Brands
CASE STUDY: How ABP Ananda put the ‘spotlight’ on Sunsilk for Durga Puja
Mumbai: Durga Puja marks the homecoming of goddess Durga and is the biggest festival in Kolkata. The grandeur and charm are no less in other parts of the country too and brands across categories release new campaigns to reach out to their target audience during this festive season. This past year the celebrations were somewhat muted due to the pandemic, however, ABP Ananda left no stone unturned to woo its audiences by lifting the pall of gloom with its special Durga Puja programming.
Having partnered with a plethora of brands from diverse categories, ABP Network’s branded content division, ‘ABP Spotlight’ created several special integrations for partner brands such as Sunsilk to help achieve brand awareness and equity through interactive and customizable sponsor integrations.
These properties have created exciting opportunities for brands to be involved in the channel’s programming in a meaningful way that doesn’t detract from its content, offering a high degree of presence and brand-building capabilities. For Sunsilk, ABP Spotlight created a five vignette series with each day defining a ‘Pujo look’. It shows the significance of all Pujo days from Sasthi to Dashami and the role of Bengali women in it.
The vignette series brought together three talented and influential faces in Kolkata – upcoming model cum actress Darshana Banik, star hair-stylist Jolly Chanda and popular styling artist Sandip Jasiwal. Each of these vignettes features Darshana dressed up in new attire and look for each day of the Puja, aided by Chanda and Jasiwal’s professional expertise which make these vignettes even more interesting with their hair-do tips, anecdotes, and easy styling hacks that women can do at the convenience of their home. Thus, the essence of Girlgiri (Sunsilk positioning) and the mood of the festival have been synergized into creating this integration.
Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w3iuHhcEV0
During the anxious Covid times, Sunsilk wanted to spread some festive cheer amongst its consumers. The haircare brand wanted to promote easy DIY hairstyles during the Durga Puja. Their current brand communication of “Tyohaar wali feel, tyohaar wali deal” was converted into the Durga Puja Look of the day series. It showed the significance of all Pujo days- from Sasthi to Dashami, and the role of Bengali women in it.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGrP2jpLAQR/?igshid=1w6k9y8sn75je
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGwYeXCA6H0/?igshid=19afnc6xzwdo
Sunsilk brand owner HUL’s Sandhya Poojary said, “We partnered with ABP Ananda on Parae Parae Serar Lodai (PPSL 2020) which is a fun Contest between Pandal Committees. As a part of the campaign, ABP Ananda is helping us reach out to our girls by creating beautiful short stories around the festive looks for the five days of the Durga Puja and encouraging them to gear up for the festive season under our ‘Tyohar Wali Feel, Tyohar Wali Deal’ campaign, through a series of vignettes.”
Durga Puja is not just a religious or a social event for Bengalis, it is an event that is woven into the social fabric of the society. It has a grip on values, beliefs, cultural orientation, fun, and the social quotient. Poojary added, “We hope to further inroad into the Bengal market and create recall in the hearts of all Bengalis. We look forward to many such associations with ABP Network in the future.” Hence this special vignette has been created which beautifully blends in with the core features of the haircare brand, the festive revelry aspect of Durga Puja, and the overall celebratory bonhomie.
Through creative and authentic integrations in their content, ABP Ananda has created tremendous value for the brand to shine and stand out this festive season. It not just creates value for ABP’s viewers but also allows Sunsilk to create a distinct and recognizable voice through the inventive collaboration. This creative offering has posed a unique opportunity for the beauty & personal care brand to leverage the reach & prominence of the news channel and engage effectively with their audiences at a crucial time when creating brand equity in the market is paramount. This innovative approach to creative integration urged the channel’s viewers to forget the pandemic and partake in the festivities, successfully implementing new-age influencer marketing techniques.
Brands
JioHotstar EVP, head subscriptions (SVOD) and media Piyush Kothari exits
Streaming executive signs off after 6.5-year run across DisneyStar and JioStar
MUMBAI: Piyush Kothari, EVP and head subscriptions (SVOD) and media at JioHotstar, has stepped down from his role, bringing the curtain down on a 6.5-year stint spanning the DisneyStar and JioStar eras.
Kothari shared the update in a note reflecting on what he called a “transformative” phase for the media industry and a personal journey through the fast-evolving world of streaming and sports entertainment.
“The last few years have been transformative for the media industry and experiencing this journey up close over the past 6.5 years with DisneyStar and now JioStar has been a thriller,” he wrote, thanking colleagues and collaborators who shaped his time in the business.
Kothari joined JioHotstar in November 2024 as EVP, head subscriptions (svod) and media, where he oversaw subscription revenues and subscriber growth for the platform’s svod business.
Before that, he spent over five years at The Walt Disney Company in a series of leadership roles. His last position there was head of product, growth, partnerships and international expansion for Disney+ Hotstar, where he led efforts to scale subscription revenues across direct to consumer and partnership channels. The role also involved overseeing the service’s standalone businesses in markets such as Singapore, Canada and the UK.
Earlier, he served as lead, corporate office and strategic projects, working across the company’s entertainment, sports and streaming businesses. He also headed business operations at Mashal Sports, the entity behind the Pro Kabaddi League, where he helped steer the league through key commercial milestones including a five year broadcast and streaming media rights deal.
Alongside his operational roles, Kothari also served as nominee director on the board of Mashal Sports and was a director on the board of Novi Digital, the company that operates Hotstar.
Before entering the media and entertainment space, Kothari held senior roles across consulting, fintech and conglomerates. He worked with Welspun Group as head, group executive office, with Aditya Birla Group as joint president and business head, digital, analytics and strategy at Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, and earlier served as vice president in the chairman’s office at the group.
His career also includes stints at Accenture as principal, Accenture Strategy, and earlier at Shell in channel development and sales.
Reflecting on his time in the media sector, Kothari said he leaves with a lasting belief in India’s subscription economy. He also joked about picking up a new affection along the way.
“Carrying with me love for kabaddi, a deep belief in the potential of the subscriptions business in India, and fond memories and friendships,” he wrote, adding that he is now “onward to the next chapter”.
