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GroupM forms R&D partnership with Singapore Economic Development Board
MUMBAI: GroupM has inked a new R&D partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business center.
The three-year plan will support the set-up of a global R&D team in the Singapore market with a focus on developing new data science technologies that extend GroupM’s leading position in media investment management.
Under the terms of the development plan, GroupM will increase the number of PhDs in data sciences and analytics it hires for its Singapore operations, as well as expand its relationship with the country’s advanced science and technology institutions, through a strategic investment by EDB. The collaboration will enhance Singapore’s position in attracting the world’s most talented data scientists through new jobs in the Singapore market. Against a backdrop of fierce global competition for these experts, the partnership will further support Singapore as a key destination for data science and analytics professionals, providing skilled candidates with industry-leading opportunities to develop their careers as part of GroupM.
“The rapid worldwide growth of data-driven advertising has driven a corresponding, and massive, demand for PhD level data scientists to design and implement these next generation media technologies. With today’s partnership, GroupM gains a valuable advantage in attracting the most astute and promising minds to our Singapore R&D operations while advancing Singapore as a world center for the development of the industry’s most advanced media products,” said GroupM Analytics chief data officer and CEO Harvey Goldhersz.
The agreement is unique in the media industry, recognizing GroupM’s preeminence in the data and analytics areas and providing an increased number of data-science jobs in Singapore outside of the academic realm. GroupM’s R&D operations will leverage Singapore’s infrastructure and talent pool to provide professionals with favorable conditions in which to develop their careers.
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) has been working closely with the industry to build up a comprehensive ecosystem as part of its vision for Singapore to become a regional digital marketing hub.
Singapore Economic Development Board assistant managing director Kelvin Wong added, “We welcome the establishment of GroupM R&D in Singapore, and the transformative effect it will have on how brandowners plan and buy media. It will also create opportunities for analytics talent to work in the exciting and fast-moving space of media investment management, and contribute to EDB’s goal of developing 2,500 analytics professionals in Singapore by 2017.”
MAM
Adbhoot weaves AI magic into CottonKing Aura linen campaign
Subtle AI craft brings premium linen’s texture, fall and finesse to life in cinematic film that feels tangibly real.
MUMBAI: Adbhoot has threaded the needle perfectly using AI so invisibly that the real star of Cottonking’s new premium linen range, Aura, gets to shine. The campaign, built around the insight that premium clothing isn’t merely worn but experienced, puts the fabric itself centre stage. Instead of flashy drama or exaggerated styling, every frame focuses on what truly defines Aura: its visible weave, natural drape, soft finish and effortless movement. The result feels so tactile you almost want to reach out and touch the screen.
What sets the work apart is its quiet confidence in technology. There is no “look at our AI” fanfare. Adbhoot treated the tool as a precision filmmaking instrument ensuring consistent model features, accurate proportions, natural lighting behaviour and real-world physics so the film feels polished, controlled and unmistakably premium rather than artificial.
Adbhoot, founder & creative director Vaibhav Pandit explained, “AI is powerful only when it doesn’t announce itself. For Aura, our intent was clear. The fabric needed to feel tangible, the lighting needed to behave naturally, and the model had to remain authentic throughout. We shaped AI around the brief, not the other way around.”
Cottonking director Koushik Marathe added, “With Aura, our vision was clear: to create a premium linen range that feels elevated not just in look, but in experience. Linen is a fabric of character, it breathes, it moves, and it carries a distinct elegance that can’t be replicated. This campaign captures that essence beautifully.”
The campaign marks another step in Adbhoot’s thoughtful approach to modern storytelling, innovation supports the narrative rather than stealing the spotlight. In an era when AI is often used to grab attention, this one stands out by staying quietly honest letting the linen do the talking and the craft do the work.
From weave to wind-blown drape, Aura doesn’t just look premium, it feels it. And thanks to Adbhoot’s restrained touch, viewers are left with the impression of real fabric, real movement, and real emotion rather than pixels and prompts. In the world of fashion advertising, that’s the kind of seamless finish that really leaves a mark.
