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The Content Hub: Storytelling with Brands
Mumbai: On a bright sunny day of 25 April, Indiantelevision.com’s event, The Content Hub, which took place at The Lalit, Mumbai saw the presence of many experts in the content space.
The third panel which was moderated by Hogarth CEO Kartik Nagarajan was on the topic Storytellying with brands. The panelists comprised of Starbucks director – marketing category loyalty digital at Tata Deepa Krishnan, ICICI Securities head marketing Deepak Saluja, aha head revenue & monetization Nitin Burman, Teamology Softech and Media Services Pvt Ltd growth & strategy Lawrence Suchita.
The panel kicked off with Nagarajan questioning other panelists on their favourite brand storytelling moments to which Saluja said, “So when you’re building a conversation, especially in a category, like mutual funds, where the genesis of the category over the decades has been in terms of new product offerings, which drew the attention of consumer, this was, for the first time that a brand was really looking at it in a different lens, on the category side, from a consumer side and from a grand setup. So we brought this learning into a narrative about how a father who’s been a budding cricket player, playing actively in Ranji Trophy had always dreamt of going to London and watching the matches live at lords, and how that entire dream is fueled or fulfilled by his son.”
Krishnan gave her thoughts on the art of storytelling and mentioned, “The first rule to follow is be clear of what your brand vision is. And stay true to that. Right. The second rule that I follow storytelling is what I’ve learned in my career in consulting earlier, and it is called the 99 per cent principle. The marketers are so self obsessed that we think the consumers are thinking about our brand 99 per cent of the time, because you may not think about your brand 99 per cent of the time. But if you can get your brand vision and story to match the 99 per cent that is important in their lives, then you have a storytelling kind of play right?”
Burman too commented on his favourite brand moment, “So we thought our whole brand storytelling during the launch has to be where Telugu people accept aha as their own brand, and not somebody who’s come from outside of the state. So we launched our segment borderless, which means it’s Maya. And that’s what is very well accepted by the people. Because the whole communication was created by the Telugu people, for the Telugu people.”
Suchita shared on the evolution of audience consuming content and said, “The evolution has been driven more with The fact that people’s interests have changed towards reading, I think India has always read, always read more. But now it sees more. So somewhere, when you actually come across the content, we see it is very emotional and secondly the content is very personal. And this kind of changes the whole storytelling experience.”
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
