In an era of infinite scroll and AI-assisted thinking, is big brain energy becoming our most seductive and strategic asset?

By Hemali Gandhi

We’re Knowledge Maxxinggg in Bars and Parks

Collectives like Pint of View, Brydge and Society of Intellectuals are hijacking bars across mega cities for cognitive clout by hosting professor and expert talks on neuroscience, philosophy, history, and more.

Silent reading communities like Cubbon Reads meet every Saturday in public parks, where people simply show up with their own books and read. What started in Bengaluru as a tiny, wholesome experiment is now 130+ chapters across 70+ cities.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BRYDGE (@brydge.people)

“People from completely different walks of life show up, choosing curiosity over scrolling. What makes these evenings so powerful is that learning becomes communal – open to interruption, questioning, laughter and lingering conversations with the expert after the talk ends.
I truly believe that we never lost our curiosity as adults; we simply lost spaces capable of holding it. Rebuilding those spaces is something we must take on collectively, as a society.”

- Siya Sarnaik, co-founder of Brydge, a group bringing expert-led talks to bars across India.

Deep Dives are Scaling Across Platforms

India’s podcast numbers - #3 in the world, projected to reach 267M by 2029
Substack is also sitting at 5M paying readers and 35M free.

And Then It Becomes Identity

Internet girlies are dropping Substack reading recs in a pool of GRWMs and ragebaits.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nandini Mullaji (@dini_inabottle)

Soo, why is intellectualism suddenly….. hot again?

The internet has gone feral. Between irrational political discourse, AI deepfakes, and yes, the endless skibidi toilet rabbit holes, we’re all drowning in nonsense.
What seems to be happening is a full-on backlash against this anti-intellectualism. When everything feels oddly meaningless, knowing things (or at least the feeling of knowing things) starts to feel grounding.

But, are we learning for learning's sake or are we simply curating a visual identity rooted in intellect?

We’re now Knowledge Flexxxing

Take the Dior Book Tote, one of the year’s most flexed luxury pieces. They slapped actual first-edition book covers on their bags - from Dracula to Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

The same energy shows up in Channel hosting ‘literary rendezvous’ at its acquired bookshop in Paris, Coach starting its own book club and Prada commissioning a novelist to write ten original short stories inspired by its Spring/Summer 2025 campaign.

Celebs are levelling up their cred with books and long-form ideas

Take Dua Lipa’s most stylish Service95 Book Club.
Alia Bhatt drops book recs.
Twinkle Khanna curates monthly reading lists.
The Nod Book Club is hosting actors like Sonam Kapoor.

Is this depth or is this drip?

In 2025, literacy hit a 30-year low. The number of students who say they rarely or never read jumped from 22% to 31%.

An average person could previously come up with 8 to 12 unique ideas in standard creativity tests. Now, with heavy AI dependence, that number’s shrunk to 3 to 5.​​In an era where genuine critical thinking and deep reading are on a decline,
Looking smart = max social clout

Private Growth still meets Public Proof

Well, tons of folks are genuinely learning. With 124M posts on Instagram tagged #Bookstagram, a lot of that brain juice may definitely be real.

But learning rarely stays low-key anymore. Lectures in bars, book club meetups - all live on the gram. Thus, it inevitably enters the realm of performative intellectualism.

Intellectualism is entering the lifestyle economy and the experience economy

The second something turns into a trend,
Everyone learns the formula.
And once we know the formula,
we can spot the knock-offs.
We can spot alllll the
intellectual cosplay & smart-for-the-aesthetic energy.

The Whole Truth does it brilliantly

• The Whole Truth Podcast - deep dive conversations into food & fitness ft. health experts
• FBI workshops - kids and adults become label detectives, spot sneaky claims, and actually think about what’s on their plate with pros like FoodPharmer
• Truth Be Told Newsletter + The Whole Truth Academy - BS free articles, tools and guides to eat smarter

Intellectual culture today can be both genuine curiosity and social signalling. Brands that don’t create that contradiction stand to win.

As you build your brand’s brainy spaces, ask yourself: Are you creating a genuine space for curiosity and ideas, or is this just another trend you’re hopping on?

And why brands shouldn’t ignore the second largest anime fandom in the world.

By Shivam Srivastav

TL;DR

This fandom shows up. From sold-out 5 a.m. movie screenings to 25,000-strong conventions, anime fans legit invest time, money, and identity rather than merely consume.

Merch is the real business layer. In anime, apparel and collectables are how culture travels, making merchandise the most scalable and emotionally charged opportunity for brands in India.

Friction is part of the signal. Piracy, young audiences, and strict IP rules make anime harder to enter but also harder to fake and grant greater relevance when done right.

Anime offers cultural association and reach. Instead of just borrowing attention, brands that engage thoughtfully earn credibility inside communities.

Don’t chase hype; build ecosystems. Partner with communities early and identify the fans within your own organisation who can bring cultural authenticity to the work.

In September 2025, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, a Japanese anime film with almost no mass-market advertising, opened across more than 1,900 screens in nearly 600 Indian cities, eventually becoming the highest-grossing foreign animated film in India. Collecting ₹47.7 crore in its first five days, it outpaced the Indian debuts of Frozen 2 and Across the Spider-Verse. This was not merely a box-office success; this was a cultural validation moment for anime in India.

What started as a nerdy niche is now a hot collaboration magnet. 2026 opened with Shubman Gill, captain of the Indian men’s cricket team and one of the country’s most recognisable sporting figures, becoming the brand ambassador for anime streaming platform Crunchyroll.

These moments suggest something bigger than one-shots: Anime is moving from the fringes to India’s cultural mainstream.

Fandom Without A Funnel

Anime fandom in India is often flattened into a stereotype: Gen Z, male, online, maybe nerdy. In reality, it behaves more like a cultural ecosystem, one that carries audiences from childhood into young adulthood without forcing them to age out.

From The Jungle Book on Doordarshan to cable-era staples like Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon, Indian audiences were hooked early. There are various reasons for anime’s universal appeal like the characters’ big heartedness, authenticity, their commitment to self-improvement. One anime is simultaneously a screwball comedy, morality play, sports drama, domestic sitcom, or sci-fi horror, expanding their overarching genres of Shounen (anime for boys) or Shoujo (girls). Anime also has native genres that don’t exist elsewhere, like isekai, where characters are transported to a parallel world. In fact, experts recommend leaning into the various subgenres like ‘iyashekei’ or ‘healing anime’ that takes viewers to alternate realities like idyllic nature and serene vistas.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aish (@aishkhar)

Anime’s more mature themes also caters to adolescents uniquely as cartoons primarily focus on children below 10. These shows draw diverse viewers despite the ‘othering’ that usually happens with non-English entertainment and despite the accessibility barriers before official entrants like Crunchyroll in the market. “It’s not cartoons, it’s Anime!” is a common battlecry on online forums and you can find an Indian anime fan in their teens, 20s, and even in their 30s and 40s everywhere from Kerala to Northeast India.

While franchises like Marvel and DC were built for discovery with theatrical rollouts, licensed merchandise, cable programming, and global campaigns, anime fans didn’t have that infrastructure. Marvel fans gathered in the open and brands knew where to find them. Anime grew outside official channels. For years, most new titles circulated informally, through illegal streams, pen drives and torrent sites. The result was scale without visibility.

By the time platforms and licensors entered the picture, the Indian fandom was already organised and engaged. In 2016, a 15-member fan collective from Delhi called AnimeTM Dubbers spent nine months painstakingly redesigning sound and syncing dialogue to recreate a near film-quality Hindi redub of 2016 romance anime Your Name. Though copyright strikes shut them down, fan dubbers like them had introduced anime to millions of non-English-speaking viewers in India.

Today, India counts over 118 million anime viewers (as of 2023), around 20 million paying subscribers, and a market valued at over USD1 billion, making it one of the largest anime audiences globally. According to Imarc, the Indian anime market size had already cracked the $1,098 million-mark in 2024 and is expected to hit $2,930 million by 2033, growing at 11.5% from 2025-2033.

Fandom in the Flesh

With Comic Con expanding from Delhi and Mumbai to cities like Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar and Nagpur, we’ve already seen how anime fans love to express their fandom in person. But we also have new offline events like Anime India, India’s first large-scale, anime-only convention that took place in Mumbai, August 2025 and drew over 25,000 attendees across two days, and fan screenings . “We had over 400 registrations and sold out all 310 seats instantly,” said Deven Gupta, founder of the Delhi Anime Club and head of anime-focused agency, Clyster Media, which had also organised a fan screening of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle during its release. Demand was so high that PVR added a 5 a.m. show, with tickets priced at ₹700-800 and resales reaching ₹2,800.

Anime India programmers also brought cultural heavyweights like Tetsurō Araki — the director behind Attack on Titan and Death Note. For many Indian fans, Death Note was a gateway into anime’s darker, more cerebral storytelling, while Attack on Titan helped push the medium into political themes and cinematic scale. “[Araki] felt a genuine connection with the audience,” Gupta says. “The questions were deeply researched - this wasn’t surface-level fandom.” Fans sat through hours-long, scene-by-scene breakdowns of early episodes without leaving.

Queuing under the hot sun, traveling cities, and spending entire days immersed is defining behaviour. Anime fans don’t just consume. They show up. And that’s the signal brands are finally seeing. What began as smaller brands selling anime apparel and memorabilia has evolved to collaborations with Sony, PVR, Lenovo, and Intel.

Too Merch and Never Enough

In anime, merchandise isn’t an afterthought. Unlike film franchises where merch follows theatrical success, anime merchandise often outlasts screen consumption.

From more generic apparel and figurines to books, toys, posters, and collectibles to the surprisingly niche Pikachu-themed instant noodles (Pokémon), Vegeta perfume (Dragon Ball Z) to Dakimakura (character body pillows), merch allows fans to signal belonging long after an episode airs.This matters in India, where anime viewership is massive but subscription spends remain low. Merchandising makes up the largest share of anime-related revenue streams globally. India, with its scale, represents one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the category.

The Souled Store (TSS), a ₹1,420-crore merchandise company, built its business on fandom-driven design, and anime is now one of its fastest-growing categories. TSS holds official rights for One Piece and Naruto (the anime equivalent of owning Iron Man and Superman).With anime, TSS isn’t chasing hype; it’s building long-term presence. According to Pranav Nambiar, Growth Marketing Manager at TSS, the brand partnered with Aniplex – the studio behind Demon Slayer – well before the film entered public conversation.

“The success of the movie obviously makes an impact on merchandise as well but it does not always correlate. It all depends on whether that fandom is into wearable merch… Demon Slayer is an extremely wearable fandom because the characters are wearable and the fans are the ones who love wearing merch to represent,” said Nambiar.

Design is where TSS sets itself apart. Instead of literal character prints, TSS designs from the essence of a fandom. A Demon Slayer T-shirt might reference Tanjiro’s signature chequered kimono pattern rather than slap his face on it - an approach the team calls “elevated fandom design.”

Products are styled as fashion-first pieces that signal fandom to those who recognise it, but still appeal to those who don’t. “If heavy fandom designs feel too much for you, we style them as fashion pieces that simply elevate your look. We never gatekeep. Instead of shooting products on mannequins or doing AI mockups, we invest those resources into creating visuals that help people feel the product - to connect with its vibe, not just the fandom behind it,” Nambiar added.

This philosophy transcends TSS. What’s striking about anime collaborations globally isn’t their volume, but their intent. Instead of borrowing characters and IP, brands are embedding fandom into everyday life. Uniqlo’s Studio Ghibli UT line sold nostalgia. boAt’s Naruto headphones folded anime aesthetics into daily tech. Revenant Esports’ Naruto collaboration hints at anime spilling into esports culture.

Globally, Crocs turned Jujutsu Kaisen into casual footwear, while Duolingo used anime to make language learning playful. In each case, the collaboration doesn’t ask fans to consume more content but invites them to live inside the culture, one habit at a time.

The Friction Is Real - And That’s The Point

Anime sounds like exactly the kind of cultural trend marketers are chasing. But if it sounds too good to be true, it kinda is. Piracy still rules, illegal merchandise massively undercut official products on price and availability, and the core audience skews young – highly engaged but limited in disposable income. Add strict licensing rules and creative guardrails from Japanese IP holders, and anime stops looking like easy conversions.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Weeb Central (@itsweebcentral)

But these constraints exist because anime isn’t a lightweight trend; it’s a long-term cultural system. That’s why IPs like One Piece or Naruto endure for decades - not by chasing novelty, but by building worlds audiences grow into and stay emotionally invested in. For brands, anime offers a strong cultural association, not just reach. Aligning with anime signals global awareness, youth relevance, and cultural fluency without needing to over-communicate intent. Take TSS’ collaboration with Yazu, a Pan Asian restaurant in Lower Parel, Mumbai in 2024. The brand transformed an anime drop into a fine-dining event, ‘Recreating Anime in Food’ in 2024. It didn’t just sell merchandise; it translated fandom into flavour, smell and sound, drawing over 500 fans across three days and clocking more than half a million views online.

• Fashion apps could drop “Side Character Fits”

Fashion inspired not by main characters, but by side characters. Each drop includes lore cards and styling videos narrated like character intros. Perfect for micro-communities that live for deep cuts.

• Music apps could turn playlists into ‘Living Storylines’

Show specific playlists that shift with fan input, character arcs, or new episodes. They could even host fandom-led listening parties for iconic OSTs or album anniversaries, turning streaming into a shared ritual.

• Food delivery apps could do “Ramenverse Pop-Ups”

Instead of generic food festivals, the apps could host rotating ramen pop-ups in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore – each one themed like an anime village with NPC-style staff, stamps, missions, and collectables fans can chase across cities.

In an attention economy stretched thin, anime offers something increasingly rare: a participatory culture with depth. Brands that recognise this won’t just market to fandoms but actually build relevance with the audiences shaping the future.

