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The <keyword id="6371973" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka-high-court" source="Orion">Karnataka High Court</keyword> on Monday struck down provisions of the <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword> Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 that banned online games. The division bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Krishna S. Dixit gave the order. The bench said in its order that in the 'Karnataka Act number 28/2021 to the extent the provisions, (not the entire Act) declared to be ultra vires to the Constitution of India and struck down. The consequences of striking down the provisions shall follow.' "However, nothing in this judgment shall be construed to prevent an appropriate legislation be brought about concerning the subject i.e; betting and gambling in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. A writ of mandamus is issued restraining the respondents from interfering with online gaming business and allied activities of the petitioners," the order said. The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was mooted by ruling BJP to amend the Karnataka Police Act 1963, in the Monsoon session. The BJP leaders claimed that they were introducing the Bill to ban online gaming in the interest of people. The law included all forms of wagering or betting in connection with any game of chance barring horse racing. However, the new law was opposed by online gaming companies and it was said that the policy would affect the prospectus of the city which is emerging as a hub of online gaming companies. The new Act banned all formats of online games involving wagering, betting and gambling of all nature and forms in the state. Under the new legislation, online gaming was considered a non-bailable offence with a fine of Rs 1 lakh and imprisonment up to three years. Along with banning games of skills, the government had also categorised online games using electronic means and virtual currency, electronic transfer of funds in connection with any game as gambling. The new legislation was passed in the Monsoon session by both the Houses of the legislature in Karnataka. Mobile Premier League (MPL) was one of the first companies to stall its operations in Karnataka. Paytm First Games was also locked. The online gaming companies moved to the court questioning the new legislation. Similar law was also challenged in Tamil Nadu and online gaming operators got relief against the government order from the High Court. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) had stated that the new legislation by the government will dent the image of Karnataka as a startup hub and the state exchequer will see a huge revenue deficit. It also maintained that with the new legislation offshore gamblers will flourish. Sources say that the state has more than 100 gaming companies with a workforce of 4,000. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/tech-giant-tencent-is-limiting-kids-access-to-its-gaming-platform-and-only-allowing-them-14-hours-of-play-during-chinas-4-week-school-break/articleshow/88974669.cms">Tech giant Tencent is limiting kids' access to its gaming platform and only allowing them 14 hours of play during China's 4-week school break</a>

Karnataka High Court quashes law banning online gaming, calls it unconstitutional

<ul><li><keyword id="6354977" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> to hear a plea on a law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games.</li><li>The <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword> government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue in the last three years while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming.</li><li>Senior advocates <keyword id="195903" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mukul-rohatgi" source="Orion">Mukul Rohatgi</keyword>, A.M Singhvi, and <keyword id="1326066" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shyam-divan" source="Orion">Shyam Divan</keyword>, represented the gaming companies' associations.</li></ul>The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Karnataka government, challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment, which struck down provisions of law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, A.M Singhvi, and Shyam Divan, represented the gaming companies' associations, submitted before a bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian that the issue was whether it was game of skill or chance or gambling. The Karnataka government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue and cited filing of 28,000 cases in the last three years, while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming to maintain public order. It further argued that people have died by suicide and the online gaming has ruined many families, therefore it was necessary to deal with its ill effects. The state government's plea said: "The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 made criminalised wagering, betting or risking money on the unknown result of an event." On February 14 this year, the high court struck down the government's ban and the legal provision which criminalised playing games of skill, including online games, and betting. The top court issued notice to online gaming industry body All India Gaming Federation and skill-based gaming firms. It directed to tag this matter with a similar matter, where the Tamil Nadu government has challenged the judgment by the Madras High Court. The Karnataka High Court had said that the Act was unconstitutional and there cannot be any ban on online games of skill. The state government contended before the apex court that the high court had grossly erred in not taking into account the material produced by it in connection with cases registered by the police authorities. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-adani-just-1-billion-away-from-becoming-the-second-richest-person-in-the-world-as-per-bloomberg-index-report/articleshow/94242575.cms">Gautam Adani is $1 billion away from beating Jeff Bezos as the second richest person in the world</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/tech-glitch-man-loses-11677-crore-windfall-from-demat-account-in-hours/articleshow/94219695.cms">Tech Glitch: Man loses ₹11,677 crore windfall from demat account in hours</a>

