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<ul><li><keyword id="13003750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-tea-agni" source="Orion">Tata Tea Agni</keyword> celebrates the ‘Josh’ and strong determination of people of India</li><li>Conceptualised by <keyword id="2959024" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mullen-lintas" source="Orion">Mullen Lintas</keyword>, latest campaign of Tata Tea Agni highlights the importance of approaching one’s dreams with josh and passion each day. The campaign portrays real-life stories of three players of celebrated Indian Women’s Hockey Team.</li></ul>TATA Tea Agni relaunches itself with revamped communication and packaging to resonate with its loyal consumers. The campaign is anchored on Tata Tea Agni’s spirit of ‘Josh Jagaye Har Roz’ to connect with its target consumers. The campaign brings alive the true stories of strong determination and passion and celebrates journeys of the people of India to strive forward with ‘Josh’ towards a better tomorrow. The restage aims to cater to the consumers who are aspirational and are in the process of upgrading their lives. Capturing this emotion on the canvas of the packaging, the brand communicates to its consumers by depicting a promising day with the hues of the warm glow of the morning light, bathing the city as it awakens from its slumber to a new day. Echoing the tagline of Josh Jagaye har Roz, the brand encourages its consumers to live a meaningful life with strength and zest. Exhibiting an inspiring example of this unwavering spirit, the TVC showcases the Josh of 3 key players from the Indian women Hockey Team- Arjuna award winner Vandana Katariya, Drag flicker and key architect of India's success over Australia in Tokyo Olympics Gurjit Kaur &amp; Asian Games medalist, <keyword id="775450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neha-goyal" source="Orion">Neha Goyal</keyword>. The TVC which is an ode to their life journeys, displays the real stories of their hardship, purposefulness, Josh and their prevalence over challenges to ultimately bring back pride for our country. <div type="Youtube" id="u1cso7RMgCg" title="Tata Tea Agni - Master (Subtitles)" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u1cso7RMgCg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Speaking about the re-launch, <keyword id="5414634" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="puneet-das" source="Orion">Puneet Das</keyword>, President, Packaged Beverages, India &amp; South Asia,Tata Consumer Products states, “TATA Tea Agni understands the importance of awakening one’s passion and determination and following your dream every-single- day. Its extra-strong taste not only refreshes your mind, but awakens the fire or ‘josh’ within you to embrace and make the best of all opportunities that come your way. As a brand, we have a wide presence in more than 22 Indian states. With this restage, we remain hopeful of growing in the affordable tea category in India. Our new communication ‘Josh Jagaye Har Roz’, will definitely connect with the people of the country and bring alive the true spirit of strong determination and passion.” Azaz’s Chief Creative Officer- Mullen Lintas, said “The brief was to connect with India's heartland and reposition the brand in a big way. Tata Agni was always value led. We needed to change that and make masses connect with the brand at an emotional level. We thought inspiration is one value, India's heartland has always loved and the name Agni stands for the fire inside. The idea of choosing Indian Women’s Hockey Team came from the clients’ and we loved it. As no one represents the brand positioning of Josh everyday better than the Indian Women’s Hockey Team. We just needed to tell their real-life inspiring story of Josh to the world. And the campaign is doing just that.” Gurjit Kaur, Indian Field Hockey Player, said, “Girls from my hometown were restricted to go out and play hockey owing to the societal norms that played an obstacle to our professional aspirations.. However, once I started playing hockey there was no turning back. The determination to make my parents proud fuelled my soul with josh to overcome any hardship and to somehow live my dream to the fullest. TATA Tea Agni, as a brand recognised my struggle and brought alive my josh se bhari kahani” Neha Goyal, Indian Field Hockey Player, said, “Hailing from a poor family, my childhood was rather difficult. There were hardly any resources left to pursue a sport and so I joined hockey with the hopes that I could at least get some clothes and shoes for playing. I was good at the game and my situation started to improve gradually until I encountered another major hurdle – physical injury. I was at the peak of my career but had to leave the camp owing to the injury. I had lost all hopes but my coach motivated me and fuelled my josh to make a comeback, akin to how TATA Tea Agni fuels josh and the spirit of awakening every day with its strong cup of tea.” Vandana Katariya, Indian Field Hockey Player, said, “My life has been a constant struggle. But with time, I grew to understand that struggles and challenges only make one stronger and more determined. It is heartening to see families in my hometown now supporting and encouraging their daughters to follow their passion. We should always ignite our josh and follow our dreams because ‘Jinke andar agni hoti hai, wo har muskil, har chunauti ko apnaate hain josh se’.’’

Tata Tea Agni's campaign celebrates Indian women athletes and their passion and determination

<ul><li><keyword id="10293880" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tata-tea-leaf" source="Orion">Tata Tea Leaf</keyword> has launched a special <keyword id="60705" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chhath-puja" source="Orion">Chhath puja</keyword> pack and has also associated with Bejod, OTT platform of Champaran Talkies for the Chhath puja 2021 video song. </li><li>The Chhath Puja song for 2021 by Bejod is built on the concept of ‘Chhath from Home’ keeping in mind the current pandemic situation.</li></ul> Tata Tea Leaf revels in the spirit of <keyword id="30033" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bihar" source="Orion">Bihar</keyword> and <keyword id="6360371" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jharkhand" source="Orion">Jharkhand</keyword>’s most popular festival- The Chhath Puja, with an integrated campaign to evoke regional pride. As part of the campaign, Tata Tea Leaf launched a special Chhath puja pack and has also associated with Bejod, OTT platform of Champaran Talkies for the Chhath puja 2021 video song. <div type="Youtube" id="JEMSUqcRn_U" title="Chhath Geet 2021 | छठ गीत 2021 Vol.06 Bejod | NITU CHANDRA SRIVASTAVA | NITIN NEERA CHANDRA" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JEMSUqcRn_U/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The brand takes immense pride in showcasing and celebrating the rich culture and heritage of Bihar and Jharkhand. As a chai specifically made for Bihar and Jharkhand, Tata Tea Leaf understands the regional nuances and has developed a campaign to celebrate the much high-spirited festival which comes with all its grandness and vibrancy, Chhath Puja. The special Chhath Puja pack highlights the elements of the festival and brings alive its true essence. The yellow colour pack radiates with the festive images and truly reflects the emotions attached with Chhath Puja. The pack has been designed keeping in mind the small details associated with the festival to evoke a sense of pride among the people of Bihar and Jharkhand. To make the celebration grander, the brand has associated with Bejod second time for the Chhath Puja Video. The Chhath Puja song for 2021 by Bejod is built on the concept of ‘Chhath from Home’ keeping in mind the current pandemic situation. <keyword id="5414634" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="puneet-das" source="Orion">Puneet Das</keyword>, President, Packaged Beverages, TATA Consumer Products, said, “Chhath Puja is the biggest and most renowned festival celebrated across Bihar and Jharkhand. Tata Tea Leaf celebrates the festive spirit associated during this time with traditional elements associated with the festival. The special <keyword id="12488558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-tea-leaf-chhath-puja" source="Orion">Tata Tea Leaf Chhath Puja</keyword> pack brings alive the true spirit of the festival. Our association with Bejod for Chhath Puja is a one of its kind initiative to connect with the consumer by being part of the festivity. TATA Tea Leaf’s Chhath Puja campaign aims to foster the festive feel over a cup of tea, that is made specially for people of that region while celebrating with the entire family.” Credits: · Production house - Bejod, OTT platform of Champaran Talkies · Director &amp; Editor: Nitin Neera Chandra · Producer: Neetu N Chandra, Nitin Neera Chandra

