MAM
Archies ties up with ‘Waqt’, introduces Geri Giraffe in movie
MUMBAI: Greetings major Archies has tied up with Entertainment One’s forthcoming movie Waqt and will be introducing the character of Geri Giraffe in the same.
Archies has been instrumental in the evolution of the social expression industry in India, offering “the most special way to say you care.” The creation of the original Archies’ character for Waqt, Geri Giraffe, is an initiative to celebrate the very special father-son relationship, and an ode to the unconditional love of parents towards their children.
The association between Waqt and Archies brings to the consumer an entire range of Geri Giraffe merchandise comprising greeting cards, soft-toys, stationeries and posters available across all Archies outlets and paper-rose shops. In keeping with the credo of being the pioneers in the industry, Geri, represents another Archies marketing innovation, and a trendsetter with Geri Giraffe being the first-ever central character in any Bollywood movie.
“Waqt is a tribute to the father-son relationship, and Geri Giraffe epitomises the unconditional love that parents employ, rely on, and draw strength from; allowing them to weather the years of diligence and sacrifice,” said Archies Ltd executive director Vijayant Chabbra.
“Having ushered in the social expression revolution in the country, today Archies is an embodiment of myriad human emotions. We are glad to be able to touch many more with our Geri in Waqt,” Chabbra added.
Commenting on the association with Archies, Waqt producer Vipul Shah said, “The setting of Waqt is the interplay of personal relationships, and how the emotion of love triumphs against all odds. Archies truly represents the emotions of the teeming millions of the country. It’s an apposite fit with the message the movie communicates.”
Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Geri Giraffe, the movie is a family drama of the re-union of a father and son, who had parted ways due to individualistic ideals. A very crucial character in the movie, Geri, plays the role of uniting the father and the son.
Apart from launching an entire range of Geri Giraffe soft-toys and collectibles, Archies has also launched a range of Waqt stationery and merchandise. The Geri Giraffe range is priced between Rs 30 and Rs 3,333.
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Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
