MAM
Hershey India redefines Valentine’s day celebrations with an AI-driven experience
Mumbai: Hershey India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company, a leading global Snacking and Confectionery Company and the largest producer of quality chocolates in North America, is back with the third edition of its flagship campaign, #YourForevers this Valentine’s day with an AI-powered element.
Hershey India’s celebration of myriad relationships mirrors the vast assortment of chocolates the brand offers, such as Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Exotic Dark, and Hershey’s Bars. In a move to make this Valentine’s day even sweeter for consumers, Hershey India has launched a comprehensive 360-degree approach, unveiling a tantalizing array of new products including Hershey’s Kisses Cashews, Hershey’s Exotic Dark Turkish Hazelnuts – Mocha and Caramel Flavor, and Hershey’s Bar – Dark ‘n’ Rich Coffee Flavor. The new launches aim to extend the brand’s distinctive proposition of expressing affection between loved ones by creating special moments. Additionally, the brand’s campaign features an added element of personalization enabled by AI technology.
The AI-powered campaign invites consumers to express feelings to their Forevers through an innovative and interactive experience which helps them create personalized dedications on the microsite (https://yourforevers.hersheyland.in/). Users can create and dedicate their proclamations by providing a few prompts, which will be transformed into a personalised ‘Snap Song’. The ‘Snap Song’ will have a custom photo and lyrics created and sung using generative AI technology. The output will then be shared with users, allowing them to share the heartfelt creation with their Forevers.
The brand has additionally partnered with leading storytelling platform Tiny Tales to showcase the dynamics of modern relationships through their highly acclaimed web show, ‘Butterflies’. The webisodes present a beautiful representation of love in myriad expressions, from the profound relationship between lovers to the cherished bond among friends. These heartwarming webisodes feature Ritwik Bhowmik and Reem Shaikh as the endearing couple who is about to tie the knot, celebrated TV Actor Asha Negi and Namita Dubey as friends who are trying to rekindle the magic of their past and Influencer Ashnoor Kaur, Harsh Gandhi and Arjun Deswal as best buddies on the verge of stepping into adulthood.
Commenting on the campaign, Hershey India marketing director Ankit Desai said, “Valentine’s day is one of the most widely celebrated occasions, and in recent years, we have seen chocolates gaining prominence as a delicious enabler to expressing love during this special day. It’s a day dedicated to celebrating love, and through Hershey’s delectable range of chocolates, we want to empower our consumers to convey their feelings across relationships be it their parents, spouse or friends. This Valentine’s day, we have adopted an integrated 360-degree approach, encompassing new product launches, media on our lead brand Hershey’s Kisses and a new campaign on Hershey’s Exotic Dark along with in-store activations. Additionally, we are amplifying the campaign on digital through our association with Terribly Tiny Tales, coupled with a first-of-its-kind AI-enabled ‘Snap Song’, which is a personalised song crafted using generative AI technology, tailored just for our consumers. With these initiatives, we aim to deliver a strong performance this Valentine’s.”
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