SC admits Karnataka govt plea on online gaming

Bengaluru, May 7 () The 'CheckmateCovid' online chess tournament raised an amount of Rs 15 lakh, which was donated to the Karnataka Chief Minister's COVID-19 Relief Fund.A total of 19,245 players registered for the tournament, which had a total prize pool of Rs 10 lakh, a media release issued here said on Thursday.The tournamemt was conducted by Karnataka government along with the United Karnataka Chess Association and Mobile Premier League (MPL).GM Ankit Rajpara won the tournament, which was held on May 2 and 3.GM Bhakti Kulkarni won the award for the top-ranked female player and Shakuntala Devi won the award for top-ranked player above 60 years of age.The tournament saw a total of 2.37 lakh chess games."I thank all the players who participated and contributed to the CheckmateCovid Chess Tournament. We are glad to have collected a large amount for the CM's Covid Relief Fund. We must continue to come together and fight this crisis," said Karnataka Sports Minister CT Ravi.The matches were played in the Speed Chess format, with each player getting three minutes in the game. Winners were decided on the basis of maximum such games won over the two-day duration of the tournament. SS KHSKHS

Online chess tourney helps raise Rs 15 lakh for COVID-19 relief fund

<ul><li><keyword id="6355185" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-india" source="Orion">Rural India</keyword> is highly concerned about COVID situation in second wave.</li><li>Concerns are higher amongst females (91%) as compared to males (85%) and within the higher age bands (55+ year old’s).</li></ul>Kantar along with GroupM’s rural and experiential marketing unit- Dialogue Factory today unveiled the 2nd edition of the <keyword id="10373134" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-covid-barometer-report" source="Orion">Rural COVID Barometer Report</keyword>. This report explores rural India’s concern about the impact of the second wave and how it alters consumer behavior and purchase patterns. The research was conducted with Kantar’s strong data and insights network and Dialogue Factory’s rural marketing intelligence in 18 Indian states, across rural adults (18+ years in age) with representation across gender, NCCS and age groups. Key highlights: Rural India is highly concerned about COVID situation in second wave. Concerns are higher amongst females (91%) as compared to males (85%) and within the higher age bands (55+ year old’s). These concerns are mostly driven by COVID’s impact on day-to-day life and functioning (most for 25-55 year old’s), fear of falling sick and overall need for financial planning. As a result, rural consumption and shopping patterns have witnessed a major shift. While consumers are concerned, most are also positive about economic recovery once the situation normalizes. Nearly 3 in 4 rural households have received some form of assistance via Government of India schemes, thus providing the much-needed financial cushion to consumers. Rural consumers are saving 25% of their income. Southern India (except for Tamil Nadu) is saving more in comparison to other parts of the country. As expected, expenses are higher on personal care, hygiene and cleaning products while spends on indulgence and beauty products have been deprioritized. With respect to retail channels, consumers prefer local village shops for purchasing groceries (56%), personal hygiene (49%) and cleaning (45%) products. Even big-ticket items like consumer electronics (50%) and durables (46%) are preferred to be bought at these local shops. Digital trends: There has been an internet revolution in rural India, with online being the most consumed media after television. With respect to online content consumption, music/ audio (69%) leads the pack followed by news (49%) and gaming (33%). Usage of video / OTT apps are driven by YouTube at 87% (most in Rajasthan, AP/ Telangana, TN and Bihar) followed by Disney+ Hotstar at 30% (highest usage in UP, TN, Gujarat, Kerala). WhatsApp and Facebook are the most used social media/ messenger platforms at 87% (most in Rajasthan, AP / Telangana, Karnataka) and 66% (most in Odisha, UP, Gujarat and West Bengal) usage respectively. <keyword id="4072966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="phone-pe" source="Orion">Phone Pe</keyword> is the most used digital payments app with 19% rural consumers having used these services in the last 6 months. Usage of Phone Pe is driven by Karnataka at 46% followed by Rajasthan at 38%. Foresighting: Growth in the consumer durables and automotive (2-wheeler) sectors are likely to slowdown in next 6 months. However, the smartphone category is expected to see fast growth in the near future. Construction sector is also expected to see a bounce-back with consumers expected to spend on building a house/ undertake smaller construction work in the next 6 months. Commenting on the report, Dalveer Singh, Head of Experiential Marketing- APAC, GroupM Dialogue Factory said, “The pandemic has evolved the rural consumer’s decision-making process. They are watching their spending and prioritizing their buying patterns by the need of the hour. There is a positive acceptance of the vaccination. The upper- and middle-class rural Indians are being more proactive in financial planning to deal with covid constraints, which make these markets a significant place to introduce investment and savings products. To sum up, there is a deep sense of uplift on the subject of India’s economic future.” Puneet Avasthi, Senior Executive Director, Insights Division, Kantar said, “With a highly concerned rural consumer, rural India is planning finances better and inclined towards a savings mindset. This offers a significant headroom for growth to savings and investment products such as insurance and even mutual funds. Additionally, we are witnessing a significant rise in digital payments as an important mode of transaction, this offers a robust platform for rural financial inclusion, as also for suitable hyperlocal promotions. With the change in consumption priorities in favor of health and hygiene products (a trend that has held since the first wave), FMCG marketers should leverage this trend for planning their innovation pipeline.”