Coffee is no longer just a functional beverage — it's a trendy, new lifestyle accessory, all thanks to Gen Z.

By Ahaana Khosla (LinkedIn ; Instagram)

Experts:

1. Meghna Kaur @shetroublemaker (Lifestyle Creator & Co-founder)
2. Akash Thakkar  (Co-founder)
3. Naheel Koroth (Co-founder)
4. Radhika Seth @radhikasethh (Lifestyle Creator & Co-founder)

TL;DR:

1. Thanks to an increase in disposable incomes, urbanisation and variety of brews, over 44% of the Indian population drinks coffee.
   
2. One in five Gen Zs and millennials follow the suggestions of influencers when choosing what coffee to buy.
   
3. 65% of specialty coffee drinkers in India are millennial or Gen Z.

India was one a primarily chai-drinking nation but, as of 2023, more than 44% of the population drinks coffee thanks to an increase in disposable incomes, urbanisation and variety of brews. But there’s another cultural shift brewing under the surface – the way India drinks coffee is changing too. What was once a niche beverage for corporate office-going adults (50% of Indians drink coffee at work) has become a trendy lifestyle statement that signals identity and status – and younger consumers behind it all.

“Cappuccinos were an aspiration. But iced coffee is an identity – it’s quick, aesthetic, and fits how this generation lives: on the move, online, and unfiltered,” says Radhika Seth, lifestyle content creator and one of four co-founders of Naked, a coffee brand focused on marketing to Indian Gen Zs where emphasis is on aesthetics, vibes and convenience. In fact, according to a 2024 Deloitte report, one in five Gen Zs and millennials (22% and 21% respectively) follow the suggestions of influencers when choosing what coffee to buy.

As India’s coffee culture evolved, the drink became overintellectualised – brands marketed it less as a functional pick-me-up for tired adults and more as an artisanal, high-concept beverage that needed a jargonic understanding of notes, roasts, grinds, and brewing equipment. In a 2022 interview, Rahul Reddy, founder of Subko Coffee, said, “Coffee is complex and layered similar to wine, and in order to do each lot justice, it must be treated independently, roasted the right amount for the unique flavour profiles and notes to come out and sing.”

Naked co-founder Akash Thakkar says that while reports show that coffee consumption is growing in India, people still find its technicalities overwhelming, which can deter them from entering the specialty coffee world. The brand’s third co-founder Naheel Koroth agrees, adding, “There will always be a set of coffee lovers who obsess over roast levels, altitudes, and origins and that’s great. But our audience is the growing group discovering specialty coffee for the first time. We wanted to make that entry point less intimidating  and more enjoyable, while still giving them great quality.”

Influenced heavily by social media trends and global preferences, younger consumers are gravitating towards sweeter, flavoured coffee and ready to drink (RTD) coffee products. For Indian Gen Zs, social media plays a central role in their brand discovery: 89% use it to share and see opinions, 83% say they try new brands based on influencer recommendations and 85% follow trend-based accounts for updates and entertainment.

“We saw a clear gap in the market for a coffee brand that was targeted towards Gen Z, fit the vibe but didn’t compromise on quality. The medium of advertising has evolved from billboards to social media and the vibe economy is very real,” said Meghna Kaur, co-founder of Naked and lifestyle content creator.

THE CONSUMER STORY

IDENTITY-FIRST MARKETING

65% of specialty coffee drinkers are millennial and Gen Z and, for generations that make purchase decisions based on who they are and want to be, coffee is now a lifestyle accessory that signals taste, identity and belonging. With 50% of them stating they seek products and services tailored to themselves, they are drawn to coffee brands that are able to offer trending formats and flavours such as matcha or coconut lattes that are “generating excitement and turning drinks into sharable moments”.

Naked taps into this desire for “sharable moments” with creator collaborations and events and experiences like invite-only preview tastings designed as much for the camera as for the caffeine fix. The brand’s ability to feel international and premium while still focussing on local sourcing adds to its appeal. It features both locally sourced beans from coffee estates like Kerehaklu in Chikmangalur alongside Instagram-friendly, trendy flavours like coconut cloud and tonic espresso and merch.

SUBSCRIPTIONS HIT THE INDIAN COFFEE INDUSTRY

Young Indians are reeling under financial instability but still finding unique ways to prioritise health: 40% now use EMIs or subscription models to fund preventative wellness expenses like gym memberships, mental health apps, and skin care treatments. This subscription-model has even proved popular in the coffee industry: reportedly, for Indian brand Bloom Coffee Roasters, subscription-based orders surged by 50% in 2024 as most consumers consume coffee at home.

According to a global Deloitte study, 40% of Indians buy their coffee online – beating out the coffee e-commerce markets in Germany (14%), Japan (16%) and Spain (16%) – due to lower prices, more convenience and higher variety. Subscription services also reign supreme where “one in seven online coffee shoppers (15%) indicate they have signed up for regular deliveries.” Even the Coffee Board of India has tagged subscription models as a strategy to boost coffee consumption.

HOW BRANDS CAN TAP IN

THE POWER OF UGC & CREATOR-LED BRANDS

According to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), over 2 million monetised content creators in India are influencing more than $350 billion in consumer spending. Creators in India are now leveraging their followings and fan bases to build brands that are extensions of themselves and cater to the needs of their hyper-connected communities.

User generated content (UGC) content is also emerging as a strong communication tool: 86% of Indian customers say they trust a brand more when it features UGC and 85% of Gen Z state that they are more likely to purchase from brands that hold personal meaning for them. “There’s so much content out there that consumers now prefer watching more ‘real’ content from creators who they can actually resonate with as opposed to those with mass followings,” said Thakkar. Young Indian consumers are becoming increasingly difficult to capture and build loyalty with. In order for a brand to truly become embedded in their lifestyles, they must feel genuinely connected to it.

REMIX WESTERN AESTHETICS WITH INDIAN VALUES

There is a huge opportunity for local brands to mix western aesthetics and global trends with Indian sensibilities to create brands that feel both familiar and aspirational. “India definitely takes inspiration from the West but we remix it our way,” says Koroth. Other F&B brands like Bombay Sweet Shop, Indu Ice Cream and Paper Boat are also nailing this strategy by blending nostalgic flavour profiles with packaging and marketing that feels modern and relevant to global sensibilities. “What’s emerging is a uniquely Indian, vibe-driven coffee culture that is bold, young and unpretentious. While we’re just getting started, the best part is it feels authentically ours,” says Koroth.

Ahaana Khosla is a trend forecaster, cultural strategist, writer, and editor with a background in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle journalism. She writes about consumer behaviour and emerging trends with bylines in Vogue Business, Vogue India, Harper’s Bazaar UK & India, and BeautyMatter. Ahaana is also the founder of Foresight Forum, a platform dedicated to decoding the future of fashion, beauty, and hospitality through sharp insights and accessible storytelling. Her work bridges global perspectives with local relevance, helping brands and creatives stay ahead of the curve.

Gen Z is the most documented and discussed audience in modern marketing. Yet, we’ve never understood them less.

By Shibani Mitra

If you were a fly on the wall in a marketing team meeting in any part of the world, chances are you’d hear this: “We need to get Gen Z.”

The problem is every brand is trying to talk to this generation in what they think is the language of Gen Z. It’s like trying to speak French after completing a week-long streak on Duolingo – you may sound like you’re speaking the language, but it makes no sense to a Parisian.

The truth is we’ve never known a generation as intimately as we know Gen Z. We track their slang, mimic their humour, decode their aesthetics – they’re the most loud, visible, documented and discussed cohort in modern marketing.

Yet, we’ve never understood an audience less.

TONE DEAF-ICIT

Take Bumble’s 2024 “anti-celibacy” billboard: the brand read frustration with modern dating as a sign that young people were “giving up” and responded with a cheeky provocation: ‘You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer.’ But it fundamentally misunderstood that Gen Z views opting out of dating as an act of autonomy, and not a vow of abstinence. In trying to sound culturally relevant, Bumble betrayed its own positioning of giving women more agency in love and relationships.

For Gen Z, even a product’s use case must align with their values – a brand can’t simply slap on woke messaging and call it a day.

For example, In India, the promise of Glow & Lovely sits completely out of sync with the reality that Gen Z and millennials prefer “brightening and hydration functionalities instead of fairness.” The brand’s latest influencer-academy campaign checks every box of modern marketing – empowerment positioning that talks about upskilling young women for India’s creator economy. But the product’s core still rests on a fairness legacy that its consumers have already rejected and no amount of woke-washed messaging will trick them.

TO MEME OR NOT TO MEME?

Zomato and Swiggy have built entire social media personas on meme-based posts that drive engagement overnight. Even Nykaa’s Ganji Chudail ad grabbed attention and was briefly memorable for its absurdity.

Yes, many brands chasing Gen Z with memes and trend-bait campaigns are seeing results. Dashboards glow green, engagement spikes, CTRs climb, and the algorithm pushes their content further. These are easy wins in a world where marketing success is often measured in virality and quarterly KRAs.

But the average ‘moment-chasing’ brand today should take a leaf from the book of brands like Red Bull; that has always acted less like a sponsor and more like an enabler of culture. This brand champions niche groups like dancers, mountain climbers, racers, flugtag enthusiasts first and places the means to do so (be it IPs, producing film/tv production or sponsorships) second.

Longevity, not virality, is what shields brands from volatility. Cadbury’s survival of its 2003 “worms” crisis owed as much to Amitabh Bachchan’s credibility as to decades of emotional storytelling through “Kuch Khaas Hai,” “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye”, and Cadbury Celebrations that had already made it part of India’s emotional vocabulary.

WHEN BRANDS GET THEIR AUDIENCE, IT SHOWS

When we think back to the era of peak millennial marketing, brands cemented love among communities by leading the conversation in culture and not just chasing it. Fastrack’s bold “Coming Out of the Closet” ad captured an unspoken truth about identity and rebellion in a conservative India. Airtel’s “Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai” mirrored the millennial condition of hyper-connectedness. Café Coffee Day’s “Sit Down” campaign reframed rebellion from performative angst to a quiet, introspective act.

Ads, campaigns and activations that we now consider “iconic” earned that tag because they not only understood the psyche of young people they were marketing to but also added meaning and depth to the conversations they were having. Few modern day brands display this nuanced understanding of their audiences – like Airbnb that has built its equity with millennials by tapping into their thirst for experience and belonging through successful social media led campaigns like “Belong Anywhere” and “Don’t just see a place, experience it.”

DON’T JUST PARROT GEN Z, DIALOGUE WITH THEM

Raised in the age of infinite scroll and short-form video (the ‘TikTokification’ of everything), this generation’s media may be fleeting, but their values and personalities aren’t.

Somewhere along the way, we started to assume that the generation that lives on 15-second clips must also think in 15-second philosophies. So we grab at trends, adopt their slang, and assume we’ve “cracked” them - and that’s where most brand strategies lose the plot.

The real question for marketers is this: does that Instagram post actually add relevance to your brand, or are you just burning out your social media team and budget for a fleeting meme that’ll vanish by next week?

If brands of today want to matter to Gen Z, they have to stop chasing the moment and start articulating meaning. Because too many brands today mistake participation in culture for leadership. But in doing so, they end up blindly following the algorithm and risk losing sight of the audience they’re hoping to win over.

Don’t take my word for it. Take it from the legend himself.

Shibani Mitra is a creative brand strategist who thrives on the leap from powerful human insight to compelling brand actions. With over 13 years of experience, she has helped shape iconic brands across categories, from Hero MotoCorp and Castrol to Netflix, Amazon, Diageo, and Nestlé. Equal parts thinker and doer, her work spans brand positioning, innovation, and go-to-market strategy. Passionate about the power of advertising, Shibani believes in building impactful brands that don’t just sell but stand for something.

Once just a place you passed through to get somewhere else, the airport is now where brands can take off too.

By Dhara Mandaliya

TL;DR

1. India now ranks as the third-largest air transport market in the world, in terms of departing passenger traffic, behind only the U.S. and China.
   
2. Reportedly, 91% of global consumers say experiential activations leave them feeling more optimistic about a brand or product.
   
3. The ‘casino effect’ impacts how we spend at airports – continuous artificial lighting can disrupt circadian rhythms and make us lose track of the outside world, making us more susceptible to a spendthrift attitude.
   
4. 76% of consumers now expect personalised engagement across brand touchpoints.
   
5. As global travel continues to grow, we can expect to see greater sophistication in captive audience marketing with exclusive, location-specific products and experiences that turn ‘dead time’ into opportunities to connect with consumers.

In 2024, Swiggy Instamart created buzz at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport by taking over a baggage carousel. Over 7,000 travelers spotted a teddy bear, bag of flour, air fryer and other such items under branded cloches, revolving along with suitcases. Swiggy’s activation solved two problems at once: it not only breathed life into the boring, passive experience of luggage collection but also seeded the idea that customers could purchase just about anything on its platform.

The airport was once just a place you passed through to get somewhere else. Now, brands like Swiggy are transforming them into destinations of their own. “Airports today feel less like transit points and more like malls that lead me to my flight gate… Airport marketing has become less about sophistication and more about crowded brand-building in recent years,” says brand positioning coach Manish Ahuja.

In India, domestic air passenger traffic has increased by 7.6% from 2024 to 2025 and international travel is 49% higher than pre-Covid levels. India now ranks as the third largest air transport market in the world, in terms of departing passenger traffic, behind only the U.S. and China. Around 174 million passengers traveled from and within India by air in 2024, accounting for around 4.2% of the global total.

With increased travel, airports are becoming a space ripe for captive audience marketing. Psychologist Tanya Vasunia attributes this to the ‘casino effect.’ “The lack of natural light and windows, coupled with continuous artificial lighting, can disrupt a person's circadian rhythm, much like a casino. This creates a sort of utopian effect where people lose track of the outside world, making them more susceptible to a spendthrift attitude,” she says.

