Brands
Arise India to spend Rs 60 crore on marketing in 2014-2015
NEW DELHI: After the successful partnership with ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Doobara’, Arise India has once again partnered with Balaji Telefilms for its up-coming romantic comedy ‘Mai Tera Hero’.
The association is a part of an extensive brand promotion strategy of Arise India where it intends to reach out to the audience by increasing its brand visibility. For strategic cinema associations, the company has earmarked a budget of Rs 60 crore which is aimed to create a positive imagery by going all out with its media visibility program.
Arise India MD Avinash Jain said, “Balaji Telefilms today creates some of the most heart-touching movies in Bollywood, and our association with them is based on the massive love and affection that they get from the audience. Our current association follows the earlier immensely successful association with ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Doobara’, where we were able to create a positive vibe for the movie and our brand through a winning co-branded initiative. We seek to repeat the same endeavour with the current association and enable consumers to meet their favourite stars through the contest.”
He added, “Through this association we also seek to increase our brand visibility as Bollywood has a huge consumer connect and this will help us in creating that important bond with them. We have earmarked substantial marketing spends for movie promotions, and seek to nurture this relationship with Balaji Telefilms for mutual success in the future as well.”
The brand will sponsor the meet at Select Citywalk Mall in Saket (Delhi) with the cast and crew of the movie including Varun Dhawan, Illeana D’ Cruz and Nargis Fakhri along with director Ekta Kapoor. The contest is already on-air through radio promotions, online activations, co-branded TVC’s, BTL promotions and in-mall activations.
Brands
Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
