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Tag: Nikhil Rao

  • 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.

  • Detective Dotson cracks the big screen case at Animela 2025

    Detective Dotson cracks the big screen case at Animela 2025

    MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness a thrilling cinematic investigation as Detective Dotson: The Movie, the animated companion to the highly anticipated cosy mystery game Detective Dotson makes its grand premiere at AniMela 2025. Marking a first-of-its-kind moment, the film will be the inaugural video game adaptation to be showcased at India’s International Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics & XR Festival.

    The screening is set for March 8, 2025, at 6 pm at P.C. Saxena Lecture Theatre, IDC, IIT Mumbai campus. Following the premiere, Masala Games’ CEO and co-founder, Shalin Shodhan, will take centre stage for an exclusive Q&A session, offering insights into the game’s world and its transition into film.

    Crafted in Unreal Engine 5, Detective Dotson: The Movie takes audiences deep into the gripping tale of Dotson, an amateur detective grappling with personal loss while uncovering a sinister corporate conspiracy, a mysterious assassin, and a hidden family truth. As chaos unfolds amidst a high-stakes cricket match, Dotson must piece together clues before catastrophe strikes.

    Bringing a fresh visual identity, the film blends stylised 2D-meets-3D animation, mirroring the game’s modern Indian aesthetic. The experience is further enriched by an evocative original soundtrack created in collaboration with Nikhil Rao of Indian Ocean, pioneers of Indian rock.

    “This film offers an in-depth look into Detective Dotson’s world, setting the stage for the game’s official launch on April 3,” said Shodhan. “AniMela is the perfect platform to debut this project, celebrating the confluence of gaming and cinema.”

    AniMela’s artistic director, Anne Doshi stated, “We are thrilled to feature Detective Dotson: The Movie as the first-ever game-to-movie adaptation at the festival. It exemplifies the kind of passion projects that showcase India’s growing influence in the gaming and animation industry.”

    The film serves as a prequel to Detective Dotson, the mystery-adventure game that picks up where the movie leaves off. Set in a vividly realised contemporary India, the game puts players in the role of Dotson, challenging them to solve puzzles, crack cases, and uncover the hidden truths lurking beneath the surface.

    As AniMela 2025 returns to Mumbai for its second year from 7-9 March at IDC, IIT Bombay, Detective Dotson: The Movie promises to be a standout feature, merging gripping storytelling with cutting-edge animation and gaming. Whether you’re a film buff, a gaming enthusiast, or a mystery lover, Dotson’s world is one you won’t want to miss.

  • Mars Wrigley India appoints Nikhil Rao as chief marketing officer

    Mars Wrigley India appoints Nikhil Rao as chief marketing officer

    Mumbai: Mars Wrigley India, the chocolate and confectionary segment of Mars Incorporated in India, announced the appointment of Nikhil Rao as its new chief marketing officer (CMO).

    In this key leadership position, Nikhil will steer the marketing vision, spearhead strategic initiatives, and direct the end-to-end execution of Mars Wrigley’s portfolio strategy in India. He will be based in the Gurgaon corporate office and will report to Mars Wrigley India country general manager Tamer Kadry.

    Announcing the appointment, Mars Wrigley India country general manager Tamer Kadry said, “I am delighted to welcome Nikhil as our Chief Marketing Officer and key member of the India Leadership Team. The India business is on a growth trajectory, and our constant endeavor has been to drive relevance, be consumer-focused and agile. Nikhil will play a pivotal role in ensuring that Mars Wrigley India continues innovating in the face of new and dynamic competition and ever-evolving consumer trends. His wealth of knowledge and experience will be instrumental in shaping and executing our long-term growth plans for India. He will contribute significantly to enhancing experiences with our iconic brands, much loved by our customers and consumers.”

    Incoming Mars Wrigley India CMO Nikhil Rao commented, “I am excited to join Mars, a global leader in snacking, food, and petcare products and services, strongly driven by a powerful purpose – ‘The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today’ and founded on the Five Principles of Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom. Mars Wrigley India is one of the fastest-growing business units for Mars, presenting an immense opportunity to shape the strategy further and drive the iconic brands and their execution to best-in-class levels. Mars has a unique, cohesive, and vibrant culture. I look forward to embarking on this journey with an incredible team of passionate Associates at a time when both Mars and India are poised for the next phase of growth.”

    Nikhil joins Mars Wrigley India from Mondelez where he was the vice president – marketing for Mondelez Southeast Asia (SEA). With a career spanning nearly 25 years, Nikhil has successfully traversed Global, Regional, and Local BU roles in Sales and Marketing during his tenure across Cadbury/Kraft/Mondelez.

    Nikhil is an alumnus of IIT, Madras, and IIM, Calcutta.

  • Disney+ Hotstar releases new ad for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

    Disney+ Hotstar releases new ad for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

    Mumbai: As we inch closer to the beginning of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the excitement is at an all-time high. Disney+ Hotstar, the official streaming partner for the tournament, released a new ad film as a part of their #FreeLoThodaJeeLo campaign. Starring Abhishek Banerjee and Jameel Khan, the film captures the anticipation for the upcoming tournament and highlights its ‘free on mobile’ offering this year along with free first-class entertainment such as Freddy, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva and many others.

