MAM
UFO Moviez reinforces cinema advertising offering
Mumbai: UFO Moviez, India’s largest digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform with 3600+ screens across 1200+ cities, has unveiled a new brand identity, which is intended to explicitly represent the company’s core business offering i.e. cinema advertising and add value to its stakeholders.
With this, UFO Moviez is realigning its network, into two powerful channels – PRIME SCREENS (multiplexes and Hollywood release centres) and POPULAR SCREENS (standalone screens and mass appeal screens). With the new channels, insightful business intelligence and a new rate card, advertisers can carry out large screen high impact advertising that can be customized to deliver geo-targeted advertising with zero spill over. The vast network of UFO screens is the largest urban heartland network with 1800+ screens in the PRIME channel and 1800+ screens in the POPULAR channel. UFO – Cine Media Network, is also the leader in metros and Tier 1 cities with over 900+ screens and has virtually no competition in Tier II and III markets.
The new branding effort features the launch of a new & vibrant logo, contemporary montage and an updated company website. The logo brings in modern hues along with establishing the, ‘O’ of UFO which is a mobius strip to become its symbolic identity in the future. Along with this, the new logo also features a new tagline ‘Cine Media Network’, to appropriate and re-inforce its leadership position in the in-cinema media space.sanj
The revamped company website has been designed to be a one-stop destination to advertisers, exhibitors, producers and distributors for all their cinema delivery and advertising requirements. Cinema screens are the one place left, where people still look forward to watching advertisements, it is considered as part of the cinema viewing experience. With affinity to the youth and premium audience, UFO Moviez, helps brands reach and impact a receptive and open-minded audience with ‘Skip’ less advertising.
In mid 2000s, UFO Moviez optimized the potential of Indian cinema with satellite-based technology that transformed Annual Jubilee into Friday box office collections, slow-chain release into First Day – First Show, one blockbuster after another. It has made cinema into an equal experience for the whole country, making it an instant success with the youth that is already teased with pre-release teasers and trailers. UFO’s innovation driven DNA, empowers it to use technology and business intelligence to minimize content irrelevance by providing relevant content, to the relevant people, at the relevant time!
Commenting on the new development, UFO Moviez founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad says, “Indian Media & Entertainment industry is rapidly evolving, and hence we determined that our branding and identity needs to be more vibrant, contemporary, confident and more innovative. We are excited to unveil our new brand identity that is progressive, reflects our core business offering i.e. in-cinema advertising more prominently and is in-line with the industry’s evolution. Currently, we are India’s leading in-cinema advertising platform by scale and by reach, and the only network to reach the urban heartland audience with our robust network of 3600+ screens including 1800+ Prime screens, which include multiplexes, and release centers of Hollywood films, making UFO the leader in both Premium and Popular segments. As we continue to focus on growing our ad screen network, our new brand identity will help us to grow our ad revenues exponentially”.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
