Bangalore, 30^th June 2026: SOCIAL, which opened its first Bangalore outlet in 2014, is taking its connection with the city beyond its cafés and onto the streets with a new on-ground initiative across 100 autos in Koramangala, Indiranagar and Whitefield. Rolling out this month, the initiative brings together witty Kannada-English lines on auto backs and easy Kannada phrase cards inside the ride, created to bring a little more humour, familiarity and local flavour to Bangalore’s everyday commutes.

In Bangalore, an auto ride is rarely just about getting from one place to another. It is part of the city’s daily theatre, a quick exchange with an anna, a half-Kannada-half-English direction, a familiar pause at a traffic signal, a shortcut through a neighbourhood you are still getting to know. For people who move to the city for work, college or a new beginning, these small moments often become the first way Bangalore starts feeling less like a new city and more like home. SOCIAL’s Kannada Language Cards are built on that feeling.

Placed inside the autos, the cards turn common ride moments into light, easy prompts, from saying “Illi nilli” when you want to stop here, to “Left alli hogi” when giving directions, “Eshtu aaytu?” when asking for the fare, “Online payment maadthini” while paying online, or “Whitefield SOCIAL drop maadi” when heading to Whitefield SOCIAL. The idea is not to make language feel like a lesson, but like a small, friendly bridge into the city’s everyday rhythm.

On the outside, the autos carry quirky Kannada-English lines inspired by Bangalore’s street-side humour, such as “Tech This Tech That, Anna Who Will Tech Care of Me?” and “Chill Maadi, Come To SOCIAL.” The lines tap into familiar back-of-auto wit and the city’s easy mix of languages. Designed to feel native to Bangalore, the campaign turns one of the city’s most recognisable cultural symbols into a moving canvas for language, humour, and local connection.

Speaking about the initiative, Divya Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., said, “Bangalore has played a very special role in SOCIAL’s journey since we opened our first outlet in the city in 2014. Over the years, we have seen how people make this city their own through its neighbourhoods, food, language, humour and everyday rituals. Autos are such a familiar part of that experience. With this initiative, we wanted to create something that is useful, light-hearted and rooted in the city, while helping people feel a little more at ease with everyday Kannada. SOCIAL has always been about belonging, and this is our way of taking that feeling into Bangalore’s streets.”

The 100 autos will be seen across Koramangala, Indiranagar and Whitefield, three key SOCIAL neighbourhoods that are central to Bangalore’s work, culture, food and nightlife. By placing the campaign inside daily commute routes, SOCIAL is creating a visible and practical citywide touchpoint that people can use, spot, smile at and share.

The initiative builds on SOCIAL’s long-standing relationship with Bangalore, a city that has shaped the brand’s community-first approach over the years. Through this campaign, SOCIAL continues to show up where its communities are, not only inside cafés, but also in the streets, rides and small everyday exchanges that make Bangalore feel like home.

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AU Real Estate has set a new benchmark in real estate marketing with its innovative mixed reality print campaign for Cosmos Corner, recording one of the highest engagement rates seen in the sector. The technology-led campaign transformed conventional newspaper advertising into an immersive, app-less digital experience and generated an unprecedented 4.5% response rate, significantly outperforming the industry’s typical 0.5%–1% benchmark.

Executed across The Economic Times (ET), Hindustan Times (HT), Navbharat Times (NBT), and Dainik Jagran (DJ), the campaign reached a cumulative circulation of 22.42 lakh readers across Delhi NCR and Western Uttar Pradesh. By simply scanning an interactive QR code embedded within the print advertisement, readers were transported into a rich Mixed Reality experience featuring project walkthroughs, videos, amenities, pricing information and direct enquiry options.

Developed in partnership with Flam, the campaign was built around AU Real Estate’s vision of “One Scan, Entire Brand Experience,” where a static newspaper advertisement evolved into an interactive digital gateway delivering immersive storytelling and measurable customer engagement.

The campaign delivered exceptional business outcomes across the marketing funnel. It generated approximately one lakh scans, achieving a 4.5% scan rate, followed by a 6.5% Call-to-Action (CTA) conversion from users who experienced the interactive journey. Demonstrating strong buyer intent, 20% of the unique visitors on the project webpage immediately locked in their intent to purchase at a Base Selling Price (BSP) of Rs. 6,900 per sq. ft.

Commenting on the campaign, Ashish Agarwal, Director, AU Real Estate, said, “Marketing today is no longer about one-way communication; it is about creating experiences that are interactive, memorable and measurable. At AU Real Estate, we have consistently believed that technology should simplify the homebuying journey while creating meaningful engagement with customers. Through our ‘One Scan, Entire Brand Experience’ campaign, we transformed a traditional newspaper advertisement into an immersive Mixed Reality platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital touchpoints. The overwhelming market response demonstrates that experiential, data-driven marketing is becoming the future of real estate communication.” 

