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Tag: Ayyappan Raj

  • The Script Room appoints K. Ramakrishnan as an independent director

    The Script Room appoints K. Ramakrishnan as an independent director

    MUMBAI: The Script Room, an independently owned, bespoke creative agency, founded by Ayyappan Raj & Rajesh Ramaswamy (Ramsam), onboards K. Ramakrishnan (Ramki), managing director – South Asia at Kantar Worldpanel, as an independent director on its board. With over three decades of experience in marketing, branding, and business strategy, he has held leadership roles at companies like Lenovo, Café Coffee Day and TVS Motor Company. In his new role, Ramakrishnan will participate in the strategic business decisions of The Script Room bringing his deep market knowledge, experience and thought leadership to the table.

    Known for its commitment to enjoyable scripts across formats, The Script Room has always championed storytelling that connects. With Ramki’s mentoring, the company takes a significant step forward in its journey of shaping their business with both soul and structure.

    Reflecting on the decision, The Script Room co-founder Ayyappan Raj shared, “Two years ago, when I first conceived the idea of establishing a Board of Directors and shared it with Ramsam, Ramki was the very first name on the list. I had the privilege of meeting Ramki in 2005 when he was a client at TVS Motor Company, and since then, he has played a significant role in both my professional and personal journey. It is with great pleasure that we announce his appointment as an Independent Director on our Board. Ramki is widely regarded as a trusted advisor and mentor – his innate capacity for leadership and guidance, coupled with his expanding sphere of influence, make him a valuable addition to our governance and strategic thinking.”

    K. Ramakrishnan shared, “It is a pleasure and honour to be able to serve as an independent director on the board of The Script Room. I am happy to work with bright and creative professionals such as Ramsam, Ayyappan and the others. I hope to provide professional counsel and promote a lot of dialectic thinking as The Script Room continues to scale up in its Creative Business journey”.

    Now in its sixth year of operations, The Script Room is excited about the future with Ramki joining as an Independent Director and will soon announce its full board of directors. With this guidance, the company is poised to continue delivering outstanding stories across all formats while building a cheerful and inspiring environment for its team and partners alike.

  • Scripted for success Alisha Sharma joins The Script Room as ECD

    Scripted for success Alisha Sharma joins The Script Room as ECD

    With a decade-long résumé that reads like a highlight reel of Indian advertising, Alisha has helped build brands like Spotify, Pepsico’s Lays and Doritos, Amazon, Asian Paints and MP Tourism. From crafting Spotify’s signature Indian tone of voice to rolling out mega-hits like “There’s a Playlist for That” and “Life Kate Mazze Se”, Alisha’s storytelling is anything but on shuffle. Her work has earned nods at the Cannes Lions, One Show, Spikes Asia, Clio Awards and Effies India and she’s judged at the Young Director Awards at Cannes, too.

    In her own words, “You know you’re in the right room when conversations spark ideas and story stays at the centre. I wasn’t just looking for a change, I was waiting for the right place. Now I’m here, excited to shape this room into a house full of stories.”

    That “room” was founded by Rajesh Ramaswamy and Ayyappan Raj, who’ve built a reputation for carving out space in the industry for unapologetically narrative-driven work. Speaking on the hire, Rajesh said, “We really love the way she thinks, it’s a joy to watch her work.” Ayyappan added, “She joins at the perfect time. We’re six years in, and with her, the next phase will be even more exciting. She’s brilliant and everyone already loves her.”

    As The Script Room continues to stake its claim as the go-to shop for fresh, compelling storytelling, Alisha’s arrival feels like the beginning of a new genre part drama, part blockbuster, and all heart. Keep your popcorn ready.

  • The Script Room swings for the fences with 32 IPL ad films for Groww, PhonePe, My11Circle and PaperBoat

    The Script Room swings for the fences with 32 IPL ad films for Groww, PhonePe, My11Circle and PaperBoat

    MUMBAI: In a thunderous IPL innings, Bengaluru-based creative powerhouse The Script Room knocked it out of the park with 32 ad films across four marquee brands—Groww, PhonePe, My11Circle and PaperBoat—cementing its status as a storytelling ace in India’s busiest ad season.

    From small-town dreams to nostalgic sips and meme-worthy jingles, the indie shop blended creativity with cultural cues to deliver high-impact campaigns that stood tall amid the IPL blitzkrieg.

    Groww’s six-film campaign saluted New India’s many shades of progress—whether it’s moving cities or moving mindsets. Rooted in personal triumphs and quiet ambitions, the ads painted a relatable canvas of growth, far removed from the stock market ticker clichés.

    PaperBoat Swing, meanwhile, served up a refreshing double with two warm, wistful films that stirred up childhood memories and the simple joy of coconut water. The nostalgic whiff came with the poetic touch of Gulzar saab, no less—produced by the same team that gave the brand its soul years ago.

