ITV

Tag: Prakash Varma

  • British Airways launches ‘Family in the Skies’ campaign

    British Airways launches ‘Family in the Skies’ campaign

    Mumbai: British Airways has launched a new TV advert and brand campaign, ‘Family in the Skies’, made for the Indian market and featuring India-based colleagues. Celebrating 100 years of flights between India and the UK, the campaign emphasizes the airline’s commitment to service through its people.

    The advert, developed by UK-based agency Uncommon Creative Studio and its Indian network, Uncommon Minds, showcases 25 colleagues, with an additional 78 appearing in the out of home campaign. Indian and British creative directors Tushar Menon and Kate Lloyd collaborated on the campaign, incorporating insights from Indian consumers and British Airways staff. The campaign, British Airways’ first in India since 2016, involves noted Indian creatives:

    ●    Filmmaker Prakash Varma directed the film 
    ●    Casting director Romil Modi selected the colleagues 
    ●    Acting coach Chandan Kumar prepared the team 
    ●    Photographer Avani Rai captured images for the campaign

    The two-minute film follows a young woman traveling to the UK. When her van breaks down en route to the airport, a British Airways bus arrives, and crew members invite her and her family on board, turning a stressful moment into a warm farewell. At the airport, she says goodbye to her family and continues her journey with British Airways’ support. This story underscores the airline’s dedication to customer care.

    British Airways chief customer officer Calum Laming stated: “We are so proud to have more than 2,500 Indian-based colleagues – making India our largest colleague base outside of the UK – and we are proud that more than 100 of them feature in this campaign. It showcases the huge amount of talent we are so lucky to have within our British Airways family and we could not be more thrilled to show this on a national scale in India. Not only does the campaign tell a story, but it shows who we really are.”

    The advert launches across India on 1 November, with versions in the UK, US, and Canada on cinema, YouTube, and social media. The out of home campaign begins 9 November, running in the five Indian cities British Airways serves: Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. The airline operates over 50 flights per week to the UK, increasing to 60-plus in Summer 2025 with an additional daily service from Delhi.

  • Piramal Finance launches its campaign’s second phase

    Piramal Finance launches its campaign’s second phase

    Mumbai: Piramal Enterprises’ subsidiary Piramal Capital & Housing Finance has announced the launch of the second phase of its campaign ‘Hum Kaagaz Se Zyada Neeyat Dekhte Hai’. This initiative aims to empower underserved customers in Bharat by providing access to formal credit. Building on insights from the initial campaign, the new campaign celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of customers, showcasing Piramal Finance’s scaled model to bring credit to the unserved customers of Bharat.

    The campaign showcases two individuals, a rickshaw driver and a sugarcane juice vendor, who demonstrate entrepreneurship, progress, and honesty. The rickshaw driver pauses his meter at a gas station to avoid overcharging, while the juice vendor serves a full quantity without adding ice. Both highlight their challenges as unserved individuals. Piramal Finance steps in, empowering customers to approach them confidently as long as they have a thriving business or employment and good intent.

    With the tagline “Aaiye Baat Karte Hain,” the campaign invites underserved customers to connect with Piramal Finance and encourages them to explore their financial options without hesitation.  The ads will be available in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.

    Piramal Capital & Housing Finance MD Jairam Sridharan said, “The second phase of our campaign reinforces our unwavering commitment to serve the underserved and unserved segments, focusing on individuals who demonstrate clear intent and potential. The response to our inaugural campaign was phenomenal, evident in our consistent growth. This new initiative takes our efforts a step further in the customer journey, addressing the unique challenges faced by those who perceive themselves as credit unworthy. We aim to change that narrative, reinforcing our role as an integral part of our customers’ journeys and their moments of connection with our brand. As we expand our products and solutions portfolio, branch network, and deepen our presence in non-metro markets, we remain focused on driving economic progress and unlocking value for our customers.”

