MAM
WPP plugs into Orient Electric as media duties switch hands
MUMBAI: When brands look to spark growth, the first switch they flip is often media. Orient Electric has done just that, appointing WPP Media to steer its integrated media strategy across offline and digital platforms, signalling a sharper, more connected push in a fiercely competitive consumer market.
The mandate hands WPP Media end-to-end responsibility for media planning and buying, spanning television, print, digital and emerging platforms. The brief covers Orient Electric’s wide-ranging portfolio, from fans and lighting to home appliances, switches, switchgear and wires, categories where visibility and consideration often decide the final purchase.
Part of the $3 billion CKA Birla Group, Orient Electric has built a strong presence in India’s consumer electrical space. The new partnership is aimed at sharpening that edge by blending creative storytelling with data-led performance, an approach increasingly favoured by brands looking to convert awareness into measurable action.
WPP Media will lead a full-funnel strategy designed to connect discovery with purchase, using data intelligence and platform expertise to map consumer journeys more precisely. The focus is on building relevance across touchpoints, ensuring that brand messages travel seamlessly from screens to stores and from intent to transaction.
Orient Electric says the collaboration is about more than just reach. “Our collaboration with WPP Media is about creating a connected media ecosystem that links innovation to customer experience,” said Orient Electric Limited chief marketing and customer experience officer Anika Agarwal pointing to a sharper emphasis on turning everyday interactions into meaningful brand moments.
From WPP Media’s side, the brief reflects the growing convergence of creativity and performance. WPP Media president of client solutions for South Asia Navin Khemka said the aim is to reimagine how the brand engages consumers in their daily lives by marrying storytelling with data precision to drive long-term business growth.
The appointment underlines a broader shift in how electronics and smart-living brands are approaching media, moving beyond traditional silos towards integrated strategies that build visibility, drive commerce and strengthen customer connections. For Orient Electric, the hope is that a smarter media circuit will keep the brand firmly switched on in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
MAM
Happy Pawdcast launches merchandise with The Souled Store
Season 2 success leads to co-branded line celebrating pet-parent bond.
MUMBAI: The Happy Pawdcast just gave fans something to wag their tails about because when your favourite pet show gets merch, even the couch starts feeling like a runway. Building on the momentum of Season 2 which reached over 14 million pet lovers, clocked more than 20,000 hours of content consumption and engaged over 23,000 users, The Happy Pawdcast has teamed up with The Souled Store for an exclusive co-branded merchandise collection. The line translates the podcast’s emotional core into wearable designs that celebrate the everyday bond between pets and their parents.
Hosted by Sonali Bendre and Icy Behl, Season 2 featured candid conversations with celebrity pet parents including Remo D’Souza, Diana Penty, Kubbra Sait, Rohan Joshi, Karan Wahi, Tusshar Kapoor and Amala Akkineni. The episodes tackled responsible adoption, stray welfare, pet emotional well-being and debunked common care myths, earning strong resonance across digital platforms.
Sonali Bendre said, “Season 2 reaffirmed how deeply people connect with stories around pets, responsibility, and companionship. This collaboration with The Souled Store is a natural extension of that bond, taking the conversations beyond the screen and turning shared emotions into something tangible for pet parents.”
Rose Audio Visuals head of marketing & branded content Megha H Desai added, “With Season 2, The Happy Pawdcast evolved from a content property into a strong, community-led IP. The collaboration with The Souled Store reflects our approach to building meaningful extensions around our shows where audience insight, brand alignment, and scale come together.”
The Souled Store co-founder Vedang Patel noted, “Pet parenting today is as much about identity and expression as it is about care and responsibility. This collaboration allowed us to tap into a deeply engaged, emotionally invested community and co-create designs that feel authentic and accessible.”
Produced by Rosepod (the podcasting division of Rose Audio Visuals), the merchandise marks the podcast’s shift from audio-video content into a broader lifestyle IP, while aligning with The Souled Store’s focus on pop-culture-led, community-first products and its animal welfare initiatives through World For All.
In a pet-parent world where love often comes with a leash and a hoodie, The Happy Pawdcast isn’t just telling stories anymore, it’s letting fans wear them, proving the bond between humans and their fur-babies deserves more than likes, it deserves to be flaunted.
