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Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red
MUMBAI: To showcase its differentiated and innovative postpaid proposition, Vodafone India has roped in chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red.
Under the Red bouquet, Vodafone recently introduced postpaid plans offering entertainment with free subscription of Amazon Prime and Vodafone Play, complimentary mobile insurance for smartphones up to two years old and free international calling and roaming.
Additionally, Red Postpaid comes with lowest bill guarantee that ensures customers are assured of never facing bill shocks.
Beginning July, Anand will be seen making some smart moves, endorsing Vodafone Red. A series of three television commercials will show him propagating the benefits of choosing the postpaid plan to popular cricket presenter Gaurav Kapoor.
Vodafone India EVP of marketing Siddharth Banerjee says, “Latest Vodafone Red is a lifestyle enabler of a new-age postpaid consumer, addressing their passion points like entertainment, travel, devices, shopping, family and tension points such as billing. This campaign aims to position Vodafone Red as India’s smartest postpaid, enabling our existing and new customers to make a smartest choice. We are glad to have chess champion and youth icon Vishwanathan Anand on board, who best fits the proposition of India’s smartest postpaid.”
Anand adds, “Being smart means making the right choice at the right time. In the game of chess, it is important to make the smartest move at the right time. As a Vodafone customer, the new Vodafone Red plans are a smart bouquet of services catering to my critical needs like entertainment and international roaming. Mobile insurance and lowest bill guarantee feature become important as we Indians are evolving in smartphone usage. I am glad to be a part of the campaign that closely resonates with my needs to make a smart choice.”
The 360-degree high-decibel campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather India. Presenting a holistic marketing mix, the four-week long campaign will connect with customers across diverse mediums like OOH, radio, print and digital.
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.
