MAM
PayMate appoints vice pres banking alliances and sales
MUMBAI: PayMate India mobile commerce solutions company which has been aggressively growing its payment eco-system to include online portals, voice portals and retailers has appointed Ambreesh Mohan as Vice President- Banking Alliances & Sales to further strengthen its merchant and bank acquisition initiatives.
Mohan joins PayMate after a long stint as General Manager- Sales & Marketing at Venture Infotek. He has over a decade of experience in the banking sector and his role in the financial services segment included selling to & servicing PSU, New Gen Pvt. banks & MNC Banks in India and neighboring countries.
The mobile phone today is more than just an instrument for voice communication. The number of subscribers, the numerous add-on applications and the convenience of always being handy makes one wonder why the device cannot be used to initiate payments. At PayMate we are making this happen in a safe, secure and convenient way. It’s an exciting space and I look forward to being a part of this lifestyle changing initiative,” says Mohan.
Commenting on the appointment, PayMate India founder and managing director Ajay Adiseshann says, “Ambreesh’s valuable experience in the payments industry will be a great asset in aligning our offerings to banks and merchants. His expertise would give us a great impetus in building an alternate payment channel and more importantly building a new viable category which could redefine the payments space.”
PayMate is currently being offered to Citibank bank credit card and banking customers and will roll out services with other leading banks shortly. PayMate will shortly be available on several leading websites including travel & hospitality, consumer products, matrimony, jobs, apparels, astrology, gifts, NGO’s etc. The company is also in the process of tying up with several offline merchants such as telco’s, utilities, insurance companies, cable and broadband services, tele-shopping etc and will be announcing its tie-ups in a phased manner.
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.
