MAM
Snapdeal launches new brand campaign
Gurugram: Snapdeal has launched a festive season brand campaign that showcases the rich diversity and depth of products available on its platform.
The campaign comprises multiple short films each highlighting the “undiscovered stars” of online shopping – products for everyday living at great prices – all of which enable the user to upgrade her life in a snap!
The campaign uses the theme of discovering products at “the snap of a finger” to underscore the ease of discovery on the platform. Set to foot-tapping music by Milan-based sound agency, Smider, each film shows users having fun with the products bought on Snapdeal.
The range of products showcased in the films include fun, eclectic products like magnifying mirrors, makeup brushes, selfie lights and camera tripods for those putting up perfect pics on social media and blogs.
For those using Diwali to upgrade their homes, sensibly priced products like multi-function fruit & vegetable peelers, wooden spoons, frying pan sets, USB-powered smoothie blenders, sponge hand gloves for cleaning, water pH meters etc have been showcased. A range of beautiful LED lights and diyas offer a short introduction to the vast range available on the platform.
According to a Snapdeal spokesperson, “E-commerce in India is now beyond just brands and discounts. It is about accessing products that add value and help upgrade the daily lives of the users in multiple, small yet meaningful ways. The purpose of the “Snap-Diwali” campaign is to showcase the vast selection of unique and functional products that are available online. ”
The campaign is already live on digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Voot, Hotstar etc. Later this week, it will also be seen across various top national and regional TV channels. The rise of regional consumption is reflected in the fact that the campaign will run in seven languages – Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bangla, Telugu and English. The campaign is expected to run across four weeks.
According to Mohit Dhar Jayal, co-founder of Motherland Joint Ventures, which is Snapdeal’s strategic advisor on various aspects of customer experience, “Snapdeal is in a category of its own. It offers customers a kaleidoscopic, non-stop mix of shopping and entertainment – all wrapped up in fun, accessible user experience, and super-affordable pricing. And there’s a pipeline full of exciting innovations on the way from the Snapdeal lab!”
The films have been made by Italy-based illo.tv, a design studio which has worked on iconic projects for brands like Airbnb, UEFA, Snapchat, Bloomberg and various other innovative international startups. Led by the creative duo of llenia Notarangelo and Luca Gonnelli, Illo’s style is characterized by a minimal and colourful aesthetic with particular attention to clear storytelling. According to Ilenia Notarangelo, Creative Director, illo, “Snapdeal was one of the most fun & challenging projects in terms of production for our studio, this year. We tried to come up with some quirky, not stereotypical 15 second plots that could match the different and unusual products that Snapdeal offers. From a stylistic point of view, we tried to match our visually synthetic set design approach with the Indian Diwali mood. I think that the result is a pretty refreshing mix, with a little reference to the Memphis style.”
The music for the Snap-Diwali films has been created by Milan-based sound agency Smider, which has created iconic compositions for brands like Reebok, Nike, MTV, Yamaha, Ducati, Audi, BMW and others. Smider offers an unconventional flavour driven by a taste for experimental compositions mixed with the use of traditional instruments. According to Smider, “We are excited about this music since we wanted to merge a contemporary way of music production with some Indian elements. The sound design process, in this case, was all about the transitions from one scene to another, layering different sounds and of course using the “snap” as an element of both music and sound.”
Snapdeal is India’s largest value-focused e-commerce marketplace. More than 70 million users visit Snapdeal every month to browse and buy from amongst the 200 million SKUs listed by more than 500,000 independent registered sellers on Snapdeal.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