EMOTIONS CAN DRIVE SHOPPING HABITS

There’s another interesting psychological effect at play here: the feeling of permission, both to spend impulsively as well as to indulge in premium experiences. “Emotional states are a powerful driver of impulsive purchases. When you’re excited, perhaps at the beginning of a trip, you’re more likely to make an impulsive buy fuelled by the rush of adrenaline and endorphins,” says Vasunia. “Conversely, a ‘pick-me-up' purchase can occur after a bad experience like a frustrating holiday as a way to self-soothe.”

In fact, 76% of consumers now expect personalised engagement across brand touchpoints. This mindset presents an opportunity for brands: anticipate airport-specific needs and offer experiences accordingly.

For example, Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport introduced a sensory room (with mood lighting, a bubble tube and galaxy projector) for anxious, overwhelmed travellers in need of a calm space to decompress. Likewise, could Uniqlo make wrinkle-proof blazers that pack into carry-on pouches for quick business trips? Could Starbucks offer exclusive superfood smoothies available only for red-eye flight passengers? Could Google Maps add an ‘Airport Mode’ feature to help us navigate food and shopping options in terminals?

DESIGN FOR SPECIFIC CONTEXTS

Even within a singular airport context, the purpose of a trip also fundamentally informs shopping behaviour. “For business travellers, purchases are often practical and a means to an end, sometimes driven by a desire to bring a last-minute gift home for their children,” says Vasunia. “For those on holiday, the purchases are more about leisure and the type of items available – from local food to gifts – reflects the destination. The act of shopping itself can also be a way to ‘kill time’ during layovers or delays.”

Luxury brands have always seen a clear opportunity in airport retail, particularly duty-free zones where premium buys can feel like a souvenir. Take Johnnie Walker – it launched a special “The Casks Edition - Mumbai Airport” version of its Blue Label bottles. The line features India-inspired artwork by award-winning artist Joe Wilson who illustrated his journey from Scotland to Mumbai, available exclusively at the airport.

Ordinary, everyday products can feel like special treats too. Haldiram’s, for instance, has given its products at the airport a total makeover – it offers assorted packs, gourmet collections and fusion options in luxe, sleek packaging that seek to justify a higher price point and function as gifts for both Indian and international palettes.

INTEGRATE, DON’T DISTRACT

Even other waiting spaces like corporate parks, subway stations, and toilets exist with their own unique consumer psychologies that must be studied and understood. For example, boAt could lean into subway marketing in Delhi and set up vending machines at busy stations like Rajiv Chowk or Kashmere Gate stocked with electronics like charging cables, powerbanks, and headphones – essentials that are commonly lost or forgotten by stressed out, time-strapped commuters during their morning or evening rush.

“I still remember a time when only luxury cars were displayed at Mumbai airport. But today, even the smallest brands are finding ways to create an impression, whether through a placement at a café stall or a QSR outlet inside the airport,” says Ahuja.

He’s right – a little goes a long way. To build on its ethos of fitness, Decathlon could place discreet QR codes on staircases in public spaces like malls that offer discounts or early access to new products, rewarding a consumer’s choice of choosing stairs over elevators. In fact, brands like Kulfi Collective (Drip’s parent company) are already pushing the boundaries of experiential marketing with AR/VR activations like its custom interactive video game for Bombay Sweet Shop inspired by the motichur laddu.

Reportedly, 91% of global consumers say that experiential activations like these leave them feeling more optimistic about a brand or product. When done right, such initiatives can function as an opportunity for connection rather than a marketing ploy to extract time, attention and money.

BEYOND TRADITIONAL RETAIL

Captive audience marketing needs fresh thinking, beyond a physical store. Brands could experiment with non-retail setups, using dwell time to create memorable consumer interactions that don’t feel overly transactional – like Toronto Pearson International Airport that partnered with Visit Mississauga for an ‘Eras’-inspired interactive display for fans arriving for Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ concerts. The installation featured a motion-responsive digital wall showcasing Swift’s albums and other visual effects where fans could take photos and videos and exchange friendship bracelets (another huge concert trend).

Similarly, could Netflix and JioHotstar set up 4D kiosks for thrilling scenes from fan-favourite shows like Manifest and Yellowjackets? Maybe IKEA and LinkedIn could install work-on-the-go stations with collectible stationery.

If the goal is to fill empty time with fun and interactive experiences, the key is to tap into an airport’s unique psychological context to craft products and experiences that are hyperspecific to the two to four-hour window of heightened spending psychology. As global travel continues to grow, we can expect to see greater sophistication in the niche of captive audience marketing – with exclusive, location-specific product lines and experiences that turn ‘dead time’ into opportunities to connect with consumers.

Here’s the scoop: Ice cream brands are tapping into snacking culture and quick commerce apps to melt our hearts – and wallets.

By Mradula Hegde

Experts:

• Ankit Chona, managing director and founder of Hocco Ice Cream
• Saloni Kukreja, chef and founder of Indu Ice Cream
• Smitha Menon, food journalist and host of Big Food Energy podcast
  

TL;DR

1. With the rise of ‘snacking culture,’ Indians today eat four times more ice cream than they did 10 years ago.
   
2. Quick commerce apps are pouring gasoline on our snacking habits – now, one in 10 ice creams in India are ordered on apps like Zepto, Swiggy and Blinkit.
   
3. Indians love snacking, but they’re doing it differently – 90% are looking for healthier swaps for their usual munchies and some are even willing to pay premiums for high-quality, natural ingredients.

Indians today eat four times more ice cream than they did a decade ago. What’s changed?

For one, snacking culture: it surged during the pandemic, and Gen Z has since continued to reach for small, frequent meals — a trend pushing even ice cream into micro formats like bites. In the UK, Magnum’s bite-sized products have helped “premiumise” the category as those who purchase minis alongside traditional tubs and cones spend 76% more on average.

Closer to home, NOTO, Havmor Ice Cream, Kwality Wall’s, Vadilal and CreamBell have also introduced miniature products on quick commerce apps that are pouring gasoline on snacking culture. In fact, one in 10 ice creams in India are now ordered on platforms like Zepto, BlinkIt and Swiggy Instamart.

The cherry on top: this consumer hunt for novelty is expanding not only formats but also flavour profiles that are elevating the category overall – a shift driven by millennials who are more likely to experiment with savoury and spicy notes like wasabi, charcoal lychee, and Dubai chocolate.

There are no signs of a slowdown: India’s ice cream market is expected to almost double to ₹90,000 crore ($10 billion) in the next decade and homegrown brands like NOTO, Hocco Ice Cream, Go Zero and Get-A-Way have secured millions of dollars from investment firms.

So what’s the play here? Brands that understand the “dopamine generation” and successfully tap into emotional and cultural cues with bold flavours, unique packaging, limited-edition products, and merchandise.

OCCASIONAL TREAT TO GO-TO SNACK

Ice cream has always been an “emotional support” food, getting you through break ups, root canals, hot summer days, even your period. Market intelligence agency Mintel calls this the “lipstick effect” (also observed in gaming) where people buy small-unit luxury items to cope, especially in times of economic strife.

Now, thanks to temperature-controlled environments like malls, improved cold storage, and stability in the prices of essential ingredients like milk solids, ice cream has become ubiquitous, graduating from an occasional magic bullet to a go-to snack.

“In India, freezers at home had limited capacity. A significant share of the freezer space was reserved for ice, meat, peas, aamras [mango pulp dessert], leaving little room for ice cream,” says Ankit Chona, managing director of Hocco Ice Cream. “Since ice cream has traditionally been an impulse purchase, quick commerce satisfies that whenever the craving strikes.”

LOW-CAL, VEGAN AND PROTEIN ALTERNATIVES

With late-night cravings just a click away, it’s no wonder physical wellness has become a top priority for Indians. They’re still snacking, just differently – 90% are looking for healthier swaps for their usual munchies and some are even willing to pay premiums for high-quality, natural ingredients.

This shift has fuelled the rise of ‘guilt-free’ alternatives: low-calorie, vegan, high-protein ice cream. New brands like Go Zero and Get-A-Way (featured on Shark Tank India) have replaced sugar and milk solids with plant-based sweeteners like stevia and whey protein isolates. Legacy brands like Mother Diary, Baskin Robbins and Vadilal have ‘healthier’ options too. Even Amul launched a low-calorie ‘Protein Kulfi’ [frozen dairy dessert] and spurred a flurry of memes.

“New-age ice cream brands are experimenting with new formats and dipping into the health-conscious segment,” says Smitha Menon, food journalist and host of Big Food Energy podcast. “This allows them to price it slightly higher, and the consumers don’t mind paying a little extra for cleaner, healthier ingredients.”

INNOVATE BEYOND TASTE

Experimentation can even extend to packaging and marketing. Hocco Ice Cream’s Aamchi went viral because its mango-shaped, blister pack ice cream looked and felt like a real box of mangoes, further indicating our appetite for novelty. The brand doubled down on the cultural moment with a mango-tree shaped billboard, a mango-scented print ad, and even a rap song. According to Chona, the brand is expecting almost ₹90 crore ($10 million) in sales to come from quick commerce apps and is even tailoring brand strategy to best capture consumers on Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart.

Chef Saloni Kukreja’s Indu Ice Cream is also making brand strategy playful. In a cheeky collaboration with Tinder’s “Move On” campaign, the artisanal label launched four limited-edition, heartbreak-inspired flavours like ‘Not Your Match Ya’ and ’Toxic Ex-presso’ — available exclusively on Swiggy and Zomato. For Fenty Skin, Kukreja crafted an exclusive kulfi collection with flavours inspired by the beauty brand’s newly launched lip oils. Even baby product company Frida partnered with OddFellows Ice Cream Co. on a limited-edition breast milk-flavoured pint for U.S. customers.

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM - COOL, NOW WHAT?

MAKE INDIAN TASTES A CULTURAL MOMENT

One path forward for the country’s ice cream industry is to reinterpret western tastes and products with local, homegrown ingredients and flavours to appeal to Indians’ unique palettes. Another, more long term strategy is to stop chasing the west, look inward and completely redefine what cold dessert means in India. “Consumers today want a cooler version of mithai [traditional Indian sweets], chocolate, and even ice-cream,” says Chona, whose brand just dropped modak [Indian sweet dumpling] ice cream in time for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

How can cold dessert or ice cream be to India what gelato is to Italy – a dessert so distinct and rooted in our identity and history that it becomes an international cultural export? Could desserts like modak, kulfi and mithai get a modern upgrade with sleek marketing and innovative formats? Or does our culinary future lie in something entirely new yet to be invented?

TAKE YOUR CONSUMERS ON AN ADVENTURE

Picture this: a Whey protein-infused, zero sugar, caffeinated scoop that can replace your pre-workout smoothie. “The consumer is adventurous and more open to experimenting with newer flavours and formats,” says Kukreja. So play with unexpected flavours and experiment with how your product can be served, presented and enjoyed. Take One Trick Pony, a peanut butter brand that redesigned its jars to open upside down so customers could avoid the unpleasant experience of mixing and spilling the oil that collects on top. Beyond products, think loyalty programs, celebration bundles or subscription boxes that build rituals and embed your brand into everyday life.

LEAN INTO CROSS-COUNTRY COLLABORATIONS

Like Hocco Ice Cream partnered with spoken word artists, could Nua and Indu Ice Cream team up on an indulgent pint of ice cream that comes as an add-on to your monthly order of pads? Maybe Spotify could surprise you with an ice cream treat if you have one too many break up songs on your Wrapped for the year? For creative marketers, there is boundless potential for collaboration even with brands outside the food space.

India’s ice cream revolution shows no signs of melting away. The next few years will belong to brands that not only understand how the “dopamine generation” functions but also see their products – in this case, ice cream – as a vehicle for a larger Indian identity.

Mradula Hegde is a STEM grad who traded lab coats for copy and campaigns. Bombay-born and Bangalore-based, she heads social media and marketing communications at Goya, leads walking tours, and can map a city through its snacks. With over a decade’s experience, she crafts brand narratives that marry cultural insight with sharp creativity. A mandala-colouring marketing enthusiast with Moo Deng as her spirit animal, she’s forever chasing her next movie or series binge.

As consumers get more label-savvy and wellness-driven, brands like Justhuman are bringing neuroscience into skincare.

By Ahaana Khosla

Experts:

1. Roshini Jaiswal, Founder & CEO JustHuman
2. Sarvangi Shah, Founder Noya Beauty Works

TL;DR:

1. Thanks to quick and e-commerce platforms, India is the world’s fastest-growing online market for beauty products, projected to grow by 10-11% till 2028.
   
2. Over 70% of Indian shoppers look to social media and online reviews for clean beauty discovery, but only 26% trust these sources for purchase decisions.
   
3. Wellness and personal finance are the top two priorities for Indian consumers.

Imagine this: you’ve had a brutal week at work, you’re stressed out, and you look exactly how you feel – exhausted and lifeless. But what if your skin care took away the dullness from not only your face but also your life? This is the promise of neurocosmetics.

“These are skincare and personal care products designed not just to improve how your skin looks, but also how you feel. They work on the skin-brain axis: the two-way communication channel between your skin and your nervous system,” says Roshini Jaiswal, founder and CEO of homegrown neurocosmetics brand JustHuman.

Similar to the gut-brain connection, JustHuman (and neurocosmetics in general) claims to reduce stress, support sleep, and improve focus and mood through scientific ingredients like probiotics, proteins, acids, microbiome and oxytocin-boosting algae as well as natural ones like cinnamon, rose hip, aloe vera, and jojoba oil. The brand also uses “patented technology” that penetrates through the “keratinous and lipid layers” and delivers “directly to the dermis”, thereby influencing the skin-brain axis.

Indians are already signalling readiness for such products. “54% of global consumers are willing to pay a premium for products with natural or organic claims… It’s clear there’s a strong shift towards healthier beauty choices that support overall well-being,” says Sarvangi Shah, founder of Noya Beauty Works, a beauty consultancy in Mumbai.

