MAM
Carat bags Rs 4b business from Advertising Agencies Guild
| MUMBAI: India’s first media independent agency Carat, part of the Rs 450 billion Aegis group, claims to have bagged business worth Rs 4 billion through the AAG (Advertising Agencies Guild).
This is the world’s first such initiative taken by a consortium of agencies by virtue of which the agencies can capitalise on their combined resources to offer clients “world class media planning and buying”.
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AAG, formed in 2002, is an association consisting of mid-evel advertising agencies based in Delhi. It has 29 members with a combined media billing in excess of Rs 4 billion. Members of the Guild include names such as Adknack Advertising, Akshara Advertising, Arihant Advertising, Arms Communications, Bharat Marketing and Advertising, Capital Advertising, Censor Advertising, Centum Advertising and Marketing, Chiranjan Advertising, Crayons Advertising, Crescent Communications, Critique Communication, Foresight Marketing and Communications, Fusion Advertising Service, Glaze Ads, Graphisads, Hakuhodo Percept, Harmilap Advertising, Headstart Advertising, Indus Union, Inter Network Kommunication, Kaps Advertising, Pamm Advertising and Marketing Quantum Communications, Rashtriya Advertising Span Communications, Themes Communications, Ushak Kaal Communications and Young Advertising, amongst others.
Carat Asia Pacific CEO David Liu was quoted in a release as saying, “This win reconfirms the strengths of a media independent to provide customised, unbiased solutions to clients. It’s an exciting win and ‘first of its kind in the world’.” Carat claims to be a key player in the Indian media market handling business worth over Rs 70 billion.
AAG chairman Kunal Lalani was quoted as saying, “We wanted a world class media specialist company — one which is not aligned to any advertising agency and will understand our needs and provide us with special customised solutions. After series of meetings and deliberations we found a perfect partner for this endeavour in Carat.” Lalani said, “It is only apt that Indian entrepreneurs who otherwise compete with each other in the market, have taken such a bold step to consolidate their services.”
The Carat Asia Pacific network is located in 12 countries including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. After just six years in operation, the network has over 600 media professionals and billings in excess of US $1.9 billion. |
MAM
Kelvinator launches ‘Summer Paused’ AC activation in Mumbai
Three day Carter Road stunt targets Gen Z with interactive cooling experience
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s heatwave met its match and briefly, even time seemed to freeze. Kelvinator has rolled out an on-ground activation titled ‘Summer Paused’ at Carter Road Promenade, turning a busy seaside stretch into a surreal, snow-dusted spectacle to spotlight its heavy-duty air conditioners. At the heart of the installation is a live performer suspended mid-motion, staged as a “frozen” figure amid artificial snow and icy backdrops. The visual contrast chilled theatrics against Mumbai’s peak summer does the heavy lifting, translating a product promise into something passers-by can literally see and feel.
The objective is clear: cut through seasonal advertising clutter and make cooling tangible. Rather than leaning on traditional messaging, the brand is betting on experiential storytelling to drive recall and social media traction.
The three-day activation is designed to be more than a static display. Interactive formats such as ‘Break the Freeze’, ‘Brain Freeze’, and ‘The Staredown’ invite visitors to engage directly, nudging them from spectators to participants. An Instagram-led mechanic further amplifies the effort, encouraging user-generated content and extending the campaign’s reach beyond its physical footprint.
The choice of location and format signals a sharp focus on younger, digital-first audiences Gen Z and millennials who frequent high-footfall urban hotspots and are more likely to share immersive experiences online.
Behind the theatrics sits a broader product push. Kelvinator’s latest AC range is positioned around smart technology, energy efficiency, and durability, tailored to increasingly unpredictable and intense Indian summers. But instead of listing features, the campaign opts to dramatise the outcome: cooling so effective, it can “pause” summer itself.
In a category where every brand promises relief, Kelvinator is trying to make that promise visible, one frozen moment at a time.
