MAM
AI Plus calls time on gimmicks with Abhishek Banerjee’s smart turn
MUMBAI: In a world where phones shout louder than they think, AI+ Smartphone has quietly dropped the mic and a national campaign that says smart isn’t smart enough. With its first-ever national TV commercial, AI+ Smartphone isn’t just entering the Indian market, it’s barging in, taking a stand against overhyped specs and underwhelming performance. Featuring Abhishek Banerjee in full deadpan glory, the TVC slices through the noise with a crisp message: “Smart is not enough. It needs to be smart where it counts.”
Set inside a typical mobile store scene equal parts chaos and jargon, the ad shows Banerjee’s character calmly shutting down an overzealous pitch laced with buzzwords and baffling features. In just 30 seconds, the film lays bare the industry’s addiction to gimmicks and asks the only question that really matters: Is your phone working for you, or for your data?
This clarity has found strong resonance particularly among women. According to qualitative research cited by the brand, data privacy concerns were frequently raised unprompted, with users voicing anxiety over surveillance and leaks. AI+ is making this its ground zero: a phone that protects your data without preaching about it.
“For us, privacy isn’t a feature, it’s foundational,” says AI+ Smartphone marketing & communications lead Archi Gogoi. “Consumers today are sharper. They know when they’re being sold to. We’re building trust, not just specs.”
The brand’s national rollout strategy backs this claim with a multilingual media plan across nine Indian languages from Hindi and Tamil to Bengali and Odia. The film, localised for each region, will be seen across TV, OTT, and digital platforms, ensuring the message lands in the language users trust most.
Launching on 8 July 2025, the first AI+ devices AI+ Pulse and AI+ Nova 5G promise a cleaner, simpler, and smarter experience without the noise. No circus of megapixels. No spyware dressed as smart features. Just a phone that gets out of the way and lets you live.
With Banerjee’s dry wit and a sharp swipe at bloated marketing, AI+ isn’t trying to win the loudness war, it’s gunning for the trust deficit. And in today’s crowded, clickbait-heavy smartphone scene, that may just be the smartest move of all.
Brands
Vodafone Idea elevates Vineeth Jayendranath as VP, marketing head Mumbai
Telecom marketer takes charge of Mumbai circle with growth and brand focus
MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea Limited has promoted Vineeth Jayendranath to vice president, marketing head for the Mumbai circle, marking a key milestone in his career as the telecom operator sharpens its regional strategy.
In his new role, Jayendranath will lead marketing efforts across prepaid and postpaid segments in one of the country’s most competitive telecom markets. His mandate includes driving revenue growth, strengthening brand positioning, and deepening customer engagement, while also managing profit and loss responsibilities for the circle.
Sharing the update, Vineeth Jayendranath said, “Excited to share, I am starting my new stint as Vice President, Marketing Head for Mumbai circle at Vodafone Idea Ltd. Would like to thank everyone who has supported me in this journey.”
Jayendranath brings over 12 years of experience spanning telecom and IT, with a strong focus on customer value management and data-led marketing. Since joining Vodafone Idea, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently serving as general manager leading customer value management and prepaid business across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
During this period, he handled large subscriber bases and multi-billion rupee revenue portfolios, while rolling out hyper-personalised campaigns and a “segment of one” strategy to improve customer retention and upgrades. He also championed a digital-first approach, pushing adoption of data services and unlimited plans through targeted, insight-driven initiatives.
Earlier, he worked with Idea Cellular Ltd in strategy and business intelligence roles, and began his career at Infosys as a systems engineer. A brief stint at Hyundai Motor India Ltd during his internship added early exposure to marketing strategy.
An alumnus of SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Jayendranath has steadily built a reputation for combining analytics with marketing execution.
His elevation comes as telecom players double down on circle-level strategies to stay competitive, and Vodafone Idea appears to be betting on data-backed marketing to keep Mumbai firmly in its corner.