Quick and e-commerce platforms have made India the world’s fastest-growing online market for beauty products, projected to grow by 10-11% till 2028. Neurocosmetics has been tagged as an emerging trend in the country, which is also the world’s sixth-largest beauty market. “While India is still at a very early stage, even a 1-2% penetration of neurocosmetics creates a billion-dollar opportunity,” says Jaiswal.

THE CONSUMER STORY

DEMAND FOR ‘SCIENCE-BACKED’ BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Being fed a flurry of new brands and trends on social media, the Indian beauty consumer is hyperexposed and, therefore, increasingly discerning. They’re no longer willing to buy into attractive packaging and influencer hype alone.

A 2025 Mintel report says “science-backed” beauty products log the “the highest increase in association with trust.” Even global research shows that “60% of consumers expect brands to disclose the source of their ingredients and 72% want clear explanations of what ingredients do.”

JustHuman is hoping to tap into this cultural shift. While Jaiswal has previously said that some science around neurocosmetics is still at a “nascent stage”, her brand is forthcoming with information on its formulations, processes, and ingredients and is actively positioning itself as validated by science.

INDIANS ARE MORE STRESSED THAN GLOBAL COUNTERPARTS

Around 30% of Indians in the workforce feel stressed on a daily basis and at higher levels than their counterparts in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Africa. Even within India, women and younger cohorts like millennials and Gen Z are disproportionately impacted by rising levels of stress and anxiety.

Psychological struggles like these aren’t invisible – they can show up as hair loss, acne, migraines and skin issues. “These beauty concerns are becoming so increasingly common and are making women increasingly turn to beauty products that address both appearance and emotional balance,” notes Jaiswal.

Neurocosmetics, she says, sit perfectly in this space. “When you apply Volini on your skin, the pain is instantly eased. That's exactly what I mean when I say ‘skin-brain connection.’ The skin has thousands of nerve endings; these nerve endings create neurotransmitters like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. These neurotransmitters are responsible for how our skin feels and how you feel,” explains Jaiswal.

WELLNESS IS A TOP PRIORITY

Wellness and personal finance are the top two priorities for Indian consumers, signalling a shift in how consumers are thinking that will soon shape purchasing decisions. “Indian consumers are moving from ‘beauty for appearance’ to ‘beauty for wellbeing’,” says Jaiswal, adding that JustHuman’s beauty-wellness hybrid content is seeing two times more engagement across social platforms, year on year.

“Our products offer added benefits like better mood, balance and emotional well-being in ways that feel both innovative and authentic. This is clearly evident in our data – 70% of repeat buyers cite emotional well-being like feeling calmer and more balanced as a reason for returning,” says Jaiswal.

HOW BRANDS CAN TAP IN

CLEAN, SCIENCE-FIRST POSITIONING

Today’s consumers are increasingly label-savvy: they research ingredients and sourcing before making a purchase and expect transparency. In fact, 68% of global consumers are willing to pay more for clean, natural products.

Brands now have an opportunity to advance their science-led positioning by focusing on ingredient potency and delivery systems. For example, The Whole Truth, a food and nutrition brand, is known for its “clean-label” ethos and The Ordinary, a Canadian skin care brand, has been a modern pioneer for science-backed beauty.

PROMOTE SELF-DISCOVERY AND CUSTOMISED RITUALS

A one-size fits all approach no longer resonates with Indians – 44% are interested in personalised hair care products tailored to their individual needs. To make consumers feel seen, brands must offer flexible and customisable solutions, rituals and formats. “The goal should be to guide customers on a journey of self-discovery, showing them how aromas, textures, and sensorial experiences can influence how they feel and help them complete their day in a more balanced way,” says Shah.

USER-GENERATED CONTENT BUILDS TRUST

Reportedly, over 70% of Indian shoppers look to social media and online reviews for clean beauty discovery, but only 26% trust these sources for purchase decisions. Brands could bridge this “trust gap” by collaborating with skin care experts to validate their products’ promises as well as spotlight real consumer stories and testimonials.

“Keeping the early success of JustHuman in mind, brands should look at this as a 2.0 stage where they build and nurture very strong communities,” says Shah. Instead of going all-in on flashy, paid influencer campaigns, brands should realise that people are increasingly gravitating towards relatable voices that they feel connected to.

Ahaana Khosla is a trend forecaster, cultural strategist, writer, and editor with a background in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle journalism. She writes about consumer behaviour and emerging trends with bylines in Vogue Business, Vogue India, Harper’s Bazaar UK & India, and BeautyMatter. Ahaana is also the founder of Foresight Forum, a platform dedicated to decoding the future of fashion, beauty, and hospitality through sharp insights and accessible storytelling. Her work bridges global perspectives with local relevance, helping brands and creatives stay ahead of the curve.

Our ‘sleep economy’ is booming but gummies and gadgets are only bandaids that don’t address the hustle-culture lifestyle destroying rest in the first place.

By Shibani Mitra

TL;DR

1. Over 60% of Indian Gen Zs and millennials admit they’re exhausted even after a full night’s sleep.
   
2. India’s sleep economy is booming but sleep gummies, gadgets and hi-tech mattresses are only treating the symptoms of poor rest without addressing the hustle-culture lifestyle destroying it in the first place.
   
3. India’s ‘rest revolution’ needs cultural leadership. Brands that move beyond quick fixes to reframe  sleep as aspirational self-care can lead a long-overdue revolution in India.

‘Rest’ and ‘recovery’ are the hottest, trendiest wellness buzzwords right now. Mental health days, wellness retreats, melatonin gummies, sleep tracking – the vocabulary of slow living is everywhere. But let’s be real: Indians aren’t resting.

In the past two years, the percentage of Indians getting less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep has risen from 50% to 61%. But those with power over our sleep seem to have not woken up to this reality. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy declared, “Our youngsters need to work for at least 70 hours a week.” Even the Karnataka government is contemplating 12-hour workdays!

We want better sleep but refuse to change the hustle-culture lifestyle destroying it in the first place. Instead, we’re throwing money at jugaad solutions like smart mattresses, melatonin gummies, and trackers that help us optimise sleep… just so we can work harder the next day.

As India’s ‘sleep economy’ gathers momentum, we must ask ourselves: are we truly embracing rest or just trying to hack it?

SLEEP SHAMING STARTS AT HOME

Sleep is not sacred in India. We’re a country where kids are yelled at for sleeping in and adults brag about surviving on four hours a night. In fact, 67% of Indian Gen Zs (13-28) want more sleep and 63% of millennials (35-44) report headaches and fatigue even after a night of rest.

We’re taught to conflate sleep with laziness and rest with wasted time. From India’s punishing exam cycles to its ruthless corporate culture, sleeplessness is a proof of ambition, and seldom a cause for concern.

Even traditional rituals that value rest (like Goa’s susegad or Bengal’s bhaat ghoom) are often used as jibes – and sometimes an accusation for slow economic progress. Pop culture reinforces this: from Bollywood montages to LinkedIn humblebrags, even sports banter, our heroes are those who grind, sacrifice, and push through at all costs.

In Indian culture, exhaustion is a badge of honour.

WE’RE ONLY TREATING THE SYMPTOMS

India is the second-most sleep deprived country in the world. Our average sleep time is well under 8 hours. Google searches for melatonin, magnesium glycinate and “best mattress” as well as sales of sleep gummies and smartwatches that track REM cycles have increased. But we haven’t seen a proportional increase in rest because, let’s face it, we’re sleeping less and buying more.

We’re focused on treating the symptoms of poor sleep without addressing the deeper cultural beliefs and habits that created the crisis in the first place. And brands are complicit in this hustle-glorification.

Take Wakefit, the market leader in next-gen mattresses, or Vicks ZzzQuil, a fast-growing player in sleep aids, whose messaging isn’t about slowing down or changing lifestyles for the better – it’s about speeding up recovery. Wakefit’s hyperbolic “Andar ke bacche ko jagaa” promises a wake-up so full of zest, you greet the day with childlike energy. Vicks ZzzQuil, on the other hand, cues a wonderfully productive next day with its upbeat “Aapka din dhinak dhin.” [May your day be full of energy]

Across categories, the script remains the same: “Sleep well so you can seize tomorrow.” The protagonist? A tired, overworked corporate zombie who transforms into a recharged achiever after one “good” night’s sleep.

WE NEED TO FIX OUR BROKEN SYSTEMS

Sure, these early products in India’s sleep economy are a step in the right direction. They’re sharp, culturally-tuned propositions meeting the market where it is. Indians might not be ready to be told to slow down, but they’re open to sleeping smarter.

So, is some attention to sleep better than none? Is a quick-fix gummy better than ignoring rest altogether? Maybe. But bandaid solutions work best only when they buy us time to build better systems.

If sleep brands become an extension of our hustle-culture mindset, Indians will forever stay exhausted. Commercially, we also risk missing deeper opportunities and, more importantly, we will fail to address an urgent national health crisis.

RESHAPE HOW INDIANS THINK ABOUT REST

As India’s sleep category matures, the most impactful brands won’t just sell melatonin or memory foam pillows – they’ll reshape how Indians think about rest and rebrand sleep as an aspirational expression of self-care, not just as fuel for productivity.

IKEA India is already hero-ing the act of sleeping itself without selling its functional benefits, echoing the brand’s Swedish ethos where rest is integral to a good life. And just as LEGO championed the value of play, Sports England paved the way for women to lead more active lifestyles, and sanitary pad brands broke taboos, sleep brands now have the chance to rewrite the narrative and catalyse real behaviour change.This could look like education and awareness drives in schools that seed the value of rest and offer tools for time and stress management. Even high-pressure spaces like college campuses and corporate parks could be transformed with meditation rooms that normalise rest.

Brands could help shift our perspective from a reactive “work-life balance” to a more proactive, intentional rhythm that integrates rest as a non- negotiable in our daily lives, where the reward is not just a productive day at work, but a fulfilling and restful life.

So if you’re building a sleep-focused brand and strategising yet another gummy or app or smart pillow, please take a step back, think of the bigger role your brand can play in changing how we see rest, and just maybe… sleep on it?

Shibani Mitra is a creative brand strategist who thrives on the leap from powerful human insight to compelling brand actions. With over 13 years of experience, she has helped shape iconic brands across categories, from Hero MotoCorp and Castrol to Netflix, Amazon, Diageo, and Nestlé. Equal parts thinker and doer, her work spans brand positioning, innovation, and go-to-market strategy. Passionate about the power of advertising, Shibani believes in building impactful brands that don’t just sell but stand for something.

We’re falling in love with print all over again – creating opportunity for brands to connect with consumers offline.

By Darshita Goyal

Experts

1. Anant Ahuja, co-founder of Irregulars Alliance agency
2. Prateek Bakhtiani, founder of Ether Atelier Chocolat
3. Suneet Zishan Langar, editorial director at Epistle
4. Malini Malik, founder of General Items
5. Bidsha Dey, executive director of Eicher Group Foundation

TL;DR

1. 78% of Indian Gen Z and millennials “don’t just want a product; they want to buy into a feeling, a movement or an identity.”
   
2. 67% of Gen Z Indians are conscious of screen time and implement digital detoxes, creating a window of opportunity for brands to connect with consumers offline.
   
3. Make no mistake, this isn’t print versus social: brands must invest in multi-channel strategies that serve distinct purposes.

Imagine walking into a restaurant and leaving not with a doggy bag but a glossy magazine on Chinese tea culture and dim sum traditions from around the world – that’s how international Cantonese restaurant Yauatcha celebrated its 12-year anniversary in India. In 2024, diners were welcomed with a limited-edition menu and a special India issue of Yauatcha Life, the brand’s annual magazine that has almost no advertising.

This speaks to a wider cultural shift: 78% of Indian Gen Z and millennials “don’t just want a product; they want to buy into a feeling, a movement or an identity.” For brands, slow, sticky, and tactile storytelling through print offers exactly that.

In 2025, Microsoft launched Signal, a magazine on AI and tech that’s “part marketing and part strategic storytelling.” Hinge also published a hardcover anthology of dating stories that boosted brand consideration by 10.5% in the U.S., where Costco’s monthly magazine (launched in 2023) is the third largest by print circulation.

Indian brands are following suit. Since 2021, chocolate label Ether Atelier Chocolat has been publishing Cavities, an annual magazine on dessert styles and craftsmanship. Motorcycle house Royal Enfield’s CSR arm also publishes The Himalayan Knot, an annual journal spotlighting local artisan communities you can visit on a mountain bike ride.

“Lately, many brands approach us to help them with editorial content,” says Anant Ahuja, co-founder of agency Irregulars Alliance. “The last conversation we had was with The Whole Truth [food brand] who are contemplating taking their digital publication offline for deeper storytelling.” Ahuja also heads The Irregular Times, a yearly newspaper celebrating Indian art and design since 2021, while The Whole Truth is dedicating itself to “fixing food journalism” with a newsletter, online course and dictionary.

PRINT ALLOWS MORE BRAND CONTROL THAN SOCIAL MEDIA

In the age of digital overstimulation, where our Instagram feeds boomerang between war visuals, work updates, and wedding announcements, “content diets” with more curated information have become aspirational. In fact, 67% of Gen Z Indians are already conscious of screen time and implement digital detoxes, creating a window of opportunity for brands to connect with consumers where they are – offline.

From tone to pacing to aesthetics, print storytelling lets brands create a self-contained universe where they can show consumers their ethos without distraction or clutter, in the way algorithmic tech platforms don’t. “Zines offer the space to delve into deeper arguments and attract readers willing to engage with thoughtful content. Brands should focus on telling fuller, richer stories that you can’t and won’t narrate on social media,” says Suneet Zishan Langar, editorial director at communications firm Epistle.

