MAM
Initiative Media becomes media AOR for Urban Company
Mumbai: Online home service platform Urban Company has named Initiative Media, the full-service media arm of Mediabrands India as its media agency on record. The account was won following a closely contested multi-agency pitch and will be managed out of the agency’s Gurugram office.
According to a statement, the business mandate includes both online and offline media duties and will focus on providing comprehensive media solutions to augment business outcomes.
“We are extremely delighted by this association and prepared to position Urban Company as the country’s go-to platform for all of their listed services. Our approach is designed to deliver client-centric results and will ensure elevating the growth momentum for the brand,” said Initiative CEO Vaishali Verma.
Urban Company aims to rapidly expand its national footprint while also launching new products and services pan India, said the brand in a statement. “Initiative’s strategic and audience-first approach and understanding of their unique business model, aligns perfectly with Urban Company’s expectations for their future endeavours, making this a fitting partnership,” it added.
“We are stepping into the next phase of our evolution and expansion now and confident that Initiative will prove to be our trusted partner in this growth story,” stated Urban Company SVP Abhinav Tyagi. “The seamless combination of their superior strategic planning, the robust experience of managing new-age clients, backed by a passionate young team made the mark for us. We are looking forward to a great run together.”
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
