MAM
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India joins hands with Mohun Bagan Super Giant for the Indian Super League (ISL)
Mumbai: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) today announced its collaboration as an Associate sponsor of the oldest and iconic football club, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) for the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 for a period of 11 months.
The collaboration marks a significant milestone for both HMSI as well as MBSG and promises to elevate the sporting experience of football enthusiasts across the nation.
As part of this association, HMSI will promote its iconic brand ‘Dio’ which has been captivating hearts since its debut in 2002. As India’s first moto-scooter designed for the fun-loving and dynamic young generation, the Dio has been a style symbol on the road. Taking forward its moto-scooter DNA and creating more excitement among fun-seeking youngsters, HMSI introduced the all-new Dio 125 in 2023.
Throughout the ISL 2023-24, Honda Dio will feature prominently on the player’s jerseys, adding to the energy and excitement of the ISL. This move ensures that Honda’s vibrant presence will be carried by the players of MBSG as they step onto the field, creating a dynamic connection between the brand and the sport.
In addition to jersey branding, HMSI’s association with MBSG for its brand Dio will extend to other strategic branding opportunities within the ISL. HMSI’s presence will be evident through perimeter hoarding during matches, ensuring that fans across stadiums and television audiences nationwide will experience the brand’s essence. The concourse area will also showcase Honda’s branding, enhancing the overall match-day experience for fans and supporters.
Speaking about the association with Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG), Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India director, sales and marketing Yogesh Mathur said, “The association between HMSI and Mohun Bagan Super Giant is a testament to our mutual commitment to providing thrilling experiences to football fans and enthusiasts alike. This partnership promises to add excitement, energy, and joy to the ISL 2023-24 season. Honda Dio, with its “Fun” philosophy, aligns perfectly with the fun and fervour that football brings with it. We look forward to an action-packed season of football and memorable moments with MBSG.”
Expressing his excitement about the partnership, RPSG Sports Pvt Ltd chief executive officer Colonel Vinod Bisht said, “We are honoured to forge this partnership with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India. As a club with a strong legacy, we share the same vision of inspiring young minds through the thrilling world of football. Together, we will leave an indelible mark on the sports industry, and in West Bengal specifically. We welcome Honda Dio to the Mohun Bagan family, and we look forward to an incredible journey ahead.”
MAM
Smytten appoints Shishir Varma as CEO of Pulseai Research
Rebranded AI platform scales with 150 plus clients and 30 million users.
MUMBAI: In a world obsessed with what consumers say, Smytten is betting on what they actually do. The company has appointed Shishir Varma as chief executive officer of Pulseai Research, signalling a sharper push into AI-led, behaviour-driven consumer insights. The move comes as Smytten rebrands its insights vertical from Smytten PulseAI to Pulseai Research, marking a shift away from traditional, project-based research towards a more continuous, intelligence-led model.
Varma brings over 30 years of global experience across APAC markets, including India, China and Japan. Most recently managing director, Insights at Kantar Japan, he has built and scaled consumer insight businesses across geographies, including playing a key role in establishing Millward Brown in India. His mandate now: turn Pulseai into a category-defining platform in a space still dominated by surveys and static reports.
The pitch is straightforward but ambitious. Instead of relying on claimed responses, Pulseai Research taps into observed behaviour leveraging Smytten’s ecosystem of 30 million users built over a decade of product discovery, trials and purchases. The idea is to close the long-standing gap between what consumers claim and how they actually behave.
The numbers suggest early traction. In under 18 months, the platform has onboarded over 150 enterprise clients across sectors, pointing to growing demand for faster, more reliable alternatives to legacy research models.
Under the hood, the platform blends behavioural data with AI and large language model-led analysis to deliver real-time sentiment tracking, scalable qualitative insights, faster quantitative studies and always-on brand intelligence. In practical terms, that means compressing research timelines from weeks to days without sacrificing depth.
The ambition extends beyond FMCG. Pulseai Research is positioning itself as a cross-category intelligence layer, spanning auto, education, gadgets and emerging consumer segments anywhere behaviour-rich data can sharpen decision-making.
For Smytten, the leadership hire is less about optics and more about direction. With Varma at the helm, the company is leaning into a simple but powerful premise: in the age of AI, insight isn’t just about asking better questions, it’s about watching more closely.