    Piramal Capital & Housing Finance head of marketing Arvind Iyer said, “‘Aaiye Baat Karte Hain’ is an open gesture inviting customers advancing in their lives to discuss their financial aspirations with us. We aim to help them navigate their journey towards accessing financial resources. This new campaign represents the next phase in the evolution of Piramal Finance’s brand promise of ‘Hum Kaagaz Se Zyada Neeyat Dekhte Hai.’ We remain committed as a lender to creating a more inclusive financial ecosystem for underserved individuals across India. We aim to reassure potential customers that we assess their needs fairly and transparently, fostering relationships built on the foundation of trust and support.”

    The Womb’s planner and founding partner Kawal Shoor said, “Achchi Neeyat was a clarion call we conceived for Piramal Finance last year. Early success and research showed that, in Piramal Finance, the underserved now saw someone who really was for them. Now was the time to extend a hand further and actively invite them in with ‘Aaiye Baat Karte Hain’. Market studies had shown that budget Bharat have been rebuffed for too long by the organised loans industry, and they’re used to hearing ‘no’ all too often. With ‘Aaiye Baat Karte Hain’ we want to make the ‘Neeyat’ proposition come alive even more compellingly, as also to make them feel valued, and included.”

    The campaign will be promoted across TV, social media, digital news publishers, and the company’s digital assets and branches.

  • Saregama Caravan asks to ditch the ‘Shor’ this Diwali

    Saregama Caravan asks to ditch the ‘Shor’ this Diwali

    MUMBAI: Diwali is many things to us. Homecomings, get-togethers, celebrations, gifts, lights, sweets, and shared joy.

    Diwali advertising over the years has been high decibel and mostly about deals. Synthetic families wearing silk garments and plastic smiles are seen in almost every Diwali ad. You do get a campaign here and there that tugs at the heart through emotional stories. But rarely has any brand brought in a point of view to our way of celebrating India’s biggest festival that resonates.

    In comes Saregama Carvaan, the new music player with 5000 of the choicest classic Bollywood songs pre-loaded that has taken India by a mini-storm. A small brand with big ambitions, Carvaan doesn’t have millions to spend like other mega brands, so instead has chosen to integrate its message with a point-of-view on the way we celebrate Diwali.

    Saregama India VP sales and marketing Ajit Kumar says, “Diwali is the gifting season of India and Carvaan is a perfect gift which young people can give to their parents and elders during this season. Our brief to The Womb team was to create an ad which is clutter breaking and have the essence of huge nostalgia which the product carries.”

    The Womb co-founder Kawal Shoor adds, “Carvaan’s primary audiences are young, working sons and daughters – to buy Carvaan for their parents and elders. And the modern young workforce in India has a progressive mindset, unconstrained by the baggage of the past. To appeal to the young, Carvaan needed a young, progressive point-of-view. ‘Shor ya sangeet’ is our attempt to suggest that there can be a more meaningful way to connect with the young other than using yo-kids, high-fives, and all the stereotypes marketing uses to make brands youthful.”

    Nirvana Films Director Prakash Varma mentions, “Carvaan is a special product, and this one is a special film. To make a simple film is rare. I am blessed to have this opportunity. The idea is sensitive, but effective. And the choice of the dog makes it even more special, as ‘indies’ are truly beautiful, and need to be celebrated. A special thanks to Navin, Kawal, Akshat and Heval at The Womb. And none of this would be possible unless creative leaders like Vikram Mehra see the beauty in a simple, effective message.”

  • Bajaj V campaign calls for Indians to celebrate national pride every day

    Bajaj V campaign calls for Indians to celebrate national pride every day

    MUMBAI: Be proud to be Indian, every day. Bajaj Auto has released a new brand film for V – the bike that contains the metal of the legendary warship INS Vikrant. The film raises an important question about why national pride is restricted to select occasions of national significance such as the Independence Day or Republic Day, and forgotten the next morning. Also, the new film features the fresh navy blue color of Bajaj V recently introduced through the new campaign.

