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Tag: Anil Nair

  • St. Jude India’s gut-punch campaign puts childhood cancer’s cruel urban reality in focus

    St. Jude India’s gut-punch campaign puts childhood cancer’s cruel urban reality in focus

    Mumbai: It’s not just chemotherapy that India’s poorest children with cancer are fighting—it’s the city itself. With “Renu Vs The City”, St. Jude India ChildCare Centres, in partnership with Ogilvy Mumbai, has dropped a hard-hitting campaign that yanks the curtain back on an invisible crisis: families forced to live on footpaths while their kids undergo life-saving treatment.

    At the heart of the campaign is Renu Kadam, a young girl living on the pavement outside a Mumbai cancer hospital. The film follows her harrowing daily routine—dodging traffic, trekking miles for basic needs, and trying to stay hopeful amid the chaos. Her story isn’t fiction; it’s a chilling mirror to the thousands of real families who come to cities seeking free treatment, only to find no roof and no respite.

    St. Jude India ChildCare Centres CEO Anil Nair said, “While cancer treatment has become more accessible and affordable thanks to government schemes, many families still face the challenge of travelling long distances and finding a safe, hygienic place to stay in cities. This film, crafted by the committed teams at Ogilvy India and Hungry Films, sheds light on the struggles of the lesser privileged during treatment.”

    Ogilvy Mumbai executive creative directors, Fritz Gonsalves and Jayesh Raut added, “Working on a brand like St. Jude India ChildCare Centres is truly a privilege. The work that this organisation does is genuinely inspiring. Our sole aim is to raise awareness about the work they do and encourage donations so that the thousands of children who travel to big cities for free cancer treatment are not forced to live on the streets while undergoing treatment.”

    St. Jude’s mission is simple yet urgent: offer a safe, hygienic ‘home away from home’ to kids undergoing cancer treatment. With 45 centres across 11 cities, they provide what hospitals can’t—shelter, dignity, and peace of mind. But the need far outweighs capacity. Each year, 32,000 children require such support, and thousands still fall through the cracks.

    “Renu Vs The City” is not just a tearjerker—it’s a call to action. The film urges viewers to donate, advocate, and amplify. Because no child should have to choose between cancer treatment and a place to sleep.

  • St Jude India ChildCare Centres & Ogilvy Mumbai illuminate reality through ‘The Impossible Choice’ campaign

    St Jude India ChildCare Centres & Ogilvy Mumbai illuminate reality through ‘The Impossible Choice’ campaign

    Mumbai: Learning that your child has cancer is heartbreaking, especially for thousands of families in small villages far away from the city. These families lack access to doctors or the necessary treatment to cure cancer.

    They flock to major cities so their child can access the best charitable hospitals specialising in cancer treatment. However, once they arrive, as their child’s treatment extends from weeks to months, they often run out of money and are forced to stay on the streets, leaving their child vulnerable to other infections. Unfortunately, many families give up hope and return to their villages, abandoning their child’s treatment.

    St Jude’s India ChildCare Centres offer children with cancer and their families a free, safe, and clean place to stay in the city for the duration of their treatment. They provide holistic support and care along with accommodation, creating a ‘home away from home’ environment for families.

    With 45 centres across 11 cities in India, they currently house over 500 families every day. But thousands are still left without accommodation.

    It’s estimated that 32,000 children will require a place to stay. This overwhelming disparity between the high number of patients and scarcity of accommodation led to the film conceptualized by Ogilvy and produced and directed by Hungry Films. The film aims to raise awareness among the masses and drive donations to address this pressing issue.

    The donations go towards building accommodation in every city, so that one day, no child is forced to abandon their cancer treatment because they don’t have a place to live in the city.

    “When we got the brief for St. Jude India ChildCare Centres, we decided to avoid guilt-tripping our audience by directly showing children suffering. Instead, we wanted to tell an honest and human story, and that’s how we stumbled upon the idea of “The Impossible Choice.” A heartbreaking dilemma, if ever there was one. A big thanks to Mahesh Gharat from Hungry films for making this heart-melter, and a special shout-out to Ricardo from our team for writing this. We really hope that more people get to know about the fabulous job that the St Jude India team is doing and donate whole-heartedly for this life-saving cause”, explained Executive creative director Fritz Gonsalves and Ogilvy Mumbai group creative director Jayesh Raut.

    “It is estimated that every year, over 32,000 families with limited means travel to larger cities for their child’s cancer treatment. Many of them are forced to abandon treatment due to the lack of an affordable place to stay. This is tragic since childhood cancer has a high cure rate, provided treatment is supported by a hygienic environment and proper nutrition. This film by Ogilvy India beautifully highlights the difficulties parents face in finding an affordable place in large cities and metros for their child’s cancer treatment”, said St Jude’s India Childcare Centres CEO Anil Nair.

