Brands
De Beers unveils unique second piercing ritual to boost diamond demand
MUMBAI: De Beers Group has introduced an innovative gifting occasion to enhance the appeal of natural diamonds among younger consumers—the second ear piercing. Rooted in India’s traditional and modern rituals, this initiative seeks to strengthen consumer connections with natural diamonds.
The centrepiece of this campaign is the ‘Love, From Dad’ collection, designed to honour the unique bond between fathers and daughters. De Beers Group envisions this as a symbolic milestone—a daughter’s decision to get a second piercing representing her independence, marked with a timeless diamond gift from her father.
To expand its reach, the programme is integrated into the Indian Natural Diamond Retailer Alliance (INDRA), launched earlier this year in collaboration with the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Retailers who register at www.indraonline.in can access and customise campaign materials, attend virtual training on natural diamonds, and utilise INDRA’s WhatsApp platform for seamless engagement.
De Beers India MD Amit Pratihari remarked, “With the innovative ‘Love, From Dad’ campaign, De Beers continues to promote the unique qualities and desirability of natural diamonds, reinforcing their status as the ultimate symbol of enduring love and meaningful rituals. This program not only strengthens consumer connections to natural diamonds, but also provides retailers with a strategic platform to enhance their offerings during the festive season and beyond.”
To further support Indian consumers, De Beers has launched a dedicated website, www.adiamondisforever.in, providing information on natural diamonds, a curated selection of diamond stud earrings for second piercings, and a store locator for participating retailers.
The campaign employs a comprehensive, multi-lingual approach spanning television, print, OOH, radio, influencer marketing, and social media, ensuring deep consumer engagement. Conceptualised and executed by 82.5 Communications, it aims to highlight the special father-daughter relationship through storytelling that resonates across diverse audiences.
82.5 Communications executive creative directors – south Sangeetha Sampath and Ravikumar Cherussola commented, “Relationships and diamonds have always been a rich space to explore. Our task was to identify a fresh take in this space. The world sees teenagers in a stereotypical way. But the dad sees his young teenager as an adult-in-training. Her overflow of emotions is a part of growing up, while she is figuring who she is and isn’t, like when she wants a second ear piercing. This campaign is a faithful portrayal of this dad-teenage daughter relationship.”
Rolling out just ahead of the festive season, the ‘Love, From Dad’ campaign aims to establish natural diamonds as the perfect expression of love and celebration.
Brands
Flipkart completes reverse flip to India ahead of IPO
Walmart-owned e-commerce giant shifts domicile from Singapore to Bengaluru
MUMBAI: Flipkart has completed its restructuring to move its parent company from Singapore back to India, marking a key milestone as the Walmart-owned marketplace prepares for a potential initial public offering on Indian stock exchanges, ET reported, citing people aware of the matter.
The move, often referred to as a “reverse flip”, relocates the company’s legal home to India and aligns its corporate structure more closely with its largest market. It also clears an important regulatory step for Flipkart as it explores listing plans.
As part of the restructuring, several Singapore-based entities have been merged into Flipkart Internet Private Limited, which will now serve as the main holding company for the entire group.
The consolidation brings a number of major businesses directly under the Indian parent company. These include fashion platform Myntra, logistics arm Ekart, travel booking platform Cleartrip, healthcare marketplace Flipkart Health, and fintech venture Super.money.
Under the new structure, global investors including Walmart, Microsoft, SoftBank, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board will hold their stakes directly in the Indian entity rather than through an overseas holding company.
The redomiciliation required approval from the Indian government because Chinese technology company Tencent owns around a 5 to 6 per cent stake in Flipkart. Under Press Note 3, investments from countries sharing a land border with India require prior government clearance.
Flipkart had already secured approval from the National Company Law Tribunal in December. With the latest clearance from the central government, the company has now obtained all the regulatory approvals needed to complete the relocation, ET reported earlier.
Flipkart had originally shifted its holding structure to Singapore in 2011 to tap global capital more easily. However, as India’s capital markets have matured, several start-ups have begun returning their domiciles to the country ahead of public listings. Companies such as Razorpay, Groww, and Meesho have taken similar steps.
The company is now expected to move ahead with its IPO preparations and has begun early discussions with merchant bankers. According to people familiar with the matter, Flipkart could file its draft prospectus later this year, setting the stage for what may become one of the most closely watched listings in India’s e-commerce sector.
Flipkart has been majority-owned by Walmart since 2018, when the US retail giant acquired a 77 per cent stake in the company for $16 billion in one of the largest e-commerce deals globally.
