MAM
Firework rope in former 9GAG, Taboola, Tout, Evolve Media senior management to power innovations on the open web
Silicon Valley based short video platform Firework have roped in 9GAG’s Senior Vice President and GM Russel Schneider as the Head of Digital Strategy. Former head of Taboola News in the US, Anand Vijayanand, Bill Jennings, former Chief Digital Officer at Patientpoint in New York and Former Global COO of Evolve Media, Jason Holland have joined Firework’s leadership team in Redwood City, California. In addition to that, former Chief Revenue Officer of Tout, David Parsons has also joined Firework as its Head of Strategy and Business Development.
While Jason Holland will lead as the President of Global Business for Firework, Anand Vijayanand will spearhead the mobile division of Firework. Bill Jennings has been appointed as the President of Firework Network. David Parsons on the other hand, will be responsible for business strategy in the brands global expansion.
With more than 100 years of cumulative experience among them, this team has been entrusted with Firework’s open web initiatives globally.
At Evolve Media, Jason was pivotal in leading expansion into emerging markets and managing global business and strategy. At 9GAG, Russel Schneider developed a new blueprint to help brands integrate with social communities, MEME culture, and social creators. With over 15 years in leading digital businesses, Russel has partnered with Netflix, Paramount Pictures, EA Games, Dunkin' Donuts, Tencent Games and many more that made 9GAG one of world’s most followed entertainment brands.
Anand Vijayanand, an Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu and Stanford Graduate was the VP and GM at Celltick in Silicon Valley before joining Taboola, heading their News division. Anand’s decades of experience in growth and business strategy and his experience with OEMs will drive Firework’s mobile application and product evolution and key partnerships.
Deborah Vue, Global Head of Business and People Operation at Firework Headquarters in Redwood City, California said “Anand, Bill, Jason, Russel and David will be part of the leadership team at Firework. Our rapid growth and expansion around the globe are a validation of the compelling product that the team have put together and the journey that lies ahead of us. The experience that this team brings is diverse and rich and will add to the speed and agility with which Firework will build value in people’s digital journey”
Jason Holland, President of Global Business at Firework said, “Firework is the world’s fastest growing short video platform and we are only getting started. I anticipate an extremely exciting journey at Firework, driving growth and strategy globally to enter the next stage of internet’s evolution. Firework is well poised be a game changer and it will be a delight to work with such inspired teams across the globe”
Firework’s progress in the short video space on the open web have been rapid with their commitment to innovation and radical approach to offer business solutions for publisher partners. Firework has emerged as the largest short video operator on the open web, that is poised to transform social media, empower creators and create a shift in the way internet operates.
This dream team will develop a fruitful journey for publishers, creators, brands to derive optimal value from the unrestrictive nature of the open web.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
