Brands
Nivea Soft’s Fresh Batch 5.0 scores big with Gen Z through AI-led identity play
MUMBAI: Nivea has wrapped up the fifth edition of its youth-focused platform Fresh Batch with record engagement, signalling a shift from a talent showcase to an AI-powered identity and self-expression movement for Gen Z audiences.
Launched in November 2025, Nivea Soft Fresh Batch 5.0 reinvented the traditional résumé into a “rizz-ume”, a personalised digital format designed to celebrate individuality beyond formal achievements. The campaign delivered more than 4 lakh rizz-umes, reached over 91 million users and recorded a 154 per cent rise in social engagement.
Built on an AI-driven microsite developed with tech partner Xtendr, the platform decoded personality traits, interests and cultural cues in real time to create hyper-personalised outputs. Cultural creators Apoorva Mukhija, Ankush Bahuguna and Sufi Motiwala anchored the campaign, while collaborations with brands including The Croffle Guys, Mia by Tanishq, Noon Club, Life n Jam and RadioCity extended its reach across categories.
The initiative generated over 50,000 organic shares and achieved a microsite conversion rate of around 50 per cent, well above industry benchmarks. Creator amplification from voices such as Tanmay Bhat further boosted cultural relevance and participation.
Nivea India managing director Geetika Mehta, said the campaign demonstrated how AI, combined with cultural insight, could drive personalisation at scale and create deeper emotional connections with young consumers.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