    PhonePe brought back its fan-favourite ‘PhonePe Girl’ with a 10-ad blitz, proving tech doesn’t have to talk like tech. Instead, it danced through daily life—charming its way through everything from paying bills to booking cabs. The 20-seconders were zippy, cheeky, and bang on brand.

    Then came My11Circle, crashing in with a “baith ja” banger. With a cheeky twist on the classic Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Ja, the campaign’s jingle “Aaja Meri Circle Mein Aaja” became an earworm—and a meme sensation. With 14 snappy spots and a swag-loaded positioning, it called out to the game-chasers and glory-hunters alike.
    The numbers? Millions of views, strong TV presence, digital domination, and social media amplification. My11Circle doubled down with influencers and celebs to push the pedal on reach.

    The Script Room cofounder Ayyappan Raj said, “IPL has always been super prime time for us. While it’s a big sporting event, it’s also India’s biggest media event. And since we are focussed only on films many clients reach out to us for sharp thinking, simple-yet-insightful stories, in short formats. We had a very good run this year at IPL with superb work for PhonePe, My11Circle, Groww and PaperBoat. My11Circle audio-track is a massive hit and is already part of meme culture. Groww story of a man choosing to work from a small town is one of my favourite films. Thanks to our collaborators Vinil Mathew, Vasan Bala, Shakun Batra and Shirsha Guha Thakurta, and our writing partners Sainath, Shivani, Mihul for bringing alive all of these stories in the best possible form.”

    The Script Room cofounder Ramsam added:  “IPL is all about capturing attention in the shortest possible time and that’s where our strength lies – storytelling that’s sharp, engaging, and quick. In fact, our very first IPL campaign in 2019 was a series of 10 short films for Netflix, played episodically over consecutive adbreaks.”

    He added, “Also most IPL briefs are quite focused, after all, it’s the most premium advertising slot. Over time, with repeated collaborations across IPL seasons, we’ve found our rhythm with brands. We focus on life insights, simplicity, and always try to think like the consumer, not just as advertisers. That helps the stories land better.”

    With directors like Vinil Mathew, Vasan Bala, Shakun Batra, Shirsha Guha Thakurta, and writers Sainath, Shivani, Mihul behind the camera, The Script Room’s IPL 2025 showreel is a mic-drop moment for India’s indie ad scene.

    Watch the highlights:

    Groww
    Film 1 | Film 2 | Film 3

    PaperBoat
    Film

    My11Circle
    Film 1 | Film 2

    PhonePe
    Film

     

  • Ad Break | Not just mediums, writing has also evolved over time: Founders of The Script Room

    Ad Break | Not just mediums, writing has also evolved over time: Founders of The Script Room

    NEW DELHI: Writing – unlike communication skills, the development of the information wheel evolved roughly over the time frame in media, entertainment, and now in the advertising industry. From Shakespeare to Chetan Bhagat, to Twitteraties, the contemporary writing skill has seen radical changes in style, usage, and perception. Discussing comprehensively with Indiantelevision.com, in the second episode of Ad Break are the Founders of The Script Room, a year-old writing hub that has churned out 41 interesting brand films and served prominent brands like Netflix and Oyo.

    The former colleagues from Lowe Lintas, Raj and Ramaswamy are prolific writers who wanted to share their passion for the most compelling reason is to develop stories that people treasure in the future. The motivation behind their wondrous words and the reason for their love of writing has driven them to start the foundation of a writing hub in the advertising world.

    While conversing, Raj says, “It feels like the moment for the recognition of writers has arrived. The minute you call any producer saying that you are a writer, their interest grows stronger as they have started valuing real passion and are no longer in the practice of avoiding conversations.” However, he adds that there is still a dearth of renowned writers in the industry.

    Ramaswamy points out, “The aspect of writing has changed adequately over the years. It cannot be denied that predominance and quality are two interesting points. Authors now care deeply about an issue; hobby or lifestyle choice and they are ready to take it to the next level. A few years back, there was no slam poetry but now it exists.”

    Adding further, he said, “One of the biggest changes I noticed are insights. Insights have made a remarkable difference in the ad-world. Earlier, when you cracked an insight for an ad, it was considered as a golden moment. Presently, insights are getting captured in memes almost on a daily basis.”

    Moreover, the duo emphasized their experience of writing a short film in the lockdown – how the impact of the pandemic will have on storytelling, also delving into how brands are getting smarter in their choice of stories.

    Watch the full episode now

  • New Bajaj Discover campaign celebrates the boy in every man

    New Bajaj Discover campaign celebrates the boy in every man

    MUMBAI: Discover, from India’s leading two-wheeler brand – Bajaj Auto, has released a new campaign conceptualised by Mullen Lintas. Bajaj Auto had recently re-launched the Discover with an upgraded Discover 125, and an all-new Discover 110. The campaign went live from 1 February and will be visible on television, print, outdoor and digital.

