MAM
Airtel, ICICI and Visa join hands to launch ‘mChq’
MUMBAI: Bharti Tele Ventures Ltd has announced that Airtel, ICICI Bank and Visa have joined hands to launch mChq – a revolutionary new service – a credit card on the mobile phone.
This is the first mobile-to-mobile payment option, which enables Airtel customers and ICICI Bank Visa cardholders to pay for their purchases with their Airtel mobile phones.
The service eliminates the need of carrying cash for making a purchase and also does away with the need of a Point of Sale (POS) terminal since the mobile phone serves as a secure POs and a payment mechanism.
In the first phase, this service will be available to Airtel and ICICI Bank customers in Delhi, Mumbai and NCR across 100 retail outlets, including departmental stores, restaurants and bookshops and will be expanded to other cities in the coming months.
Airtel customers subscribing to this service will be issued a new sim card free of cost while ICICI Bank cardholders will be issued an add-on card on the basis of their existing ICICI Bank – Visa credit card.
Bharti Tele Ventures Ltd joint managing director Akhil Gupta said, “Innovation has been a key driver for us at Bharti. It has been instrumental in Airtel taking a leadership position and has also helped us sustain the growth that the company is witnessing. With the launch of this new service today, mobile phones now turn into virtual wallets and there is chance that the entire concept of payment may change. The product is a boon for customers, financial service providers, retailers and mobile service providers.”
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
