MAM
OLX’s humorous take on one-upmanship through its new TVC
NEW DELHI: OLX, the free online classifieds site, has released a new television commercial featuring a couple who decide to sell their car as it has become “smaller” compared to their neighbour‘s new car.
The TVC is in the form of a mission by the couple in night hours when they first measure their neighbour‘s car and then their own. At this, the wife says “Bech De” and the couple is immediately on OLX.in talking to a prospective buyer who picks it up the same night.
Revolving around the theme of one-upmanship; this concept is based on the insight that sometimes progress in life is measured in relation to how others are faring in their respective lives. The wives are always conscious of this ‘status war‘. Rather than being a passive bystander, they will be equal partners in partaking in the ‘one-upmanship‘ battle.
The underlying message that comes out through this communications is that OLX.in is the best place to sell off your pre-loved goods. The ad has been created by ITSA Brand Innovations.
OLX India Country Head Amarjit Singh Batra says, “We have always tried to find insights into the consumer‘s life and given them reasons to sell their pre-owned stuff on OLX.in. What appeals most about this one – is a sharp, real life insight. The neighbor‘s new car never fails to cause envy and definitely, a mental measure vis-?-vis your own. The story beautifully brings this insight to life through a literal exaggeration. Cars are an important category for buyers and sellers on OLX.in and we wanted to create a “Bech De” thematic for this category in specific.”
The intrinsic good humour that is typical of OLX ads continues through this ad as well. Previous campaigns from OLX have received a phenomenal response in establishing the site‘s identity and making it popular across India. The new creative is a step further to cement the idea of making every person use OLX.in for selling their personal products which have been bought but not used much.
The commercial is produced by Little Lamb Films and directed by Bauddhyan Mukherjee. The TVC has gone on air this week and will be promoted nationally.
MAM
Smytten appoints Shishir Varma as CEO of Pulseai Research
Rebranded AI platform scales with 150 plus clients and 30 million users.
MUMBAI: In a world obsessed with what consumers say, Smytten is betting on what they actually do. The company has appointed Shishir Varma as chief executive officer of Pulseai Research, signalling a sharper push into AI-led, behaviour-driven consumer insights. The move comes as Smytten rebrands its insights vertical from Smytten PulseAI to Pulseai Research, marking a shift away from traditional, project-based research towards a more continuous, intelligence-led model.
Varma brings over 30 years of global experience across APAC markets, including India, China and Japan. Most recently managing director, Insights at Kantar Japan, he has built and scaled consumer insight businesses across geographies, including playing a key role in establishing Millward Brown in India. His mandate now: turn Pulseai into a category-defining platform in a space still dominated by surveys and static reports.
The pitch is straightforward but ambitious. Instead of relying on claimed responses, Pulseai Research taps into observed behaviour leveraging Smytten’s ecosystem of 30 million users built over a decade of product discovery, trials and purchases. The idea is to close the long-standing gap between what consumers claim and how they actually behave.
The numbers suggest early traction. In under 18 months, the platform has onboarded over 150 enterprise clients across sectors, pointing to growing demand for faster, more reliable alternatives to legacy research models.
Under the hood, the platform blends behavioural data with AI and large language model-led analysis to deliver real-time sentiment tracking, scalable qualitative insights, faster quantitative studies and always-on brand intelligence. In practical terms, that means compressing research timelines from weeks to days without sacrificing depth.
The ambition extends beyond FMCG. Pulseai Research is positioning itself as a cross-category intelligence layer, spanning auto, education, gadgets and emerging consumer segments anywhere behaviour-rich data can sharpen decision-making.
For Smytten, the leadership hire is less about optics and more about direction. With Varma at the helm, the company is leaning into a simple but powerful premise: in the age of AI, insight isn’t just about asking better questions, it’s about watching more closely.
