eNews
Lonely Planet India launches its digital campaign ‘India Unexplored’
MUMBAI: Lonely Planet India has launched ‘India Unexplored’, an exciting new digital campaign to find the best hidden spots and experiences throughout the country. Hosted on the Lonely Planet India website (www.lonelyplanet.in) and promoted on social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Instagram, ‘India Explored’ will see participants submit their discoveries of lesser known destinations across India. This is a 45 day digital campaign that launches on 4 October 2014 and will be live until 17 November 2014.
This is an application-based campaign hosted on www.lonelyplanet.in. The URL is unexplored.lonelyplanet.in
‘India Unexplored’ is a pan-India digital campaign by Lonely Planet India where participants can submit their discoveries of lesser known destinations under the following special themes:
. SEE: This special theme is all about sharing lesser known and unexplored beaches, hill stations, mountains and interesting places to visit in our country, including natural and man-made attractions.
. DO: In this special theme, the participants will share their adventure endeavours and experiences such as paragliding, skiing, rafting or trekking etc.
. EAT: Here participants will share places which are interesting to eat at.
. SHOP: This special theme is for the participants to share their experiences and memories at shops and markets from offbeat places in India.
To participate in the ‘India Unexplored’ campaign, one must submit a discovery about a destination in the country. This destination should be listed on Google Maps. Participants can submit details about the place, images and videos about the destination. The entries will then be moderated by Lonely Planet. Each of the entries that are eligible to be published on the website will be allocated points. On the basis of the number of points earned, the 3 mega winners will be decided. There will be a panel of 3 judges including travel experts to select the winners of India Unexplored campaign. The winners will be picked on the basis of ratings given by the judges who will judge the entries basis parameters such as nature and uniqueness of the location of discovery/ entry, quality of content in the description, image aptness and quality, frame and creativity in the image caption and video relevance and quality as well as visual content.
Skyscanner, a leading global travel search site has come on board as the title sponsor for Lonely Planet’s India Unexplored campaign. There are also various prize sponsors including F&D Audio, Joy Resorts and Hotels, Linger Guesthouses, Outdoor Travel Gear, Polaris India, Pugdundee Safaris, Skybags and Wrangler.
There are hosts of prizes to be won, participants can win prizes as per the following:
. 45 early bird prizes for those first set of discoverers submitting approved discoveries. Winners will be announced on 13 October 2014.
. 18 prizes for the mini contests on Lonely Planet India’s social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram
. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd winner of each of the special themes ( SEE, DO, EAT and SHOP).
. Prizes for the best image shared, best video shared and best trekking discovery.
. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd all round mega winners. Winners for special themes and the mega winners will be announced on 1 December 2014
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
