MAM
Pepsi changes the game with T20 football
MUMBAI: Pepsi recently announced the launch of its first ever football themed campaign in India with a new ad film featuring Ranbir Kapoor. The brand takes the campaign forward with a football league format – Pepsi T20 Football.
Pepsi T20 Football is a new format for amateurs, which combines T20 style of playing with the spirit of football. Winners of this nationwide tournament will get a chance to play football the Pepsi T20 way against the Indian cricket stars and get an opportunity to be coached by an international football star.
PepsiCo India category director – colas, hydration and mango based beverages Homi Battiwalla said, “Pepsi T20 Football tournament takes forward the philosophy of ‘Change the Game‘ by taking football outside the conventional domain and giving it a refreshing twist. It is a unique grassroots initiative mounted at a never before scale in India that aims to take the excitement around the sport to the next level. With the involvement of Indian cricketers, Bollywood and an international football star; the campaign promises to excite and engage not only the existing passionate football fans but the entire nation.”
Actor Ranbir Kapoor said, “Being a football enthusiast I am glad that Pepsi is taking this initiative to popularise the sport amongst the youth of our country. I am proud to be associated with it and confident that Youngistaan will enjoy the new Pepsi T20 Football format”.
To be a part of the Pepsi T20 Football campaign, amateur footballers between the age of 14 and 30 years can register in 7-member teams at designated venues. Open to all Indians, on ground registrations and matches will be organized across major Indian cities including Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Ludhiana and Delhi. The registration process begins with Chennai on 14th March and tournament will continue till June. 64 teams from each city will compete in knock-out style 20-minute matches and the top 32 will compete in the respective city finales. The city finale will be organized in a unique metallic cage at a public venue with lots of music, fun and Pepsi. A total of 8 teams, including 1 winning team from each city and 1 wild card entry will compete to emerge as ‘Game Changers‘. They will then get the opportunity to be coached by an international football star before they face the Cricket Stars at the Grand Finale.
The tournament will be supported by a 360-degree approach including on-air, outdoor & on-ground initiatives; special edition packaging and digital engagement programmes. Pepsi has partnered with ESPN Star Sports, who will produce and showcase the tournament in a special 8-episode series, starting April 2012.
Brands
Buffett bets on The New York Times, cuts Amazon stake
Berkshire invests $352 million in NYT, trims tech, and backs insurance, energy and consumer stocks.
OMAHA: Warren Buffett is famously a creature of habit, but his latest portfolio shake-up suggests even the world’s most patient investor knows when to change the channel. In a move that has sent the media world into a frenzy, Berkshire Hathaway has officially checked into The New York Times while largely checking out of Amazon.
Buffett’s firm snapped up roughly 5.1 million shares in The New York Times Company, a stake valued at a cool $352 million. The Buffett effect was immediate: shares in the publishing giant jumped more than 10 per cent as investors scrambled to follow the leader.
While Buffett offloaded his traditional local newspapers back in 2020, this isn’t a nostalgic trip to the printing press. The New York Times is now a digital powerhouse, fueled by a buffet of subscriptions covering everything from breaking news to Wordle and recipes. It seems the sage of Omaha still has an appetite for businesses with pricing power and a loyal following.
Berkshire slashed its holdings in Amazon by nearly 75 per cent during the final quarter of the year. Once a rare foray into the world of big tech for Buffett, the firm now holds a relatively modest 2.3 million shares. The pruning did not stop there, as other household names also saw a haircut. Apple was reduced to a 1.5 per cent position, while Bank of America was trimmed to 7.1 per cent, signalling a broader pullback from some of its large financial and technology bets.
So, where is the money going? It appears Buffett is heading back to basics, favoring sectors that can weather a storm. Berkshire boosted its positions in Chubb, doubling down on the steady world of insurance; Chevron, fueling up on energy; and Domino’s Pizza, a classic consumer bet that delivers even when the economy doesn’t.
By pivoting toward resilient industries and subscription-heavy media, Berkshire is returning to its roots: finding companies that people simply cannot live without, whether they are hungry for a slice of pepperoni or the morning headlines.
