MAM
Bombay Shaving Company ropes in Kartik Aryan as new brand ambassador
MUMBAI: Bombay Shaving Company a men’s grooming brand has roped in Kartik Aaryan as its new brand ambassador to further, strengthen the brand’s appeal and induce trials from soft customers. Kartik will be endorsing Bombay Shaving Company’s shave and facial grooming range. With this association Bombay Shaving Company- a digital-first FMCG brand aims to connect with the millennial audience who loves to experiment with their look while keeping up with the trend.
Kartik made his acting debut in 2011 with Pyaar Ka Punchnama. He subsequently appeared in two more romantic comedies, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, both of which were blockbusters. In 2019 he followed the success graph with Luka Chuppi and the recently released superhit Pati Patni Aur Woh. Kartik has now bagged several big-budget projects including Imtiaz Ali's intense romantic drama Love Aaj Kal, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Dostana 2.
Kartik's boyish good looks have made him a heartthrob of India and have overshadowed many peers of his generation.
Kartik Aaryan on his association with Bombay Shaving Company commented, “Bombay Shaving Company is a millennial brand driven by innovation and technology. I love to experiment with my looks and I look forward to working with the team in building a brand that helps men look their best.”
On the partnership, Bombay Shaving Company CEO and founder Shantanu Deshpande said, “Ever since we launched, Bombay Shaving Company has grown to be one of the most successful men’s skincare and grooming innovations in the country and has played a lead role in the premium segment, offering the consumers a unique and indulgent experience. We wanted a celebrity who not only endorses but believes in the product too. Kartik exudes those vibes quite strongly and brings a relatability quotient to the table. Kartik embodies the spirit of a young, feisty startup – he is self-made in an industry where it is rare, has garnered fanfare based on his talent alone. His appeal among the younger audience is exceptional and we believe he will play a big role in Bombay Shaving Companybecoming a salient brand for men.”
Launched in 2016, Bombay Shaving Company started as a direct to consumer premium experiential shaving regimen but has quickly expanded into skin, beard and bath categories. Bombay Shaving Company is bullish and will focus on offline expansion with its current footprint of 3,000 stores to 10,000 stores in the coming months. Bombay Shaving Company currently has more than 2.5 lakh customers and aims to become an INR 100 crore brand in the next 12-15 months.
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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.