    Conceptualized by the internal Disney+ Hotstar team and directed by Nikhil Rao, the latest ad film is an unusual and striking play on the importance of prioritizing one’s own needs alongside those of one’s family. In the video, a man is denied entry into heaven because, in an effort to ensure the comfort of his wife, son, and mother, he forgets to enjoy the pleasures of life like cricket and entertainment, made even easier through Disney+ Hotstar’s free offerings.

    Team India begins their Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign on 8 October 2023, with an epic showdown against Australia at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium. The hosts will then lock horns with Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The anticipation builds as India’s path leads them to a highly anticipated clash with arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium on 14 October, adding another thrilling chapter to the ‘Greatest Rivalry’.”

     

     

    Catch every exhilarating moment of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 live and free on mobile on Disney+ Hotstar. The tournament will also broadcast LIVE on the Star Sports Network.

  • Voonik launches maiden TVC featuring Farah Khan

    Voonik launches maiden TVC featuring Farah Khan

    NEW DELHI: Indian fashion marketplace for women Voonik has unveiled its first television ad campaign featuring Bollywood director Farah Khan.

     

    The TVC promotes the idea that every day is an occasion to be fashionable.

     

    This concept is highlighted with the campaign tagline, “Har Din Fashion Karo.” Mullen Lintas was the agency behind the ad campaign and the film has been produced by Jamic Films with Nikhil Rao as the director. 

     

    The ad will go on air across leading TV entertainment and lifestyle channels from 10 January onwards. It will first air on 10 January at 8 pm on Colors & Colors HD during the screening of the Stardust Awards 2016, which is co-hosted by Farah Khan. 

        

    Voonik CEO and co-founder Sujayath Ali said, “Through this TVC, we aim to engage with ‘real women’ between the ages of 21 and 35 who desire to be fashionable but often make an effort only on special occasions. For too long, fashion has been the preserve of a few and the real woman was never part of that movement. Voonik changes that by giving them easy access to the largest collection of women’s fashion with over 15 lakh products, by showing them an insanely relevant shopping feed through an intelligent engine that understands their personality, tastes, lifestyle and budgets and through a fabulous shopping experience that is enjoyable and engaging.”

        

    The TVC film uses Bollywood thematic elements by showcasing women in every day scenarios like shopping in a vegetable market, picking up a bike in the garage and going to office. They are shot in typical Bollywood style with a focus on their clothing and attitude. Khan further reinstates the core message by saying, “Zindagi ek film set hai; imagine karo. Jahan mauka mile; fashion karo.” (Imagine that your life is a Bollywood film set; be fashionable each day!).

     

    Speaking on the ad film, Mullen Lintas national creative director Shriram Iyer said, “Voonik wanted us to create a very simple yet appealing film that would hit a chord with its female customer base. Our idea is based on the insight that every woman has an innate desire to dress up and look good, no matter what the occasion. Sometimes, we just get too caught up in conventions. This campaign encourages women to seize every opportunity to celebrate her beauty. The TVC aims to encapsulate this message and create a deeper connect with the women audience through the use of Bollywood-centric elements. Farah Khan fits in with this concept perfectly through her strong association with all things filmy and the glamour quotient associated with her brand of cinema.”

     

    Voonik has also appointed Lodestar UM, part of IPG Media brands, India to lead its media mandate in the country. “We chose Lodestar after a multi-agency pitch because of its excellent approach to segmenting and targeting the women audience, buying efficiencies and flexibility. We felt they are the best match to drive our ROI focus to customer acquisition,” said Ali.

     

    Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias added, “We are excited to deliver a differentiated solution to Voonik. It is a pleasure to be associated with a company, which is young and growing immensely. We will leave no stones unturned to make this campaign a success across critical media touch points.”

     

    To celebrate this concept on a wider platform, Voonik is launching this campaign digitally with its hash tag “#HarDinFashionKaro”.

     

     

  • Myntra.com urges people to shop online

    Myntra.com urges people to shop online

    NEW DELHI: In the last few years, online shopping has become big. It has been a blessing in disguise for people in the small town India who got an access to many brands which were almost unreachable for them earlier. With its new television campaign titled “Ayega, Ghar Baithe Payega”, ecommerce portal for fashion and lifestyle brands Myntra.com is stressing on the convenience that online shopping gives. The theme of the campaign is “Real Life Mein Aisa Hota Hai Kya”.

    The commercial was first launched on Myntra.com’s social media platforms Youtube and Facebook before being aired across major TV channels starting 30 November.

    The TVC establishes Myntra.com as the online fashion destination and positions it as one of the country’s most comprehensive online fashion stores. Demystifying the inbuilt inertias of shopping online, Myntra.com’s latest ad gives an innovative treatment to educate and captivate the audience on the perks of online shopping over offline.

    The ad showcases a mammoth parcel being carried across crowded streets by a large number of Myntra delivery boys. The parcel gets ferried across the river, over the bridge and through tiny lanes to reach its final destination. The parcel upon arrival unveils the numerous fashion apparel and accessory options that Myntra.com offers its customers, reiterating its position as the one-stop-shop for fashion. The catchy background score picks pace through the journey and conveys advantages of shopping with Myntra.com in a simple, realistic manner.

    Shot in Panjim, Goa, the film was directed by Nikhil Rao and produced by Jamic Films. The campaign was conceptualised by Agnello Dias from Taproot Agency.