    The film aims to inspire people to cherish India’s rich and glorious history and feel a sense of pride every single day of the year. In what is probably the first time ever in Indian advertising, the story is narrated from the point of view of a real life war hero. Rear Admiral S. K. Gupta, a Mahavir Chakra awardee who served aboard the INS Vikrant in the 1971 war, features in the film and talks about how the Bajaj V now allows us to experience our pride every day.

    Bajaj V, launched on the Republic Day earlier this year, created quite a stir in the market, with its first campaign – clearly establishing their distinct positioning of being made of pride.

    Bajaj Auto motorcycles marketing VP Sumeet Narang said, “With the V, we are not just selling motorcycles but celebrating the pride of the nation. Consumers are also playing back this feeling of pride. The new campaign takes the proposition forward and talks about how the V helps you experience pride every day, and not just on select occasions of national significance.”

    Leo Burnett CCO Rajdeepak Das said, “This is the harsh reality of our country. While we all see ourselves as proud Indians, we are quite happy just expressing them in occasions. Like beating a key rival in cricket, winning the World Cup, medals at Olympic games, and the two national days.” The film has been directed by Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films.

  • Bajaj V campaign calls for Indians to celebrate national pride every day

    Bajaj V campaign calls for Indians to celebrate national pride every day

    MUMBAI: Be proud to be Indian, every day. Bajaj Auto has released a new brand film for V – the bike that contains the metal of the legendary warship INS Vikrant. The film raises an important question about why national pride is restricted to select occasions of national significance such as the Independence Day or Republic Day, and forgotten the next morning. Also, the new film features the fresh navy blue color of Bajaj V recently introduced through the new campaign.

    The film aims to inspire people to cherish India’s rich and glorious history and feel a sense of pride every single day of the year. In what is probably the first time ever in Indian advertising, the story is narrated from the point of view of a real life war hero. Rear Admiral S. K. Gupta, a Mahavir Chakra awardee who served aboard the INS Vikrant in the 1971 war, features in the film and talks about how the Bajaj V now allows us to experience our pride every day.

    Bajaj V, launched on the Republic Day earlier this year, created quite a stir in the market, with its first campaign – clearly establishing their distinct positioning of being made of pride.

    Bajaj Auto motorcycles marketing VP Sumeet Narang said, “With the V, we are not just selling motorcycles but celebrating the pride of the nation. Consumers are also playing back this feeling of pride. The new campaign takes the proposition forward and talks about how the V helps you experience pride every day, and not just on select occasions of national significance.”

    Leo Burnett CCO Rajdeepak Das said, “This is the harsh reality of our country. While we all see ourselves as proud Indians, we are quite happy just expressing them in occasions. Like beating a key rival in cricket, winning the World Cup, medals at Olympic games, and the two national days.” The film has been directed by Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films.

  • Azva launches campaign on seven vows

    Azva launches campaign on seven vows

    MUMBAI: Azva, the bridal jewellery collection from World Gold Council, has launched its latest campaign on the idea of seven vows / saat pheras of a wedding ritual.

     

    The insight for the campaign is that Indian marriages and gold go hand-in-hand. The last decade or so has witnessed a sea-change in the way marriages are solemnised in India. When the location, attire, mandap, sangeet and even décor have seen dramatic influences from other cultures and countries, the modern Indian couple was seen as moving forward. But gold bridal jewellery remained stuck in tradition and in the traditional idea of marriage.

     

    The challenge was to bring gold back into modern marriage conversation. The brief given to BBH India was to contemporise gold in the modern marriage context. The campaign aims to contemporise the modern seven vows and in turn builds relate-ability with the modern day couple. The creative idea “every relationship has the magic of seven” is translated in the creatives.

     

    The nationwide roll-out across 46 cities comprises of TVC as the lead medium supported by OOH and ads in leading magazines. There is a strong digital plan engaging the audience on social networking site and promoting the brand across leading online portals.  

     

    The TVC is directed by Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films. Media buying is handled by Maxus