  • Mukund Olety appointed CCO of VMLY&R India

    New Delhi: Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R has appointed Mukund Olety as chief creative officer in India. He moves from BBDO China, where he was group creative director.

    Olety will report to VMLY&R India CEO, Anil Nair and chief creative officer, VMLY&R Asia, Valerie Madon. His mandate will include driving the agency’s creative vision and nurturing its creative talent, said the agency in a statement.

    “I couldn’t have thought of a better person to lead our creative team in these thought-provoking times. Mukund has extensive experience working on both local and global brands and working at both Indian and international levels. This grasp of both, coupled with his passion for creativity, makes him an outstanding addition to the VMLY&R family,” said Nair.

    With experience in India, China, and South-East Asia, Olety will be instrumental in developing and strengthening the creative capabilities in India in tandem with VMLY&R’s positioning of creating connected brands that add value for clients by harnessing creativity, technology, and culture, said the agency.

    “If there is one agency that is poised to become the agency of this decade, it is VMLY&R. It has this potent mix of creativity, technology, culture, and commerce. That is everything you need to create connected brands for the new age,” said Olety, post the announcement. “I am looking forward to creating connected, future-facing and awesome work for our key clients and brands.”

    Olety has also worked with Ogilvy, Leo Burnett-Malaysia, O&M India, JWT and DDB Mudra across India and southeast Asia in the past.

  • The Glitch Joins VMLY&R’s global network

    The Glitch Joins VMLY&R’s global network

    MUMBAI – The Glitch has joined forces with global experience agency VMLY&R. The new entity taps on the strengths of both WPP agencies, creating a stronger expanded offering through the best of technology and creative expertise.

    The Glitch and VMLY&R India will continue to operate distinct brands and organisational structures while working together. This will allow clients to experience their combined proposition of marketing talent, capabilities, and experience, while maintaining the simplicity of their current communication cadence with each agency.

    The integration will see The Glitch become a part of the nearly $1 billion global VMLY&R network, which employs over 7,000 people across 75+ offices across the world. These include three offices in India, based in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

    The Glitch senior leaders, including CEO Pooja Jauhari, co-founder & chief creative officer, Rohit Raj, and co-founder & content chief, Varun Duggirala will now report into Tripti Lochan, Co-CEO of VMLY&R Asia.

    In addition, the Glitch leadership team along with VMLY&R India CEO Anil Nair, will form an India leadership council to manage strategic decisions for both companies. The council will be headed by Anil Nair.

    Founded in Mumbai in in 2010, The Glitch stands as one of the leading, digitally-led creative agencies in India, employing over 300 digital strategists, technologists, content creators and planners, delivering award-winning campaigns for a wide spectrum of clients including Netflix, Hindustan Unilever, LinkedIn, Lenovo, Diageo, and most recently Microsoft and Triller among many other global brands. With offices in Mumbai and Delhi, The Glitch services clients in India and many other regions of Asia.

    VMLY&R embodies a hybrid blend of brand creativity with a deep digital heritage, manifesting in a comprehensive understanding of the entire customer journey. The agency has accolades reflecting both its creative excellence and digital expertise.

    VMLY&R India’s business-first team is known for delivering digital excellence for blue chip brands like ICICI Bank, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, IDFC, Ford, Swaraj Tractors, IDBI Federal and Marico, delivering transformational solutions at the intersection of brand and customer experience, data, platforms and commerce.

    “WPP's aim is to provide clients with a simplified and integrated offer to help them grow their businesses holistically. The Glitch over the past ten years has grown to become a digital and content powerhouse, and when combined with VMLY&R’s capabilities in digital transformation and customer experience, can help clients make an impact in their transformation journeys," said CVL Srinivas country manager WPP India.  

    The Glitch CEO Pooja Jauhari said: “We have flourished alongside WPP in the past 3 years. The founders and I are delighted that we’ve now found a great permanent home for our brand, our company and most importantly, our people. The Glitch is a gender blind, inclusive and progressive high-performance workspace and with this marriage, we’ve found kindred spirits in VMLY&R when it comes to driving the same vision. We’re eager to explore our complementary capability sets for the benefit of our clients’ businesses. With this union, we believe we are in the best position to help our clients be more agile, sharper and ready for whatever the future may bring.”

    VMLY&R India CEO Anil Nair said: “This union spells great news for clients looking at building digital-first brands. In addition to cutting edge solutions such as customer experience (CX), commerce , technology, innovation, AI/ML, data, media innovations and good old culture impacting creativity, we will now be able to add new weaponry to our arsenal, including powerful capabilities in brand experience, new-age content, youth  marketing, connections thinking, brand publishing, and live creativity amongst others. This makes us the most relevant agency group in the market with best possible capabilities to help our clients future-proof their businesses and succeed in the new paradigm.”

