MAM
Coca Cola, Paradox launch Thums Up Everest Challenge mobile game
MUMBAI: Paradox Studios Limited announced the release of the mobile game ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge,’ in association with Coca-Cola India. The game, developed by Paradox Studios, is based on Thums Up’s unique action packed brand campaign, the ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge – ‘Hai Dum?,’ which provides Thums Up drinkers an opportunity to test their mettle on the slopes of Mount Everest.
Mobile games have now emerged as the latest tactic to be employed in promoting brand campaigns. ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge’ is the world’s first ever mobile game to be used as a promotional tool. Made available to the 10 million subscriber base of the Reliance India Mobile network, the game sports a contest that promises the winner a Royal Enfield ThunderBird specially customised for Thums Up.
Paradox recently, also partnered with Bollywood to release a promotional mobile game based on the movie Jurm, which saw close to 150,000 downloads on the first day of its launch. The company has also developed a string of prestigious international titles like Jean Claude Van Damme, the PRO BMX Stunt teams, Aussie racing legend Peter Brock and Targa rally.
Paradox Studios chief marketing officer Salil Bhargava said, “As demonstrated by our alliance with KPS Films’ Jurm, Paradox is always game to explore revolutionary new strategies to market its latest titles. As the first ever mobile game to promote a brand campaign, ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge’ gives millions the opportunity to experience the thrill of the adventure contest from the comfort of their mobile phones. The game’s release marks the beginning of an era where mobile games are seen as a powerful medium to generate nationwide brand awareness.”
Talking about the tie-up, Coca-Cola India vice president marketing Vikas Gupta said, “We’re glad to be a part of this unique endeavor. Based on the actual challenge, the game goes well with Thums Up’s association with extreme sports and its popularity amongst the youth. We’re confident that the game, with its thrilling and addictive content, will definitely spark an interest about the challenge among the large mobile user populace in India.”
To broaden its appeal and achieve maximum exposure for the Campaign, the Thums Up Everest Challenge’ game is currently available for free on the Reliance India Mobile network.
Brands
Zscaler, Airtel launch India AI Cyber Research Centre
New hub to boost cyber resilience and trusted AI use
NEW DELHI: As India’s digital engine roars ahead, so do the risks riding shotgun. In response, Zscaler, Inc. and Bharti Airtel have joined hands to launch the AI and Cyber Threat Research Center – India, a national initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s cyber defences and accelerating responsible AI adoption.
The centre is designed as a multi stakeholder platform that brings together industry, government and academia. Its mission is clear: protect critical sectors such as telecom, banking and energy, shield everyday digital users, and future proof India’s fast expanding online ecosystem.
India has long been a major innovation hub for Zscaler, with a substantial portion of its cyber research talent based here. With this new centre, that footprint evolves into a national collaboration engine. The idea is simple but ambitious, build in India, for India, and help power the country’s journey towards a secure and digitally self reliant future.
The timing is telling. India is building digital systems at population scale, not just enterprise scale. That scale has widened the attack surface dramatically. At the same time, cyber criminals and nation state actors are deploying AI to scan, probe and exploit vulnerabilities in minutes.
Zscaler’s research arm, ThreatLabz India, reports millions of infiltration attempts every month. These include espionage campaigns linked to regional geopolitical tensions, 1.2 million intrusion attempts from 20,000 sources targeting 58 Indian digital entities, and a rise in zero day exploit attempts across multiple industries.
In such an environment, perimeter based security models are struggling to keep pace. The new centre aims to push a shift towards secure by design systems and Zero Trust architecture.
Its strategy rests on four pillars: protect through real time intelligence, remediate by working directly with government agencies, facilitate adoption of AI driven security and Zero Trust frameworks, and build a stronger cybersecurity talent pipeline through specialised certifications.
As founding members, Zscaler and Airtel will combine global threat intelligence with local network visibility. Zscaler will deploy a dedicated India focused research team and draw insights from its Zero Trust Exchange platform, which processes over 500 billion daily transactions worldwide. Airtel, meanwhile, will contribute deep visibility into IoT and mobile traffic, helping detect suspicious activity faster and coordinate response across the ecosystem.
Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal, said the partnership extends Airtel’s commitment to safeguarding customers and the nation’s digital fabric. He added that the collaboration would address challenges unique to the Indian market and encourage secure and confident digital engagement.
Zscaler chief executive, chairman and founder Jay Chaudhry, said India’s digital ambition cannot be secured with legacy firewalls and VPNs. He noted that a modern Zero Trust architecture is essential for a hyper connected world and that the new centre would harness the scale of Zscaler’s global security cloud while empowering a new generation of Indian cyber defenders.
Additional members from critical public and private sectors are expected to join the initiative in the coming months, expanding its scope and deepening collaboration.
In a world where threats travel at machine speed, India’s answer is to think faster, collaborate wider and build smarter.
