MAM
Mobavenue to ride the growth in the D2C market
Mumbai: Mobavenue, a high-performance user acquisition platform using its dynamic creative, programmatic advertising, and proprietary in-house AI-based media buying platform, is set to ride the growth in the D2C market, which is expected to rise from $12 billion in FY22 to $60 billion by FY27.
The expansion of the start-up ecosystem as a whole, which has produced well-established firms in the payments, logistics, app development, and marketing industries, has also aided the D2C sector by giving rise to several enablers and decreasing entry barriers. Direct-to-consumer firms are upending the retail industry by eschewing established distribution channels and passing the cost savings to their clients.
According to a recent analysis released by e-commerce enablement platform Shiprocket in cooperation with CII (The Confederation of Indian Industry) and Praxis Global Alliance, India’s D2C (direct-to-consumer) industry is expected to reach $60 billion by FY27. Many factors are working in favour of D2C industry expansion, including a youthful, active populace. Experts predict that by 2030, consumer spending will reach four trillion dollars. Speculation suggests that by 2030, spending on food, clothing, transportation, communication, and personal care will be doubled.
It is essential for a D2C player to quickly capture market share in sectors where traditional enterprises with established distribution channels and sizable client bases compete. The quickest way to do this is through aggressive marketing.
Mobavenue added that it has generated good traction in leading D2C companies with the help of its in-house products in programmatic acquisition, re-targeting, and growth management. With access to internal and external data management systems (DMP), Mobavenue generates user buckets that span different locations and strongly prefers D2C customers’ product offerings. Mobavenue’s in-house DMPs are the integrating systems that gather, organise, and activate first, second, and third-party audience data from various sources—allowing them to discover unique customer insights.
Mobavenue, with its consolidated database, dynamic creative, programmatic advertising, and proprietary in-house AI-based media buying platform, offers an extra benefit for D2C businesses: it enables enterprises to develop connections with target consumers through continued interaction with their brand. The significant amount of first-party data that D2C companies gather at each stage of the customer journey is one of the driving forces behind direct-to-consumer marketing. Coupled with Mobavenue’s unique marketing solutions, D2C businesses get access to a marketing superpower with data included in a mobile in-app advertising strategy.
Mobavenue Media co-founder Kunal Kothari said, “In one of our very effective marketing campaigns for a leading D2C fashion e-commerce client, we collaborated with the client to define the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and to find certain target populations who fit the specification. We observed that smaller towns, which up until now haven’t had access to fashion and lifestyle products suited to their requirements, make up a significant portion of the market for these D2C brands.”
He added, “The Tier II, III, and IV cities are mostly responsible for the D2C growth since these areas have wealthy yet brand-starved consumers who are open to trying new items. With the help of regional and vernacular publishers, in addition to premium listings, we were able to scale into these markets and reach new consumers. Once our DMP recognised the persona of a general user, we extended the traffic and witnessed gradual growth in numbers.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