    Bajaj Auto Marketing VP Sumeet Narang said, “Discover is our brand which offers an energetic and spirited riding experience to daily commuters. It differentiates itself from the rest of 100-125cc commuter brands by offering a more fun bike to our customers who see themselves as hard working family men burdened with responsibilities. Finding relevance for Discover’s promise of performance was critical. Immersions with family men between 30-40yrs in large and small towns helped us arrive at the brand insight of how the boy in every man is always alive. Discover’s spirited riding can help him come out, once in a while.”

    The new Discover carries forward that legacy of exciting performance with an all-new long-stroke engine. It also has the additional advantage of exciting looks with first-in-class LED DRLs, first-in-class digital instrument display panel, all new stylish graphics, and a host of other style and performance upgrades. The new campaign shows how an exciting ride on the new Discover makes you as ‘zindadil’ as in your younger days.

    Mullen Lintas EVP Ayyappan Raj said, “It’s quite an important and significant campaign for us, considering the task of reintroducing brand Discover. The brief from the brand team was about how the new Bajaj Discover with stylish features, and powerful engine bring out the youthfulness in the rider and that’s exactly what we have managed to capture with ‘Bano Zindadil’. There are a lot of activities planned across media, ensuring this idea travels to a larger audience.”

    The song in the film, “Behti Hawa” from the movie 3 Idiots interestingly stirs the youthful memories in an office-goer. The communication captures the emotions that the rider goes through while enjoying the experience of his new Bajaj Discover. 

    Also Read :

    Mullen Lintas bags Quikr’s creative mandate

    Mullen Lintas wins creative business of Motlilal Oswal

  • Mullen Lintas delivers a ‘baap’ for MTV Beats

    MUMBAI: From the stable of Viacom18, MTV Beats has had a great start to its journey in India. With its unique positioning and differentiated content offering that is targeted primarily towards the youth, the channel has created quite a niche in the Indian Bollywood music space.

    To further popularise the product offering to the Indian masses, the channel has announced the launch of its inaugural brand campaign. Conceptualised and executed by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, the campaign highlights the unique bond that audiences share with music; which is almost like a marriage between two soul mates. That is the core objective with which MTV Beats wants to associate itself with the young viewers of India and be seen as an able partner providing them the best in Hindi music.

    Giving a deeper insight into the marketing campaign of Viacom18  MTV Beats youth and english entertainment head Ferzad Palia said, “Music is an important medium to reach out to young people today, and nobody does music better than MTV. So now that MTV Beats is here, we are heralding it as the birth of the ‘BAAP’ of music because after all, MTV is the big daddy of music. In true MTV style, the marketing campaign for MTV Beats is quirky, unabashed and irreverent yet it clearly communicates the brand’s positioning of being the ultimate destination for Hindi music any time of the day or week. I’d like to thank Mullen Lintas for the creative thought they’ve put into this. The tagline – ‘Blood mein hai beat’ draws heavily from India’s obsession with Bollywood music and reinforces the belief that music is a part of every Indian’s very DNA.”

    With a tongue-in-cheek referral, the video film tracks the journey of one such ardent lover of music who is literally impregnated with seeds of Bollywood hits. The film is centered around the core idea of a love child being born out of one night of passion between the protagonist who gets turned on by the music being played on TV. The film goes on to explore light-hearted circumstances that get created due to the outcome and how she uses her pregnancy to entertain people. So much so that she turns out to be the life of any event where music is a core ingredient. The day finally arrives and the protagonist becomes proud mother to a wonderful child that’s musically-inclined, and is the source of inspiration to everyone around. This feeling is summed up by the core campaign tagline: Blood mein hain Beat. 

    Mullen Lintas EVP Ayyappan Raj said, “It’s one of the most fun campaigns that Mullen Lintas Mumbai has worked on in the recent past. When an iconic brand like MTV is launching a Bollywood music channel there is a strong desire to create something big and different. With that in mind, we wanted to make a statement about the launch of Beats and in the quintessential brand tonality. We are very happy with the way the campaign has come together. Also we are quite happy about the fact that we have ‘delivered’ another successful brand launch for the Viacom18 group.” 

    Highlighting the creative thinking that was arrived for the campaign, Mullen Lintas EC Garima Khandelwal said: “MTV Beats, the offspring. MTV, the parent. A future and a legacy. Bollywood and music ka baap is born. The campaign is aimed to present this storyline, this bloodline. And therefore, to present MTV Beats as the lovechild of MTV and a fan of MTV seemed actually too legit! Enjoy!”

    The film has gone live on popular channels and will span other popular offline and online mediums too. While the TVC takes viewers through the story of the birth, the Print and Outdoor initiatives will bring alive the baby through various avatars.

