MAM
Digitas taps ESPN Star Sports marketing head as COO
MUMBAI: Digitas, Publicis‘ digital marketing agency, has appointed Nirmal Dayani as its chief operating officer in India.
Dayani will report directly to Digitas India president Kanika Mathur.
His last stint was at ESPN Star Sports as head of marketing. He contributed to the successful launch of new channels – Star Cricket, ESPN HD and Star Cricket HD and led the company‘s diversification into new properties such as espnstar.com and ESPN Mobile.
Dayani has vast experience in the field of advertising and marketing, particularly in the digital space. He has over 21 years of work experience and has spent significant time at McCann Erickson, JWT and ESPN Star Sports (12 years).
Dayani has worked with leading brands such as Pepsi, Horlicks and Harpic and his experience with digital started with the launch of the famous “Super Selector” cricket game and several other properties for espnstar.com.
Mathur said, “We are looking forward to Nirmal leading Digitas India. We believe that with his experience and skills he will play a key role in nurturing client relationships, and driving growth.”
Dayani said, “This is an amazing opportunity and I am incredibly excited to be a part of the Digitas India team. In this new digital era we have a great opportunity to integrate our offerings and adding value to our customers/clients portfolios. I am looking forward to working closely with our clients and together developing their digital roadmaps and taking them to the next level in their growth curve.”
MAM
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.
