MAM
ISA elects Marico’s Saugata Gupta as chairman
MUMBAI: The newly elected executive council of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) met on 11 September and elected Marico’s managing director Saugata Gupta as its new chairman.
He takes over from Hemant Bakshi as he relocates to Unilever Indonesia as the CEO.
Gupta has been lending his support to the ISA for a long time as his colleagues from senior levels in marketing and media have been active in different committees of the ISA. An MBA from IIM Bangalore, Gupta has rich FMCG experience of over two decades having worked through ascending career rung in Cadbury (India & UK), ICICI Prudential & Marico. Currently, MD of Marico, he believes in an empowering work culture that would create ownership and make a difference in to the entire business ecosystem.
Gupta said, “Our focus would be on making industry partnership stronger and in particular to extend all support that is needed to help BARC come up as soon as possible with industry wide accepted and accurate TV audience research data representing viewers across the country. I am looking forward to the exciting times ahead for Advertisers, industry partners and fraternity associations to work as a stronger team to harness overall growth of advertising which in turn will help grow businesses and the Indian economy.”
The ISA has advertiser members from across industries who contribute to over two-thirds of the country’s national non-governmental ad spends. ISA, which is member of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), continues to partner with other industry bodies that connect to the advertisers such as initiating the formation of BARC.
Other members of the Executive Council are:
Tata Services Group Corporate Communications Corporate Affairs VP Atul Agrawal
Thomas Cook (India) Marketing and Service Quality head and chief innovation officer Abraham Alapatt
Agro Tech Foods director Narendra Ambwani
Bajaj Corp Business Development director Jimmy R Anklesaria
Infogain India director JC Chopra
Raymond strategic advisor Paulomi Dhawan
Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care brand director Sonali Dhawan
Aditya Birla Management Corporation Group Corporate Services and Strategy director Rajiv Dube
Godrej Consumer Products chief operating officer – Sales, Marketing & SAARC Sunil Kataria
Bajaj Electricals vice president & head advertising and brand development Beena Leji Koshy
Tata Global Beverages managing director and CEO Ajoy K Misra
Anisha Motwani, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd.
Mondelez India Foods Chocolate Category and Media director Siddhartha Mukherjee
Birla Sun Life Asset Management independent director Bharat V Patel
ITC divisional chief executive Sanjiv Puri
Nestle India Communication head Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan
Polycab Wires vice chairman, joint MD and group CEO R Ramakrishnan
Hindustan Unilever Personal Care Products executive director Samir Singh
Hawkins Cookers chairman Brahm Vasudeva
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
