Karthik S | beastoftraal.com

Chips packs with a mouth – an idea that traveled from Egypt to the world.

February 20, 2020February 21, 2020 by Karthik S

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post was titled, “Lay’s chips put a mouth on their packs. An Indian chips brand did it in 2016!”. The following is an additional context based on the new information. The rest of the post, as-is,…

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Thank you, Bajaj-Allianz, Flair Pens & Franklin Templeton. No cookie for you, SBI Life.

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 by Karthik S

I have been writing about the use of Indian regional languages (other than Hindi) in advertising a LOT. Here’s a full summary I wrote for . In continuation, here are 4 recent attempts from brands. 1/ Bajaj-Allianz Life Insurance It was a…

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PR in the time of social media – a Murugappa Group case study

February 18, 2020February 18, 2020 by Karthik S

A tiny piece in The Economic Times’ weekly section called Suits & Sayings caught my eye yesterday (this is a weekly Monday section). Hmmm. Clues? Chennai-based. Keen to display gender diversity. Chairman tweeting.Responses called on Group’s Board to be showcase diversity too….

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A sound innovation from Paytm!

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020 by Karthik S

I buy fresh potato chips in one of the many ‘Hot Chips’ branded shops in Bengaluru. This one is the best on the Sarjapur Road stretch, in a tiny lane adjacent to the HDFC Bank opposite Springfields Apartments. I have been buying…

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Parachute Kalpavriksha – a CSR initiative with compassionate communication

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 by Karthik S

Amul and Arokya (from Hatsun) have gone behind the scenes of cow rearing as a way to endear their brands with consumers. Now Parachute, from Marico, does the same with coconut trees! This is a vastly interesting move and perhaps the first…

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Who is Donald Joshi and why does he have so much spare cash?

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 by Karthik S

Note: I wrote this last night fully hoping for a reveal today/Friday. And the reveal happened today. If you are in Mumbai (and read either Hindustan Times or Mumbai Mirror), you may know the secret already, but if you are not in…

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Ola launches in London; advertises in India?

February 12, 2020February 12, 2020 by Karthik S

Ola has just launched in London. The news was out in the newspapers yesterday. And today, Ola has a splashy front-page ad proclaiming the same across 3 editions of The Times of India and 2 editions of Hindustan Times. We may have…

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