The campaign further reinforces AU Real Estate’s reputation as one of the earliest real estate developers in North India to embrace immersive technologies. The company had previously introduced Project VR experiences, enabling prospective buyers to virtually explore projects and amenities well before such technologies became mainstream in Indian real estate.

Reflecting on the campaign’s remarkable performance, Nirmallya Roy Chowdhury, Brand & Marketing Consultant for AU Real Estate, said, “The stupendous success of the Cosmos Corner Mixed Reality QR campaign is a stellar validation of precision-engineered marketing. Even in a dynamic market environment, meaningful engagement is created when brands deeply understand customer aspirations, lifestyle preferences and communicate through experiences that are innovative, relevant and immersive. Technology, when combined with the right proposition, has the power to transform traditional marketing into a compelling customer journey. In just three years, AU Real Estate has built a highly resilient ecosystem of customers and channel partners. This rapid market acceptance has been driven by a strong values-led foundation, differentiated product design and customer-centric marketing that prioritises long-term trust over conventional mass-market approaches.”

As consumers increasingly seek richer, more interactive brand experiences, the success of the campaign demonstrates how immersive technologies, Mixed Reality and rich media storytelling can transform legacy print advertising into measurable, high-performance marketing platforms. It also highlights how phygital marketing is reshaping customer engagement by seamlessly blending physical media with digital experiences. 

Campaign Highlights

• Media Reach: 22.42 lakh newspaper circulation across ET, HT, NBT and Dainik Jagran across Delhi NCR & Western UP
• Response Rate: 4.5% scan rate, over four times the conventional industry benchmark of 0.5%–1%
• Approximate Scans Generated: Nearly 1 lakh
• Interactive Engagement: 6.5% CTA conversion from users who experienced the Mixed Reality journey
• High-Intent Conversions: 20% of project webpage visitors locked in purchase intent at a BSP of Rs. 6,900 per sq. ft.

With this campaign, AU Real Estate has not only reimagined newspaper advertising but has also demonstrated how immersive technologies can create measurable business outcomes, setting a new benchmark for innovation-led, phygital marketing in India’s real estate sector.

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At its heart, the collaboration brings together two experiences that people connect with emotionally, Zakir Khan’s storytelling, rooted in relatable everyday Indian moments and Grameen Kulfi, a brand built around comfort, familiarity and the sweet nostalgia of a beloved “desi treat”.

Zakir Khan’s Papa Yaar is a deeply personal and widely relatable comedy special that celebrates fatherhood and everyday Indian emotions with Zakir’s signature warmth and storytelling. For Grameen Kulfi, the association reflects a larger brand vision, to be part of cultural moments that bring people together, evoke emotion and create shared memories.

From fun social media content and on-ground vox pop interactions across cities to backstage conversations with Zakir Khan and exclusive fan moments, the partnership has been designed to go beyond just sponsorship and become part of the overall Papa Yaar journey.

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr. Jeetendra Bhandari, Founder, Walko Food Company, said, “Grameen Kulfi has always been about honoring India’s original ice cream & building it as a category. Zakir Khan resonates deeply not only with the brand’s name and product positioning, but also with its spirit as a true son of the soil — someone rooted in his land, culture and people, yet celebrated nationally & internationally. Partnering with Zakir Khan’s Papa Yaar for an entire year felt like a true extension of that vision. We see this as a cultural partnership, where a new-age Indian kulfi brand becomes part of stories unfolding across cities and audiences nationwide.”

Zakir Khan added, “Comedy has always been about connection, about finding pieces of ourselves in stories. When a brand understands that emotion and chooses to back an entire journey like Papa Yaar, it becomes more than just sponsorship. There’s something very warm and familiar about Grameen Kulfi as a brand, and that made this association feel like a perfect fit for a tour that is so personal and rooted in shared Indian experiences.”

Speaking about the collaboration, Shoven Shah, Founder & CEO, TribeVibe Entertainment said, “For TribeVibe, live entertainment today presents brands with the opportunity to participate in culture, not just advertise around it. The Grameen Kulfi x Zakir Khan collaboration is a strong example of how TribeVibe enables brands to meaningfully align with content, emotion and audience experiences in an authentic, long-term manner. A year-long association across 50+ shows allows the brand to build a sustained and credible presence within a cultural journey that audiences are actively engaged with and emotionally invested in.”

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