MAM
The Storytellers creates TVC for attracting foreign travelers to India
NEW DELHI: The Storytellers, an emerging advertising film production company, has created a television commercial for Delhi-based portal `www.makemytrip.com’. The commercial has been produced only for the US.
The portal is owned by MakeMyTrip (MMT) Private Limited, an online travel company which focuses on the business and leisure traveller coming to India.
“We scripted three television commercials for Indians residing in the US. The client is handling the media and the commercials are being aired on Sony Entertainment Television and Zee beams in the US,” says The Storytellers director Ajit Kuriakose Varghese . The campaign is on air since April. This is for the first time The Storytellers has produced a television commercial for www.makemytrip.com.
MMT provides its customers the entire gamut of travel services through the Internet and by leveraging other technologies. The company exploits information technology, using India’s natural cost advantage to service its customer base (predominantly NRIs and foreigners), based in high cost economies. MMT has also soft-launched www.indiahoy.com, a B2B site offering Indian hotels and tour packages for international travel agents.
The e-commerce company targets `mandatory travellers’ from the US and other countries.
“Besides tourists, there are mandatory travellers who are basically people of Indian origin from other countries. They visit India for marriages, funerals, business engagements and property dealings. The portal is offering them competitive fares. The client mandate included highlighting the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by our client,” said Kuriakose.
“Besides pricing, there are two more commercials, stressing on emotional benefits and the diversified culture of India.”
The Storytellers Film Creatives’ clientele includes Grey India and Contract Advertising. “Having headed the creative function for leading multinational agencies, and being directly involved in operations of advertising agencies for nearly two decades, I and my partner Madhu Sarkar understand the needs of advertising agencies.”
“A good advertising filmmaker has to understand brand personality and the resultant requirements to execute the film in a way which enables the advertiser reach its target audience in the desired manner,” says Kuriakose, who has worked in conjunction with Sarkar at Mudra Communications, Contract Advertising and Rediffusion DY&R Brand Communications.
Other projects handled by The Storytellers include TV commercials for Microsoft and Hindustan Times.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