Tata Tea Leaf launches a new video and pack before Chhath puja

<ul><li>Tata Tea’s Jaago Re, over the years, has awakened people -- pushed them a little to care about important social issues and inspired them to take action. </li><li>Under its latest leg, Tata Tea aims to remind us to take care of the elderly, who are the most vulnerable to the virus due to their decreased immunity.</li><li>We caught up with Puneet Das, Vice President <keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing">Marketing</keyword>, Beverages- India, Tata Consumer Products, to further understand how they have tweaked the brand's marketing strategy and media plan amid a nation-wide lockdown. </li></ul>Remember how your parents would weave fictional stories to convince you to stay indoors or to make you eat your food when you were little? “Bhoot uthakar le jayega?,” they would say in a child-like voice. Now, it is our turn to remind them that it isn’t safe outside and this is exactly what Tata Tea’s latest campaign tells us. <div type="twitter" handle="TataChaIndia" handlename="Tata Cha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/939028867167088641/WRPfGrPC_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="Join us in serving breakfast to the elders from our Indiranagar, Cunningham Road, and Jayanagar cafes! Whatsapp you… https://t.co/fBtU617vPW" createdat="1587882969000" id="1254298201122721793"></div> With a lot of anxiety and uncertainty around, we need wake up calls now more than ever. Tata Tea has taken this opportunity to encourage us to support the most vulnerable group of society right now -- senior citizens. Due to their decreased immunity, they have a larger risk to fall victim to the virus than us, which can also affect their mental and emotional health. It’s latest edition of #JaagoRe #BaadonKeLiye, therefore, targets millennials and reminds them to take care of their elderly members during these tough times. They have partnered with influencers such as Mandira Bedi, Rannvijay Singh, Dia Mirza, Milind Soman, to name a few. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Over the years, Tata Tea’s Jaago Re campaigns have nudged us towards social awakening and the brand has used this property to catalyse change around important issues like women safety, representation of women in sports, voting, corruption, etc. We caught up with Puneet Das, Vice President Marketing, Beverages-India, Tata Consumer Products, who looks after Tata Tea, Tetley, and Tata Coffee Grand to further understand what the past few weeks have been like for the brand, discuss its latest campaign for Tata Tea and a few things Das has learned in this time. Excerpts: Q. How have the past few weeks been for the brand, considering the country has been in a lockdown? The past few weeks have been about following all local administration guidelines and taking precautions to ensure safety of our employees &amp; teams while trying to also ensure supplies to trade, and meeting demands of consumers affected due to the lockdown. We have also utilized this time to work towards spreading awareness and facilitating change for the cause of the elderly who are the most vulnerable during these times, through our social initiative, Tata Tea - Iss baar #BadonKeLiye #JaagoRe. Q. What is your marketing strategy right now? How have you been trying to continue building a connect with your audience? In wake of the novel coronavirus, it becomes important to stay relevant to our consumers by facilitating and inspiring genuine change. And that it is our endeavour with our social Initiative “Iss Baar #Badon ke liye Jaago Re” which aims to spread awareness and sensitize youth to support the senior citizens during this time. The initiative involves spreading awareness about the need to support the elderly, providing relevant tips, tying up with NGOs and providing a common platform for people to connect with them, and share stories of volunteers to inspire others to act. It encourages individuals to connect with senior citizens next door or in their neighborhood and help them overcome any challenges they might be facing during this crisis and restricted lockdown period. A simple action like checking on them to see if they need anything and taking steps to help them will make a big difference (Of course, all this needs to be done keeping in line with the COVID 19 guidelines, as provided by the local administration). We’re also tying up with NGOs and providing information so that people can reach out to them and volunteer, in case they want to further make a difference in supporting this cause of the elderly. Q. Has there been a change in your media mix? The endeavour is to spread awareness amongst the youth and drive genuine change for the cause for supporting the elderly. Considering the current consumer behaviour of increase in time spent online and on social media, the initiative is also largely focused on leveraging these mediums to drive awareness on our latest campaign. The initiative is also being supported by influencers, NGOs and experts in senior care management. Q. If the lockdown is further extended, will you be tweaking your marketing strategy further? Right now, our efforts are to ensure that we spread the message and drive genuine change with our social initiative. Since it is aimed at supporting the elderly, who are most vulnerable due to their decreased immunity, this initiative will remain relevant irrespective of the lockdown conditions. In fact, if the lockdown is further extended, then it is even more important to understand and address the medical, psychological and social needs of the elderly whose routine life will be far more disrupted leading them to be most prone to confusion and helplessness. Q. What are a few key learnings for you as a brand in the last few weeks? The most important learning for brands during this crisis is to do something that can genuinely make a positive impact to their consumers/society. During times like these, it becomes important to consumers on ‘how you make them feel’ and whether you can genuinely make a difference in their lives in a meaningful manner. The other learning is to be agile and adapt to changes in consumer patterns which has drastically changed due to ‘restricted lockdown’ conditions but may also continue to evolve and become the ‘new normal’ (even when the lockdown restrictions are eased).

Marketing in the times of COVID-19: Tata Consumer Products Limited

<ul><li><keyword id="3156454" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tata-coffee-grand" source="Orion">Tata Coffee Grand</keyword>'s latest campaign ‘Sounds of <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword>’, celebrates the various sounds that reflect the unique spirit of <keyword id="38378" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pongal" source="Orion">Pongal</keyword>.</li><li>The vibrant film is a montage of various visuals and sounds that are associated with the Pongal festival; the crunch of sugarcane, the clink of children’s anklets, and the musical echoes of the ‘kulavai’ among others. </li><li>The campaign has been conceptualized by <keyword id="274876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lowe-lintas" source="Orion">Lowe Lintas</keyword> Bangalore and directed by <keyword id="5375262" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="farooq-mohamed" source="Orion">Farooq Mohamed</keyword> of <keyword id="12943507" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kadhai-films" source="Orion">Kadhai Films</keyword>.</li></ul>Tata <keyword id="6354798" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coffee" source="Orion">Coffee</keyword> Grand, the coffee brand from the house of Tata Consumer Products continues its celebration of bringing out the emotions and excitement associated with coffee in Tamil Nadu. In line with this, the brand has released a festive film celebrating the various sounds that reflect the unique spirit of Pongal with the ‘Sounds of Tamil Nadu’ campaign of Tata Coffee Grand. <div type="Youtube" id="xvzdtTP-0r4" title="Tata Coffee Grand | Celebrating the Sounds of Pongal | Shik Shik Shik" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xvzdtTP-0r4/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The vibrant film is a montage of various visuals and sounds that are associated with the Pongal festival; the crunch of sugarcane, the clink of children’s anklets, and the musical echoes of the ‘kulavai’ among others. Replete with sumptuous Pongal delicacies, family gatherings, and a splash of rich hues that the Tamil culture is well-known for, the film concludes with the thought, ‘How can any festive meal be complete without coffee and the emotions associated with it?’ Talking about the film, Puneet Das, President - Packaged Beverages (India and South Asia), Tata Consumer Products said, “Our campaign of Tata Coffee Grand launched last year, synonymizes the word ‘Coffee’ with the sound i.e. Shik-Shik-Shik – which represents the sound heard when the Tata Coffee Grand jar or pack is shaken! We have gone a step ahead this year and have extended the ‘shik shik shik’ proposition to the sound of the Pongal festivities, to capture the excitement of the festival along with the emotions of drinking coffee. These festivities are not just reflected in the visuals but also in the unique sounds that reverberate throughout the harvest season. In highlighting this, we are happy to launch our new film which doubles up as a feast to the senses and has a distinct sound design that celebrates the festive taste of Tamil Nadu”. Commenting on the campaign idea, <keyword id="1743436" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sonali-khanna" source="Orion">Sonali Khanna</keyword>, Executive Director and Branch Head, Lowe Lintas South said, "Pongal is a festival that the people of Tamil Nadu hold very close to their hearts, resulting in a joyous tapestry of celebratory sights and sounds. What's striking is that many of the authentic sounds of Pongal are expressed as triplets. This is exactly the same aural mnemonic we have used to bring our product USP to life: the ‘Shik Shik Shik’ of the packet representing the Tata Coffee Grand crystals. The wonderful interplay of musical triplets, the rich festive hues, and the catchy sound of the pack, all come together seamlessly. To create a film that is as aurally arresting as it is visually resplendent." The film was directed by Farooq Mohamed of Kadhai Films. Team Credits: · Agency – Lowe Lintas, Bangalore · Creative – <keyword id="491609" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="puneet-kapoor" source="Orion">Puneet Kapoor</keyword>, Nishant Pratap, Jananie S · Account Management – Sonali Khanna, Ameya Lokhande, Satish Perumal, Mitali Kulkarni · Planning – Kishore Subramanian, <keyword id="12943506" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prashanth-murthy" source="Orion">Prashanth Murthy</keyword> · Production House – Kadhai Films

