MAM
VML Qais appoints Natasha Kapur as business director
MUMBAI: VML Qais has appointed Natasha Kapur as business director. This appointment marks the expansion of VML Qais‘ India operations to Delhi. The Delhi office will offer digitally-led marketing experiences with in-house service lines across strategic planning, creative, research and analysis, social and digital media.
Kapur joins VML Qais with over a decade of experience in digital marketing, brand management and strategic initiatives across India, Asia Pacific, USA and Europe. She has worked with companies in the media, advertising and telecom sectors. She has conceptualised, co-created and driven digital marketing strategy and integrated marketing campaigns, both at a global and national level, building many successful brands during her career.
In her earlier role, Kapur was senior manager – strategy and communications at Sony Mobile. She was responsible for developing and driving integrated marketing strategy and communications for Sony Mobile‘s mobile content and services ecosystem, that included mobile app stores, graphics, games, music, movies and device management services on a global level.
VML Qais Asia CEO Tripti Lochan said, “With Natasha‘s rich experience in brand building using digital and new media, platforms, partnerships and tools, she is ideally suited to join our team and provide thought leading, cutting-edge digital marketing experiences to clients.”
“I‘m really looking forward to building great brands for companies by creating engaging experiences for consumers wherever they live in the digital universe, and am pleased to be joining the VML Qais team during this exciting stage in their India journey,” added Kapur.
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.