  • Kalyan Jewellers appoints ex-L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Anil Nair as independent director

    Kalyan Jewellers appoints ex-L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Anil Nair as independent director

    NEW DELHI: As part of a move to expand its board of directors, Kalyan Jewellers today announced the appointment of two new directors and named a new chief executive officer. With this announcement, marketing guru, Anil Nair, joins the company’s board as independent director. A veteran of the advertising and digital industry for over 24 years, Nair’s experience includes serving as CEO & managing partner of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as well as a member of the global leadership team of Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann and DDB. With this appointment, the company aims to continue developing a stronger brand position while entering the post Covid2019 era.

    Kalyan Jewellers chairman and managing director T S Kalyanaraman said, “We are extremely delighted to welcome Anil Nair to Kalyan Jewellers. He brings to the table unmatched expertise in advertising and brand building, which will be critical to the company’s growth despite the challenges in the Covid2019 era. At Kalyan Jewellers, we aim to continue our successful journey and expand our footprint to cater to newer audiences.”

    With the Covid2019 outbreak, digital has fortified its position as the most convenient medium for companies to connect with its customers. Kalyan Jewellers has strategically realigned resources to support its digital-first strategy and build a distinctive brand identity. Earlier this year, the brand has rolled out digital campaigns on occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Gudi Padwa, Mother’s Day and the recently launched #MuhuratAtHome digital campaign.

    Nair said, “Kalyan Jewellers is one of the most trusted brands in India today and has built a strong and extremely loyal customer base across the country. The Hyper-Local strategy of catering to the needs of the consumer with local preferences and tastes has been the success mantra of the brand, according to me. Their campaigns have always resonated with the masses, and played a key role in creating a unique brand voice. It’s a great honour to be on Kalyan’s board and I look forward to an exciting journey with Kalyan Jewellers.”

    In addition to Nair, Kalyan Jewellers has elevated Sanjay Raghuraman to chief executive officer from his earlier position as the chief operating officer at the company. Salil Nair, who was previously the CEO of the retail chain, Shoppers Stop, has also been appointed as a non-executive director on the company’s board.

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  • HalaPlay appoints L&K Saatchi and Saatchi as creative agency

    HalaPlay appoints L&K Saatchi and Saatchi as creative agency

    MUMBAI: HalaPlay, a popular fantasy sports platform, has appointed L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to handle its creative duties.

    The agency has rolled out a brand new campaign featuring Hardik and Krunal Pandya to promote HalaPlay’s fantasy cricket platform, playing on the importance of the ‘Bro Code’ and how this so-called sacred code can be broken when the platform’s huge winnings are at stake. The high-decibel campaign has been launched on all media platforms.

    Commenting on the campaign and the agency appointment, HalaPlay co-founder Prateek Anand said, “Fantasy Sports has become a way of life for many Indians, which is where we see our exponential growth come from. At a product level, our attempt has been to put the power in the hands of our player community and create a feeling of collectivism, hence the introduction of a strong product hook, like the no platform fee for games between friends/brothers. L&K Saatchi & Saatchi  helped us fuel the momentum further during the prime cricketing season by creating our first campaign, leveraging Hardik and Krunal Pandya’s cricketing skills and their mischievous brotherly chemistry.”

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and managing partner Anil Nair said, “In a cricket-crazy country like ours, everybody has their eyes and ears glued to their phones for the next three months. With an opportunity like this, our campaign aims to make a mark in their minds and engage in a way that easily resonates with them.”

    Nazara Technologies Ltd chief executive officer Manish Agarwal mentioned, “We at Nazara, were looking for creative partners who can match the passion of HalaPlay founders to build a lasting legacy in the shortest possible time. The team at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has been more than an equal match to the challenges thrown at them. This is a fantastic start to a long journey which all the teams have embarked upon and we are confident of establishing HalaPlay as a very strong consumer brand.”a

  • Anil Nair joins VMLY&R as India CEO

    Anil Nair joins VMLY&R as India CEO

    MUMBAI: Global marketing agency VMLY&R today announced the appointment of Anil Nair as CEO, VMLY&R India. Based out of the Mumbai office, he will report to VMLY&R Asia co-CEO Tripti Lochan, who is based in Singapore. He will oversee VMLY&R’s India operation, driving growth and building on VMLY&R’s fully integrated service offering spanning creative, technology and data services.

    An influential marketing industry leader, Nair brings with him more than 24 years of advertising and digital experience, most recently as CEO (digital) and managing partner for Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi India.

