Ad Campaigns
Kartik Aaryan slips into Skechers as new brand ambassador for India
MUMBAI: Skechers has found its newest sole mate in Kartik Aaryan. The Bollywood star has been signed on as brand ambassador for India, making his debut with a campaign for the brand’s buzz-worthy Hands Free Slip-ins — footwear that fuses fashion with no-fuss functionality.
Built for the on-the-go urbanite, Skechers’ Hands Free Slip-ins come equipped with the brand’s patented Heel Pillow tech — letting wearers slide into their shoes without bending down or lifting a finger. Think of it as the lazy genius’ dream sneaker — sleek, stylish, and smart.
Speaking on the association, Skechers South Asia Pvt. Ltd. CEO Rahul Vira said, “Kartik Aaryan embodies the spirit of Skechers—bold, versatile, stylish and innovative. We are proud to partner with Kartik, an award-winning actor that is equal parts talent, charisma and adventurous. As a prominent contemporary youth icon, his broad appeal coupled with his dynamic persona will help keep Skechers in the mind of consumers shopping for our in-demand lifestyle and athletic footwear across India. We believe Kartik’s influence will amplify our connection with his fans who value the innovation and comfort that is only offered by Skechers.”
Sharing his enthusiasm about joining the Skechers family, Aaryan said, “I am excited to collaborate with Skechers—a brand that stands at the intersection of cutting-edge performance and contemporary style. What truly impressed me is their relentless focus on innovation, especially the Slip-ins technology, which redefines convenience without compromising on design. I’m always on the move, so I love that I can just slip in and go. Skechers’ vision aligns perfectly with my own belief in pushing boundaries, and I look forward to being part of their incredible journey as they continue to inspire athletes and trendsetters alike.”
Kartik joins an all-star global Skechers lineup that includes Ananya Panday, Sunil Chhetri, Harry Kane, Jasprit Bumrah, Joel Embiid and more. With charm and swag to boot, Aaryan’s pairing with Skechers promises to put comfort and cool in the same step.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