Online is the second largest consumed media after television in rural India: Kantar and GroupM report

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> said on Saturday that he could not visit to his mother to seek her blessings on his birthday, but she will be happy to see that thousands of mothers have gathered to bless him on the day. The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing the gathering of over one lakh women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district. Prime Minister Modi on his 72th birthday visited to Madhya Pradesh where he released eight African cheetahs into enclosure at Kuno National Park. Following which, he graced a women SHGs conference being organised in Sheopur district. "I would have gone to my mother to seek her blessings on my birthday, if today's programmes weren't organised here. But, thousands of mothers have come to bless me here and after seeing all this, my mother would be very happy that I am getting blessings of thousands of mothers here," Prime Minister Modi said. He was welcomed with great enthusiasm by artists who performed tribal dance and other cultural programmes organised by the state government. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister recounted several women beneficiary schemes for women under his government. On the occasion, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is a prominent political face from Gwalior-Chambal region, said that around 60 per cent area of Sheopur district have dense forest zone. "Sheopur is a very small district, however, it is filled with natural resources. There are several ancient temples of Lord Shiva and that is why this area was named Sheopur." Notably, Sheopur has two assembly seats - Sheopur and Vijaypur, and the BJP and Congress each has one MLA. However, the fact that, Sheopur, which is the part of Gwalior-Chambal region, is also considered the most remote area in the state and has highest malnutrition cases in the state. The women SHGs participating in the conference were those who run several initiatives being promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). DAY-NRLM aims at mobilising rural poor households into SHGs in a phased manner and provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life. On the day, the Prime Minister also inaugurated four Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) skilling centres under PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/sc-admits-karnataka-govt-plea-on-online-gaming/articleshow/94260057.cms" style="">SC admits Karnataka govt plea on online gaming</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hectic-jobs-in-retail-and-quick-service-restaurants-is-leading-to-high-attrition-report/articleshow/94250545.cms" style="">Hectic jobs in retail and quick service restaurants is leading to high attrition: Report</a>

