MAM
Manasi Narasimhan is marketing & comm VP at Mastercard
MUMBAI: Manasi Narasimhan has been appointed as the new vice president for marketing and communications at payments and technology company, Mastercard.
In her new role, Manasi will be responsible for driving Mastercard’s marketing & communications strategy for South Asia region. She will work closely with key regional and global teams to deliver core business values and brand equity for Mastercard and also oversee the development of strategies and campaigns for Mastercard’s advertising, sponsorships, promotions, as well as digital and consumer marketing initiatives across the region.
Mastercard country corporate officer India and division president, South Asia Porush Singh says, “Manasi brings a wealth of consumer marketing experience to Mastercard. Given her extensive experience and stellar track record in leading transformational campaigns, Manasi is well-placed to drive the growth of the Mastercard brand.”
In her previous stints, Manasi has worked with Godrej Industries as vice president strategic marketing for over four years. She was also part of the Masterbrand campaign that emphasised the use of mobile and received global applauses including the EMVIES award.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
