MAM
ITC’s Fabelle debuts on Metaverse with a 3D wedding
Mumbai: With the new normal setting in, platforms like Metaverse are bringing people closer than ever before. ITC’s luxury chocolate brand Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates made its debut in Metaverse over this weekend.
Fabelle was an integral part of two weddings hosted on the Yug Metaverse and the TardiVerse (metaverse wedding partner – CoinSwitch Kuber) platforms.
In a ‘first-of-its-kind’ wedding event, the groom gifted the bride a metaverse version of Fabelle Trinity Truffles Extraordinaire. The brand further integrated a metaverse version of the Fabelle Chocolates cart, where guests could choose from an array of luxurious chocolates that would be delivered to their doorstep for a delightful experience even after the wedding. The elements of brand integration were conceptualised and deployed in association with Wavemaker India, agency partner of ITC.
“Metaverse is sure to elevate the bar of virtual gathering and meetings in the next few years, and we were one of the first off the block to transition to this platform. We are delighted to make our debut into the metaverse universe, and stand by our promise of delivering unparalleled experiences,” said ITC chocolates, confectionery, coffee, and new categories – food division chief operating officer Anuj Rustagi.
The couple- Abhijeet and Sansrati tied the knot on 5 February on a Made in India platform called Yug Metaverse. The digital avatars of the couple had their ceremony hosted on a scenic beachside venue where the guests also joined in via their digital avatars. The wedding on Saturday coincided with the physical event held in Bhopal.
“Marketing on Metaverse platform is the next wave in digital marketing,” said Wavemaker CEO- South Asia Ajay Gupte. “We have built an in-house team of experts to help our clients navigate better in this domain and find the right fit to associate with metaverse events. Metaverse is still at its nascent stage and offers us a huge opportunity to shape the platform that we really believe in. This is the future of consumer experience and we are all excited to ride this wave.”
Wavemaker India also crafted partnerships with Matrimony.com for the wedding. Talking about the 3D wedding, Matrimony.com chief marketing officer Arjun Bhatia said, “We feel excited about collaborating in a virtual world wedding experiment that opens up immense possibilities of engagement and immersion at YUG metaverse.”
Metaverse is a kind of virtual world where people can enter the digital world through virtual identity. In this virtual space, people also get a chance to hang out, shop, and meet friends. “Metaverse is a new concept and its adoption is still at an early stage worldwide. The team is excited to explore the possibilities that emerging technologies like metaverse, blockchain & cryptocurrency will open up in the future,” said Yug Metavers creator Utkarsh Shukla.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