Ether Atelier Chocolat founder Prateek Bakhtiani is already putting this into practice. “‘Fruit tart’ is also cheeky slang for queer folk, so we interviewed six queer restaurateurs on where representation in the Indian food industry stands and what needs to change,” says explaining how his Cavities magazine is part education, part entertainment, inviting customers to learn about his influences, values, and philosophy towards life and food without spelling it out.

CREATING CONNECTION BEYOND TRANSACTION

With 87% of global marketers already relying on AI for content creation, a human-first brand identity sans marketing-speak also allows for deeper, more meaningful connection beyond transaction. “The fact that a brand is putting money to create something that doesn’t directly promote its services but contributes to a cultural and design conversation is a way to position them as tastemakers and shakers," adds Langar.

Bakhtiani puts aside about ₹8 lakhs to ₹12 lakhs [$9,200 to $13,600 approx.] in his annual budget to execute a new issue of Cavities. “Without print, this can be done in as little as ₹2 lakhs to ₹4 lakhs [$2,300 to $4,500 approx.].” Investing in a high-cost collateral, with no profit motive, just to contribute to cultural discourse, can build consumer trust. “A zine gives consumers a personalised view of a brand’s world while reminding them that human creativity and effort is behind it, not a faceless corporate structure," shares Malini Malik, founder of Bengaluru design store General Items, adding that her collection of artist zines are among her store’s most popular products.

BRAND STRATEGY IS NOT PRINT VERSUS DIGITAL – IT’S BOTH

Make no mistake, this isn’t print versus social: brands must invest in multi-channel strategies that serve distinct purposes. Bakhtiani believes part of the reason Cavities occupies a premium space is Ether Atelier Chocolat’s active online presence. Malik too refers to Bangkok cafe Eden’s, saying the chef’s social media presence gives followers a humanised glimpse into his business. “Out of Eden’s, the quarterly magazine he [chef Niram Watthanasit] publishes, is an extension of this online persona. He interviews people in art and design, shares playlists and travel guides that help you understand the values of the cafe," she explains.

Langar goes so far as to advise brands to distance their magazines from their products. “Brands should resist jumping on the bandwagon with limited sense of direction… Take Uniqlo Lifewear, for instance, which is pretty much a catalogue masquerading as a magazine. This is going to do nothing other than drain a brand’s energy and resources.”

EVERYONE’S DOING A MAGAZINE – COOL, NOW WHAT?

CAPITALISE ON TACTILE STORYTELLING

Ahuja believes a brand magazine can become a collectible when infused with engaging souvenirs. “For The Irregular Times issue on how AI will impact jobs, we commissioned a Gond artist to customise a game of Snakes & Ladders where artificial intelligence was represented by the snake that would bring you down. People really enjoyed playing this and it helped build core memory around the read,” he says.

Likewise, lifestyle label Okhai could produce a magazine with prints of folk art and textile patches that could double up as wall hangings and home decor. Even a more premium brand like Estuary could create a breathwork guide with textured, sensory stickers that help with grounding and fidgeting, similar to Rare Beauty’s scratch-and-sniff billboards.

TO BE A PART OF CULTURE, YOU MUST HELP CREATE IT

The Himalayan Knot includes a foldable textile map, encouraging Royal Enfield riders to explore mountain craft clusters on their journeys. “The journal map becomes an entry point for riders to see the region from the lens of craft. We also create our zines in pocket sizes because baggage is tight on a motorcycle and we want people to be able to carry it efficiently,” explains Bidisha Dey, executive director of the Eicher Group Foundation that leads the project.

In August 2025, Indian sneaker brand Comet collaborated with Bengaluru’s popular ramen spot Naru Noodle Bar to create a pair of ramen-themed kicks. The experience could have been elevated with a zine on the city’s best street food and streetwear shops, featuring a handful of Willy Wonka-style golden tickets granting exclusive access to the sneakers.

SLOW PRODUCTION IS MODERN LUXURY

In a hyper fast paced everyday, where optimisation is prized above all, the leisure of time is emerging as the new symbol of the elite. Brand strategist and content creator Eugene Healey describes this as a post-luxury status symbol. “In a culture where people are having to optimise to the extreme…the new aspiration is the ability to live not through achieving but just curating,” he explains.

For instance, Bakhtiani hand draws every graphic that goes into the magazine. This attention to detail, coupled with the permanence of print renders these stories more exclusive, expensive and hence scarce, making consumers interpret them as deliberate media in contrast to mainstream digital throwaways. “For a small label, a magazine is a special way to engage with their audience. The little details like how it is printed, the material of the paper and the specific type of binding all go a long way in communicating the ethos,” Malik shares.

Yes, we’re all exhausted by endless scrolling. But magazines shouldn't replace digital budgets – they should complement them. Brands should employ print mags for an evergreen identity that transcends product, positions them as collaborators and creators of culture, and invites readers into their larger universe, not catalogue.

Darshita Goyal is a culture and lifestyle writer with a keen eye for Gen Z trends and the online world. She has been published in The Cut, Vogue and Dazed among other global publications, and also works on strategy-first reporting for Canvas8, In-Trend and The Future Laboratory.

A study on Broadway, a next-gen shopping destination ushering in an era of ‘retail-tainment’ that blurs the lines between online and offline retail.

By Ahaana Khosla

Expert: Prasad Vanga, CEO of venture capital firm Anthill Ventures backing Broadway

TL;DR:

1. Gen z is the fastest-growing spending force in India. Just 377 million of them are driving $860 billion of consumer purchases.
   
2. Indian Gen Zs want digital AND IRL – 75% of them expect mobile-optimised experiences to be layered with the physical validation of touch and feel. This means leaning into ‘Retail-tainment’ that blurs the lines between online and offline.
   
3. Over 70% of all Indian consumers prefer active, participatory experiences, and the country’s real estate developers are beginning to focus on experiential, large-format and community zones.

Gen Z is redefining India’s retail landscape. This cohort – now 377 million strong – is the fastest-growing spending force in the country, driving $860 billion of consumer purchases. While they’re intrigued by new brands and willing to back one that aligns with their values, Indian zoomers see shopping as more than a transaction — it’s about discovery, community, and an experience worth coming back for.

One in four Gen Zs (aged 13 to 28) are active members of the Indian workforce and their propensity to spend can no longer be ignored. Fed a flurry of new brands daily on social media, they’re discerning and hyper-exposed. So capturing their attention? Harder than ever.

This is predominantly because brands are struggling to move beyond digital ads to scale and risk falling prey to the ‘performance marketing trap’ that overemphasises short-term gains, often at the expense of long-term brand building, says Prasad Vanga, CEO of Anthill Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. “Offline scaling is a whole new ballgame. The top 23% of the population now drives two-thirds (66.7%) of discretionary spend, and they want experiences that justify premium pricing,” he says.

Founded by Vivek Biyani, Broadway is a multi-brand retail concept that’s hoping to tackle this problem. It blends entertainment, discovery and social media shareability to create a creator-first, content-led, community space where shopping goes beyond transaction. With its first space in Hyderabad, another in Delhi’s Ambiance Mall and upcoming openings in Mumbai and Bengaluru, it has its eyes set on nationwide expansion.

To truly scale and build a lasting impression, going offline is critical. But just opening a retail store isn’t enough – new age brands need new age retail spaces where shopping, community and entertainment are seamlessly intertwined to keep consumers engaged. “That’s exactly the problem Broadway is solving,” says Vanga, whose firm also backs Broadway.

THE CONSUMER STORY

GEN Z SHOPPERS WANT DIGITAL AND IRL

Indian Gen Z wants the best of both worlds – 75% of them expect mobile-optimised experiences to be layered with the physical validation of touch and feel. This means choosing between online and offline retail strategies is no longer an option. Broadway is already wise to this ‘retailtainment’ shift and has begun to blur the lines between real and reel.

“Broadway’s tech-enabled stores with face analysers, smart mirrors and QR-powered discovery is able to bridge this gap perfectly,” says Vanga. Broadway’s rotating brand mix ensures the floor always feels fresh while trial-focused zones invite shoppers to try, test and share on social media before their purchase. “The launch of Reliance’s Azorte is another strong validation of the experiential retail model,” notes Vanga. Now that 77% of Indians prefer to shop brands that have both a physical and online store, the bar for integrated omnichannel experiences is higher than ever before.

ACTIVE LEISURE IS RESHAPING INDIA’S REAL ESTATE

Event-driven engagement is surging – over 70% of Indian consumers across demographics prefer active, participatory experiences like bowling, rock climbing and escape rooms over passive consumption. This shift is already reshaping the country’s retail real estate as developers are “focusing on experiential dining, green zones, large-format stores and regular community events.”

From visiting pop-ups and food festivals to fitness classes and workshops, experiences that enable people to create, share and connect are becoming the core of how leisure time (and money) is spent. In fact, India’s retail real estate space is predicted to increase by 43% by 2027 with “innovative” environments that facilitate “greater connection with consumers” even in tier 2 and 3 cities. “This directly correlates with Broadway’s strategy of using live entertainment and events as conversion funnels,” adds Vanga.

YOUNG INDIANS LIKE TO BE SEEN WITH SHINY, NEW THINGS

From switching up their fashion to experimenting with new technologies like VR, 70% of Gen Z has a huge appetite for ‘new’ and ‘next’, driven by their need to boost cultural cachet. “Social media FOMO is pulling Gen Z into spaces that are both instagrammable and community-driven, where being seen is as important as what’s being bought,” says Vanga. “The pattern is clear: the longer people stay, the more they spend, as Broadway’s Hyderabad flagship proves – a similar behaviour that was observed in the early Big Bazaar days”, adds Vanga.

HOW BRANDS CAN TAP IN

LEAN INTO SOCIAL-FIRST COMMERCE

For brands hungry to innovate and grow, an era of socially-led commerce is here. Livestreaming, creator collaborations, real-time selling and other interactive formats are infusing life into shopping and retail. Yet the opportunity remains largely untapped. “Socially driven experiences are the most underrated strategy to drive loyalty... Broadway’s events like the Vijay Devarakonda launch which amassed over 6 million reach and led to 107% growth in sales, along with Broadway’s beauty sampling zones that resulted in 150-689% spikes in sales prove that experiences truly drive commerce, not just footfall,” says Vanga. Accessed exclusively by Drip, these are the metrics Broadway itself relies on to gauge whether its ‘retail-tainment’ strategy has real-world impact.

TECH SHOULD ENHANCE, NOT REPLACE HUMAN INTERACTION

Experimental technology needs to be used to layer and deepen the core consumer experience, not as superficial, short-term gimmicks. “While technology is crucial, the magic lies in human-centric experiences. Broadway uses technology to enhance discovery and personalisation as opposed to replacing human interaction,” says Vanga about the store’s smart mirrors, face analysers, 3D body scanners and AR try-ons.

ENTER YOUR CUSTOMER’S INNER CIRCLE

A whopping 70% of Indian Gen Zs rely on their inner circles to navigate all of life’s decisions, including shopping. Brands that understand how social and collaborative young Indians are will be best placed to capitalise on this undercurrent – like Broadway that “positions itself as a ‘third place’ where work ends and lifestyle begins, tapping into the fundamental human need for community, connection and a sense of belonging,” says Vanga. To drive lasting loyalty and brand retention, brands must ultimately make their consumers feel seen, heard and relevant among their peers.

Ahaana Khosla is a trend forecaster, cultural strategist, writer, and editor with a background in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle journalism. She writes about consumer behaviour and emerging trends with bylines in Vogue Business, Vogue India, Harper’s Bazaar UK & India, and BeautyMatter. Ahaana is also the founder of Foresight Forum, a platform dedicated to decoding the future of fashion, beauty, and hospitality through sharp insights and accessible storytelling. Her work bridges global perspectives with local relevance, helping brands and creatives stay ahead of the curve.

By Mokshaa Shivlani

Craft is commerce, culture is capital, and India is ready to collect. You in?

TL;DR:

1. From global IP filings to design patents and GI tags, Indian creators are now demanding visibility, locking in commercial value, and building brands rooted in identity.
2. Consumers now ask not only what something is but also where it’s from and who made it.
3. Storytelling isn’t mere fluff — it’s pricing power, brand identity and consumer connection.

–

For years, India served as the world’s embroidery room. It made luxury shimmer, turned sketches in European studios into runway sensations, and quietly built the craft that underpinned billion-dollar brands. But “Made in India” rarely made it to the credit list, let alone the tag.

That script is flipping fast. From global IP filings to design patents and GI tags, Indian creators are no longer content being the creative undercurrent. They're demanding visibility, locking in commercial value, and building brands rooted in identity. In a cultural economy where provenance sells and storytelling drives pricing, Indian brands have a shot at turning “Made in India” into a premium tag.

But they’ll need to act fast. From beauty to fashion to wellness, the global market is hungry for authentic stories, ethical sourcing, and cultural specificity. And that means branding the maker and not just their product.

INDIA’S FILING, FIGHTING, AND FLEXING

In 2017, Rohit Bal became the first Indian designer to copyright an entire collection, setting off a ripple effect that saw peers like Anju Modi and Anita Dongre follow suit. By FY 2024-25, India had recorded over 5.4 lakh trademark filings — across all industries — marking a 9.3% jump from the previous year. In 2023, industrial design applications rose by 36.4%, spanning electronics, automobiles, fashion and healthcare. Among them, Sabyasachi filed more design registrations than any other Indian entity for two years straight, clocking over 1,067 applications. The clothing also accounted for one of the largest proportions of trademark filings in India (12.8%).

Brands are thinking globally, too. Between 2020 and 2023, international trademark filings from India under the Madrid System — the global framework that lets brands secure rights in multiple countries through a single application — rose by 30%, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It signals a decisive push to lock down global markets before expansion.