PM addresses women SHGs conference in MP

Only a few days ago, we brought you this year’s most popular <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Whats-The-Buzzword-Of-The-Year-Find-Out-Here/articleshow/27210409.cms">buzzwords</a> on <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>. But you must have been wondering till now what the <keyword id="1983041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Most-popular-search-terms">most popular search terms</keyword> are on Google this year and finally, here is the list. Just like Facebook, Google has a global search list, as well as country-specific ones and we have decided to delve deep into the Indian psyche. 
 Google announces the <keyword id="1983046" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Internet-Zeitgeist">Internet Zeitgeist</keyword> (German for ‘the spirit of the times’) after scanning more than a trillion search queries it receives every year. Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year’s major events and hottest trends, based on <keyword id="898386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-searches">Google searches</keyword> conducted in India and across the globe. 
 Going by the top charts published by <keyword id="1983045" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-Zeitgeist-2013">Google Zeitgeist 2013</keyword>, <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>, <keyword id="11111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="celebs">celebs</keyword> and <keyword id="1521" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cricket">cricket</keyword> top the search lists here in India – whether you like it or no. And speaking about Bollywood, <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> still rules all hearts and search queries. Chennai Express, a romantic action-comedy starring <keyword id="1379" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="king-khan">King Khan</keyword> and the sultry <keyword id="598" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Deepika-Padukone">Deepika Padukone</keyword>, tops the Zeitgeist ‘<keyword id="1983047" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Top-trending">top trending</keyword>’ list (<keyword id="1983050" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Search-topics">search topics</keyword> with the <keyword id="1983055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Biggest-increase-in-search-volume">biggest increase in search volume</keyword> since the previous period) this year. But then, the movie went on to become the highest grossing Bollywood film worldwide, surpassing <keyword id="6373971" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="3-idiots">3 Idiots</keyword>, and we are not really surprised. Other <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> among the top trending are blockbusters such as <keyword id="780293" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aashiqui-2">Aashiqui 2</keyword>, <keyword id="500441" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krrish-3">Krrish 3</keyword> and <keyword id="1886157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ram-Leela">Ram-Leela</keyword>. Unfortunately, there’s no place for <keyword id="24705" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dhoom-3">Dhoom 3</keyword> (or Aamir, for that matter) among them. 
 But what about the most-searched-for <keyword id="1983035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bollywood-actor-and-actress">Bollywood actor and actress</keyword>? Hold your breath – you have <keyword id="6354701" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman">Salman</keyword> and Katrina there. SRK is second in that list and so is Deepika. But once again, the ‘people’ list may leave you gasping. Here, <keyword id="1983057" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adult-movie-star">adult movie star</keyword> <keyword id="836886" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunny-Leone">Sunny Leone</keyword> has pushed Sallu to the second spot. That’s some fire power – we must agree. 
 Yet what has surprised most is the resurgence of the <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> in the ‘top trending’ list. Despite the hue and cry over alleged corruption practices, the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> has broken records in terms of online searches for latest scores and results. 
 And that brings us back to the Little Master, often compared with the legendary <keyword id="73093" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Don-Bradman">Don Bradman</keyword>. Sachin has recently bid adieu to Test cricket (he stopped playing ODIs and T20 earlier) and tops the <keyword id="805759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="most-searched">most searched</keyword> list for sportspersons, followed by <keyword id="6386353" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Milkha-Singh">Milkha Singh</keyword> (because of the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, it seems) and <keyword id="6354832" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MS-Dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword>. <keyword id="30621" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Badminton">Badminton</keyword> ace <keyword id="30618" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saina-Nehwal">Saina Nehwal</keyword> and cricket great <keyword id="2727" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rahul-Dravid">Rahul Dravid</keyword>’s retirement are also among the most searched news events and that gladdens our heart. 
 If you are still wondering where <keyword id="1729991" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Madiba">Madiba</keyword> (<keyword id="45802" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nelson-Mandela">Nelson Mandela</keyword>) is in these lists, we have to disappoint you. He topped Google’s global list but didn’t find an audience in India, it seems. Instead, recently deceased American <keyword id="271" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="actor">actor</keyword> <keyword id="1983032" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paul-William-Walker-IV">Paul William Walker IV</keyword> has found the eighth position in ‘top trending’ – one place down from the popular TV reality show <keyword id="26022" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="bigg-boss">Bigg Boss</keyword> 7. 
 But it has not been fun and frolic all the way. ‘Change’ and ‘tragedy’ have impacted our searches and the <keyword id="859697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="top-news">top news</keyword> moments have captured our attention. Do you want proof? The <keyword id="86474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Unique-Identification-Authority-of-India">Unique Identification Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="6355252" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UIDAI">UIDAI</keyword>), the organisation behind the <keyword id="155319" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhar">Aadhar</keyword> concept, <keyword id="1983062" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="GATE-2014">GATE 2014</keyword> (it shows <keyword id="6375224" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="higher-education">higher education</keyword> is still top priority in the country) and the tragic death of actor <keyword id="1983034" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zia-Khan">Zia Khan</keyword> are among the <keyword id="1983063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Top-trending-topics">top trending topics</keyword>. 
 The announcement of <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> as <keyword id="1866999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="BJPs-prime-ministerial-candidate">BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate</keyword> and the proposed sale of <keyword id="6354356" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BlackBerry">BlackBerry</keyword>, once the <keyword id="139821" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="market-leader">market leader</keyword> in mobile devices, are among the top-searched news in India this year, in addition to Karnataka poll results, <keyword id="14678" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vijay-Mallya">Vijay Mallya</keyword> &amp; <keyword id="6360137" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="kingfisher">Kingfisher</keyword> debacle, Arushi Talwar case and the state of Indian economy. 
 Interestingly, <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> has emerged as a significant search topic in the year 2013, with <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and Olx.com topping the chart for most searched shopping sites. Gaming has also emerged as a popular category for the first time, as a critical mass of people searched for games online. Local <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>, too, has been popularly searched on mobile this year. The top three searches on mobile are <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="restaurants">restaurants</keyword>, <keyword id="6355410" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="bars">bars</keyword> and movies, followed by <keyword id="6354798" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="coffee">coffee</keyword>, <keyword id="899787" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="cricket-score">cricket score</keyword> and <keyword id="41941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="fast-food">fast food</keyword>. As for smartphones, <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> Galaxy S4 is leading the gang, followed by <keyword id="1554555" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nokia-Lumia-520">Nokia Lumia 520</keyword> and <keyword id="1983069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Micromax-Canvas-2">Micromax Canvas 2</keyword>. 
 