Tata Coffee Grand's Pongal campaign celebrates the different sounds that reflect the festival's spirit

<ul><li><keyword id="4943836" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Acko">ACKO</keyword>'s film to commemorate the first <keyword id="6583338" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pride-march">pride march</keyword> says that even though we have come a long way in recognizing the LGBTQ+ (Pride) community, it does not necessarily equate to true acceptance. </li><li>The film, that urges people to rethink what it means to truly welcome and become an ally to the <keyword id="1218847" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="LGBTQ-community">LGBTQ community</keyword>, is 'a reflection of ACKO’s ongoing effort to create a workplace that reflects its core values of embracing and supporting true diversity'.</li><li>The campaign, featuring <keyword id="1366336" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Kabi">Neeraj Kabi</keyword>, has been conceptualized by Leo Burnett Orchard.</li></ul>Purely digital insurance platform <a href="http://acko.com/" target="_blank">ACKO</a>, today launched a powerful digital marketing campaign on Pride Day, celebrated to commemorate the first pride march. The film communicates a powerful message, that even though we have come a long way in recognizing the LGBTQ+ (Pride) community, this does not necessarily equate to true acceptance, we still need to work on it and ensure that we can welcome one of our own if they belong to the group. The film urges us to rethink what it means to truly welcome and become an ally to the LGBTQ community. <div type="Youtube" id="63JMPlbJl70" title="ACKO celebrates Pride Month" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/63JMPlbJl70/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Starring popular film &amp; theatre actor, Neeraj Kabi, who has won acclaim for his roles in the web series Sacred Games and Paatal Lok, the film opens with four friends at a get together. As one of the friends, Rakesh Kapoor (RK), proudly shows that he has changed his profile cover picture on social media to the Pride colours in support of the community, the other friends pat him on the back, assuming that RK has now learned of his son’s sexual identity. The accidental reveal leaves RK speechless as he tries to reconcile with his own conflicting actions and emotions. The film is based on the Pride Research conducted by ACKO and YouGov in June 2021, which found that only 2 out of every 5 Indian parents said that they would be supportive if their child was part of the LGBTQ+ community. The campaign highlights this important point - “Post pride, Support pride, but more importantly, be ready to accept Pride.” This campaign is a reflection of ACKO’s ongoing effort to create a workplace that reflects its core values of embracing and supporting true diversity. The company is among the early and a handful of startups that extends a group medical insurance cover to include the partners of LGBTQ+ employees. ACKO prioritizes training and education programs to sensitize and raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community and to ensure ongoing support of LGBTQ+ staff in the company. Talking about the campaign, <keyword id="486140" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Mishra">Ashish Mishra</keyword>, Executive Vice President- Marketing, ACKO General Insurance, said, “From denial to recognition, Indian society has come a long way in terms of their attitude towards the LGBTQ+ (PRIDE) community. However, there is still a huge amount of work to be done to make sure that people are willing to accept, if one of their own is part of this community. #TalkPride Campaign is our way to progress on this front”. This campaign has been conceptualized by Leo Burnett Orchard. “We are so used to sharing our support for the LGBTQ+ community on social media. But we never take a moment to stop and think how open we will be to having someone in the family who identifies as the same. I think it is time for the country as a whole to take a step towards accepting that love is love, no matter how you choose to express it.’ added Pravin Sutar, Head of Creative, Leo Burnett Orchard. Campaign credits: Agency: Leo Burnett Orchard, Bangalore CEO and Chief Strategy Officer - South Asia Leo Burnett: <keyword id="1988206" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dheeraj-Sinha">Dheeraj Sinha</keyword> CEO and Chief Creative Officer - South Asia Leo Burnett: Rajdeepak Da Managing Director India and Chief Creative Officer Leo Burnett South Asia: <keyword id="2289556" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajdeepak-Das">Rajdeepak Das</keyword> National Head and EVP: Gaurav Dudeja National Creative Director: Vikram Pandey Head of Creative: Pravin Sutar Creative Team: Geo Joseph, Suketu Gohel, Mohammad Faisal Firoz, Dilin Mathew, Akash Mohan Account Management Team: Sriya Banerjee, Chirag Jain Production House: Content Factory Head and Senior VP, Prodigious: Varun Shah Director: Puneet Prakash Sr. Content Producer: Tanaya Barve Associate Producer: Surbhi Bafna Client: ACKO General Insurance Ashish Mishra, EVP, Marketing Shilpi Saini, Senior Manager, Content Nitin Khanna – Senior Director, Brand

ACKO’s Pride campaign urges people rethink what it means to truly welcome and become an ally to the LGBTQ community

<keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="keywords">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) is likely to keep the key interest unchanged at 6.5% on Thursday, and wait for more <keyword id="20924960" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="macroeconomic-data" source="keywords">macroeconomic data</keyword> before taking a call on rate cut in line with expectations, experts said. The <keyword id="19901377" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-Federal-Reserve" source="keywords">US Federal Reserve</keyword> has decided to maintain a status quo on its <keyword id="20071327" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="interest-rate" source="keywords">interest rate</keyword> for now and indicated there could be <keyword id="20104157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monetary-policy" source="keywords">monetary policy</keyword> easing in the coming months. Amid persisting inflationary pressures, RBI will be closely tracking the US monetary policy trajectory before changing its stance on interest rate, which has remained unchanged since February 2023, experts opined. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) may also refrain from rate cut as <keyword id="19900794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-growth" source="keywords">economic growth</keyword> is picking up, notwithstanding the elevated interest rate of 6.5 per cent (<keyword id="20094323" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="repo-rate" source="keywords">repo rate</keyword>). The meeting of the Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das headed MPC is scheduled for August 6 to 8. Das will announce the decision of the rate-setting panel on August 8 (Thursday). The central bank last hiked the repo rate to 6.5 per cent in February 2023 and since then it has held the rate at same level in its last seven bi-monthly monetary policy reviews. "We do expect a status-quo position to be adopted by RBI in the forthcoming credit policy. <keyword id="19895000" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="inflation" source="keywords">Inflation</keyword> remains high even today at 5.1 per cent and while this will come down numerically in the coming months, it will be more due to the base effect," said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist, Bank of Baroda. He further said growth is on the stable path which means that the present interest rate situation does not militate against business. "The RBI would rather wait and be sure that inflation is on the downward path on a durable basis before taking any action. While we do not expect any change in GDP forecast, there is a possibility of new guidance on inflation numbers," Sabnavis said. Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA, said that high growth in FY2024, combined with the inflation of 4.9 per cent in first quarter of the current fiscal are unlikely to shift the voting pattern of the four members who voted for a status quo in the June 2024 meeting towards a change in stance or rate cut in the August 2024 meeting itself. "If the food inflation outlook turns favourable on the back of a normal distribution of rains in the second half of the monsoon season, and in the absence of global or domestic shocks, a stance change is possible in October 2024. This could be followed by a 25 bps rate cut each in December 2024 and February 2025, with an extended pause thereafter," she said. Last month, Governor Das had said the question of change of stance on interest rate is quite premature given the gap between current inflation and 4 per cent target. Pradeep Aggarwal, Founder and Chairman, Signature Global (India), too said that the central bank is expected to maintain the status quo on the interest rate for now as retail inflation continues to pose challenges. "We hope central bank would shift towards a more supportive stance later. "The likely change in stance, as and when it happens, would offer borrowers a sigh of relief, and housing loan offtake, which is showing early signs of moderation, would probably again start seeing the uptick. This shift, combined with achieving the 4.9 per cent fiscal deficit target, will benefit the overall economy, including real estate, and the sooner it happens, the better," Aggarwal said. Puneet Pal, Head- Fixed Income, PGIM India Mutual Fund, also opined that the RBI would keep the rate unchanged. "We think that the upcoming MPC policy's undertone may be relatively dovish given that fiscal consolidation is well on track with the fiscal deficit number printing below 5 per cent and the global monetary easing cycle well and truly underway with rate cut by Bank of England after the rate cuts from ECB and Bank of Canada," Pal said, and added the last <keyword id="19951097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="us-fed" source="keywords">US Fed</keyword> meeting earlier in the week also had dovish undertones. The MPC is entrusted with the responsibility of deciding the policy repo rate to achieve the inflation target of 4 per cent, keeping in mind the objective of growth. The panel consists of three external members and three officials of the RBI. External members of the rate-setting panel are Shashanka Bhide, Ashima Goyal, and Jayanth R Varma. In an off-cycle meeting in May 2022, the MPC raised the policy rate by 40 basis points and it was followed by rate hikes of varying sizes, in each of the five subsequent meetings till February 2023. The repo rate was raised by 250 basis points cumulatively between May 2022 and February 2023.

