MAM
Media frat bonds at first global Aids creative meeting
MUMBAI: A couple of days ago, the first-ever global creative meeting on HIV/Aids was held by the United Nations in New York.
The event was attended by over 100 creative and programming directors from 35 media companies, leading media figures and non-government organisations from around the world.
The participants included Indian director Revathy Menon, whose film Phir Milenge addressed the social problem earlier this year. Actor and long-time activist Richard Gere delivered the keynote address at the meeting. He dwelt on the Heroes Project, a three-year campaign to combat the Aids in India.
Viacom chairman and CEO Sumner M Redstone said, “With two-thirds of the estimated cases preventable through information and education, the power of media is one of the most formidable tools that we have in fighting HIV/Aids. This disease knows no boundaries, no genders, and no ethnicities and so must our response.
“Now, more than ever, our industry must work together to find new and compelling ways to make HIV/Aids relevant to our audiences and to deliver lifesaving information to our viewers. Collectively, we can make a critical difference by helping to save millions of lives.”
Case studies that were featured at the meeting included Sesame Workshop’s co-produced series with South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, Takalani Sesame. This claims to be the first pre-school TV show to tackle the issue of stigmatisation through an HIV-positive five-year-old girl Muppet named Kami.
MTV Networks International creative director Cristian Jofre presented The R-Evolution of HIV/AIDS Communication. This was an overview of how media campaigns have evolved globally since the 1980’s among the film, music, television, sports and advertising industries.
Brands
Hocco crosses Rs 530cr revenue in two years
Sauce.vc-led Rs 100cr raise values ice cream brand at Rs 2,500cr pre-money as quick commerce hits 20 per cent of sales.
MUMBAI: Hocco has just scooped a seriously sweet milestone crossing the Rs 530 crore revenue mark in just two full years of operations. The fast-growing Indian ice cream and indulgence brand announced it has raised Rs 100 crore in fresh capital led by Sauce.vc. The round values the company at Rs 2,500 crore pre-money and underscores investor confidence in its rapid scale and distinctive India-first approach.
Founder Ankit Chona said the brand’s success stems from solving real Indian challenges extreme summer heat, fragmented cold chains and culturally rooted tastes. “In India, product development doesn’t end in the lab. It only ends when it survives the street,” he noted. This philosophy has produced viral hits such as Aamchi mango ice cream, BIX cake-sponge sandwiches, the Oh cone and culturally relevant collaborations like Haldiram’s Barfi and festive Modak specials.
Hocco currently operates manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad and Panipat with a production capacity of approximately 3 lakh litres per day, running near full capacity in peak season. The fresh capital will help expand this to around 4.5 lakh litres per day.
Quick commerce has emerged as a major growth engine, now contributing ~20 per cent of overall business and growing nearly 2x year-on-year. The channel has boosted product discovery, increased consumption frequency and helped extend ice cream beyond its traditional seasonal limits.
Sauce.vc founder Manu Chandra said, “At Sauce, we believe that when you chance upon an outlier business, you double down with stronger conviction. We see Hocco as just that.”
With a strong innovation pipeline, deeper distribution and continued focus on cultural relevance, Hocco is entering its third year aiming to capture even more mind space and market share. In a category long dominated by legacy players, this young brand is proving that the coolest way to win is to build for India’s realities, one scoop, one street and one satisfied craving at a time.