At home, designers aren’t hesitating to go after copycats. In 2024, Gaurav Gupta — whose sculptural gowns have been spotted on Beyoncé and Mindy Kaling — sued counterfeiters, seeking damages of ₹2 crore per infringement.

Radha Khera, a fashion and luxury IP lawyer at Remfry & Sagar — one of India’s oldest firms specialising in intellectual property — sees a clear shift. “There’s a complete mindset change,” she says. “Indian designers are no longer seeing IP as optional or reactive. It’s central to their business strategy. They’re registering, enforcing, even filing internationally before expanding. It’s about owning the narrative for the long haul.”

PROVENANCE IS NOW PROFIT

“Indian craftsmanship has long been the best-kept secret of international fashion,” says Praachi Raniwala, a journalist and luxury commentator who’s tracked the slow reveal of India’s influence. “Now the soft power of the country is coming to the fore, not just because global brands are finally acknowledging it, but because Indian designers themselves are going global and capturing the limelight.”

Indeed, the examples keep stacking up. Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta recently showing at Paris Haute Couture Week, menswear label Kartik Research (previously known as Karu Research) opening a store in New York, Dhruv Kapoor morphing into a Milan Fashion Week darling and regular — all signs that the old pipeline of ideas (from Europe) and labour (from India) is breaking.

That shift is being driven by a growing global hunger for provenance: the desire to know not just what something is, but where it comes from and who made it. It’s what made “farm-to-table” explode, taking it way beyond a mere food trend. It’s why platforms like digital farmers’ market Kisan Konnect let you scan a code to see which farmer grew your vegetables.

Indian brands are tapping into this too. Craft chocolate brand Manam Chocolate traces its cacao beans to single-origin farms in West Godavari, weaving in farmer stories and immersive in-store experiences. Spice brand Tulua highlights where each spice is grown and who harvested it, creating regional traceability as a point of pride. And streetwear label 145 East turns the humble Bengal gamcha into fashion. If India can do the same with its textiles, scents, craft, and wellness, it’s exporting products but then exporting identity, and with their powers combined, they can drive premium pricing through storytelling + authenticity; build trust + loyalty by humanising production; and create cultural currency which can be leveraged globally. Provenance has now shot from a nice-to-have to a legit business moat and a pricing lever.

The numbers back this up:

• 2 out of 3 global shoppers want more transparency on garment origin (Avery Dennison + GWI, 2023)
• 78% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for locally made or sustainably sourced products (PwC, 2023)
• More than 8 in 10 Indian Gen Zs are concerned about social and ethical issues, with 81% supporting local brands (Mintel)
• 83% of Gen Z said they take pride in buying Indian brands while 85% choose brands that hold personal meaning rather than just big names. (The Economic Times)

FROM MOODBOARDS TO BOARDROOMS

Indian design is moving beyond polite nods to “handcrafted.” It’s evolving into a sharper language of authorship and ownership — a commercial playbook as much as a cultural one.

“It always begins with narrative,” says Aaquib Wani, New Delhi-based visual artist and founder of Aaquib Wani Design. “For me, design isn’t about surface beauty; it’s about telling a story that’s deeply personal and rooted.” His Kashmiri heritage underpins projects that weave zardozi with digital installations, or reinterpret Gond art into entirely new mediums. It’s not replication of craft but its transformation and that distinction is everything.

For brands chasing “Indianness,” this is the line between cliché and genuine cultural capital. As Wani puts it, “Culture itself can’t be owned, but the way you interpret it becomes your creative IP.”

This mindset is shaping big brand moves:

• Nike x NorBlack NorWhite: A 2025 collab with Indian streetwear rooted in memory and movement
• The Dior show at the Gateway of India: Actively credited the Chanakya School of Craft and its artisans
• Louis Vuitton SS26: Invited Bijoy Jain and AR Rahman to co-create a spectacle grounded in Indian design

These aren’t surface-level gestures. They build brand distinctiveness, earn global press, justify higher pricing, and resonate with younger consumers who expect radical transparency on who’s involved and who’s paid.

THE NEW LUXURY CHEAT SHEET

India now has over 650 registered GI tags (Geographical Indications are a form of intellectual property that legally ties a product’s qualities to its place of origin), with handicrafts making up more than half. From Banarasi brocade and Chikankari to Pashmina and Kutch Bandhani, these certifications elevate craft to premium status, restrict misuse of regional names, and safeguard generational knowledge.

Top designers like Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Gaurang Shah, and Abraham & Thakore now regularly work with GI-tagged materials, turning provenance into competitive advantage.

Meanwhile, design registrations are surging. These protect the visual shape, pattern, or ornamentation of products — crucial for everything from a sari motif to the structure of a handbag. In 2023, India recorded a 36.4 % increase in design applications filed abroad — marking around 2,550 more individual design filings compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, international frameworks are catching up. By December 2025, the EU will expand GI protection to cover craft and industrial products, meaning that Banarasi or Pashmina could soon enjoy the same enforced exclusivity in Europe as Champagne or Roquefort. Practically, that means only textiles produced in the designated Indian regions using traditional methods could legally use those names on EU shelves — raising barriers for counterfeits and unlocking lucrative market premiums for authentic makers.

FROM CREDIT TO CAPITAL

This new visibility is turning artisans into co-authors and credit into currency. Wani’s studio treats craft as collaboration, not just inspiration. “Craft isn’t a raw material. It’s a form of authorship,” he says. “If we’re building our vision on their foundation, we owe them visibility, respect, and partnership.”

That philosophy is being embedded—sometimes literally—into products. Designer Shani Himanshu of 11.11 tags each pair of handspun khadi jeans with the artisan’s name. Swati Kalsi’s Sujani embroidery showcases co-creator credits in her collection notes and exhibitions. Even luxury label Jade’s Grassroot Artisans Project lists master weavers on limited-edition tags and campaigns.

“Every product tells two stories: what it is, and who made it,” says Beverly Louis, founder of Karmann, a Mumbai-based label that works with artisans to upcycle surplus fabric. “But real credit goes beyond names on tags. Our artisans are the face of Karmann — in photoshoots, on our social media, at events.”

She recounts how their maker-led storytelling once turned a simple Diwali order into a 1,000-piece corporate gifting deal. “This isn’t traditional loyalty. It’s people participating in meaningful change,” she notes.

This model of co-creation is ethical, sure, but the bottom line matters at the end of the day and this makes it effective as well. A 2024 report on apparel supply chains found that 65% of global consumers say they’d switch brands for more transparency on who made their products. In a climate where cultural missteps can lead to rapid backlash, embedding credit on labels, in campaigns, and across digital channels safeguards not just stories, but bottom lines.

GET IT RIGHT, OR GET LEFT BEHIND

Cultural missteps now carry real risk. “Even the biggest names aren’t immune to rookie mistakes,” says Amandeep Kaur, stylist and creative director. “Prada not crediting Kolhapuri-style shoes felt like a huge misstep. Even Gucci’s sari-inspired dress on Alia Bhatt at Cannes missed the mark. Crediting the cultural roots behind designs that make these brands millions is honestly the least they can do.”

“The difference between inspiration and extraction,” Wani reminds us, “is credit, collaboration, and compensation.”

SO, WHAT NOW? A NEW PLAYBOOK FOR BRANDS

For brands, the opportunity is immense. But so is the scrutiny. Get it right, and you’re part of a powerful new story. Get it wrong, and you’re just another footnote in a cautionary tale about who profits off a culture they never built. Here’s how smart Indian brands can turn culture into capital:

• Codify your IP early: File design registrations, trademark distinctive elements, and secure GIs wherever applicable. Don’t wait till you go global; protect your brand language now.
• Centre the creator as well as the craft: From campaigns to collection notes, put artisans on your platforms, name collaborators, show the journey and not just the end product.
• Don’t extract culture; participate in it: The old playbook of borrowing freely and hoping no one notices is collapsing under the weight of a sharper, more connected, and culturally aware global audience. As Louis puts it: “Pay fair wages, credit by name, share profits. Authentic cultural products created by people who genuinely understand the tradition will always outperform surface-level interpretations.”
• Move from surface to story: Generic “handcrafted” won’t cut it. Craft recognisable design signatures—motifs, weaves, scents, sounds—that consumers associate with your label.
• Demand credit in collaborations: Whether you’re the local partner or the global giant, structure deals that treat you as a co-author, prioritise visibility and shared value.Build community through transparency: Consumers want to know where their clothes come from and who profits. Show them. That’s good optics but also, in today’s world, good business.

By Darshita Goyal

Meet the real face of gaming in India — adults juggling deadlines, backaches, EMIs, and dopamine breaks.

TL;DR:

1. 80% of gamers in India are between the ages of 18 and 45 — they’re adults with adult problems like dehydration, back pain and dry eyes, just looking to unwind after a long, hard day of work.
2. Smart brands are embedding themselves in the gaming experience, positioning their products as powerups that complement a player’s lifestyle, not interrupt it.
3. Nostalgia, wellness, and local culture can serve as gateways for brands looking to connect with gamers and create emotionally rich, resonant experiences.

—

In April, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), previously PUBG Mobile India, hosted its first virtual wedding for a couple who met on the app. If you're surprised that gamers — stereotyped as hoodie-clad teenagers huddled in dark rooms — are old enough to get married, it's time to burst your bubble. The Indian Gaming Report 2024 revealed that 50% of Indian gamers are between 18 to 30 while another 30% are between 31 and 45 years old.

In fact, players occupy the senior citizens category as well: back in 2023, gaming specialist Zerah Gonsalves hosted a gaming campaign with Mobile Premiere League (MPL) across old age homes to raise awareness about dementia. Recently, in January, Mahindra advertised its BE.06 electric vehicle on BGMI. Players could test drive the car in-game while a lucky few could even win the vehicle in a real-world giveaway. What started as pandemic-induced WFH-friendly downtime has evolved into an active lifestyle choice.

“Globally, brands have entered gaming aggressively but, in India, there is a misconception that gaming is juvenile or for children — this is far from the truth,” shares Gonsalves, also regarded as “the Lara Croft of the Indian gaming industry”. As more branded integrations flood gaming platforms, adult gamers — newbies no more — are also willing to invest in deeper storytelling and functional perks.

GAMING AS A RITUAL

Video game journalist Rishabh Sabharwal credits this to the ‘little treats mindset’: “Cosy mobile games like Candy Crush and FarmVille help people over 30 feel rewarded with little effort. Within the first 30 seconds of the game, you crush five lines of candy and the game calls you ‘amazing’, a minute later, ‘you are fantastic’. These players lead stressful lives and are seeking accomplishment at their jobs and in their family life; gaming gives them that feeling.”

He’s right: 66% of Indian gamers play to relax and de-stress, and the average time spent on casual games like Ludo King and Candy Crush increased by 20% between 2023 and 2024 because “older gamers can't invest four-five hours on a game, they prefer quick 30 minute plays,” Sabharwal notes. He adds, players between 45 to 60 care little about refresh rates or the latest Snapdragon processor. For them, playing Subway Surfers, Teen Patti or BGMI on their phone with glitchy WiFi is enough.

For Indian parents too, the once-derogatory outlook to gaming is shifting. The HP India Gaming Landscape Study 2023 showed that 40% of young parents have a positive attitude to playing as skill development while 42% see gaming as a hobby. Esports and entertainment company NODWIN Gaming is already targeting these older demographics and planning a father-son gaming tournament in partnership with apparel brand Flying Machine (whose average customer is aged 28 to 30). They also plan to bring in millennial influencers to engage Gen Alpha gamers (born between 2010 and 2024) by teaching them nostalgic titles like Space Invaders and Felix the Cat.

Nimish Raut, global head of partnerships and special projects at NODWIN, is already bridging this gap in his personal life. “Instead of buying my kids the latest Nintendo Switch 2, I got them a vintage Game Boy so we could play Mario and other games that I grew up with together,” he shares. Similarly, new-age companies like Play Retro India offer Retro Game Boxes that stock 90s games like Tekken, Street Fighter and Mustafa but are priced accessibly at ₹2,000.

HOW TO MARRY CULTURE AND INNOVATION

Most marketers are yet to recognise adult gamers as a distinct target demographic — let alone tap into the goldmine they represent. But some publishers and brands have been early to catch on and are already moving to meet this group’s growing appetite. Enter eyewear retailer Lenskart: at the 2023 BGMI Champions Cup, the brand partnered with NODWIN Gaming to set up wellbeing activations with blue light-protected eyewear tailored for gamers who tend to be more vulnerable to dry eyes, headaches and myopia due to high screen time. “As per the brand, these glasses reduce the impact on the eyesight by 30% to 40% and are ideal for adults playing video games," Raut shares.

The intersection between wellness and gaming is a space wide open for brands that pay attention. A 2024 global study found that excessive screen usage increases the likelihood of neck pain by 82%. To address these posture-related risks, since 2019, furniture company Secretlab has joined Riot Games’ League of Legends esports events annually as the official chair partner while American furnishings company Herman Miller and software brand Logitech introduced a gaming chair with a cooling foam and enhanced adjustability in 2020. CyberPower PC India, known for its gaming set-ups that have become the go-to choice for Indian gamers, is also exploring functional partnerships. “The first product tie-up is with an ergonomic chair brand that helps gamers’ posture and provides the right arm rest. Maybe we could also explore curved monitors or focal-length adjustable eyewear that make it easier for 45+ gamers with near-vision issues,” shares Vishal Parekh, chief operating officer at the PC brand.

The real lesson here for Indian brands is how to marry culture and innovation. “Green Soul is the most popular gaming chair in India but older gens love [durable seating brand] Nilkamal. Imagine if a nostalgic brand like that partners with a gaming chair to combine comfort with familiarity,” muses Sabharwal. Additionally, the success of Pune-based Nodding Heads Games’ award-winning mythological title Raji: An Ancient Epic, proved that Indian gamers have a growing appetite for culturally-relevant experience. Sabharwal explains that older players are drawn to localised, India-first narratives because they’re keen to learn about their heritage. So, could pickle brand Mother's Recipe work with Krafton’s India-local puzzle game Spice Secrets to devise an in-game scene where players have to collect regional pickle ingredients? Yes. And yum.

