Brands
Burger King India’s new TVC celebrates Whopper for all tastes!
Mumbai: India, renowned for its rich and diverse culture, languages, and most notably, its deep-rooted affection for food and spices, boasts a culinary landscape as varied as its population. Seamlessly capturing this love for flavours and spices, Burger King India, one of the country’s fastest-growing Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brands, has unveiled a new TVC campaign “Whopper: Swaad Aisa, India Jaisa’, which celebrates the Whopper which has been specially made to suit the Indian taste palate.
Burger King has crafted multiple Whopper films to cater to different regions of the country. Each film shows the journey of a protagonist who like many others believes that Western QSR brands do not understand the meaning of Indian Swaad and that their products are bland in nature. At the beginning of the TVC, the protagonist doubts the taste of the Whopper and post-consumption enjoys the Whopper a lot as it fulfils all taste expectations. Regional music is used as a hook to build cultural context as well as an expression of taste.
The TVCs will be aired in multiple languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and Telugu, in a nod to India’s diverse cultures and flavours. In addition to the television commercial, the campaign will be promoted through digital platforms, social media, digital influencers, out-of-home advertising (OOH) and in-restaurant displays.
With this campaign, Burger King has also introduced Glazed Premium Buns in the Whopper range. As part of continuous improvement, these Glazed Premium Buns not only add to the taste of the bun but also enhance the freshness. To encourage more guests to come try the Whopper at Burger King restaurants, the brand has also launched a Limited Time Offer in which the Extra Crunchy Veg Whopper is priced at Rs.129 instead of Rs.179 and Flame Grilled Chicken Whopper is priced at Rs.149 instead of Rs.199. This is a Dine In/Takeaway exclusive offer.
Speaking about the campaign, Kapil Grover, chief marketing officer said, “The Whopper served in India is unique and unlike any other in the world as it is customized to suit the Indian taste palate. Our new campaign, ‘Whopper: Swaad Aisa, India Jaisa,’ with its various regional edits perfectly embodies our commitment of serving tasty food which meets guests’ taste expectations. With the launch of premium glazed buns, we want to give the best Whopper experience to our guests. We are also rolling out an invitational Price Offer for our Veg and Chicken Whopper to encourage more and more guests to try our unique Whopper which is unlike any other burger.”
Black Pencil head of creative Pravin Sutar said, “One thing that we all know is that Indians are very particular about their food. They don’t just want it to taste good, they want it to be a perfect match for their Indian taste buds. They crave that desi masala, those spices, perfect quantity and the crispiest crunch in every bite. Well, that’s exactly what Burger King’s Whopper offers. Our films capture the taste expectations of every Indian, and how Whopper transforms those expectations into reality in a truly Indian way. The music used in the films is not just a device, it’s got a regional twist to it that makes it the sound and feeling of satisfaction when Indians enjoy their favourite desi flavours in the Whopper. The vibe, the treatment, the swaad, everything is Indian for every Indian.”
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
