MAM
CBS to use drug stores to push comedy block
MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS has come up with a novel way to push its Monday comedy block. It will use drug stores and prescription bags to create water cooler buzz.
For its comedy show Out Of Practice the companmy has come up with the tagline Quench Your Thirst for Comedy. CBS’s marketing group has announced that it will reach viewers by advertising on AquaCell Media’s water cooler systems and cup holders.
The cast of the show will be featured on water coolers in hundreds of Rite Aid and Duane Reade stores. The broadcaster states that the drug store placement is ideal since the comedy is about a family of five doctors.
CBS’s drug store marketing also includes advertising for its Monday comedy line-up on prescription bags. The tagline Prescription-Strength Comedy is being used to plug television’s top comedy block which includes returning hits The King Of Queens and Two And A Half Men and new shows How I Met Your Mother and the earlier mentioned Out Of Practice.
AquaCell Media’s Message On The Bottle advertising program provides unique out-of-home advertising. The company installs its patented self-filling AquaCell Bottled Water Cooler System into various locations free of charge under a multi-year agreement and retains ownership of the billboard water cooler. Revenue is generated through the sale of the advertising space on the bottle band and cup holder of the permanently attached five-gallon bottle to companies that provide products and services pertinent to the demographics and location.
CBS Marketing Group president George Schweitzer says, “At the heart of any promotional campaign is the drive to inspire water cooler buzz. What better way to accomplish this than by putting advertisements for one of our highly anticipated new comedies — Out Of Practice — on AquaCell’s water coolers”.
Brands
Madhu Soman joins Crestoria Global advisory board role
Former WION, Zee Business executive pivots to mentorship platform
MUMBAI: Madhu Soman, former chief business officer at WION and Zee Business, has joined the board of advisors at Crestoria Global, marking a shift from newsroom leadership to mentorship and education.
Soman, who brings close to three decades of experience across journalism and media management, said the move reflects a growing focus on shaping the next generation through guidance and real-world insight. His career spans leadership roles at organisations including Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and Reuters, covering markets from India to Asia-Pacific.
“Across 28 years in the news business, one idea kept resurfacing as a meaningful off-ramp, teaching, mentorship, and helping shape the next generation,” said Soman. “Crestoria sits right at that intersection.”
Crestoria Global, which positions itself as a long-term education and career advisory platform, focuses on helping students navigate global opportunities through structured guidance, research-led insights and personalised mentorship. The company said its approach goes beyond university admissions to focus on long-term career positioning.
Soman added that the platform’s philosophy of designing success with intent, rather than leaving it to chance, resonated with his own outlook on impact and influence.
The advisory board brings together professionals from diverse fields, including academia, media and corporate leadership, aimed at offering students a broader perspective on career pathways in an increasingly complex global landscape.
As he steps into this new role, Soman’s move signals a wider trend of seasoned industry leaders turning towards mentorship, where experience is not just shared, but scaled for the next generation.