POWERUPS AND SIDE QUESTS

Globally, savvy brands are embedding themselves into the gaming experience — positioning their products as powerups and side quests that complement a player’s lifestyle. Japanese Boost Noodle created caffeinated ramen, while liquid water enhancer MiO sponsored a Fortnite tournament with hydration breaks emphasising the importance of electrolytes while gaming.

A smart brand wouldn’t commit the cardinal sin of interrupting or distracting a plugged-in gamer — it would seamlessly embed in their lifestyle. Srinjoy Das, the associate director at BGMI's publisher Krafton India agrees: “As the adult gamer grows, brands should create utility-based campaigns that go beyond branding and enhance the quality of gameplay whether it is through tech-infused wearables or creating cultural and wellness integrations within gaming ecosystems.”

For instance, Indian women are prone to iron, magnesium and zinc deficiencies when they cross their 30s. “Supplement brands should partner with strategy and memory games like chess that are popular among older women. They often play these to exercise their cognitive strength and that is a good reminder to invest in their health,” Gonsalves says. “In fact, walking pads and workout equipment should have achievement-based rewards with games. Maybe if you complete a certain number of steps you can access an exclusive skin in the game; this gamifies a practice that older players already love.”

Even brands distant from gaming can craft relevant campaigns that make gamers feel seen. Take Gillette: in 2022, the brand (whose average user is between 18-34) launched limited edition BGMI-themed razors that came with smartphone pop sockets, fulfilling the brand’s promise of “better grip” even outside personal care routines.

NO ‘COOL’? NO PROBLEM

Even sectors like public health, insurance, and banking (that have limited cool factor, but do have huge older audiences) can capitalise on India’s penchant for gaming. Just look at Japan: the government has created an interactive map of its flood control facility on Minecraft where players can trigger pumps, open floodgates and learn about disaster prevention firsthand. With rising climate risk, the Indian government and BGMI could co-create seasonal smog visuals that players can clear by choosing pollution-controlled vehicles, avoiding firing in missions or wearing health-protective gear.

In 2022, JPMorgan Chase became the first major financial name to enter a gaming metaverse. HSBC and Standard Chartered followed suit and acquired land in metaverse game The Sandbox to engage esports communities. In India, where adults are increasingly concerned with boosting their financial literacy, Kotak Bank could take cue and team up with mystery game Detective Dotson to let players crack fraud cases and unlock perks like Kotak’s premium lounge access or trial credit cards.

In 2023, Roblox launched an immersive 3D Career Center for aspiring employees to explore company culture, complete interview prep challenges and attend live events. This innovative approach attracted over 5 million visits, engaged users three to four times longer than a traditional careers site, and transformed the recruiting process. Perhaps Naukri.com could take inspiration from Roblox?

INDIAN ADULTS GAME A LOT – OK. NOW WHAT?

• Meet gamers where they are — Don't exhaust your marketing budget on social media. Instead, get more creative with digital-first campaigns. Recognise that India’s gaming renaissance has gone well beyond teenagers — even a 35-year-old is slaying dragons and crushing candy.
  
• Smart brands embed, not interrupt — From in-game EV test drives to wellness-driven eyewear and father-son tournaments, utility-led integrations that improve gameplay win over passive ads.
  
• Be picky with your partner — Instead of chasing big-name games, choose thoughtful collaborators in unique, emerging niches that promise older gamers a relevant and local cultural connection.
  
• Blend break-time with bite-sized productivity — As the ‘little treats mentality’ grows, craft strategies that make adult gamers feel like winners. Combine recreation and reward with branded dopamine kicks.

By Manasi Pathak

At a time when Indians are increasingly concerned about their health as well as crave offline experiences, the average person can check off two goals at once — a workout and a social fix — just by showing up to a run club.

–

When Akshada Patil (28) began running through Mumbai’s bustling lanes two years ago, she longed for a community where she could run, chat and befriend fitness enthusiasts her age. Inspired by the concept of ‘run clubs’ abroad  – where individuals run together for fun or to train for races –  Patil and her boyfriend Rhythm started a similar group in Mumbai in 2024, initially as an invite-only gathering. Today, Patil – popularly known as Overlydaa to her 269K Instagram followers – has built a vibrant running community in the city, hosted over 25 runs, and partnered with brands like Puma and Red Bull. Her club is one of the many consumer-led running clubs sprouting up across major Indian cities as well as smaller towns where communities such as Bombay Running, Pudhe Chala Mumbai, and On Tour Club have gained traction.

Fitness giants like Nike as well as tangential brands like Bumble are taking note of this proactive consumer attitude towards sport. Nike is set to host the ‘After Dark Tour’ — a 10km evening run in Mumbai designed to spotlight women in the running community in May this year (2025). On Valentine’s weekend, Bumble teamed up with Puma to host a ‘Rundowner’ calling singles to “lace up, link up” – a unique way to mingle and date through the shared experience of running. Even corporate behemoths like Airtel, Tata Consultancy Services, Vedanta, and Bisleri have been sponsoring marathons across the country. It’s no surprise that these initiatives come at a time when amateur running is rapidly emerging as one of India’s fastest-growing sports.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PUMA India (@pumaindia)

TWO FOR ONE OFFER

The rise of run clubs reflects a larger shift — wellness is now non-negotiable for urban Indians. Factors like post-COVID health awareness, medical inflation, and climate anxiety have nudged people to take proactive control of their fitness. In fact, a 2022 Mintel report shows that 43% of Indian millennials (25 - 40) are spending more on healthy food options, 41% on activewear and 36% on gym equipment and fitness wearables.

At a time when Indians are increasingly concerned about their health, run clubs have become a consistent ritual that addresses two major consumer needs – unlike more solitary workouts like yoga and pilates, run clubs blend fitness with friendship. The average person can check off two goals at once — a workout and a social fix — just by showing up to a run club.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Akshada Patil (@overlydaa)

Active nutrition brand Fast&Up has maintained a strong presence in the running community for a decade, partnering with Jayanagar Jaguars and Mumbai Road Runners, as well as the Adidas Runners community in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.  Rohan Manglani, head of marketing at Fast&Up, anticipates continued growth in this space. “The popularity of running culture is not a fad… It’s 100% going to get bigger because running is a sport growing globally,” he says. “In a country like India, it's one of the more accessible sports and also great for mental health. More and more people are going to take to running.”

SHARED NOT SOLITARY

According to a report by fitness tracking app Strava, 2024 saw a huge rise in run clubs globally, with ‘making social connections’ as the lead motivator for people to exercise. “It’s great to see that people have been starting to run as early as 7 a.m. It’s become like a cultural thing that ‘Let’s go to a run club and grab a coffee later,’” says Patil. For many urban Indians, run clubs are becoming a modern-day third space –  a social environment beyond home and work that is a healthier alternative to doom scrolling.

Beyond fostering individual, one-on-one friendships, Patil believes social media helps promote running as a collective activity. People often track their runs on apps like Strava, Nike Run Club or Adidas Running and post those stats on Instagram or X in an effort to stay accountable, earn some cheer squad energy, and turn sweaty miles into social fuel. “I spam a lot about running on my Instagram page. A follower who might be watching that must be feeling, ‘Let's experience what she's doing,’” says Patil.

Deepak Oberoi, co-founder of Bombay Running, feels people attain “social acknowledgement” from running. “Through your Strava stats, everybody in your office will get to know that you’ve done a 5K… So when you get that social acknowledgement, you are tempted to do better next time,” he says. Though the brand positioning of sport as a shared experience is currently trending, it’s not a new strategy.
French sports retailer Decathlon has established dominance in the Indian market with its own communities and over 2,000 runners in Mumbai alone. “Every Decathlon store has two major communities – a Decathlon running club or a Decathlon cycling club. It helps us be in touch with users and take their feedback,” says Sreeya Shetty, marketing lead at Decathlon Mumbai. “We sell running accessories which are exclusive to Decathlon. We understood the need for it after building a relationship with consumers… They would tell us, ‘Why don't you give us a small waist bag where I can keep my keys, all the essentials that I will need so that I don't have to get my car when I'm coming to this place for running?”

FITNESS AS FUN

India is witnessing another major cultural shift – if staying healthy is non-negotiable, it doesn’t also need to be a chore. Pune’s We Persist Club, co-founded by Sumedh Belsare and Siddhi Surve in August 2024, gained popularity earlier this year for its after-parties, where runners party over coffee and house music on Sunday mornings at a premium fitness hub. “During runs, we always have some music on a speaker so the vibe is good overall. So we thought, why not have a live set by one of the house music artists? People loved it,” says Belsare. We Persist Club has since partnered with local cafes and larger brands like Blue Tokai for post-run coffee events.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by wepersist (@wepersist.club)

The “run and rave” scene has also proven popular in cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. In March, Patil led an early morning run on Carter Road that ended with an after-party at Juhu’s One8 Commune. “Due to the Lollapalooza music festival at that time, many people from other states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Pondicherry turned up for this rave… It was surprising that they attended the festival on Saturday and the next morning, they were there to run and rave,” she says.

While many run clubs focus on community experiences, others take a more structured approach to fitness – one aligned with yet another massive cultural shift in India: the rise of interest-based communities. Bombay Running offers a space to refine technique, prevent injuries, and train with purpose. “We help people if they want to lose weight, get their sleep pattern back on track or have a more realistic and holistic approach towards their health,” said Oberoi, whose community was founded in 2017 and has 60 active runners. “Once people start running, they want to get fast, but most end up with injuries… We believe that people should stay in the sport for a longer duration and that’s how the run clubs will function.”

THE NEXT FRONTIER

As run clubs evolve – from casual meetups to intentional community-building efforts now backed by brands – they are evidence of how India’s urban youth is reshaping its approach to fitness and socialising.

Participating in fitness activities is no longer rooted solely in concern for your individual health – it’s an effort to find belonging in an increasingly fragmented world. Today, amateur sport – whether run clubs or pickleball or padel – is geared towards sparking connection; it’s a first-step into community. However, the next frontier of India’s run club movement will hinge less on volume of connection and more on depth — moving beyond “just show up” into helping build hyperlocal ecosystems where connections are meaningful, reliable and sustainable. Think of modern-day villages where communities co-create not just routes but rituals, relationships and culture – from clubs, activities to even products like merch, DIY magazines and newspapers and events.

Smart brands will see run clubs not just as fitness groups, but as growing cultural communities  where they can empower runners to thrive – whether specialised gear suited for Indian climates and lifestyles or funding neighbourhood clubs. The opportunity goes well beyond sponsorships and temporary brand activations – it is in co-designing functional utilities that can act as urban landmarks like hydration stations, drop-in lockers, rest stops, and even long-term R&D programs to facilitate hyper-local sports education. Though not hyperlocal, podcasts from wellness company Ultrahuman and entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath are strong examples of community education initiatives.

Companies like Nike, Puma and Adidas are obvious heavy-hitters in this space, however the opportunity to capture cultural capital goes well beyond obvious sportswear and fitness brands like Strava. Could Swiggy Instamart or Zomato power recovery rituals — by sponsoring post-run breakfasts, healthy snack kits, or even surprise “runner’s drops” at parks? Maybe Big Basket could feature a monthly subscription for a runner’s pantry, packed with groceries vetted by nutritionists? What would it look like for wellness brands to curate recovery ritual programmes for amateur athletes? Could Ather partner with both run clubs and local environmentalists to create nature maps for running routes? Could Spotify create running playlists by city or pace-group? Just as dating apps partner with fitness brands to organise run clubs, could food and beverage brands host post-run social gatherings? At their core, run clubs are about consistency, connection, and community, so brands that enable rituals, routines and relationships around these in a fun way have a deeper opportunity to tap in.

Grassroots run clubs — led not by paid influencers, but by everyday consumers, passionate runners — offer brands a window into how sport and wellness culture is organically taking shape in India in real time. These localised decentralised communities are rich with unfiltered insights, revealing what people actually want, need, and respond to — often long before a trend surfaces on social media. For brands willing to tune in early, these consumer-led initiatives can be powerful early signalers, offering first-mover advantage and a chance to lead, not follow.

Buckle up! In a quick recap of the last few weeks, we’re diving into viral campaigns, new trends, algorithm updates, and the latest from our creative playground.

Pop Culture & Trends

• The Sound of Silence? Musicians Drop a Quiet Banger to Protest AI:

Over 1,000 musicians, including Hans Zimmer and the Kanneh-Masons, have released a silent album titled Is This What We Want? to protest proposed UK copyright law changes that could allow AI companies to use artists' work without consent. The silent album serves as a powerful statement on the need to protect human creativity in the digital age.

• Ghibli or Not Ghibli? AI Sparks an Art-ocalypse:

Speaking of AI….ChatGPT’s new image generator sent the internet into a frenzy as users discovered they could recreate anything in Studio Ghibli’s signature style. From personal selfies to India Post and even the White House jumping on the trend, AI-generated Ghibli-fied images flooded social media. As ChatGPT’s servers struggled under the demand, the debate over AI’s role in art reignited—but one thing’s clear: AI isn’t hitting pause anytime soon.

• Royal Beats?

King Charles III’s Apple Music collaboration highlights the power of curated storytelling in music streaming, blending culture, nostalgia, and personal connection. This opens doors for other platforms to tap into exclusive, high-profile curation to drive engagement. For marketers, it may be a playbook on using authenticity and exclusivity to build deeper audience connections.

• WikiTok: Doomscrolling, But Make It Smart?

WikiTok fuses Wikipedia’s knowledge with TikTok’s addictive swipe, turning mindless scrolling into a learning spree. By repackaging education in a familiar format, it proves that social media mechanics can be used for more than just viral trends. The site is currently algorithm-free, and they plan to keep it that way. Finally....one little corner of the internet without doomscrolling!

