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Volkswagen drives into a new PR lane with Ruder Finn India
MUMBAI: Volkswagen India is switching gears on the communications front, awarding its press communication mandate to Ruder Finn India, one of the world’s heavyweight integrated communications and creative agencies.
Effective 1 May, Ruder Finn will roll out a full-throttle strategy covering corporate storytelling, media relations, strategic counsel, and brand campaigns — all aimed at turbocharging Volkswagen’s innovation narrative and sharpening its profile in the fiercely competitive Indian market.
Volkswagen India lead – marketing communications and press Gagan Mangal said the company is revving up its brand positioning for a fast-evolving automotive and media landscape. “We are excited to onboard Ruder Finn as our communications partner. Their strategic thinking, integrated approach, and deep brand storytelling expertise made them the right fit for the road ahead,” he said.
Ruder Finn India CEO and head, Middle East Atul Sharma added: “Winning this mandate reflects our growing strength in integrated communications and corporate positioning. Volkswagen is an iconic brand that has defined the global and Indian automobile industry — we are thrilled to partner with them at such a pivotal moment. Our goal is to create compelling storytelling that mirrors Volkswagen’s legacy and future ambitions.”
As part of the mandate, Ruder Finn will embed itself closely with Volkswagen’s internal communications team, ensuring consistent, insight-led messaging across earned and owned channels.
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Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