RBI likely to keep interest rate unchanged at 6.5%, say experts

<ul><li><keyword id="11908151" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-tea-kanan-devan" source="Orion">Tata Tea Kanan Devan</keyword> has launched its <keyword id="11895879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="onam" source="Orion">Onam</keyword> campaign that celebrates the human spirit to stay positive despite difficulties and limitations.</li><li>The campaign has been conceptualised by <keyword id="11908149" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mullen-lintas" source="Orion">Mullen Lintas</keyword>, Bangalore</li></ul>As part of its Onam campaign, <keyword id="11908150" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-tea" source="Orion">Tata Tea</keyword> Kanan Devan has launched a new TVC highlighting how Keralites celebrate the festival, despite current limitations. <div type="Youtube" id="0nD78d9VM7o" title="Celebrating the Unique Onam Spirit of Malayalees | Tata Tea Kanan Devan" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0nD78d9VM7o/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The ongoing feeling is that the pandemic has subdued the excitement and enthusiasm around many major festivals. Rising Covid cases, social isolation and travel restrictions means that the cheerful spirit may be dampened in many households. However, a well-known belief is that <keyword id="11908148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="malayalees" source="Orion">Malayalees</keyword> take pride in their festivals and the celebrations that accompany them. The challenges posed by the pandemic have not dampened the spirit of Keralites who are celebrating Onam in their special way, all while taking the necessary precautions. The new Kanan Devan campaign is based on this central insight and affirms Keralites’ spirit in celebrating the festival spirit even in these times, weaving in the strong emotional connect. Focusing on this endearing aspect, the new TVC portrays how Onam celebrations, while being held very differently now, are still reflective of the true spirit of Malayalees. It features famous elements from the festival like <keyword id="11908147" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pookalams-sadhyas-onam-markets" source="Orion">Pookalams, Sadhyas &amp; Onam Markets</keyword>, and how even in current circumstances, one can still look at the enjoying the occasion. For instance, if obtaining fresh produce from the local market this Onam is not possible, one can still use the harvest from their own backyard as an alternative. Likewise, since inviting relatives for <keyword id="11908146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sadhya" source="Orion">Sadhya</keyword> is a real challenge, one can still cherish the same meal at home with great aplomb. More such examples follow, all capturing how malayalees still continue to celebrate in their own special manners. This spirit is what makes Malayalees unique and Kanan Devan, the unique taste loved by Kerala celebrates the very same spirit. The film is created by director V. K. Prakash, one of Kerala’s most celebrated actor, takes over as the narrator in the film. The campaign was conceived by Mullen Lintas aimed at further strengthening the brand's connect with consumers in Kerala. Talking about the new campaign, Puneet Das, President - Packaged Beverages (India and South Asia), <keyword id="11908145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-consumer-products" source="Orion">Tata Consumer Products</keyword> said, “This year, Onam is again taking place amidst the ongoing pandemic. While this brings its own restrictions, this has not diminished the celebratory spirit for the festival in the least. Being an intrinsic part of Kerala households for decades as one of the state’s most loved tea brands, Kanan Devan is thrilled to launch the new TVC showcasing the Onam spirit in these times. This is our effort to celebrate the same spirit that renders Malayalis unique and Kanan Devan, the taste that Kerala loves. The campaign is in line with our goal to deepen the emotional connect the brand has always enjoyed in the state” More on the brand’s new campaign: Link to the TVC: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nD78d9VM7o&amp;ab_channel=TataTeaKananDevan" target="_blank">Celebrating the Unique Onam Spirit of Malayalees | Tata Tea Kanan Devan</a> Credits: ·Creative Agency: Mullen Lintas, Bangalore ·Creative Team: Azazul Haque, Garima Khandelwal, Prasad Venkatraman, Johns Joy, Abhilash Mundayat ·Account Management: Lopamudra Bhattacharya, Chitrangda Gupta ·Account Planning: Ekta Relan, Sushma R Rao, Gargi Sarvankar ·Production house: Trends Ad Films ·Director: VK Prakash

Tata Tea Kanan Devan launches its Onam campaign to celebrate the festive spirit of Kerala

