MAM
Tic Tac expands its India focused seasonal flavor range
MUMBAI: cKeeping in mind the Indian youths need for new flavors, the global confectionery brand, Tic Tac has launched a succulent new flavor – Raw Mango. Raw mango for most in India is the flavor of choice for its tangy taste, so much so, that internet is full of various ‘raw mango’ based recipes. Combining the sugar mint with tanginess of raw mango, Tic Tac has created a unique flavor that fans will love. The unique oval shaped pills of Tic Tac, will be in the color of a raw mango and will be available at a price of Rs. 10 in its unique flip top box.
The new flavor introduction is based on the findings of an extensive research with the Indian youth on their preference of flavors for the upcoming season. This limited edition flavor launch is an effort to further strengthen its connect with their Indian fan base. Raw Mango would remind many of their childhood evoking nostalgia of relishing the tangy taste. This tanginess coupled with India’s favorite mint – Tic Tac promises a refreshing and long lasting taste experience. The snazzy flip-top pack with many pills inside and its rattling sound is bound to enthrall the consumers bringing out the fun of sharing Tic Tac among their friends.
Notably, in its wide portfolio of flavours, Tic Tac Saunf is another Indian flavor which has found immense popularity among the consumers. Tic Tac has consistently come up with great Indian flavors in its attempt to cater to the Indian audience. Its current assortment of flavors includes – Mint, Orange, Saunf, Red Apple, Strawberry, Intenser, Peach Lemonade & Cherry Cola.
MAM
Smytten appoints Shishir Varma as CEO of Pulseai Research
Rebranded AI platform scales with 150 plus clients and 30 million users.
MUMBAI: In a world obsessed with what consumers say, Smytten is betting on what they actually do. The company has appointed Shishir Varma as chief executive officer of Pulseai Research, signalling a sharper push into AI-led, behaviour-driven consumer insights. The move comes as Smytten rebrands its insights vertical from Smytten PulseAI to Pulseai Research, marking a shift away from traditional, project-based research towards a more continuous, intelligence-led model.
Varma brings over 30 years of global experience across APAC markets, including India, China and Japan. Most recently managing director, Insights at Kantar Japan, he has built and scaled consumer insight businesses across geographies, including playing a key role in establishing Millward Brown in India. His mandate now: turn Pulseai into a category-defining platform in a space still dominated by surveys and static reports.
The pitch is straightforward but ambitious. Instead of relying on claimed responses, Pulseai Research taps into observed behaviour leveraging Smytten’s ecosystem of 30 million users built over a decade of product discovery, trials and purchases. The idea is to close the long-standing gap between what consumers claim and how they actually behave.
The numbers suggest early traction. In under 18 months, the platform has onboarded over 150 enterprise clients across sectors, pointing to growing demand for faster, more reliable alternatives to legacy research models.
Under the hood, the platform blends behavioural data with AI and large language model-led analysis to deliver real-time sentiment tracking, scalable qualitative insights, faster quantitative studies and always-on brand intelligence. In practical terms, that means compressing research timelines from weeks to days without sacrificing depth.
The ambition extends beyond FMCG. Pulseai Research is positioning itself as a cross-category intelligence layer, spanning auto, education, gadgets and emerging consumer segments anywhere behaviour-rich data can sharpen decision-making.
For Smytten, the leadership hire is less about optics and more about direction. With Varma at the helm, the company is leaning into a simple but powerful premise: in the age of AI, insight isn’t just about asking better questions, it’s about watching more closely.
