ITV

Tag: DDB Mudra Group

  • Hot flashes, cool conversations as i-Know sparks menopause talk

    Hot flashes, cool conversations as i-Know sparks menopause talk

    MUMBAI: It’s getting hot in here and this time, it’s not just the weather. On World Menopause Day, i-Know, the women’s health brand from Piramal Pharma, has launched a thought-provoking campaign titled #OwnYourMenopause, conceptualised by DDB Mudra Group, to help women put words and warmth to what they’re feeling.

    For far too long, menopause has been the silent chapter in a woman’s story. Its symptoms, confusing, invisible, and often indescribable can leave many feeling isolated. The campaign tackles that silence head-on, giving women a new language to express their experiences and encouraging open dialogue about a life stage too often brushed under the carpet.

    At the heart of #OwnYourMenopause are stories drawn from real women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Using clever, metaphor-led storytelling, the films translate the unspoken: brain fog becomes the moment one forgets where the salt container is, while hot flashes are likened to “global warming” inside one’s body. These vivid visuals bring to life the humour, confusion, and humanity of the experience reminding women that they’re not alone, and that what they feel has a name, a reason, and help at hand.

    As part of this initiative, i-Know spotlights its Menopause Testing Kit, a simple, home-based urine test that detects elevated Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels, a key indicator of menopause onset. It’s a small but powerful step towards helping women take control of their health with confidence and clarity.

    “True healthcare goes beyond products; it starts with awareness and empathy,” said Piramal Consumer Healthcare VP marketing Abhishek Kr. Srivastava. “With i-Know, we want to normalise a conversation that has been silent for far too long.”

    Adding to that DDB Mudra Group creative director Mahima Mathur shared, “Most women we spoke to began their menopause journey in confusion, not conversation. These stories inspired by real testimonials are meant to make it easier to talk, to understand, and to turn a lonely journey into a shared one.”

    The campaign, produced by Boathouse Media and directed by Taaha Quadri, features contributions from creatives Mahima Mathur, Shalmali Sawant, Rhea Kumar, Harshada Shinde, and Payel Pramanik, with strategy led by Menaka Menon, Sanjana Chetan, and Navya Anil.

    With #OwnYourMenopause, i-Know continues its mission to empower women with knowledge across every phase of life from fertility to menopause and beyond. Because sometimes, owning your story starts with finding the words to tell it.

     

  • Rivals unite to shape Mumbai’s creative future

    Rivals unite to shape Mumbai’s creative future

    MUMBAI: In an industry known for cutthroat competition, Mumbai’s ad world hit pause on rivalry for one night of pure creative synergy. Portfolio Night 2025, hosted by BBDO, DDB Mudra Group and TBWA India, wasn’t just about portfolios; it was about passion, purpose, and a pinch of personality.

    Organised by The One Club for Creativity, the global event gathered students, recent grads and young professionals for a high-energy evening of one-on-one portfolio reviews. In fast-paced 15-minute sessions, hopefuls met top creative directors, got real feedback, and maybe even their big break.

    DDB Mudra CCO Rahul Mathew, called it a necessity, not just a vision. “Our only real asset is talent. Events like this help us find, mentor and protect it, and that benefits everyone.

    Each participant faced multiple rounds of reviews, rated on ideas, execution, originality, variety, consistency, presentation, and yes, attitude. But it wasn’t all critique and scorecards; it was also about connection.

    FCB Group India digital creative partner Kartikeya Tiwari, said he looks beyond the basics, “I look for courage and personality. Most portfolios are skilful, but what stands out is soul.”

    For FCB Group India CCO Neville Shah, the future needs boldness, “Some portfolios were too perfect. We need work that surprises us, that makes us say, ‘What is this?’”

    Meanwhile, Leo Burnett national creative director Vikram Pandey (Spiky), found hope in the next generation’s openness to technology. “The ones embracing AI are the ones shaping the future. AI won’t take jobs, people who use AI well will.”

    Among the buzzing crowd was Shivani Unnikrishnan, a student at École Intuit Lab, who left the night inspired, “It was our first time, and we learned so much. Meeting creative directors gave us new perspectives and confidence.”

    At the close of the evening, Kareena and Sumit were crowned Mumbai’s All-Stars. They will now represent the city in the global All-Star programme, competing with winners from around the world. A final win could take them to New York City for a week-long, in-person workshop.

    In the end, though, every participant walked away richer, with sharper insights, stronger networks and a renewed sense of creative confidence. Because at Portfolio Night, even rivals agree on one thing: when creativity wins, everyone does.

