Brands
Wheel of Fortune lands big brands as Sony bets on a marquee TV reboot
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has locked in a strong slate of advertisers for the Indian launch of Wheel of Fortune, underlining renewed marketer confidence in big-ticket, family entertainment formats on linear television.
Maruti Suzuki and Maaza have signed on as co-presenting partners for the Sony Entertainment Television show, with Pidilite (Roff), Philips Home Appliances, StockGro and Denver Perfumes coming in as co-powered sponsors, and State Bank of India as special partner.
Headlined by actor Akshay Kumar, the Indian edition combines the equity of a globally recognised game show with celebrity-led scale, humour and audience participation. Sony executives say the property has been designed as an integrated brand platform, allowing sponsors to be woven organically into the narrative rather than treated as spot advertisers.
Sony Pictures Networks India head – linear ad sales Akshay Agrawal, said the network aimed to deliver stronger engagement and brand recall by aligning advertiser presence with content moments across television and digital.
For brands, the appeal lies in the show’s broad, multi-generational reach. Maruti Suzuki said the association fits its focus on family viewing, while Philips Home Appliances described the partnership as a culturally relevant way to connect with households beyond product messaging. StockGro highlighted the show’s emphasis on quick decision-making as a natural metaphor for investing, while Pidilite, Denver Perfumes and SBI pointed to visibility and trust at scale.
Recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most popular TV game show, and a multiple Daytime Emmy Award winner, Wheel of Fortune now becomes Sony’s latest attempt to create a high-impact advertising vehicle anchored in appointment viewing.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
