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Ola’s Arun Srinivas joins Facebook India
NEW DELHI: Facebook has appointed Arun Srinivas as the director of global business group to lead the strategy and delivery of the India Marketing Solutions charter that is focused on large advertisers and agencies. Srinivas’ appointment comes after a series of senior and leadership recruitments in recent months across marketing, partnerships, communications, and other keys verticals demonstrating the company’s expanding charter and commitment to India.
As a part of his role, Srinivas will spearhead the company’s strategic relationship with the country’s leading brands, agencies, and partners to drive Facebook’s revenue growth in key channels in India, and partner the media and creative ecosystems for accelerating the adoption of digital tools by businesses. He will have the company’s key business vertical teams, agency teams, and business solutions teams reporting to him.
Srinivas comes with 24 years of experience in senior sales and marketing roles at companies such as OLA, Unilever, and Reebok. He also did a stint at an investment firm WestBridge Capital Partners where he led the consumer vertical. His last assignment was with OLA, where he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at OLA Mobility. Srinivas started his career with Reebok and then moved to Unilever where he spent more than 15 years across food, beverages, skin-care, and personal care categories. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.
Facebook has taken several steps in recent months, especially since the pandemic began, to enable the economic recovery of the country by supporting and working closely with businesses, both large and small. In the last one-year Facebook has made minority investments in Meesho, Unacademy, and most recently into Jio Platforms to enable meaningful opportunities for small businesses in India while fueling the acceleration of digital adoption in the country. Recently the company also announced that Instagram had launched its own short video feature called Reels in India that lets users create videos on the app, add creative filters and music, and share it beyond their regular followers. Facebook is also working with the government, not-for-profit, and other industry partners to help people and businesses navigate the current health and economic crisis.
Facebook India director and head of global marketing solutions Sandeep Bhushan said, “Facebook is committed to enabling economic opportunities for businesses, and this charter is more important than ever before as we navigate COVID-19 and the economic crisis. Large businesses and agencies play a crucial role in the country’s digital economy and are critical to driving ecosystem standards for media. I am thrilled to welcome Arun as he joins our team as Director GBG, and leads the mandate to shape the role the Facebook family apps can play in enabling businesses, supporting India’s economic recovery, and building the digital advertising ecosystem of the country.”
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.
