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CricHQ expands India executive team
MUMBAI: CricHQ, a cricket technology company is on an expansion spree. The company, which is looking at expanding its executive team in India has appointed Karthik Ramanujam as director of digital sales and marketing for the India market.
Ramanujam brings with him over 16 years of experience in ad sales, content and digital marketing, with earlier stints at NDTV Media, Sony Entertainment Television, Ten Sports, Vdopia and Qyuki Digital Media. In his current role, he will support global sales and user acquisition for CricHQ’s online and mobile platforms.
CricHQ CEO Simon Baker said, “We are very bullish about the Indian market opportunity and are building a strong team here to take full advantage of this opportunity. Karthik’s appointment is a significant boost for CricHQ’s India operations and it also sets the stage for more senior level hires in the near future.”
The company plans to hire 15 professionals for its corporate office in Bangalore in the next few months, which are in addition to over 70 professionals currently employed in India. CricHQ currently has presence in Chennai and Kochi. The Chennai office has 50 employees engaged in product development and data capture and analysis; whereas the Kochi office focuses on CricHQ’s global operations. The company aims to expand its India head count to over 400 employees in the next three years.
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Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