<ul><li>When we say, ‘Jaago Re,’ do you also hum the entire tune? </li><li>Here is the saga behind one of the most loved social-led campaigns of our country that Sushant Dash, President, Beverages– India &amp; Middle East, TATA Consumer Products, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, <keyword id="3222480" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="MullenLowe-Lintas-Group">MullenLowe Lintas Group</keyword> and Puneet Das – SVP, Marketing - Beverages, TATA Consumer Products walk us through.</li></ul>Tata Tea, for more than a decade, has remained synonymous with brand-led activism because of its campaign Jaago re. Over the years, Jaago Re has nudged us towards social awakening. The brand has used this property to catalyse change around important issues like women safety, representation of women, voting, corruption, etc. It was born in 2008 when Tata Tea decided to onboard MullenLowe Lintas as its agency on record for the brand. The campaign was launched at a time when Indian brands were still trying to understand the idea of brand activism and advertising in the tea category was limited to functional aspects of refreshment. Tata Tea started the trend of looking beyond the obvious by offering a tea that doesn’t just help you wake up, but also awakens you by focusing on self-actualization, increased civic consciousness and political awareness. We reached out to the team (Sushant Dash, President, Beverages– India &amp; Middle East, TATA Consumer Products, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group and Puneet Das – SVP, Marketing - Beverages, TATA Consumer Products) behind this initiative to pick their brains about this much talked-about campaign that continues to stay relevant even after all these years. <div type="Video" msid="80884312" hostid="261" title="How Tata Tea's communication has evolved from brand-led activism to hyperlocalisation" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=80884312"></div> Jaago Re helped a newly-launched premium brand become synonymous to the category. In the age of digital marketing, agency Lintas and Client Tata Tea Premium share one of the longest relationships in our industry. We also asked them to share a few tips of sustaining the relationship between client and agency, how to evolve with changing times and they didn’t disappoint. The beginning of Jaago Re The partnership of Lintas and Tata Tea started much before Jaago Re. It was in 2003 that the brand decided to foray into the premium segment by launching Tata Tea Gold. Back then, Lintas wasn’t in the picture. Tata Tea had a couple of agencies for its roaster but Dash, who Jaleel refers to as the ‘Architect of the brand,’ told us that they were looking to weave a story and build it on an insight this time, not just sell tea. The brand decided to go out and call a few more agencies in for a pitch. R Balki and Jaleel presented the ‘Na kahoge toh pachtaoge’ idea on a phone call to Dash, which he says, is his favourite till date. Even then, Lintas was handling communication for Tata Tea Gold, not Tata Tea Premium. Rival tea brands with a variety of products had different campaigns for each but Dash decided to market only the mother brand. It had four sub-brands Gold, Premium, Agni and Life. “From a marketing point of view, it was a risky decision and obviously came under a lot of debate. But at that time, the main reason from a business point of view was also that we needed to save our media monies. It was also very difficult to sustain and grow all four brands and put the kind of media monies that were required. So, the idea was that you create the mother brand, and then put more money behind the mother brand, advertising and campaign. The idea in the brief was that it should help each of the individual brands. It also said that we need to create a mother brand, which needs to connect at an emotional level and needs to cut through all the variants,” recalled Dash. It also had to carve a niche for itself and beat the likes of HUL’s Brooke Bond Red Label and Taj Mahal, which had a strong recall for its ads, thanks to the famous Waah Taj ad featuring tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. However, the brief didn’t mention anything about cause marketing or a social campaign. It was divided into three main objectives: establish the mother brand, cut across different verticals and get coffee-loving millennials to be loyal to tea. Walking us through the brief and sharing the challenge that the agency had to face in terms of drafting a campaign for a diverse audience, Dash said, “The challenge for the creative agency was to find a cause that appeals to someone in a South Bombay or a South Delhi who uses Tata Tea Gold brand and at the same time, appeal to someone in a Pratapgarh who uses Tata Tea Agni brand because that was our width. We cut through urban and rural. So the third part of the brief was that when we talk and when we come out with this campaign, at least in terms of storytelling and in terms of the language that we use, it should appeal to the youth, because till that point Tea was seen as appealing only to the housewife, not so much to the youth or to men.” At that time, coffee drinkers were considered ‘cool’ because tea was preferred by mid-age audience. As per the brief, Jaleel and his team had to reverse the image and also position tea drinkers as young and cool. The agency was right to think that the coming generation would actively participate in building an inclusive and woke society. Recounting how the thinking came into place and how a tea brand chose a purpose-led brand building approach, Jaleel said, “Somewhere, this thought entered our mind that whenever you have a tea, you discuss various things, and you're young, and you want to change the world. And therefore, if tea is associated with changing the world like that, if it can bring about some kind of awareness, that would be a good strategic direction for tea and that's how we landed on the idea of Jaago Re.” The client was looking for an idea that would bind different strata of society together and Lintas’ pitch ticked all the right boxes. “I still remember when we first heard the line, 'Har subah sirf utho mat, Jaago Re.' It in some ways redefined and gave us that stature, because every tea brand and including us, we used to talk a lot about rejuvenation. But this was actually taking it in a sense philosophically a step ahead, which was not just about waking up, but awakening. So in some ways, it was very strongly ingrained in terms of what the category stood for, but took your brand to a higher plane,” shared Dash. Taking the message ahead The first ad under the campaign was about political awareness, voting the right candidate and asking questions. It featured Pankaj Tripathi, who wasn’t as well known then, but immediately won the audience over. <div type="Youtube" id="99a-dHXmw2I" title="Pankaj Tripathi Tata Tea Ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/99a-dHXmw2I/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The second campaign was about a young guy who urges people to not use Voting Day as a holiday and nudge them from their sleep. <div type="Youtube" id="NkMnM2dznuU" title="Tata Tea Voting" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NkMnM2dznuU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Jaago Re wasn’t just a campaign anymore. The brand knew how to walk the talk as the initiative was backed with a website <a href="http://www.jaagore.com/">jaagore.com.</a> Before the 2009 election, Tata Tea launched this website to help first-time voters to create IDs, register themselves as voters and find the nearest voting booth. The Jaago Re campaign had become a big hit by 2010 and Lintas had to come up with a cause that would surpass the previous ads by creating something bigger. So, the third campaign was about corruption, which Dash said, was the most difficult to crack because they had to tread the line between being edgy and preachy. <div type="Youtube" id="wyOCF8Vfsrg" title="Mudit Nayar (Commercial): Award Winning Tata Tea adv against corruption [Jaago Re!]" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wyOCF8Vfsrg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> In 2017, Tata Tea made a comeback with Jaago Re Version 2.0. Like always, it gave us goosebumps and made us question everything that was happening around us. It was a comment on arm-chair activism. It urged people to act before it is too late in a hard-hitting manner and it continues to stay relevant today. <div type="Youtube" id="gRA4wYsqA5c" title="Tata Tea Official 2017 Ad - Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gRA4wYsqA5c/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Das said reviving a property of this stature wasn’t an easy task. “Jaago Re is not just a marketing campaign for us, it's almost a clarion call for representing the right issues. The tenants of Jaago Re are so well set -- there has been a lot of consistency in the thought which has come across, which is about finding the right thing, inspiring people to make that change and walk the talk. In 2006, nobody had heard the word cause advertising and all this brand purpose is just flavor of the day. But at that time, for us, it was clutter breaking. Over the 10 years, many brands jumped into the bandwagon. More importantly, the entire new generation has also grown up expecting this now from brands. So it was no longer about armchair activism. So the idea was, how do you still stay consistent with the thought, but taking to the next level? Then this thought came about is that the key shift is from activism to pre-activism. Don't let things become issues. The real way to solve for them is to actually nip them in the bud and that shift in thinking is what we call Jaago Re 2.0,” said he. Jaago Re and its perfect casting Tata Tea’s Jaago Re was much ahead of its time. It shed various gender filters and brought a much-needed campaign that represented women in politics and sports. Lintas also had a good eye for budding talent. It featured Pankaj Tripathi, Swara Bhaskar, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub, Anand Tiwari, to name a few, much before they had become names to reckon with in the industry. <div type="Youtube" id="hAEV1K8JuV4" title="Tata Tea Premium -- Badi Duty, Choti Duty" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hAEV1K8JuV4/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Telling us the filter agency used for casting these actors, Jaleel said, “I think it's a coincidence that some of the great choices that we made also turned out to be great actors. But you can also say that it's no coincidence, and I'll tell you why it is that look. The approach that we always had about Jaago Re was always about realism. And if you notice, there is a wave of realism happening, you can almost track it back to the time Jaago Re started. Even in cinema, starism is going down and realism is coming in. We always had that thing about Jaago Re that we will pick up real people because we owe it to the subject that we are talking about. We looked for that realism in the auditions like that.” In our episode of BTSWithInsiders, Jaleel had further shared the thought behind selecting Tripathi as their first protagonist, which can be found below: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75806882" title="#BTSwithInsiders: Amer Jaleel on Tata Tea’s Jaago Re, Lifebuoy’s Gonduppa and ICICI Prudential’s Bande Acche Hain" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Shifting focus to hyperlocalisation and connecting with consumers at a deeper level Tata Tea has been successfully championing the style of brand-led activism. In the recent ads done by Mullen Lintas, there’s a visible shift in communication and Tata Tea is talking more about the features of its tea rather than the social angle. It is about taking pride in our regional culture and diversity. <div type="Youtube" id="0tff1lATgDM" title="TATA Tea Premium - Dumdaar Uttar Pradesh" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0tff1lATgDM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="oV4IX7QX5m8" title="TATA Tea Premium | Odisha" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oV4IX7QX5m8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> So, at a time when rivals Red Label and Wagh Bakri are also talking about social change, what led to this shift? Das answered, “Jaago Re has been a campaign for the mother brand and this hyper localization campaign that we have been doing is actually on the flagship brand Tata Tea Premium. What we are bringing out to consumers is something that is seeming like localization for them, but actually that has been one of the success DNA of the brand in the sense in a in a country where tastes and preferences especially when it comes to food etc, pretty much changes district by district -- it is very important for a beverage brand and a mass brand to understand these preferences, and and that has actually been always what already premium has been doing. It has blend across different states, which cater to the local tastes, preferences, etc. So, the idea was, how do you leverage your knowledge and your national stature as a brand, but at the same time connect and reinforce your regional expertise that has made you the brand it is.” It has also launched packaging that is customised to different states of India and seen a good response from the consumers. “In every market that we have been able to execute it so far, we have seen a big jump in terms of consumer connect, and it's also reflecting in the market shares, etc, which, at the end is also a proof of what the consumer has responded to, but yes, the shift is, is more to the consumers,” shared Das. The Jaago Re campaign went on to create wonders for the brand and is still fresh in our minds like it was launched yesterday. And now, on connecting with its consumers on a local level and instilling regional pride, the brand is just getting started.