  • DDB Tribal ropes in Anusheela Saha as new creative head

    DDB Tribal ropes in Anusheela Saha as new creative head

    MUMBAI: Talk about a creative twist in the plot. DDB Tribal has brought on board Anusheela Saha as its new creative head, marking a fresh chapter for the Gurugram-based agency within the DDB Mudra Group.

    Saha moves from FCB India, where she was national creative director, spearheading campaigns that paired emotional resonance with cultural impact. With more than two decades of experience at agencies such as Cheil and FCB, she has built a portfolio spanning Unilever, KFC, Mahindra Automobiles, Uber, Google, Samsung, UN AIDS and the Times of India. Her work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio Awards, Spikes Asia and Kyoorius.

    Notable among her projects is ‘Unbox Me’, which shines a light on gender identity in children and sparks conversations well beyond the advertising world. She marked a personal milestone when she stepped into her FCB role as a new mother.

    Saha will report to DDB Mudra Group, chief creative officer, Rahul Mathew, taking over from Iraj Fraz who transitions into a new role within the company.

    “Over the last few years, we’ve seen DDB Tribal grow stronger and more confident,” Mathew said. “Anusheela will help take this growth into its next phase. She shares many of the values we hold dear, especially when it comes to big ideas and craft.”

    Saha added, “For me DDB is the perfect alignment of culture, creative vision and leadership. I look forward to partnering with Rahul, Ashutosh and the team to take this legacy forward.”

  • BBH beefs up brainpower with new EVPs and creative leadership boosts

    BBH beefs up brainpower with new EVPs and creative leadership boosts

    MUMBAI: BBH India is turning up the creative volume and the leadership dial. The Publicis Groupe agency has strengthened its senior bench with the appointment of Delon Mascarenhas and Mitushi Sharma as executive vice presidents, while also elevating Ashwin Palkar and Nisheeth Srivastava to senior executive creative directors.

    The shake-up comes as BBH India enjoys a hot streak: fresh business wins, deeper partnerships, and international recognition, including a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions 2025 for its cheeky “Bassi Vs Garnier Men’s Facewash” campaign. It also bagged the No. 3 spot in India on the MMA Smarties Business Impact Index 2024 underlining its momentum.

    Mascarenhas, who re-joins BBH, brings more than 25 years of experience spanning brand strategy, content, and digital marketing. His career highlights include senior stints at DDB Mudra Group, Edelman India, Havas Life, and Tring, working with marquee brands like McDonald’s, HUL, Red Bull, Meesho, Dream11, and Abbott.

    Sharma comes in with over 23 years of advertising chops, most recently at FCB Interface, and a portfolio covering categories from FMCG to pharma. She has shaped strategies for global and Indian heavyweights including Nivea, Whirlpool, Mahindra, Torrent Pharma, and has played a pivotal role in managing Unilever brands such as Lakme, Domex, and Ayush.

    Ashwin Palkar and Nisheeth Srivastava’s elevation signals BBH’s push for creative firepower and talent development. Both will continue reporting to chief creative officer Parikshit Bhattacharya.

    Commenting on the appointments BBH India MD and COO Himanshu Saxena said: “With Delon and Mitushi, we’re doubling down on our belief in creativity that delivers full-funnel marketing effectiveness. This leadership is built to take us into the next growth phase.”

    For Mascarenhas, it’s a homecoming: “I’m excited to re-join BBH India at this pivotal moment. With a strong team and bold vision, the opportunity to shape brands in today’s evolving landscape is immense.”

    Sharma echoed the sentiment: “BBH has always stood out for blending cultural insight, creativity, and strategy. With technology changing consumer mindsets, I look forward to pushing boundaries and fuelling exponential growth.”

    With 2025 already stacked with wins, fresh leadership firepower could ensure BBH India continues to punch above its weight in the global creative ring.
     

  • Flipkart launches ‘InvoiSIS’

    Flipkart launches ‘InvoiSIS’

    MUMBAI: Rakshabandhan has always been a high-activity moment in Indian e-commerce, but over the years, the space has become crowded and undifferentiated. Most brands compete on price, speed, and generic gifting assortments. Flipkart wanted to shift the focus from discounts to what really matters – the bond between siblings.

    The idea was rooted in a simple truth that sisters do a lot for their brothers; things that often go unnoticed or unacknowledged. So this year, Flipkart launched InvoiSIS, the world’s first Rakhi invoice generator. A light-hearted, yet functional tool that lets sisters raise itemised invoices for all the favours they’ve done, from sharing their fancy skincare to saving their brothers from family drama.

    Each favour came with a certified value, calculated in collaboration with finance educator and sister CA Rachana Ranade. Sisters could then attach a Flipkart wishlist that matched their invoice total, turning emotional dues into a real-time, shoppable bill.

