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Cheil bags Jitender Dabas as CEO to steer Cheil X into bold new orbit

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MUMBAI: There’s a new sherpa in the adland Himalayas, and his backpack’s full of strategy, swagger, and serious hardware. Cheil south west Asia has appointed Jitender Dabas—known in industry circles as Jeetu—as CEO of Cheil X, its independent, full-service agency tasked with handling non-Samsung accounts. And in classic Dabas fashion, he’s coming in with more hats than a fashion week runway.

Effective 3 April 2025, Dabas took charge of Cheil X’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai, with an additional group-wide brief as chief strategy officer for Cheil SWA. Translation: he’s now got his fingers in nearly every pie under the Cheil umbrella, from digital media and influencer marketing to content production, retail design and performance-driven campaigns.

Dabas joins from McCann Worldgroup, where he wore the twin hats of COO & CSO for India, while also serving as head of effectiveness for APAC. And yes, that’s a lot of hats—but if anyone can juggle strategy, operations, and creative firepower without breaking a sweat, it’s Jeetu.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jitender Dabas to the Cheil SWA Group and family. His reputation as a professional and leader precedes him, and his appointment marks a significant milestone as Cheil X enters its next phase of growth and transformation… There couldn’t have been anyone better than Jeetu to drive this intersection of creativity, strategy, and technology into a new future-focused agency,” said Cheil India MD and Cheil SWA president, Carlos Limseob Chung.

With an IIT Delhi pedigree and accolades galore—including the WPP Atticus Award and jury roles at Cannes Lions, WARC, and Effies—Dabas has shaped brand narratives and marketing effectiveness across WPP and IPG for decades. His work has snagged more than 100 awards, from India to international arenas.

Cheil X is no ordinary outfit. It’s the agency group’s creative spearhead beyond the Samsung portfolio, and with Experience Commerce, Cylndr, and Newrx under its wing, it’s a full-blown warship of marketing muscle.

Dabas, never one to play it safe, laid out his vision with characteristic clarity, “I am really excited about leading Cheil X at the pivotal moment in its journey in India. As an industry, we are all acutely aware of the change that is upon us… Cheil is a global leader when it comes to solutions at the intersection of creativity and technology, and I am excited about partnering businesses and brands in India… I’m looking forward to creating something future-facing: an agency that doesn’t just keep up with change but leads it.”

With Cheil doubling down on tech-led storytelling, Dabas isn’t just stepping into a role—he’s launching into a full-blown mission. Consider the advertising galaxy officially on notice.

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Britannia puts Tilt in the oven as creative partner for bakery blitz

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MUMBAI: When your cakes are iconic, your rusks have cult status, and your croissants are quietly doing their flaky thing across Indian breakfast tables, you don’t just hire any agency. You bring in the big knives. Britannia Industries has just appointed Tilt Brand Solutions as its agency on record for its baked goodies – we’re talking Cakes, Rusk, Bread, and Croissant. And no, it’s not half-baked.

The Mumbai-based creative hotshop will now whip up the brand and communication strategy for Britannia’s adjacency portfolio. That means not just making ads, but kneading brand love into every bite. The agency has been handed the apron to serve up memorable campaigns, engaging content, and maybe a few eyebrow-raising moments on your feed.

“For Britannia’s adjacency portfolio, it was imperative that we got on board a partner who would be able to bring a perfect amalgamation of creative strength and business acumen to the table. The balanced approach of Tilt Brand Solutions and their category & consumer understanding delivered on the brief. We look forward to this partnership to create a significant impact for these businesses,” said Britannia marketing – general manager Shekhar Agarwal.

Tilt Brand Solutions, which has been flexing its creative muscles in the Indian adland, now gets to work its dough across formats, platforms and consumer cohorts. Expect punchy campaigns that turn bakery basics into branding blockbusters.

“We are thrilled to partner with Britannia on this exciting journey. With our shared commitment to innovation and creativity, we are confident of creating impactful and memorable work that resonates with audiences, while also driving growth and leadership in the category,” said Tilt Brand Solutions CBO Hari Krishnan.