So what has changed in search? A lot, going by the 2013 trends. The results this year present a huge difference compared to last year’s Zeitgeist, which mostly reflected utilitarian searches based on personal requirements like booking tickets, shopping and other information purposes. 
 “From a search trends perspective, 2013 was clearly the year of entertainment. <keyword id="4546" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh">Shah Rukh</keyword>’s Lungi Dance from Chennai Express, the Bollywood romantic drama Aashiqui 2, national heart-throbs <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="6354850" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Katrina-Kaif">Katrina Kaif</keyword>, Telugu actor <keyword id="18727" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kajal">Kajal</keyword> and her counterpart, the young rebel star Prabhas and <keyword id="250" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Singer">singer</keyword> <keyword id="380702" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Honey-Singh">Honey Singh</keyword> ruled the year, and drove millions of Indians to the web. <keyword id="6357762" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Online-shopping">Online shopping</keyword>, <keyword id="6354778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Banking">banking</keyword> and e-commerce also continued their upward trend – a clear testimony to Indians embracing <keyword id="6626738" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-transactions">online transactions</keyword>,” said <keyword id="249393" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajan-Anandan">Rajan Anandan</keyword>, vice-president and managing director (sales and operations), <keyword id="45395" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-India">Google India</keyword>. 
 
Top trending topics in India 
1. Chennai Express 
2. IPL 2013 
3. Aashiqui 2 
4. UIDAI 
5. GATE 2014 
6. Krrish 3 
7. Bigg Boss 7 
8. <keyword id="106867" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paul-Walker">Paul Walker</keyword> 
9. <keyword id="19566" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jiah-Khan">Jiah Khan</keyword> 
10. Ram Leela 
 