From then to now: How Tata Tea's communication has evolved from brand-led activism to hyperlocalisation

<ul><li>The pandemic has completely changed how and where we work, forcing companies to be more flexible and to imbibe contemporary ways of working. </li><li>As businesses seek to return to some form of pre-Covid buoyancy and start to think about the right mix of work-from-home and work-from-office, they can't just return to their former workplaces without reimagining the experience in its entirety for employees.</li><li>At some point, companies will have to go back to their office and collaborate physically.</li><li>So, as companies rethink workspace design for a post-COVID world, we reached out to a few design experts to understand how the concept of workspaces has changed after COVID-19 and what the future offices would look like once we resume normalcy. </li></ul>It was in this month last year that India found its first few patients of Coronavirus and who knew the world would never be the same again. What followed was a bunch of emails from our HR teams announcing cancellations of conferences, there was a ban on international flights and uncertainty started lurking around. A few days later, on March 24, 2020, PM Narendra Modi ordered a nation-wide lockdown. With it, offices and public transport was shut down and all Indian companies had to shift their operations onto a cloud and start working from home. A year later, we are used to working from home in our pajamas and jumping from one Zoom call to another has become our daily routine. We will soon have to bid adieu to many privileges that work-from-home has offered us and a recent rant by Instagram user Harjas Sethi highlighted these advantages of working remotely. Her video quickly went viral for its highly relatable content. Even organisations have realised that the lockdown was a boon in a way of demonstrating that remote working can be a success as it reduces capital and operational costs. However, with the roll-out of the COVID vaccine and a dip in infection rate than before, many organisations have started slowly returning to offices and some have started planning to make their environment more comfortable and safe for their employees when they do return to work at full occupancy. Businesses are trying to figure out the right balance between work from home and office. The traditional approach of everyone having their own desk is now gone, perhaps forever. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How organisations and agencies are preparing for this new world order" text="How organisations and agencies are preparing for this new world order">How organisations and agencies are preparing for this new world order</cmsannotation> With vaccines being rolled out later this year, companies are planning to combine work-from-home and work-from-office to make the future of the workplace hybrid. Kiran Khadke, Co-Founder &amp; Creative Head of Hyper Connect Asia has made up his mind about adopting a hybrid-model post-pandemic. He said, “We are actually rethinking the way we would conduct our office. The whole WFH situation made us realize that a lot of things can be managed over a video call. So in the times to come, we plan to work on a hybrid model, where not everyone has to come to the office every day. Teams will have to plan their office meets, to align crucial projects and then they can WFH Considering this, we will have a flexible office structure with more conference rooms, spaces for collaboration and no fixed workstations. With that, we are also getting our tech upgraded to be able to work from anywhere.” Shashwat Das of Almond Branding helped us look at the brighter side of 2020. He had always dreamt of running a location-independent business, where his employees can work remotely from anywhere in the world as long as they are connected virtually, and his dream seems more achievable now. He said, “Earlier, one of the purposes of an office was access to shared infrastructure like computers, printers, xerox machines, etc. Now with documents moving to cloud with secured access, the focus shifts to building social bonds, foster corporate culture and host clients. While the trend of paperless offices was just picking up, the pandemic has fast tracked the transformation by leaps and bounds. Some of our traditional style working clients, who would otherwise insist on an invoice hardcopy citing audit reasons, have now become comfortable with e-invoices. That’s such a good news for us and mother earth. I think work from anywhere rather than WFH will be the future.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rethinking design for open space offices and co-working spaces" text="Rethinking design for open space offices and co-working spaces">Rethinking design for <keyword id="10851343" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="open-space-offices">open space offices</keyword> and co-working spaces </cmsannotation> Even if employees do go to the office for 3 days a week, businesses can't just return to their former workplaces without reimagining the experience in its entirety for employees. Co-working spaces have already taken a hit as employees don’t feel safe sharing desks and common areas with unknown people as they used to do earlier. Before COVID, the advertising industry had the culture of working out of open spaces. There are many Indian agencies like Leo Burnett, 82.5 Communications who didn't believe in having glasses and closed spaces in their offices. However, to facilitate social distancing, it is now important to rethink interiors of our offices and add more walls. So, how should they go about redesigning their offices? Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder &amp; Director, Elephant Design, answered,“It is very difficult for me to visualize how people work in cubicles or glass spaces inside tall towers. We chose to work out of Pune for better quality of life and air. Our studios are spread across two bungalows and an open space in-between. We have a casual outdoor cafe and many other outdoor nooks. No matter where you are working, an open outdoor space with greenery and wifi is always a few steps away. Agencies should move to open spaces outside Mumbai. This may sound radical, but going back to my earlier point, companies need to create spaces just for those activities that need to be done together and not for anything that is perfectly done remote.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What should the offices of future look like" text="What should the offices of future look like">What should the offices of future look like</cmsannotation> Following the pandemic, new considerations have come to light. The future of work will be new: environment-friendly, technologically-advanced and inclusive. Telling us what the <keyword id="10851341" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-offices">future of offices</keyword> should look like, Deshpande said, “We need to begin by rethinking the role of a fixed office/ workspace post pandemic. Work from home seems to have served well for most creative agencies besides many others. Every organization has had to rethink the workspace design. But only few would be able to change things significantly. I know of smaller studios, media teams, animation &amp; editing set-ups, publication houses, restaurants, coaching classes completely switching to remote working having given up their workspaces. Hybrid ways of working are being devised and spaces are being reimagined around activities that need people to come to office." Businesses are being advised to transfer physical records that dominate the workspace onto a digital cloud and rethink furniture that can prevent safe social distancing. Apart from altering physical social-gathering spaces like buffet sections and conference rooms, designing is also about developing a future-ready organisation that isn’t just about the physical space. Businesses need to apply design thinking into their daily operations to build a great working environment and connect office design to brand. After COVID, according to Lulu Raghavan, Managing Director, Landor &amp; Fitch India, the most progressive businesses will be thinking about the six imperatives of Workspace Design: culture, interaction, function, sustainability, architecture and technology. Raghavan said, “Workspace design is a deeper discipline and mindset that connects office design to brand. It dictates the journey, the overall experience and ensures that the brand’s values and function are reflected in the physical, human and digital space, much like retail. A well thought-through strategy on Workspace Design could help businesses to forge stronger relationships with their employees who in turn will become great brand ambassadors.” As uncertainty still continues to haunt our office corridors and our open-desks, it will be a challenge for companies to continue to foster their corporate culture and practices like employee training and development. Puneet Pandey, Strategy Head and Managing Partner, Open Strategy and Design said the element of uncertainty has been the biggest challenge that the pandemic imposed on our deeply inter-connected worlds. Pandey said, “Creating ‘physically distanced cohesion’ is going to be the trickiest problem to solve for business leaders in their organisations. Especially now that we are already a year into the post-pandemic world. There will be newer teams and newer expected behaviours and a whole lot of social tentativeness to punctuate an otherwise seamless flow of interactions inside our work-cultures. A sharply defined and well-designed internal culture acts as the internal compass and a vital behaviour guide, that make us hive-creatures continue to create and build even in the face of tentativeness Going forward, while organisations rethink their physical/virtual workspaces, leaders will place a lot more emphasis on communicating sharply defined cultural values within their organisation. This ‘cultural software’ will be key in ensuring predictable and productive outcomes possible in the coming times. " There will still be room for Zoom calls and virtual brainstorming sessions. Khadke said, “The future of offices should purely be a place to collaborate, to overcome the challenges that we face while working online. It may no longer be an everyday thing. Every aspect of the office (Design, Furniture, Tech, Facilities etc.) will be defined around this.” Using new technologies to facilitate social-distancing will be one of the key goals for organisations rethinking their workspace design. Das said, “Post the pandemic, hygiene considerations reign high and touch-free technology is going to become increasingly important in workspaces. Companies are re-imagining elevator designs and security access. They may also adopt a health screening process at the security gates. As more companies adopt the concept of remote working, decentralisation is an eventuality. Instead of asking everyone to travel to a single headquarter building, companies will have satellite offices or hubs that allow employees greater flexibility and choice. Simple practices like more frequent and visible cleaning schedules might contribute to a feeling of safety. Air-filters are getting installed in offices and regular air-quality assessments will become more important.” Experts said that the future-workspace design needs to be flexible enough to quickly adopt to meet tenant needs. Modularised designs will help in managing fluctuations in employee strength and technology will play an increasingly critical role in offices of tomorrow.