    At the centre of the campaign was a microsite, www.invoisis4rakhi.com, designed like an old-school Indian invoice pad in pastel colours. The flow was kept simple and inclusive. To launch it, a fun digital film featuring CA Rachana walked audiences through the idea in her signature lecture style, complete with charts, data, and a direct call to action.

    The campaign conceptualised by the DDB Mudra Group was extended through culturally relevant content, including fictional invoices for iconic sibling duos like Monica & Ross and Aisha & Kabir, meme formats, and influencer engagement, all built for sharing, not scrolling. With minimal media spend and maximum relatability, InvoiSIS encouraged more thoughtful, higher-value gifting across tech, fashion, grooming, and wearables.

    Flipkart VP – growth and marketing, Pratik Shetty said, “Rakhi is an emotionally rich moment, and we saw an opportunity to move beyond transactional gifting. With InvoiSIS, we wanted to create something sisters could truly relate to, something fun and rooted in their everyday reality. It’s not just about the product value, it’s about making that bond feel seen and celebrated.”

    DDB Mudra group creative directors, Gagandeep Bindra and Rahul Arcot added, “How much should you really spend on a Rakhi gift? We figured it should at least match the value of everything sisters do for us. So we teamed up with financial expert Rachana Ranade and put a price on all sisterly favors, letting sisters raise an invoice for what she is owed, and demand a fair gift in return.”

  • Gunjan Arora Mann takes charge as national vertical lead – ET B2B (Spotlight) at Times Internet

    Gunjan Arora Mann takes charge as national vertical lead – ET B2B (Spotlight) at Times Internet

    MUMBAI: Gunjan Arora Mann has stepped into a new role as national vertical lead – ET B2B (Spotlight) at Times Internet, marking a high-profile return to the Times Group. Based in Gurugram, she now spearheads branded content initiatives for The Economic Times’ B2B vertical, with a sharp focus on enterprise-led storytelling and strategic partnerships.

    Prior to this, Arora Mann was region head – branded content (North & East) at moneycontrol.com, where she spent nearly four years driving integrated campaigns and client-first content narratives. Her earlier stint with Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. saw her rise through the ranks across Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram as chief manager and vertical head, managing key sectors including telecom, tech and consumer durables.

    With two decades of experience across marquee agencies such as Mindshare, DDB Mudra Group and Digital Market Asia, Arora Mann is known for her ability to marry editorial flair with commercial agility. She also played pivotal roles in landmark industry events like Ad Asia 2011 and the World Magazine Congress.

    Her new role is set to supercharge ET Spotlight’s position as a content-led engine for India Inc. and beyond.

  • You may not know Bharat Connect, but you trust it with your bills

    You may not know Bharat Connect, but you trust it with your bills

    Mumbai — NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd. (NBBL), the bill payments arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, has rolled out a sharply observed campaign for its flagship platform, Bharat Connect. The line? ‘Aap Humein Jaante Nahi, Par Maante Hain’ — a nod to how millions use the system daily without ever knowing its name.

    Conceptualised by DDB Mudra Group, the campaign focuses on the platform’s omnipresence in everyday digital transactions — from electricity bills and EMIs to insurance and credit card dues — while operating quietly in the background. Bharat Connect is the digital workhorse running through bank apps, fintech interfaces, websites and even assisted channels, powering both recurring and one-time payments with minimal fuss.

    Featuring familiar faces such as Puneet Issar, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sharib Hashmi, Chandan Roy and Gopal Datt, the films unfold through everyday scenarios — slice-of-life moments where the real star is seamless, secure and trustworthy digital infrastructure.

    The campaign, which goes live across eleven Indian languages, will hit television, digital, print, radio and out-of-home touchpoints in a full-bodied media blitz. It’s as much about emotional connection as it is about tech prowess.

    Speaking about this campaign, NBBL MD & CEO Noopur Chaturvedi said, “Bharat Connect stands as a trusted and inclusive digital infrastructure for bill payments that touches the lives of millions every single day. With this campaign, we aim to make our purpose visible and assure every Indian of ease, safety, and reliability when managing their essential payments. Through relatable instances in this campaign, we aim to reaffirm Bharat Connect’s role in enabling India’s digital future.”

    “The insight driving this campaign stemmed from a simple truth: while Bharat Connect powers millions of daily bill payments, its name remains unfamiliar to most. This gap between utility and awareness became the foundation of our narrative — highlighting how a trusted service can be deeply embedded in people’s lives, yet remain invisible,” said DDB Mudra Group Group creative directors Gagandeep Bindra & Rahul Arcot.

    With this move, NBBL hopes to bring Bharat Connect out of the shadows and into public consciousness — not by rebranding, but by reminding users that trust is often built silently, swipe by swipe.