With input from Agencies

For India, It’s Entertainment
First In 2013, Says Google

<ul><li><keyword id="527314" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="snacking" source="Orion">Snacking</keyword> has become an important part of our work-from-home routine and many FMCG brands have witnessed an uptick in packaged food products like biscuits, cookies and chips.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="12061512" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shailja-joshi" source="Orion">Shailja Joshi</keyword>, Associate Director, <keyword id="206441" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="potato-chips" source="Orion">Potato Chips</keyword> Category, <keyword id="110163" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pepsico-india" source="Orion">PepsiCo India</keyword> to understand how the last 1.5 years have been for the brand, what kind of trends it has witnessed and how it is pivoting its strategies to meet its consumers' rapidly evolving needs and preferences.</li></ul>The pandemic has brought about a huge change in the way we live, work, or even snack. While stuck at home, the time we spend with our families have become important. And snacking has become an important part of that time spent at home. There has been a visible increase in in-house consumption of processed and packaged foods including biscuits to chips, anything that people could munch on while working from home, playing board games or simply while Netflix and chilling. In fact, it is not just consumers from metros or Tier II and III cities who started snacking more, even rural consumers are riding on the trend, according to reports. <keyword id="54572" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pepsico" source="Orion">PepsiCo</keyword>’s Lay’s is a product that is almost synonymous with the chips category in India. Over the last few years, Lay’s has been focusing a lot on localization to continue to stay relevant for the Indian consumers. The way it reaches out to its consumers has also evolved. The brand which gives a lot of importance to social listening recently launched special ‘@ Home’ packs based on the insight that people were snacking more at home. A lot of its strategies are paying off too as PepsiCo reported double-digit growth in India in Q2 despite the second wave of the pandemic. PepsiCo's reported that its snacks unit volume reported double-digit growth in India and Pakistan. We recently spoke to Shailja Joshi, Associate Director, Potato Chips Category, PepsiCo India to understand how the last 1.5 years have been for the brand, what kind of trends it has witnessed and how it is pivoting its strategies to meet the requirements of rapidly evolving consumer preferences. Excerpts: Q) Walk me through the last 1.5 years. How have things been for brand <keyword id="1380276" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lays" source="Orion">Lay's</keyword>? Over the last 1.5 years, we witnessed a paradigm shift in the business landscape. The exceptional times gave birth to a new reality – new behaviors emerged, consumption patterns evolved, and brands had to re-think and re-evaluate strategies to adapt to consumer disposition. In the last year, in-home consumption grew as ‘home’ became the new social hub; affordability and accessibility became key factors for consumer decisions across categories; and consumers started choosing brands which rose to the occasion at hand. Our strategy for Lay’s over these past months was guided by three key consumer truths–firstly, consumers were becoming increasingly value-conscious; secondly, they were seeking innovative brand offerings that were in line with their evolving preferences; and lastly, they were gravitating towards brands that were willing to ‘Solve, Not Sell’ and lead with purpose in these challenging times. We pivoted our plans and worked towards bringing joy as well as value to our consumers. These insights formed the foundation for all our campaigns in the recent months, including – <ul><li>Lay’s Heartwork campaign, wherein we extended support to the community by creating a narrative of gratitude.</li><li>The PepsiCo India x Airtel Promo, wherein we leveraged data as the key currency to deliver value. </li><li>#YehWaalaYaadRahega campaign, wherein we introduced new, limited-time offerings - Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love – which were formulated basis consumers’ flavour preferences.