MAM
BBC World launches India specific advertising campaign
MUMBAI: BBC World, BBC’s international television news channel launches its first ever Indian focused brand advertising campaign on 16 January. The campaign tag line reads ‘What affects the world, affects you.’ India was also the news channels first market for region specific programming. Recently the channel also announced a special season which will look into the business of Indian weddings.
The three week long campaign builds on BBC World’s global campaign launched two years ago -‘Putting News First’. While the worldwide campaign was created and executed in-house, the Indian campaign which includes print, outdoor advertising and TVCs as part of its media mix was created and executed by Vyas Giannetti Creative. Speaking to Indiantelevision about its first ever region specific campaign BBC World India’s head of marketing and communications Vaishali Sharma explained that with increasing focus on India it is the right time to launch such a campaign.
‘Indian viewers not only appreciate being informed about global events, they want to understand how they impact their lives. Through this India specific campaign, we hope to demonstrate how world events as covered by BBC World can have an impact on us and how BBC World can bring the world to India and India to the world.’
Outlining the positioning of the news channel Sharma added, ‘Our target group has always been SEC A and B in age group 18 to 20+ as our primary audience and will continue to be so. Having said that we realize that a lot of our audience turns to us for relevant international news with an Indian perspective. That is our USP’.BBC World continues to work within this niche market and seems content to confine itself to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Kerala.
And how is the BBC World’s agenda different from other Indian channels? Sharma agrees that with the slew of English news channels the role of BBC World is that of a complementary channel. ‘Our focus is world news. We do not deny the importance of local news channels in a region but we will continue to work as an add-on to the viewer’s news preference.’
Sharma denies that the local advertising campaign is a reaction to the stiff competition faced by the channel from both local news channels and international news channels like CNN World. ‘The worldwide campaign was created and launched in London two years ago and India was a natural progression given the historical connect we have with the country. We did go back to our original campaign and conducted various qualitative research and studies to see what would best suit our brand image in India. ‘
The brand campaign consists of three creatives that focus on international news events and how it could impact people in India. For example one of the creatives shows global fashion looking eastwards even as Indian textile market flourishes.
Commenting on the market strategy for BBC World going forward Sharma says that the global trend is all about news content which connects with the audience. At BBC World this is the focus we follow. Add to that our special programmes like the current series on terrorism or technology series like Click and we have a great variety to choose from.’
Not perturbed by the CAS regime and how it will affect BBC World, Sharma insists that the channel will watch the changing scenario on Indian television and news channels with great interest. BBC World launched as FTA turned pay on 15 June 2006.
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
