MAM
Supplements brand Setu appoints Lowe Lintas to handle creative duties
MUMBAI: Setu, a natural nutritional supplements brand, has awarded its creative mandate to Lowe Lintas. The win comes on the back of Lowe Lintas’ strong experience in successfully building startup brands, a few of which have become ‘Unicorns’ with valuations exceeding $1 billion.
The Mumbai office of Lowe Lintas will handle the business.
With this creative mandate, Lowe Lintas will be expected to create a strong strategic roadmap for the brand, supported with digital-first thinking on communication.
Setu is a new-age, natural-led brand that crafts nutritional solutions to strengthen body functions against modern lifestyle induced conditions.
Currently, Setu is available exclusively online but is building out significant offline distribution and sales capabilities. Setu’s long-term objective is to become the natural supplement brand of choice.
Setu founder Nihaal Mariwala says, “We at Setu are very excited to work with Lowe Lintas on the next phase of our evolution as a brand. Their extensive and storied history in the consumer goods space will serve as well as we continue to craft the natural supplementation brand of choice for the Indian consumer. We look forward to reinforcing the importance of preventive nutrition and good health to our Indian audiences through unique, clutter breaking and compelling campaigns.”
Lowe Lintas CEO Raj Gupta adds, “Health supplements are fast gaining relevance in our lives and hence growing at a robust pace. It’s a nuanced category and building a brand like Setu in such a category is extremely exciting. As digital plays a critical role in this category, a lot of work on this brand would be led by digital, which makes it even more exciting.”
MAM
Sameer Nair steps down as CEO of Applause Entertainment
Veteran media executive exits after a decade at the Aditya Birla Group-backed studio.
MUMBAI: After a decade of calling the shots, Sameer Nair is taking a bow from Applause Entertainment. The veteran industry leader and CEO of the prominent content studio is stepping down from his role, according to sources familiar with the development. This marks a significant leadership transition at one of India’s key players in the television and digital content space.
Applause Entertainment, part of the Aditya Birla Group, has built a strong reputation under Nair’s leadership for its high-quality adaptations of international formats and a slate of original series across OTT platforms. Nair, who joined the company a decade ago, was instrumental in shaping its growth and positioning it as a notable force in India’s evolving streaming landscape.
Prior to Applause, he held senior roles at major media organisations, including Star India, where he played a pivotal part in the launch of the iconic show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000. He also worked with Balaji Telefilms and NDTV Imagine.
It remains unclear who will succeed Nair or what his next professional move will be. Queries sent to Nair did not receive a response, and Applause Entertainment declined to comment on the matter.
His exit comes at a time when the Indian content ecosystem is undergoing rapid changes, with streaming platforms recalibrating investments, focusing on profitability, and adjusting content strategies amid shifting viewer preferences and increasing competition.
Industry insiders suggest the transition could signal a strategic reset for Applause as it navigates the next phase of growth.
In the fast-paced world of Indian entertainment, where hits can fade as quickly as they rise, Sameer Nair has enjoyed a remarkably steady and influential run. As he steps off the stage at Applause, the spotlight now turns to what comes next for both the executive and the studio he helped build.
