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FoxyMoron wins digital mandate for A.O. Smith
MUMBAI: A.O. Smith has awarded its mandate to digital marketing solutions agency, FoxyMoron. Additionally, the agency will also be contributing towards all above the line marketing activities for the brand. The digital mandate will be handled by the agency's Bangalore office set up in 2015.
The mandate entails building the brand's social presence through strategic planning and innovative solutions that will increase market penetration and consumer engagement. FoxyMoron will be involved in the overall strategy including influencer strategy, content creation, design and media planning across all social media platforms, as well as SEO and website development. The agency will work towards building brand awareness, product affinity with a collaborative strategy focusing around engaging digital content.
FoxyMoron business head-south Kartik Hariharan said, “It is a proud moment for us to win the mandate of a brand like A.O Smith, a global brand and market leader. This is a category first for us and we look forward to learning and delivering impactful campaigns that align with the brand's global vision.”
FoxyMoron co-founder Pratik Gupta added, "We're stoked to be associated with A.O. Smith. This is a mega-win for us and a category first at FoxyMoron. What is even more exciting is that we are responsible for the full funnel communication and media strategies for A.O. Smith. We're looking forward to working with the team and doing great work together."
Earlier this month, the brand kicked off its first campaign, #AOSmithCares, celebrating acts of kindness. A.O Smith made a donation of INR 500 towards the PM CARES Fund, for each story shared by people about their own acts of kindness during the lockdown. The campaign was received positively with over 500 responses, helping the brand raise Rs 2.5 lakh for the PM CARES Fund.
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Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