</li></ul>All in all, it’s been an eventful year for the brand – complete with distinct offerings and innovative campaigns that were loved by consumers. Q) Being locked at home made all of us snack more. How did you capitalize on this trend? As people continue to remain indoors in light of the ongoing times, there has certainly been an uptick in at-home consumption. Robust and in-depth research showed us that with increased time spent at home, as work-from-home, celebrations and entertainment move indoors - such as friends’ get-togethers, movie watching and other occasions -there has been a surge in consumer demand for large packs. In line with this insight, we introduced the new, large-sized Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs to be the perfect companions for our consumers in all their experiences ‘at home’– be it work or leisure. We leveraged four distinct moments that consumers are experiencing at home –including ‘Work At Home’, ‘Movie Watching At Home’, ‘Adda At Home’ and ‘Weekend Outing At Home’ – and curated a pack for each occasion. These packs have been strategically launched in larger sizes (priced at INR 50 and INR 85) to encourage sharing amidst at-home celebrations. Going forward as well, we feel that consumers will continue to seek the company of their favourite snacks, resulting in a continued upsurge for in-home demand, especially as they stay indoors or work from home in these challenging times. Q) What is Lay's current brand proposition? Lay’s believes in filling the world with joy for one and all. The brand celebrates the joy that is unlocked when friends and dear ones come together over their much-loved packs of Lay’s. This proposition is the common theme that runs across our recent campaigns – including ‘Lay’s Khol’ for our partnership with Airtel, ‘What’s Your RelationCHIP Status’ for the launch of Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love, and most recently, ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’ for the introduction of our new, large-sized ‘@ Home’ packs. Q) How has your messaging evolved over the years? Since it is a product that appeals to all age groups, how do you make your communications relevant for this wide spectrum of audience too? Since its launch in 1995, Lay’s has established itself as a youth-centric brand that is widely-loved across the nation for its irresistible taste and unique flavours. ‘Irresistibility’ continues to be the functional benefit that we dial up in all our innovations. Our campaigns over the years have aimed at amplifying the emotional attributes of the brand via a strong storytelling approach. As consumers showered the brand with love for its distinct, delicious flavours, Lay’s also established itself as a popular name in every Indian household through campaigns and taglines that created an emotional connect such as ‘No One Can Eat Just One’, ‘What’s The Program?’, ‘Fight For Your Flavour’, and ‘Dilogical’. More recently as well, with campaigns like ‘Smile Deke Dekho’ and ‘Heartwork’, our attempt was to share the Lay’s story with consumers through all relevant touchpoints and thereby, humanize the brand in the process. Lay’s is a brand that is loved and consumed by people across age groups, however, at the heart of our brand strategy is a youth-centric and trendy brand. Q) Chips as a category is a very physical product, something that people would pick up when they see them stacked on shelves in shops/malls. How have you then made yourself attractive for consumers even on digital platforms, to make sure Lay's became a part of all shopping baskets? The recent times have brought about a significant change in consumer buying behaviour – a large section of consumers are now making a significant amount of purchases online, and we foresee this as a change that is here to stay. With this shift towards e-commerce and digital purchasing, the phenomenon of ‘Zero Moment of Truth’ becomes even more critical for brands –pushing marketers to think of innovative ways to make all key information about their products easily accessible and attractive for the digital consumer. For us, our packs are the primary consumer touchpoint and hence, our biggest asset. We have been experimenting with unique packs innovations – placing them at the heart of all our recent campaigns and communications. Right from the Lay’s Smile packs in 2019 and Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs in 2021, to special digital packs for Lay’s Heartwork and Lay’s Khol in 2020, we have leveraged our packaging as a medium to communicate with our audience and thereby, forge a connection with them beyond the shelf. While digital penetration has gone up and consumers continue to look for products that are readily available, they also seek great quality and value in their purchases. This places the spotlight on e-commerce platforms, where we have adapted our play according to these consumer needs. For instance, with our partners on e-commerce such as Grofers, Big Basket, etc, we have not just invested to be present in the D2C channels, but have also strengthened our presence – in terms of assortment and visibility. Q) With