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Curry Nation bags Jaihind’s ad brief with full sleeves rolled and strategy stitched

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MUMBAI: Curry Nation has just tailored itself into the thick of things with Jaihind, one of Pune’s oldest and most trusted menswear retail chains. On 3 April 2025, the indie ad agency known for transforming commodity brands into cultural powerhouses clinched the integrated communications mandate for Jaihind. And this wasn’t your average pitch win—it came hot on the heels of the agency’s signature ‘UNLIMIT’ workshop, a no-holds-barred brand therapy session that helped reposition Jaihind from a ‘men’s only store’ to a more expansive ‘men’s mall’.

Translation? It’s not just a store—it’s the destination for anyone identifying anywhere on the boy-to-man fashion spectrum.

Curry Nation will now suit up to handle Jaihind’s entire branding wardrobe—from social media and campaign design to community building and multichannel storytelling. Data tracking, long-term relationship nurturing, and brand personality polishing are all part of the job description.

“The process followed by Curry Nation of understanding our business inside out is something commendable… the conclusions made us see the whole being and not just parts,” said Jaihind CMD Dinesh Jain in a note that reads part testimonial, part poetic mic drop.

Jaihind CMD Dinesh Jain; Curry Nation founder Nagessh Pannaswami

Curry Nation founder Nagessh Pannaswami added, “The UNLIMIT workshop is one of our tools… to provide a platform for uninhibited breakthrough ideation on the business, the brand and the product.”

Jaihind has been on a style evolution of its own—from housing just fabrics and a few readymades to now boasting eight multi-brand stores across Pune, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nashik. With Curry Nation’s strategic flair and Jaihind’s legacy swag, this isn’t just a rebrand. It’s a retail renaissance dressed to impress.

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Sharpline Broadcast snaps up 51 per cent in Unayur to spice up its ayurvedic game

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MUMBAI: In a twist more fragrant than a bottle of sandalwood oil, Sharpline Broadcast Limited, a media player with an eye on diversification, has acquired a controlling 51 per cent stake in Unayur Marketing Private Limited—a company better known for ayurvedic elixirs than evening news. And yes, it’s a pivot. A juicy one.

On 3 April 2025, the company officially disclosed what had originally been approved way back on 11 February 2025: a Rs 9 crore deal to scoop up 5,123 equity shares in Unayur from shareholder Sahil Khan. Sharpline has now confirmed that the agreement will turn Unayur into a fully-fledged subsidiary, pending completion of standard conditions.

So what took so long to tell the world? A minor whoopsie in internal processes, apparently.

“While the intimation was duly signed on 11 February 2025, due to an inadvertent oversight… there was an unintended delay in uploading the same,” the company said in a sheepish note to the BSE. The lapse was fixed on 31 March 2025, and the compliance machinery, we’re told, is now firmly greased.

So why Unayur? Because the herbal wellness train is on full throttle, and Sharpline wants a ticket.

The Delhi-based Unayur, incorporated in 2019, reported a turnover of Rs 66.30 crore in FY 2023-24. Its track record includes Rs 96.66 crore in FY 2022-23 and Rs 77.26 crore the year before that. The company deals in Unani and Ayurvedic medicines, herbal products, natural health goodies, essential oils, and is even eyeing clinics and hospitals for the holistic health crowd.

According to Sharpline, “The Company wants to diversify its current business and acquisition of a company with the desired business line is the best way to venture into the same.”

None of the promoter group has any personal stake in Unayur beyond the acquisition, and no regulatory approvals are needed. The transaction is cash-only, with a one-month timeline to wrap it all up. A classic arm’s-length deal, in every sense.

From digital screens to neem creams, Sharpline’s strategy is now clearly shooting beyond the broadcast bandwidth. Will this cross-industry cocktail of content and capsules pay off?

Time, and perhaps turmeric, will tell.

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