MAM
Maxus bags IDBI’s Rs 200 million media business
MUMBAI: Maxus has bagged the IDBI media account in Mumbai. The account is estimated to be in the region of Rs 200-250 million. The win comes on the back of several wins the agency has recorded over the last 2-3 months.
Says an elated Maxus India and Asia Pacific MD CVL Srinivas, “We are delighted with these wins. Importantly for us they have come from all three of our main offices of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. We have strong operations in all these centers and today have a diverse client base across each of these units. All these clients are embarking on aggressive growth plans, and we are delighted to be chosen their media partner.”
According to Lodestar media CEO Shashi Sinha, Lodestar lost the agency three months ago. While FCB Ulka was handling the creative, Lodestar was handling the media duties. When the creative duties moved from FCB Ulka to Bates in June, the IDBI media duties moved to Maxus as Bates is a WPP agency.
Srinivas adds, “We have been selective in our pitching this year. After our big account wins last year, our focus has been to look at clients who have the potential to grow in the coming years, and where it makes business sense for us.”
Maxus India won several high profile pitches in 2004, including Britannia, Titan (Planning), Walt Disney, Titan (Buying).
Over the last three months, Maxus has added new businesses that tallies to about Rs 1 billion, according to the agency. These include AMD (microprocessors) in Bangalore, Essar Telecom (Mumbai), GE Money, SBI Cards, Dabur Oral care and the Bill Gates Foundation.
Maxus client portfolio in India includes Hero Honda, Hutch, Britannia, Titan, Seagram, Dabur, Pidilite, VIP luggage, Tata Motors (SUV), Himalaya, Reebok, Hindustan Times and AajTak.
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.
