MAM
Mountain Dew encourages people to be courageous in new TVC
MUMBAI: Mountain Dew brand has always focused on facing one’s fears to achieve exemplary results. Targeted at the youth of India, the beverage brand has unveiled a new campaign that encourages consumers to move beyond their fears and stand victorious in the race of life.
The new TVC delves into the daily struggles of people across the spectrum – bringing out that each person reacts differently to circumstances and that fear is subjective with no definite scale, measure, or boundary. The film is a reverberation of Mountain Dew’s belief that in case of a challenge, there are only two choices one can make – either give in to fear and turn back or overcome fear and move ahead with courage. It is the choice that one makes that sets the real heroes apart from the rest.
The film brings together situations and scenarios from the lives of different people in the form of a montage – a boy facing the microphone in front of an audience, a boxer in the boxing ring, a biker at the edge of a cliff, a girl standing at the edge of a diving board, a boy frozen in his steps to paraglide and a girl sending a text to break up with her partner – all these people are hesitating to take their challenges head-on. In comes Mountain Dew – with one sip of the drink, metaphorically, these moments of hesitation and fear are dissolved as the characters take the plunge with faith and courage to face their fears.
PepsiCo India category director Mountain Dew Vineet Sharma said, “With our ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ philosophy, Mountain Dew has always celebrated the spirit of those who push themselves forward in the face of fear to achieve extraordinary results. The brand acknowledges that fear is universal, and every individual is beset with the feeling of fear. Fear can arise from a myriad of situations that are unique to each one of us and in this film, we have tried to focus on everyday fears that many of us can relate to. We believe that real heroes are those that face the challenge head-on and eventually emerge as winners. We are confident consumers across the country will relate to this touching new film and as always, the philosophy of ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ will resonate strongly with them.”
Flibbr Consulting managing partner Rahul Jauhari stated, “Speaking of everyday fears yet keeping the ethos, energy and adrenaline rush of the brand was a fine line one had to tread and I’m glad we could deliver on the brief. We are confident that this TVC will help in connecting to a wider audience at a deeper level.”
The new Mountain Dew campaign and TVC will be amplified across TV, digital, outdoor, and social media with a 360-degree campaign. The beverage is available in single/multi-serve packs across modern and traditional retail outlets as well as on leading e-commerce platforms.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