  • Boom’s the word as Bumrah brings bubble swag back with Boomer gum

    Boom’s the word as Bumrah brings bubble swag back with Boomer gum

    MUMBAI: Blowing bubbles has never looked this badass. Mars Wrigley India’s Boomer is stepping up to the crease with a bold new campaign featuring pace ace Jasprit Bumrah and it’s all about popping confidence. In an era of filters and fitting in, Boomer wants Gen Z to know that sometimes all it takes to own the moment is a bit of gum and a whole lot of swag.

    Set against the backdrop of a high-energy cricket match, the TVC captures a charged moment where fans begin booing Bumrah as he fields at the boundary. Cool as ever, he pops in a Boomer, blows a bubble and just like that, the jeers turn into roars of admiration: “BOOOOOOO-MRAHH… BUMRAH!” The gum doesn’t just freshen up, it flips the script.

    “Boomer has always been at the forefront of India’s gum culture,” said Mars Wrigley chief marketing officer Nikhil Rao. “We’ve made bubble-blowing cool for generations. Now we’re reclaiming that swagger for Gen Z.”

    The campaign comes hot on the heels of the launch of Boomer Lollipops in Strawberry, Orange, and Watermelon, a flavourful twist that shows the brand isn’t afraid to venture beyond gum, as long as the fun stays intact.

    DDB Mudra Group CCO Rahul Mathew added, “Boomer is an iconic brand with an iconic chant. This was our chance to give both a new edge and who better to bring that than Bumrah? Or should I say Boom-rah.”

    With a playful punch of attitude and a bubble of nostalgia, Boomer’s latest move proves the brand still knows how to make noise in all the right ways.

  • Meta AI taps desi curiosity with DDB Mudra’s ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ nudge

    Meta AI taps desi curiosity with DDB Mudra’s ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ nudge

    MUMBAI: Not your average tech launch, Meta’s new AI tool just dropped in India with a desi twist, thanks to DDB Mudra’s latest campaign that turns into a lazy-day question—’Aaj kya karoge?‘—into a call to dream bigger.

    Meta AI, now seamlessly baked into WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, is being pitched not as a cold, complex tool but as a warm, witty sidekick that helps elevate the everyday. The campaign tackles a key perception problem head-on: that AI is all brains, no soul.

    Enter six short films, each telling a hyper-local, delightfully ordinary story—from different cities and age groups—that flips the mundane into the magical with a little help from Meta AI. From unlocking creative hobbies to simply streamlining chaos, the message is clear: this isn’t AI for coders, it’s for chai-sippers and chat-typers alike.

    The blitz didn’t stop at screens. Contextual billboards in Delhi and Lucknow spoke in local dialects, while YouTube ads served up prompts mid-search, making the experience feel uncannily personal. Throw in a dozen influencers across cities, each giving Meta AI their own local flavour, and the result is a campaign that doesn’t feel like a launch—it feels like life.

    DDB Mudra creative director Mahima Mathur, talking about the creative process and the approach to the campaign, said, “We didn’t want to introduce Meta AI with the usual fanfare. We wanted India to find it in its own way – in places we already live and love. In a WhatsApp chat. While scrolling through Facebook. In an Instagram group. ‘Aaj kya karoge?’ isn’t just a line. It’s a friendly nudge. An invitation to think a little bigger, try something new, and let Meta AI make it all a little easier, one day at a time.”

    With this effort, Meta positions its AI not as an upgrade—but as an invitation. One that turns routine into play, and every scroll into possibility.

  • Amoli Hindlekar leaps from Network18 to Omnicom, set to lead PR

    Amoli Hindlekar leaps from Network18 to Omnicom, set to lead PR

    MUMBAI: Corp com whiz  Amoli Hindlekar, has traded her Network18 perch for a sparkling new role as PR lead at Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG). After a “memorable stint” at Network18, where she spent two years and seven months shaping narratives, Hindlekar is now poised to bring her A-game to OAG, promising “storytelling, strategy, [and] impact.”

    It seems the ink is barely dry on her Network18 chapter, which concluded in June 2025. Before that, Hindlekar flexed her communication muscles at DDB Mudra Group for two years and nine months as corporate communications manager, following a nearly three-year tenure as associate manager- corporate communications at Dentsu Aegis Network India. Her career kicked off with a public relations executive gig at Fountainhead Mkting giving her a well-rounded foundation in the world of spin.

    Hindlekar’s move to OAG signals a fresh wave of “bold ideas and meaningful work” from an industry veteran who clearly knows how to make headlines – and now, how to get others to make them too. Omnicom will no doubt be pleased as punch to have snapped up such a seasoned pro.