MAM
Edtech brand Great Learning tells perseverance is key to success
NEW DELHI: Great Learning has launched its first multi-film ad campaign featuring brand ambassador, Virat Kohli. The campaign consists of a series of ad films titled, ‘Power Ahead – Jo Seekhta Hai Wahi Aage Badhta Hai’. It focuses on the importance of lifelong learning and showcases how upskilling is a necessary step for students and professionals to power ahead in their careers. The ad films will air across 40 national channels like across sports, entertainment, news, and music. The ad films will also be aired on OTT platform Disney + Hotstar throughout the Dream 11 Indian Premier League 2020, for which the brand is an Associate Sponsor. The campaign has been conceptualized by Sideways and directed by Cornerstone.
The ad films open with Virat addressing the audience while reflecting on Great Learning’s philosophy of lifelong learning as a necessity for success. Virat himself personifies this philosophy and believes that career success comes to those who are always looking to learn something new, especially in a world where things are changing so rapidly around us. While striking a conversation with the viewers, Virat emphasizes the need to keep learning to stay on top of one’s game. ‘Cricket ho ya koi bhi career jo seekhta hai wahi aage badhta hai,’ he quips in these films.
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Great Learning CMO Aparna Mahesh said, “We are excited to launch our first set of commercials with Virat Kohli during the biggest sporting event of the year, the IPL. Virat represents the aspirations of Young India. He is someone who is so passionate about his game, pursues excellence relentlessly, and keeps improving through disciplined effort. We believe he will inspire millions of learners to chase career excellence with the same passion and reach their goals through high-quality education provided by Great Learning. This campaign with Virat will elevate the Great Learning brand to a higher level in terms of awareness as well as a preference when people think of high-quality professional education.”
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.