    See the promo here

  • Nomarks for guessing who’s self-reliant

    Nomarks for guessing who’s self-reliant

    MUMBAI: Bajaj Nomarks has come out with its latest brand campaign that highlights the advantages of the skincare cream. The campaign, led primarily by a video film, touches upon the core point of the cream being a companion to women who often face multiple skin complaints, especially on the face.

    Conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, the film traverses the journey of a woman who decides to test her husband’s attention by attempting changes to herself.

    Bajaj Corp head of marketing Ameya Dangi said that Nomarks was a cream completely Ayurvedic, and clinically tested for its efficacy quotient which makes it a unique product in the anti-marks category. They wanted to encourage people not to be bothered by small things like skin marks but to focus on realising their bigger ambitions irrespective of what others might think of them.

    The film has been developed based on the insight that in today’s day and age, wives have a common complaint – husbands are so engrossed in doing their own thing that they fail to notice some obvious changes, especially about them. For example the husband will not notice any change in the appearance of the wife or for that matter even miss the new dress that she is wearing and so on and so forth. It was this insight that gave birth to the campaign idea of “Men Don’t Notice.”

    Mullen Lintas EVP Ayyappan Raj said that the mark removal skincare category was seeing a visible growth in the number of players and it was imperative that each one differentiate their offering from the others. With Nomarks, the plus point was its reliance on herbal remedies along with the guarantee of delivering visible results in the quickest possible time.

    The film has been launched offline on all popular channels and will also be rolled out extensively across Print and Outdoor. The film is being launched online as well and will play on major social channels.

  • Nomarks for guessing who’s self-reliant

    Nomarks for guessing who’s self-reliant

    MUMBAI: Bajaj Nomarks has come out with its latest brand campaign that highlights the advantages of the skincare cream. The campaign, led primarily by a video film, touches upon the core point of the cream being a companion to women who often face multiple skin complaints, especially on the face.

    Conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, the film traverses the journey of a woman who decides to test her husband’s attention by attempting changes to herself.

    Bajaj Corp head of marketing Ameya Dangi said that Nomarks was a cream completely Ayurvedic, and clinically tested for its efficacy quotient which makes it a unique product in the anti-marks category. They wanted to encourage people not to be bothered by small things like skin marks but to focus on realising their bigger ambitions irrespective of what others might think of them.

    The film has been developed based on the insight that in today’s day and age, wives have a common complaint – husbands are so engrossed in doing their own thing that they fail to notice some obvious changes, especially about them. For example the husband will not notice any change in the appearance of the wife or for that matter even miss the new dress that she is wearing and so on and so forth. It was this insight that gave birth to the campaign idea of “Men Don’t Notice.”

    Mullen Lintas EVP Ayyappan Raj said that the mark removal skincare category was seeing a visible growth in the number of players and it was imperative that each one differentiate their offering from the others. With Nomarks, the plus point was its reliance on herbal remedies along with the guarantee of delivering visible results in the quickest possible time.

    The film has been launched offline on all popular channels and will also be rolled out extensively across Print and Outdoor. The film is being launched online as well and will play on major social channels.

  • Bajaj Almond Drops ‘Load Mat Lo’

    Bajaj Almond Drops ‘Load Mat Lo’

    MUMBAI: In today’s fast paced world, people have the tendency of taking a lot of unnecessary load in their lives. These range from mundane worries like travelling woes, what to wear, need to be visible on social platforms, etc. to the more worrisome ones like extreme stress at work, health & financial woes etc. All these worries do take a toll on individuals who are often left wanting for a way out.

    This insight was the inspiration for Mullen Lintas Mumbai’s new campaign on Bajaj Almond Drops Hair Oil. Titled “the campaign features leading Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as the protagonist.

    Bajaj Corp head of marketing Ameya Dangi said: “People don’t like oiling their hair regularly because they find some oils to be extremely sticky. It is like a “load” on their head and they have to put up with it for the sake of nourishment just like they put up with a host of unnecessary worries without a really good reason.”

    The film titled ‘Load Mat Lo’ begins with the protagonist being told by her partner about the hair oil that he has shopped for her. On seeing the bottle, she immediately cautions him that she doesn’t prefer taking the load of coconut oil on her hair. To elucidate her point, she conducts a small experiment on his head by placing a paper-weight on his head and comparing it to a feeling that one gets by applying coconut oil in one’s hair. But, with Bajaj Almond Drops, the feeling is just the opposite.”

    Mullen Lintas EVP Ayyappan Raj said, “The consumer of today is always on the lookout for innovation on a product or brand they endorse. With the hair oil category flooded with multiple players, it was imperative that we play up features of Bajaj that stand out. Thankfully, features like being the lightest in its category and fortified with 300 per cent vitamin E helped.”