• The Rise of Digital Gated Communities:

As AI blurs the line between organic and algorithm-driven content, people are craving real human connection. In response, brands and creators are building private, closed ecosystems—whether on WhatsApp, Discord, Substack, or independent platforms—offering exclusive, ad-free spaces for deeper engagement.

• JonasCon! Fan Engagement Goals?

To celebrate 20 years of music, the Jonas Brothers turned nostalgia into an experience with JonasCon, a one-day fan convention in New Jersey. With live performances, Q&A panels, and interactive moments, they deepened their bond with fans while showcasing the power of authenticity and storytelling in brand loyalty.

Brand Campaigns

• Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor battle it out for Dream11

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve seen this one!  In a cheeky ad for Dream11, India’s fantasy sports platform, we see Aamir Khan mistakenly call Ranbir Kapoor ‘Ranbir Singh.’ The two stars start feuding at a dinner party surrounded by India’s most famous cricketers looking on and wondering who might win – a fight that, they all agree, should be settled on Dream11.

• Netflix Serves Up Streaming-Inspired Bites in Vegas:

Netflix is taking binge-watching to the dining table with a year-long restaurant residency at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. From Bridgerton-style brunch to Stranger Things-inspired cocktails, this immersive culinary experience transforms fan-favorite shows into flavorful, real-world indulgences.

• Beauty Gets a Taste for Food Aesthetics:

From pizza-scented perfumes to skincare inspired by desserts, the lines between beauty and food are blurring. Brands like Rhode Beauty and Gush Beauty are tapping into sensory marketing, while even food giants like Domino’s (pepperoni fragrance!?) and Papa John’s (bath bombs)  are entering the beauty space with indulgent, guilt-free experiences. Read more about sensory marketing in our deep dive here.

Creative Tech & Platform Updates

• Xbox’s AI Coach: Game-Changer or Fun-Killer?

Microsoft is testing Xbox Copilot, an AI gaming assistant that offers real-time tips, character insights, and even cheat codes. Demoed with Overwatch 2 and Minecraft, it promises to make gameplay more personalized and accessible. But as AI steps in to guide players, will it enhance the experience or take away the joy of trial and error?

• Metallica Debuts Concert on Apple Vision Pro:

Apple Vision Pro is bringing concerts into the future, debuting an immersive, 180-degree Metallica experience following its launch with The Weeknd. While AR/VR music events aren’t mainstream just yet, this move signals a growing fusion of music and cutting-edge tech—reshaping how fans experience live performances.

• Manus: The AI Assistant That Takes Its Time—but for a Reason:

China’s newest AI assistant, Manus, is making waves despite its slower response time compared to Deepseek and ChatGPT. Currently in invite-only beta, it stands out for tackling complex tasks—from building custom websites to analyzing stocks and curating travel plans—proving that sometimes, patience pays off.

That’s it.

That’s the drip from Kulfi Collective! Stay tuned for more culture insights, trends and moments next month!

We no longer want to simply watch content; we want to step into fictional worlds and live vicariously through our favourite characters.

By Darshita Goyal

–

Did you know that Anora, the film that swept up six awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress at the 2025 Oscars, spent $18 million on its marketing and distribution campaign – almost three times the entire budget of the movie itself.

For Anora’s first-ever screening, its distributor Neon, skipped the regular host of press and influencers and instead invited sex workers (like the film protagonist) for the premiere. It also hosted a pop-up shop at the New York City strip club where the movie was filmed. By inviting viewers to step into its fictional world, the Anora team made it feel included in the story and invested in the film’s success. This brand of publicity – where a proposition is sold by thematically engaging the audience – is rightly dubbed participatory marketing, a technique on the rise in entertainment promotions globally, and equally across India.

At home in India, Gadar 2 tapped into the grassrooted-ness of its characters with a Hand Pump Challenge held at malls across Indore, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. In an ode to the film’s protagonist Tara Singh – who uproots a hand pump in a moment of intense anger and patriotism – audiences are given the chance to unveil their inner hero by lifting the makeshift hand pump and expressing their own strength. Zee Studios’ head of marketing Neeraj Joshi told Social Samosa that “more than 70% of the film’s marketing budget was spent on on-ground activations, followed by social and then display.” For context, the 2023 film collected a whopping ₹625.54 crore in India alone. Even for the Squid Game season 2 release, Netflix India collaborated with Sunburn Goa to create an activity zone with gamesinspiredby the series like Piggy Bank Crawl, Digi-Dalgona, Manic Marbles, and Red Light, Green Light. A Swiggy Instamart partnership also brought an interactive challenge called ‘Instamaut’ to Gurgaon where people had to act out a death scene to pretend-audition for the show, recreating the foundation of the show’s shock value – people being murdered while playing childhood games.

Aryan Kataria on Instagram: “Delhi people showed what die hard fandom looks like quite literally 🥶🥶 Crazy installation by @netflix_in @swiggy_instamart . killed it with this one 🙂‍↔️🔥”

37K likes, 116 comments - katariaaryann on December 20, 2024: “Delhi people showed what die hard fandom looks like quite literally 🥶🥶 Crazy installation by @netflix_in @swiggy_instamart . killed it with this one 🙂‍↔️🔥”.

Instagram

CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE

The State of Mobile’s 2025 report shows that the total time spent on streaming apps in India dropped by 16.2% in 2024 – it seems that, in the era of digital fatigue, production houses can no longer hinge the success of a film on a famous cast alone. In the last few years we saw an overload of Tanmay Bhat-style marketing where celebrities were cast in unlikely roles for shock and endearment. For example, Rahul Dravid being angry or Jackie Shroff being ‘good’ in the CRED ads. As people get saturated with this strategy, a new strand of marketing that prioritises in-person interaction and experiences that go beyond influencers is on the rise,” says culture writer Ria Chopra.

This was most recently evident when Severance, AppleTV’s psychological thriller, brought its sterile workplace set along with a cast play-acting their characters to New York’s Grand Central Station. As suit-and-tie clad commuters rushed to meetings, they were confronted with an installation that highlights the show’s themes of corporate surveillance; it even turned the audience into participants by encouraging them to voyeuristically look into the transparent cubicle. The stunt garnered 23 million views and 2.5 million engagements across platforms, millions of reactions on the internet, making the few who witnessed the installation in-person feel like mini celebrities. “At a time when a notification, an ad and Netflix are all vying for your attention, it’s increasingly difficult to cut through the noise,” says Rohan Mukherjee, strategist and co-founder of creative agency byooooob. “That's why brands that have the budget and creative acumen are moving where customers already are, to become a part of their daily life.”

PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER

By inviting audiences to vicariously experience core themes of the film or show, interactive marketing techniques can help viewers come together with no real effort on their part. “As a generation that has grown up on screens, we are getting disillusioned by everything digital, so there is a desire to be offline and to have revenge experiences,” says Chopra. Brands like Zomato and Nykaa are responding to this yearning for community with events that require more active participation than simply showing up.

At the tail end of 2023, Spotify too celebrated its much awaited Spotify Wrapped day bypartneringwith Social outlets across tier 1 Indian cities where guests could show bartenders their unique listening personality and be surprised with a custom cocktail. “Koriken, the Korean restaurant in Bangalore, also hosts K-drama screenings that have become a big draw… As we struggle to have social interactions, people want to be a part of something bigger, so brands are extending their niche to build communities,” says Shambhvi Rao.

For instance, ahead of Panchayat season 3’s launch in 2024, Amazon Prime Video championed lauki, the humble vegetable that appears as a recurring symbol throughout the show, in its marketing campaign. Fans were encouraged to play an online game: the more bottle gourds people successfully cleared from the screen, the sooner they would be able to access the show’s release date. As laukis were removed online, the progress was reflected on hoardings across Delhi and Mumbai, fuelling people to involve their loved ones to help clear the game faster. The activation reportedly engaged one million people who, as Rao said, felt like they were a part of something bigger.

BECOMING THE MAIN CHARACTER

Rao sees entertainment marketing’s ability to manufacture clout as a major attraction. When Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (KGHK) – a film about three friends navigating the ebbs and flows of being chronically online – released in 2023, Netflix debuted a series of immersive collaborations. Microsite activations in Mumbai allowed young people to be featured on a life-sized billboard with their friends, recreating the film’s plot where the characters found themselves at the center of a public witchhunt with their faces and names plastered all over the internet. “People are looking for deeper storytelling and more attention to detail. For instance, poster making was big in the ’80s. Conservative areas would have movie posters with less skin than other regions. This micro targeting is important especially today as we have so much content. The marketing needs to be uniquely relatable to different groups,” shares Karan Suri Talwar, founder of Harkat Studios.

SHAKSHI SHETTY 🦈 on Instagram: “Get on a billboard ✅ with the bestie 👭🏻 ft. Kho gaye hum kahan @netflix_in ...#sharkshe #bff #reels”

15K likes, 45 comments - sharkshe_ on December 31, 2023: “Get on a billboard ✅ with the bestie 👭🏻 ft. Kho gaye hum kahan @netflix_in ...#sharkshe #bff #reels”.

Instagram

Rao participated in another KGHK activation held in collaboration with select Social outlets across India. The creator and her friends visited the Social on Carter Road, Mumbai, where the staff presented them with a KGHK-branded box to surrender their phones and detox for the evening. At the end of the hangout, if the group succeeded in going tech free, they would win a portion of fries. “We’re all exhausted from screens so when brands pay attention and go the extra mile it makes you feel special. The experience becomes a cool story to share with people,” Rao says, adding that this can create FOMO for onlookers while making you feel part of the in-crowd – just as it did with the Severance pop-up.

INDIA’S UNTAPPED POTENTIAL

But brands should be mindful that their activations hit the right tone and translate the themes of the show for its viewers. Merely copy-pasting a formulaic approach that worked for others quickly reveals itself as a transparent gimmick. Case in point: after the Barbie (2023) movie successfully fostered community by encouraging viewers to dress in pink, Blake Lively seemed to attempt a recreation of this strategy with It Ends With Us (2024). Inspired by her protagonist Lily Bloom’s profession as a florist, the actor asked viewers to “wear florals” to the screening but received major backlash for glossing over the movie’s themes of domestic abuse. Lively’s lightheartedness appeared to trivialise a serious social issue, in turn alienating her audience.

Akshita Vohra | Fashion Influencer on Instagram: “Meri Wargi>>>>> ❤️✨ I mean @divyanshbhasin can answer that 😅……..For a Bollywood Sangeet Night- A Blue Saree like Naina from YJHD is the best pick✨ Saree @aliyanabymeenabazaar Dm/Comment for 🔗 .............Sangeet Outfit, Sangeet Night, Cocktail Night, Bridesmaid Outfit, Wedding Guest, Wedding, Indian Wedding, Wedding Season, Indian Wear, Bollywood theme, Bollywood Night, Naina, YJHD, Deepika Padukone Outfits, Meena Bazaar #cocktailnight #sangeetnight #sangeetmakeup #weddingguestoutfit #bridesmaidmakeup #chandigarh #bluesaree”

237 likes, 69 comments - fashionfeedweb on March 21, 2025: “Meri Wargi>>>>> ❤️✨ I mean @divyanshbhasin can answer that 😅……..For a Bollywood Sangeet Night- A Blue Saree like Naina from YJHD is the best pick✨ Saree @aliyanabymeenabazaar Dm/Comment for 🔗 .............Sangeet Outfit…

Instagram

As viewers, we’re more discerning than ever and, by crafting story-specific, emotional experiences around content, brands can create lasting impact that sustains in the consumers’ memory well beyond the two hours spent in front of the screen. Chopra brings to mind Deepika Padukone’s incredibly coveted blue sari from Yeh Jawani Hai Dewani which quickly became a staple at graduations and sangeet parties for years to come. “I wish Rocky and Rani took inspiration and collaborated with a homegrown brand to sell the saris that Rani wears, so many of us would love to buy them,” she says.

Remember Rocky’s insistence on blasting “Aaja meri gaadi mein baith ja” in the car when he met Rani? Now imagine if the film tied up with Uber and allowed people to pick up friends and partners with the same over-the-top pizzazz? “With the return of wired earphones and digital cameras it’s evident that tactile experiences mean a lot more to gen z. Growing up when Krrish released we could buy themed masks, backpacks and build a world from the content, we need more of that,” Chopra adds. Similarly, Rao sees a missed opportunity in Netflix’s 2023 series The Romantics. “I love Yash Chopra’s filmography and, when the docuseries celebrating his legacy came out, I wish they would release polaroids or postcards with his films. So many of us would collect it,” she says.

DEMAND FOR LORE AND ESCAPISM

Thinking back to Anora’s success, perhaps there was potential for Heeramandi to take a similar route. What if Netflix partnered with a jewellery brand to launch limited edition ghungroos or, better yet, if tawaifs hosted dance workshops for people, creating more awareness around their profession? It is clear that trailer launches and influencer reviews no longer cut it for new-age viewers – audiences want more lore with their content. In response, production houses and studios are slowly but surely seeing the merit in on-ground marketing that engages people and adds dimensionality to their films. However, more brands should bet on the power of the offline, sensorial experience and invest in a layered understanding of the themes that shape their content to create immersive activations that stand the test of time.

As the reality of economic instability and isolation hit hard, people are seeking stories that provide reprieve. We want to be part of fandoms that let us step in and escape from the mundane everyday, at least for a few moments. So if a movie is set on the foothills of the Himalayas, take us there, collaborate with the coveted NAAR restaurant on a tasting menu inspired by pahadi cuisine and your film. If your show’s protagonist always carries a book in their backpack, partner with a local bookstore to build a crowdsourced shelf of reads that the audience believes this character would devour. No matter what the theme or the content, it’s time for makers to dive deep and unlock the gates of the fictional worlds they build.