    Nair was a part of the founding team at Law and Kenneth (L&K) Communications in 2002. He is recognised for his role in helping build Law & Kenneth Communications from the ground up into India’s largest independent agency, prior to its merger with Saatchi & Saatchi in 2014. Since that time, Anil has been responsible for growing the Saatchi & Saatchi business and integrated practice in India, with a focus on strategic planning, brand stewardship, and digital transformation.

    Lochan said on his appointment, “We are committed to cultivating truly connected brands that generate real ROI for our clients and their clients. Anil comes to us with the right vision and experience to make this happen, marrying strategy with an understanding of the brand, digital, and commerce. He boasts an exemplary record for driving agency excellence and innovation while exhibiting a deep understanding of the Indian marketplace. This is an exciting time for VMLY&R as we continue to flourish in India, and I can think of no one better to lead the way.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Nair said, “At a time when consumer behaviour and demand continues to evolve in line with advancing technology, VMLY&R. with its “marketing-company meets creative-agency” rigour, represents a breath of fresh air for its clients via a service offering which is arguably the most relevant, necessary, and contemporary in the market today. It’s an honour to join the VMLY&R family at such an exciting time, and I look forward to playing my part in VMLY&R’s continued success story in India.”

    Nair joins the agency in the wake of a flurry of senior hires in recent months, following the appointment of Kevin Lobo as executive creative director, VMLY&R India, and Sujay Kar as commerce group lead, VMLY&R SEA & India.

  • Olay India urges women to be fearless and #FaceAnything

    Olay India urges women to be fearless and #FaceAnything

    MUMBAI: Leading up to International Women's Day, Olay India launched its latest campaign showcasing stories of strong Indian women who have made bold choices, defied norms and followed their dreams. The campaign, conceptualised by Saatchi & Saatchi, has its message in line with Olay’s mission to continually improve women’s skin and lives by encouraging them to be fearless and stand up for what they believe in, because if a woman is confident she can #FaceAnything.  

    Explaining the thought behind the campaign, Olay brand manager, skin and personal care – India and Gulf, Arushi Sethi said, “Olay as a brand has always been an enabler of confidence in a woman. Through this campaign, we are celebrating the fierce and fearless spirit of women who have worked hard to break the chains of judgments- be it their appearance, career choices or decisions they make for themselves. The Olay woman has always been fearless, but now is the time to celebrate her confidence so that she is ready to #FaceAnything that the world challenges her with.”

    Emphasising the creative thought behind the campaign, Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and managing partner Anil Nair added, “Keeping in mind Olay’s fearless ethos, a diverse group of women both incredible and unconventional in their own way stood out to us – designer, Masaba Gupta, actress Kubbra Sait, biker Priyanka Kochhar, plus-size model Payal Soni and YouTube star Lilly Singh. These women embody empowerment, sisterhood, bravery, fearlessness and the inner strength to #FaceAnything.”

  • Women encouraged to challenge set norms in new Vivel campaign

    Women encouraged to challenge set norms in new Vivel campaign

    NEW DELHI: Through a unique message, personal care brand Vivel has launched a  #AbSamjhautaNahin campaign with a television commercial aimed at asking women to challenge the compromising way of life.

    In the TVC, the protagonist voices her soft yet firm “Ab SamjhautaNahin!” and depicts just one of many uncomfortable situations that a woman often encounters.

    The aim is to raise its voice addressing the specific issue of pre-conditioned mindsets for women, leading them to compromise at various stages in their lives

    Chief Creative Officer: Vivek Rao

    Directors: Subir Chatterjee & Namita Roy Ghose

    Production Company: White Light Moving Pictures Limited

    The TVC has been conceptualised by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to present an everyday situation faced by modern day Indian women at workplace and to communicate the brand message that every gaze, every thought that suggests women being weaker or less than equal needs to be shattered.

    According to the concept, “We have all heard the fable about the mighty elephant tethered by a mere rope, unaware of its inherent strength because it was conditioned into believing that the rope was enough to hold it back. In a similar vein, women in India from a very young age have been taught to conform to societally accepted ways of life. Moulding her thinking and behaviour to fit within the prescriptive boundaries of the way others want to see her.  A social conditioning that leads to a life of restrictions, a life less lived”.

    As the campaign unfolds, it will provoke in women the realisation of this latent conditioning, inspire them to challenge status quo and therefore maximise their potential and live fuller lives.

    Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi CEO & Managing Partner Anil Nair said: “Not every day we get an opportunity, especially in the personal care category to creatively amplify a brand’s strong point of view. This is a ‘what we believe in’ campaign and we sincerely hope that we can inspire women to say #AbSamjhautaNahin in their own unique way