How are Indian organisations and agencies redesigning their office spaces for a post-COVID world

India is seeing a <keyword id="138263" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> boom thanks to the internet proliferation. But as the deadline for <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="TRAI">Trai</keyword>'s consultation approaches, the nationwide clamour for <keyword id="6391709" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Net-neutrality">net neutrality</keyword> is touching a crescendo with a number of internet ventures and startups telling Times of India <keyword id="6358815" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="tech">Tech</keyword> that they firmly stand in favour of an unfettered net. 
 
Almost all entrepreneurs that the TOI spoke to for this report unequivocally expressed that a free internet is their lifeline to future growth. Here are their reasons (in their own words) to vociferously demand that status quo be maintained. Read on... 
 
Metis Learning-- Bharat Gulia, founder, Metis Learning 
 
Startups are taking India by storm and companies that did not exist 10 years ago now have billion dollar valuations. In the process, they are creating thousands of jobs, strengthening India's image in the global markets and creating tremendous value for customers. However, the scenario was very different in the India of yore. 
 
Today's youngsters may not have witnessed the dreary 'License Raj' days. Contrived barriers, reinforced by obscure government policy, created monopolies. Uncompetitive, well-connected and cash-rich conglomerates and PSUs dominated. They thrived in an environment of scarcity where it took many years to buy an outdated scooter model, or even get a phone connection.The recent debate on net neutrality throws one back to those days. The choice India needs to make is simple - do we go back to the imprisoned economy of the license raj, or do we encourage fresh thinking and innovation. 
 
The lifeblood of innovation is a level-playing field where an 18-year-old can come up with a great solution that can beat the option that a huge telecom company is shoving down the throat of its users. Customers need to be free to choose what gives them greater value and entrepreneurs should not be constrained by artificial barriers to provide that solution to customers. 
 
The internet lies at the centre of the digital economy and the game-changing innovation we are seeing today. Let it be open! Let not fuddy-duddy babus and big businesses conspire to set up roadblocks that stifle entrepreneurship. Let's have an India where start-ups thrive along with big businesses and may the best man win. 
 
Whatfix --Vara Kumar, co-founder &amp; CTO, Whatfix, an online productivity tool that allows users and businesses to create interactive guides on their and third party websites 
 
I and Khadim started Quicko Labs after decades of experience of building world class products, this would have been difficult if not for net neutrality. We believe that an open system encourages innovation and if operators start charging for faster access, it would stifle the entire ecosystem. More importantly, competition is inevitable for any product and we believe that innovation and great customer service is what will drive your business ahead rather than faster access. 
 
Infinity Assurance - Puneet Gargya, co-founder and COO at Infinity Assurance Solutions, a startup that provides service administration of warranty programmes "No discrimination should be made against any user for any kind of internet usage. It is THE lifeline for people today with more and more businesses moving to the net. It is as essential as electricity and water. Trai must do whatever is required to protect it." 
 
ePaisa -- Siddharth Arora, CEO and co-founder, ePaisa ISPs and governments should treat all data on the Internet as equal. This means they shouldn't discriminate or change differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached /equipment or mode of communication. There has been a lot of commentary on these principles of Open Internet since the launch of Airtel Zero and the Trai consultation paper. ISPs think they have cracked the formula of a whole new revenue stream, but at the core of this discussion is the online business and consumer relationship. 
 
Large online players may think they have found a strategic way to find new traffic sources (today's non-internet users) and hold the customers. I believe this is a short-sighted view. Not only will these companies need to offer free access to their sites across all ISPs (increasing their costs, while they are already not making money), but their competition (also with deep pockets) will follow suit. 
 
More importantly, businesses that have focused on ways to lock customers instead of innovating and offering better services have failed. While it's a great introduction to the web for the non internet user, let's not undermine the intellect of this user. Over time, this user will want more and will move on to a service that gives him/her real value, not free access. 
 
ISPs are calling this the toll-free number equivalent of the internet. The truth is, toll-free may get you a customer, but it will not help you retain one." 
 
Binge -- Ajay Joseph, co-founder, Binge (Noroc Solutions), a billing startup that enables restaurant bill presentment and payment over the phone 
 
Net Neutrality is a very critical factor given that the core tenet of the internet is built on being a democratic platform. With the rapid increase in the penetration of the internet, it is critical that we as a country stay true to the core tenet of the internet. All the stakeholders, across the service providers, the OTT players and the governing authorities need to work in unison to continue to improve the value to the consumer and net neutrality will be at the centre of it. 
 
Konotor -- Srikrishnan Ganeshan, co-founder at Konotor, a mobile marketing and CRM product startup firm that helps businesses engage, retain and sell more to their app users 
 As an <keyword id="6359301" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Entrepreneur">entrepreneur</keyword>, I can definitely relate to why not honouring net neutrality creates an uneven playing field. In fact, when my startup was earlier building a messaging app, the fact that there were "Whatsapp only" plans was something that surprised me. Something that has the potential to stifle competition cannot be good for the customer. 
 
Citrus Pay --Satyen Kothari, MD and founder, Citrus Pay 
 
Free market competition and encouraging grass roots innovation is a critical aspect of building up a powerful entrepreneurial ecosystem. Creating obstacles in a truly open, neutral internet creates serious obstacles in enabling this ecosystem. 
 
The concept of net neutrality has been discussed deeply and upheld in many countries across the world, and India should not regress and violate this core foundational concept of the open internet. 
 
GoodWorkLabs -- Vishwas Mudagal, CEO, GoodWorkLabs 
I'm all for net neutrality. Let's not let corporate greed take over the internet. Let's nip this cancer in the bud. #?BhartiAirtel? - I know it makes perfect sense for you to ensure robust revenues from breaking net neutrality by preferring companies that have deep pockets. But it will kill all the innovation and startup boom that has just started. We need a level-playing field where a minnow can take on a shark, and it's the internet medium alone that can provide it. So let's end this right now. 
 
I also know there are various forms of net neutrality issues and violations from various companies both in India and outside, so we need to end this and we need everyone on neutral ground. 
 
