Brand

Shortly after the French-Brazilian ­aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont became the first European to achieve sustained flight in 1906, he complained to his friend Louis Cartier that he didn’t want to be fumbling for his pocket watch to measure time in the air. In response, the legendary jeweler invented a small clock to be worn on a leather strap, one of the earliest wristwatches for men.

It was square.

After throwing up many twists and turns, the fierce competition in taxi-hailing services market is probably set for a sooner than expected end. Japanese multinational conglomerate Softbank, the common investor in rivals Uber and Ola, is brokering a deal for a potential sale of US-based cab aggregator’s India operations to homegrown Ola. The development comes within days of Uber selling its Southeast Asian business to Grab.

As Xiaomi Corp heads toward a potentially huge initial public offering, the Chinese startup has announced a new flagship smartphone aimed squarely at the high-end users that flock to Apple and Samsung devices.

The $500 Mi MIX 2S was unveiled in Shanghai  on Tuesday by co-founder Lei Jun. Success for the new phone, which goes on sale in China on April 3, will be key to maintaining sales momentum ahead of an IPO that could value the Beijing-based company at $100 billion.

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It is delving deeper into the attributes of the product to position a brand. The ‘term product’ of an insurance company can be seen as an act of selfless love since the purchaser of the product will never get any benefit for his or her own self. At least that’s how Tata AIA Insurance Company sees its term products and more importantly wants to position its brand likewise. “Love Unconditionally”, the latest brand campaign of Tata AIA Insurance Company Ltd is a clear case in point. Interestingly, at present, the protection gap in the Indian market is nearly 93 per cent.

Its brand philosophy has always been ‘Ab Samjhauta Nahin’. And it has always chosen the path of empowering and educating women to challenge stereotypes and help enable self-action, with the firm belief that no one should have to compromise on their dignity or be discriminated against. And now to take this brand philosophy forward, Vivel, the leading personal care brand from the ITC’s stable, has teamed up with the professional feminist organisation, Azad Foundation to launch Parvaz – A Feminist Leadership Programme to help transform communities.

Silver Basis, the $120 million Shenzhen stock exchange listed, one of the world’s top three automotive injection tooling companies, has entered India through a joint venture to manufacture plastic injection molds for the automotive industry.

The Chinese company has set up a joint venture with Faurecia, a leading automotive technology company and Kraftsman Tooling, a Pune-based injection mold making company with an investment of Rs 50 crore.

The new company is called Basis Mold India, in which Silver Basis has majority stake of 60 per cent and it will manage the company.

British superbike manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles has introduced the all-new Tiger 800 XCX and XR line-ups in India with a price tag between Rs 11.76 lakh and Rs 13.76 lakh to boost sales in Asia’s third biggest economy.

The company said there are over 200 upgrades to the chassis and engine, which is more responsive and optimised, in the new line up.

They will also get updated cruise control, and will also get brembo front brakes deliver reliable, premium capability in all conditions.

Comio, a smartphone brand of Topwise Communications, China that recently forayed into Indian market, feels the response has been tremendous, not just from consumers but also from distributors and retailers. Within the first five months of entering India, it claims to have sold 4 lakh handsets as a new brand. The activation is 2.5 lakhs which is 63 per cent in a cluttered sector, boasts Sumit Sehgal, Chief Marketing Officer, Comio Smartphone.

Blue Star, the air conditioning and commercial refrigeration major, has introduced 100 new air conditioners, including 40 highly energy efficient inverter split air conditioners.

With this the Mumbai-based major is targeting 12.5 per cent market share in the room AC segment next fiscal year as it expects to grow above the industry average.

Force Motors and the German Rolls-Royce Power Systems have entered into a 51:49 joint venture to produce MTU series engines in India with an initial investment of over Rs 300 crore.

The joint venture company called Force MTU Power Systems will set up a factory to produce a series of engines for the power generation and rail underfloor applications at Force Motors' plant in Pune.