fast-shifting digital landscape.
Nova9 plans to operate at the intersection of creativity and data, combining strategic planning, meme fluency, cinematic storytelling, platform-native thinking and real-time analytics. The ambition is clear: to help brands behave less like advertisers and more like media companies that respond quickly to culture, communities and conversations.
Think9 Consumer Technologies co-founder and Futurebrands India CEO Santosh Desai, said the move reflects a broader shift in marketing. Brands, he noted, are moving away from one-off campaigns towards continuous, culture-led narratives that live and evolve across platforms.
The new unit will also scale its capabilities by hiring across disciplines, from cultural strategists and creative storytellers to meme specialists, community managers and ai-focused data analysts. The idea is to build teams that can decode cultural signals and turn them into stories that travel.
For Whoppl, founded in 2019 by Ramya Ramachandran, the partnership offers a chance to amplify what it already does best. Known for its work in content creation, influencer marketing and social commerce, the company has built a creator-powered ecosystem tailored for a more participative internet.
Whoppl founder and CEO Ramya Ramachandran, said brands today win attention not by broadcasting messages, but by creating stories people want to engage with, remix and share. With Nova9, she added, the aim is to scale that philosophy into a full-fledged storytelling engine.
Nova9 will also work closely with The Foundery, Think9’s platform that connects founders, operators and investors to build new-age consumer brands. With Ramachandran set to play a central leadership role, the unit is expected to act as a bridge between traditional brand-building and emerging, internet-led business models.
Together, the move positions Think9 to tap into a new marketing reality, one where relevance is earned in real time and storytelling is as much about participation as it is about persuasion.
ITV News
Hyundai delivers massive campaign for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Innocean India drives 253 million reach and over 856 million engagements for the brand.
MUMBAI: Hyundai has played a perfect innings during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 scoring big both on and off the field. Innocean India, Hyundai Motor Company’s master agency for its global ICC partnership, executed a high-impact integrated campaign that reached 253 million unique users across social media platforms and generated over 856 million engagements.
Anchored in the powerful platform ‘Deewane India ka Deewana Humsafar’, the campaign celebrated the passionate connection between cricket fans, the tournament, and Hyundai under the theme of ‘Deewanapan’. It successfully translated the global partnership into a deeply local and immersive experience through broadcast, stadium presence, on-ground activations, and digital engagement.
Hyundai maintained a dominant on-ground presence with integrations during coin tosses, team dugouts, team buses, and in-stadium car displays. High-frequency visibility was achieved through stumps, pitch mats, LED perimeter boards, replay screens, and sight screens.
Beyond visibility, the campaign created real access and participation. Key experiences included Trophy Walkouts, mid-innings pitch inspections, “Beyond the Boundary” hospitality, and an exclusive net session with ICC legend Robin Uthappa. The nationwide Hyundai Trophy Connect initiative took the trophy across cities for fan engagements, while a performance-driven test drive programme generated over 16,500 test drives and 61,000 enquiries. The “Sabse Bada Deewana” contest gave lucky fans once-in-a-lifetime access to the final.
The campaign delivered strong measurable impact: 132 million TV reach, 800 million CTV impressions, and 845 million+ digital views.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd., head of marketing Virat Khullar said, “Cricket has unmatched emotional resonance in India. We focused on going beyond visibility to create meaningful moments of participation and access for fans.”
Innocean India, Jaeho Yoo, CEO & MD of added: “By integrating presence, participation, and real-time engagement, we created a cohesive narrative that became part of how fans experienced the tournament.”
Executed through Innocean India’s Unified Marketing OS, the campaign seamlessly blended strategy, creative, digital, content, and on-ground experiences into one powerful ecosystem.
When cricket fever sweeps the nation, Hyundai didn’t just sponsor the World Cup, it became a passionate Deewana alongside millions of fans, delivering both scale and memorable brand moments. A masterclass in turning a global partnership into a truly Indian celebration.