more and more people moving towards healthy products, how are you making your products more relevant for the health-conscious? Lockdown and its implications placed consumers in situations that they had never seen before – inducing numerous changes in their lifestyles. Amongst these many changes were increased consumer awareness and a growing preference to switch to a healthier lifestyle. At PepsiCo India, we continue to stand committed to constantly transforming our product portfolio by introducing healthier choices, thereby, catering to our consumers who are on different stages of their health and nutrition journeys. We are also innovating and growing our nutrition portfolio to address consumers’ needs. We are targeting the breakfast and in between meals needs through our Tropicana and <keyword id="302586" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="quaker" source="Orion">Quaker</keyword> portfolio. Within these, we are innovating with local flavours to make the products more palatable for Indian consumers. Q) Which marketing mediums are the most important for Lay's? How important is UGC for you, since we have seen Lay's being a part of a lot of work done by content creators, a lot of which is done organically. As per a recent report by leading social media management platform, Hootsuite, there continues to be a rapid increase in digital adoption, with the number of social media users globally fast approaching another impressive milestone. Keeping in mind how consumers today are exploring digital and social media as their sources of both - entertainment and information, we have been maintaining a strong focus on digital media as a key marketing platform for Lay’s. Our focus is on understanding where consumers are and what they are seeking through active social listening. We follow this up by creating insight-driven strategies that are structured to deliver social impact. For instance, moment marketing is big for us, as we view it as an opportunity to facilitate continued and relevant dialogues with our consumers online. Some recent examples are our creative posts for Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day, Eid and World Emoji Day. Additionally, we also focus on leveraging trending, innovative formats. Lay’s was amongst the first brands to use Instagram Reels, and we recently launched an AR filter as part of Lay’s ‘What’s Your RelationCHIP Status’ campaign around Valentine's Day. Following the recent expansion of the influencer marketing industry in India, Lay’s is also amongst the leading brands to have worked extensively with content creators – including celebrities, macro as well as micro influencers. Post the success of our influencer engagement during the Lay’s Smile Deke Dekho campaign, we have created an army of content creators, whom we call ‘Friends of Lay’s’. These are bloggers and influencers who share a deep affinity for the brand, and we make sure that we connect with them as part of all our campaigns. This collaborative approach has resulted in brand Lay’s engaging with more than 4000 micro influencers over the last 2 years, resulting in incremental organic reach and conversations for the brand across social media platforms. Q) How important has localization been for Lay's? We strongly believe that India is not one, but is instead made up of ‘many Indias’ coming together – each part having its own unique culture and taste palate. As one of the most loved snack brands in the country, Lay’s has been focused on curating offerings that suit this wide array of flavour palates that exist at every few kilometers in India. A recent example of our localization strategy is the introduction of Lay’s Wafer Style for the South Indian market. Taking cue from the traditional hand-made and home-dried pappadams that are relished as part of every traditional South Indian meal, we launched Lay’s Wafer Style in ‘Salt with Pepper’ and ‘Sundried Chilli’ flavours, with the aim of tapping into this ritual that is unique to the Southern part of the country. Introduced as the perfect meal accompaniment for traditional South Indian dishes (such as sambhar rice, rasam rice, dal rice, curd rice, lemon rice, etc.),the product received an overwhelming response from our fans across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. The focus on localization also reflects in our media strategy, as we continue advertising to our consumers in local languages, maintaining a connect with consumers across multiple regions. Going forward as well, we stand committed to the idea of strengthening brand Lay’s through both, relevance and distinction, by taking more familiar and local flavours to our consumers across India, whilst communicating with them in their native languages.

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