MAM
Roopak Saluja joins speaker line-up at Adfest 2016
MUMBAI: The 120 Media Collective and Sooperfly founder & CEO Roopak Saluja will present a session on “Content is King. Distribution is God!” at Adfest 2016.
Saluja’s session will examine whether the distribution, monetisation, engagement and promotion of content deserves more focus.
“The wisdom of investing not just in content but in platform creation and longer-term audience building is rapidly striking brands the world over. As we navigate the flux, new business models evolve and hybrid organisations emerge, ones that allow for the building of content brands direct-to-audiences,” says Saluja.
“During my session at Adfest, I’d like to take the audience on a journey to help them see how distribution is emerging as the battleground for engagement. The lines have blurred between platforms and screens, bringing creators and audiences closer together than ever before,” he added.
After beginning his career in account management at Young & Rubicam Budapest, Saluja became an entrepreneur in 2006 with the launch of Bang Bang Films. Post that he launched two other subsidiaries – Jack in the Box Worldwide and Sniper, which now form The 120 Media Collective. Most recently, he launched Sooperfly, a new media company that empowers Asia’s digital video ecosystem by building content brands direct-to-audiences.
“Roopak has successfully switched from advertising to entrepreneurialism and is now leading one of India’s fastest growing content production companies. I think delegates at Adfest this year will learn so much from his session about the art of blurring the lines between communications, entertainment and technology,” said Adfest president Jimmy Lam.
Saluja’s session will be held on 17 March. Adfest 2016 will be held from 16 to 19 March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
