MAM
Adwise 2002 : Ashish Bhasin
Schooled in Bombay in Campion and Cathedral School. B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochem and Zoology from St. Xavier’s College, Bombay.
MMS (Marketing) from Sydenham Institute, Bombay. Joined Lintas 14 years ago. Early part of the career worked on Hindustan Lever business for 8 years, in 7 countries. Set up Lintas operations in Burma and Vietnam and created advertising and brand strategies for other countries like Cambodia, Mongolia and Laos.
Set up an association called Design Bridge at Lintas with Europe’s largest packaging design house. Continues to head that.
Headed the Madras office of Lintas for 2% years. The office almost doubled in size in that period, primarily driven by new business gains.
Moved back to Bombay to take over as the President of Initiative Media India, the media division of Lintas India. Besides handling all the mainline media for the Lintas Group, is also driving various ventures of Lintas in areas like Rural and the Internet. Has set up Linterland, a rural marketing company with a network of over 8500 people and Digital Initiative, Lintas’ net buying and planning division. Is the Managing Director of Aaren Initiative, Lintas’ Outdoor Company.
Was recently adjudged the “Media Marketer of the Year” at the Brief Media Awards.
Frequently addresses seminars, guest lecturer at institutes, regular contributor to Brand Equity and other publications.
Was India’s cultural Ambassador to Pennsylvania, USA in 1992 under a Rotary programme. Is a member of CII’s National Young Business Committee. Is a member of the CII Media Committee and is on the Board of Governors of Media Research Users Council.
Married with an 9 year old naughty son and a 1 year daughter. Loves reading, travelling on leisure (not business) and playing billiards.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
