MAM
NeuroFocus research highlights importance of context for advertisers
MUMBAI: NeuroFocus, which works in the area of applying neuroscience to consumer insights, has announced the results of a new study that takes a look at consumer engagement on premium websites.
Designed to understand quantitatively how people respond to different online experiences, the research underscores the importance of context for marketers and for optimizing their messages across different types of media. Facebook collaborated with NeuroFocus on the first study in the paper.
To compare a spectrum of premium website experiences, NeuroFocus tested three popular website homepages: the New York Times homepage (representing a hard news and commentary experience), Yahoo‘s non personalised homepage (representing a light news and entertainment experience), and a Facebook News Feed Page (representing a social experience). NeuroFocus‘ three primary Neuro Metrics were then used to analyse consumers‘ subconscious responses to each of these sites: attention, emotional engagement, and memory retention.
Using those same measures, NeuroFocus fielded a second study that examined people‘s responses to the same advertisement but in different environments -on TV, on a corporate website, and on a Facebook brand Page.
The overall key findings:
- Based on NeuroFocus norms, Yahoo!, The New York Times, and Facebook deliver substantially more engaging experiences than the average website.
- Consumers respond differently to premium websites oriented toward different purposes. These differences are represented neurologically by different levels of attention, memory, and emotional engagement. For instance, the New York Times scored highest on memory.
- Similarly, consumers respond differently to the same advertisement presented in a different medium. For example, the ad presented on a Facebook brand pages scored higher on emotional engagement vs. on TV or a corporate website.
NeuroFocus CEO AK Pradeep said, “This study underscores what full brain neurological testing measurements can bring to critical decision making when it comes to allocating advertising campaigns across online experiences. The ability to understand consumers‘ subconscious responses to premium websites brings new understanding on how people engage with online and social media sites.”
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
