MAM
Tops unleashes ‘Foodies Ka Choice’ campaign with Kareena Kapoor
New TVC spotlights bold flavours for modern food lovers, launched 18 February 2026 as AWL-backed push.
MUMBAI: Tops is dishing out a campaign so flavour-packed it could make even the pickiest eater say, “That’s the one!” GD Foods Mfg. (I) Pvt. Ltd., the force behind the Tops brand of sauces, pickles, and condiments, now backed by AWL Agri Business Ltd. unveiled its latest television commercial on 18 February 2026 as the kick-off to the ‘Foodies Ka Choice’ campaign. Starring brand ambassador Kareena Kapoor, the TVC dives into everyday foodie moments that hit home for home cooks, snackers, and flavour chasers who refuse to skimp on taste.
The spot builds on the insight that real food enthusiasts put flavour first no compromises, just bold, authentic hits across cooking and snacking. It positions Tops as the everyday sidekick for everything from quick bites to creative kitchen experiments, sharpening its appeal among younger, urban households where food doubles as comfort, creativity, and self-expression.
AWL Agri Business Ltd. COO of the sauces and condiments business Arvind Kumar Sharma said, “Tops has always enjoyed a strong presence in Indian kitchens. With this campaign, we are elevating that connection emotionally, positioning it as an enabler of evolving food habits. Our diverse portfolio caters to everyday-cooking as well as indulgent snacking. Kareena Kapoor’s presence amplifies this narrative by embodying confidence, modernity and the spirit of today’s foodies.”
Kareena Kapoor herself chimed in, “I am a complete foodie at heart! And if there’s one thing food lovers agree on, it’s that taste comes first. What I love about Tops is that it celebrates people who truly care about taste. ‘Foodies Ka Choice’ isn’t just a campaign, it’s a reminder that when it comes to flavour, we shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best.”
This marks one of the first big marketing moves since AWL Agri Business stepped in as strategic partner for GD Foods, blending AWL’s distribution muscle and scale with Tops’ long-standing rep for innovation and trust. The brand’s lineup pickles, tomato ketchup, culinary sauces, speciality sauces, and instant mixes gets a fresh spotlight to boost salience across segments.
A full 360-degree rollout follows, TV, cinema, digital, social media, OTT, radio, and digital audio to blanket urban and emerging markets. Whether you’re whipping up dinner or raiding the fridge at midnight, this campaign’s betting you’ll reach for Tops when taste is non-negotiable. In a world of bland options, it’s serving up a reminder, good food deserves the best backup.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
