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PokerBaazi.com ropes in Shahid Kapoor as brand ambassador
Mumbai: PokerBaazi.com on Tuesday announced Bollywood superstar Shahid Kapoor as its brand ambassador. PokerBaazi aims to create a robust ecosystem for Poker in India, and Shahid’s association with the brand comes in line with its commitment to popularise and create awareness amongst the masses about Poker.
With Shahid Kapoor onboard, PokerBaazi.com will soon roll out its latest marketing campaign, which will include the launch of a TVC in the coming days, promoting not only the association but the brand messaging of poker being a sport which someone can master with their skills.
Welcoming Shahid Kapoor as their brand ambassador, Baazi Games founder and CEO Navkiran Singh said, “We are thrilled to have Shahid onboard as the newest member of our PokerBaazi family. With Shahid, we found the perfect match for our brand as not just his personality, but also his constant drive to experiment with his craft beautifully, blends with our vision to enable a new sport to get its desired recognition in the country. With this association we take a step further in our larger goal of creating a Poker ecosystem in India and making it a household sport. We look forward to a successful collaboration and with our upcoming campaigns hope to drive valuable discussions around the PokerBaazi story.”
Speaking about the association, actor Shahid Kapoor said, “It’s a pleasure to be associated with PokerBaazi, India’s biggest poker platform, that’s at the helm of this brewing revolution. With its many unique features, it just makes learning & playing online poker so easy and quick, and in the process, helps players build life skills like thinking strategically, managing risks, etc. Our association isn’t only driven by the fact that we both believe in bringing a difference in our respective fields but also by the sheer will to entertain our audiences while trying to do so. I am looking forward to helping PokerBaazi reach wider audiences and create more advocates for the sport in India.”
PokerBaazi.com recently celebrated a landmark of a billion hands played on its online platform. This association adds to the celebration for the unique milestone and PokerBaazi.com’s nearly eight-year journey of contributing to the fast evolving poker ecosystem in India.
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Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