Knowlarity -- Ambarish Gupta, CEO and founder, Knowlarity Communications 
 
Net neutrality is fundamental to having a robust set of internet companies in India. In its absence, we are not going to have a level-playing field and ultimately make the innovation suffer. I can understand the revenue pressure telecom operators are feeling because of many of the internet applications. 
 
However, the current position of telecom operators is neither very fruitful, nor sustainable in long term. If there is an end to net neutrality, it will reduce the innovation and increase the barrier to entry for young innovative start-ups to do new things. 
 
Internet is a corridor of doors, like the space Morpheus and Neo enter along with the Key Maker in film 'The Matrix Reloaded'. Just that, once you are at one of the doors of internet, it is endless and you don't need additional keys to open subsequent doors. This, in essence, is also the principle of net neutrality. 
 
The empowering nature of the internet is not merely because it facilitates flow of information, as the advent of radio and television did in the twentieth century. The core trait of the internet is that it has not only given access to abundant reservoir of information to consumers, but most crucially, it has given a level-playing field for the users - to not only consume, but to create, voice and dissent over the internet. 
 
By violating net neutrality in any of the forms, the core principle of the internet will be lost. And with it the aspirations of millions, who are yet to experience the internet, will be trampled. 
 
TripHobo -- Saket Newaskar, CTO and co-founder of TripHobo 
 
Internet is a market place and net neutrality ensures that ISPs don't interfere in this market place. Disturbing net neutrality can not only create a havoc in the online space but may affect offline business in a big way. 
 
Not only market place activities like branding, consumer communication and consumer experience be impacted, even essential activities like consumer service and support will be affected. Big players can give better experience while the smaller ones will struggle. Startups with deep pockets will definitely have a bigger advantage. All the existing big startups have become big because of net neutrality today. 
 
Startups of the future will be at a disadvantage. Airtel's new initiative is about helping Airtel make money. If big apps and content providers are able to subsidize data costs of their users, Airtel will make money. Users are not going to stop using essential and interesting apps even if they cost. However, this creates differential pricing for the same service i.e streaming. 
 
Thus Airtel is interfering in the marketplace. Airtel's role is streaming and not creating content. It could be dangerous in the long run. Internet startups will definitely be affected. Innovation will be scuttled as the cost of reaching one's users will increase. Competitive landscape and even playing-field is essential for new internet startups to flourish." 
 
PropTiger -- Dhruv Agarwala, CEO and co-founder, PropTiger.com 
 
"Net neutrality makes the internet a level playing field. Airtel's Zero will favour app developers and websites with larger pockets who have capacity to pay. As a result, small start-ups may suffer. People and firms with small budgets will have to think long and hard before choosing between various data 
 
packs because certain applications will be free or costly depending on the data pack. People who use free data packs will also not be able to access the websites or apps which have not paid for preferential treatment. What may happen with plans such as Airtel's Zero is that when big app developers and websites pay for it, others might find it difficult to refuse to be part of the race for very long. They might also be compelled to pay eventually. When consumers are compelled to choose between free and paid internet, it is obvious that they would reject paid internet. This might put many internet start-ups out of business. The internet will become less diverse than it is now". 
 
Toppr.com -- Zishaan Hayath, co-founder, Toppr.com 
 
Toppr stands completely in support of net neutrality and the idea that access to internet/data should be same for all without any external throttling. Net neutrality is the basis on which internet was built and it has been successful in providing a level-playing field for all without any bias. Lack of net neutrality would clearly affect the freedom of choice of consumers which could end up creating monopolies across industries". 
 
Wingify -- Paras Chopra, founder, Wingify, PriceBaba.com 
 
It is extremely important to ensure that freedom of speech is upheld. That's a basic human right. Net neutrality implicitly defeats that freedom of speech. We are all in support of net neutrality and want the regulator / government to do the right thing. Internet is an opportunity for innovation to occur without barriers of wealth, access and background. Thus. it should be truly a level playing field for everyone. - Annkur Agarwal, founder, PriceBaba.com 
 
ClearTax -- Archit Verma, founder, ClearTax Net neutrality is required for infrastructure services. I moved back from the US and Silicon Valley to India to start ClearTax. In the US, it took a lot of effort to keep the internet neutral, but now the US president and the FCC have strongly committed themselves to net neutrality.We in India are a fledgling Internet economy and growing quickly. Any mistakes here will stifle innovation. The internet is built for disruption and it gives the big and the small an equal platform to innovate and compete. Net neutrality is a first principle. It is core to the infrastructure. 
 
Thenwat -- Umashankar Das, founder, Thenwat If India believes that it can create a Google, then it should support #NetNeutrality. Otherwise, this will push us to stone ages in another 10 years. - 
 
Rockmetric -- Nimesh, founder Rockmetric 
 
Internet gives a level playing field for 'anyone' with motivation and skills to compete with the biggest players and win over customers with limited capital. Openness of the internet allows this miracle to happen! If the internet starts favouring larger players by increase entry barriers, it will only kill innovation. 
 
Liberated Keypad -- Jayanthkumar, founder, Liberated Keypad Internet Neutrality is part of a larger issue of Trai playing servant to COAI. COAI has successfully made it such that people who by mistake violate their 3G packs face huge bills on postpaid. Airtel, for example, has reduced its monthly validity pack to 28 days so that you might forget to recharge your pack, and not carry forward your balance. That, or they simply just reduced your pack value, urging you to consume more.We need to get more and more people aware that the COAI is a very powerful lobby, and has had its way for a very long time. I will not stand by a service provider so greedy with profits. I want them to serve the consumers, instead of serving themselves.We need to get rid of products like Free Facebook, Free WhatsApp, Free Flipkart, which reduce the ability of small players like myself to compete with bigger media houses, companies, startups." 
 
MeraCareerGuide.com -- Love Chopra, founder, MeraCareerGuide.com The basic foundation of internet is neutrality. Airtel Zero is a very basic attempt to kill its neutrality, you can't imagine how bad this could go if it is allowed; this will surely kill product innovation. No blocking, No throttling, No paid prioritization, No special treatment to deep pocket player. I support #NetNeutrality. 
 
www.tinqr.in -- Karan Aggarwal, co-founder, www.tinqr.in 
 
We are bootstrapped technology startup from Delhi. We have put all our lives' savings into our company because we were confident that in a free country like ours, excellence and hard work will thrive. But today, our confidence is fading. We see a threat to our freedom, a threat to our dreams. We thrive on the internet. Without net neutrality, there will be no level-playing field, no startup dreams. We sincerely request you to let this be the way it is. Don't take this away from us. We demand net neutrality for total online freedom. 
 
Chorusplay --- Hari PK, founder, Chorusplay 
 
India, as a country that's embracing technology, is growing at a massive pace. And it will take us decades to match the pace of developed countries. The only, and the most effective level-playing field for all of us - individuals and businesses, is the window to grab the new technologies, especially for startups. 
 
The compromise on net neutrality (or the idea behind it) will kill the upcoming startups and new businesses. And it will also have a (very) strong retrospective impact on the existing startups (who cannot afford to BUY their way through this problem). With the prime minister spearheading the ""Make In India"" campaign, we all dream of a nation that will be the next tech hub and a budding ground for startups. 
 
The absence of net neutrality will be a potential death row for all those dreams. Let's unite for a better country, a better dream and a much-needed revolution. And we have to do it today, right now. 
 
Yogurt Labs -- - Shardul Mohite, founder, Yogurt Labs 
Telcos controlled VAS and we all know how that whole industry ended up. They were acting like thugs demanding 70-80% of revenue as a fee from VAS companies. If they get to control how the data is being used on their network, we would see similar kind of attitude repeated again. Startups that think Airtel Zero or Internet.org are good ideas for customers are not thinking long term. When telcos start controlling who gets in front of the customer, they would demand huge amount of fees too. Net neutrality is the only way to ensure that no one gets to control (in short-term or long-term) how anybody uses internet to reach potential customers.

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