MUMBAI: Cipla Health has rolled out a zippy new campaign for its flagship antiseptic brand ‘Cipladine’, casting veteran actress Neena Gupta as the face of its ‘Fast Aid Expert’ proposition. The campaign swaps predictable first-aid messaging for a punchy, pacey narrative built around speed, sass, and sharp relief.
Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and directed by national award-winner Vivek Dubey, the campaign features Gupta as a no-nonsense boss who always stays a step ahead—mirroring Cipladine’s fast-acting formula. With Shashie Verma playing her perpetually behind-the-curve assistant, the film delivers both healing and humour in equal measure.
Gupta shared her excitement about the association, saying, “As someone who believes in tackling life head-on, I love the idea of being associated with a product that does the same. Cipladine is quick, reliable, and versatile, it reminds me of the kind of roles I enjoy doing. Being a part of this campaign was a delightful experience.”
Sharing his thoughts, MullenLowe Global Group CEO – India & Chief Strategy Officer – APAC, Subramanyeswar S. said, “Cipladine has long held the leadership position in its category, but true leadership lies not in maintaining the status quo, it lies in continuously raising the bar. We asked ourselves: how can a leader lead even more distinctively? The answer emerged in a powerful insight – speed – a critical need in first aid. That’s when we reimagined Cipladine not just as a product, but as a solution—a Fastaid expert in the world of FIRSTAID solutions.”
Lowe Lintas president (Creative) Sarvesh Raikar added, “The category of first aid solutions has been quite predictable in its problem-solution communication approach. We needed to break the clutter with a fresh tone of voice. The idea of an ultra-efficient boss and her quests to set things right without wasting time served as a perfect backdrop to launch our refreshed brand idea – to move from ‘FIRST-AID to ‘Fast-Aid’ Expert. The chronicles of Neena Gupta and her secretary Sashi Verma, directed by the national-award winning director Vivek Dubey, effortlessly bring alive our new narrative of speed, while also bringing a smile on the viewers faces.”
Launched across TV, digital, print, OOH and trade touchpoints, the campaign marks a bold shift in tone for the first-aid aisle—where speed now gets top billing.
Mumbai: In India, cricket is more than a sport; it’s a cultural phenomenon that unites generations across all demographics. Embracing this passion, Britannia 50-50 announces two quirky campaigns, including Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and a new TVC film for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. These initiatives feature cricketing icon and former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who has been associated with Britannia for the past two years.
Britannia 50-50 kicked off the season with a new TVC with Ravi Shastri in a dual avatar for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. Conceptualized by Lowe Lintas, the TVC captures the essence of the cracker by showcasing Ravi Shastri in a playful dual persona, conversing with doves. As he experiences the sweet and salty sides of the biscuit, his interactions with the doves mirror the distinct flavours. His persona softens when he experiences the sweetness, but his response takes a witty and playful turn when he encounters the salty crunch. Through this campaign, Britannia 50-50 delivers a perfect blend of sweet and salty sensations that cater to the discerning tastes of today’s snack enthusiasts.
Britannia takes it a notch further by introducing an initiative in partnership with Mindshare India, seamlessly integrating AI technology. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers an innovative way for users to interact with Ravi Shastri during the ongoing cricket season and receive Golmaal advice. Building on last year’s chatbot, Chatbot 2.0 initiative now includes a new AR feature, presenting an animated Shastri avatar that answers “Golmaal” questions with unexpected humor, keeping fans entertained regardless of the game’s outcome. This innovative addition activates the user’s rear camera, projecting a digital avatar of Ravi Shastri onto their screen, allowing users to ask questions directly, thus making the interaction smooth and engaging.
Teams involved in development have delicately crafted and trained this digital avatar of Ravi Shastri, and have humanised it further by mapping the face details, adding mocap to match mannerisms and training the voice using multiple LLM’s. Physical appearance aside, even the personality, way of speaking, and words used have been created to emulate his mannerisms. The chatbot seamlessly combines the best nest of new technology – AR engines of 8th Wall, Conversational AI technology of InWorld, Gen AI voice technology of Eleven labs and Xtendr’s proprietary tech layer to take engagement and experience to the next dimension of “real-time two-way conversations in both voice and text formats.
That’s not all, users can also win* exciting Golmaal cricket hampers and match tickets to Australia by recording and sharing their best Golmaal conversations with Ravi Shastri on Instagram or Facebook, tagging the handle @britanniasnackInc.
“We are thrilled to launch two exciting initiatives that perfectly capture the spirit of Britannia 50-50 and our deep connection with cricket. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and our Sweet and Salty campaign, both featuring Ravi Shastri represent our commitment to exploring new horizons and delivering unique experiences to our consumers. With the cricket fever gripping the nation, these campaigns are exciting and unpredictable, much like the sport itself. Ravi Shastri perfectly embodies the essence of Britannia 50-50, and we are confident that both campaigns will resonate deeply with cricket fans and snack enthusiasts alike.” – Britannia Industries CMO Amit Doshi.
Speaking about the campaign, Ravi Shastri said, “Partnering with Britannia 50-50 has been an absolute delight. As someone who is deeply connected to cricket, I appreciate the passion and excitement that Britannia brings to the game through its innovative campaigns. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers fans a unique, interactive way to engage with me, while the Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty mirrors the dynamic nature of the sport. Britannia is doing fantastic work in connecting with cricket lovers and snack enthusiasts across the country, and I am thrilled to be a part of this journey.”
Ravi Shastri first brought his distinctive charm to the iconic Britannia 50-50 Maska Chaska TVC in 2022, where he perfectly depicted the desi and videsi styles of watching cricket and the emotions evoked by the flavors in Britannia Maska Chaska. Additionally, Shastri was featured in five humorous films for Britannia 50-50 Golmaal, where a player approaches him for guidance in each film. In response, in his inimitable style, Shastri imparts the ultimate strategy of “Golmaal.” His dynamic persona perfectly matches Britannia 50-50’s spirit, celebrating the brand’s long-standing association with cricket.
“Britannia 50-50, Cricket and Ravi Shastri are such powerful ingredients that you have to craft the right balance, or one can easily overpower the other two. Also, when you have a long cricketing season you don’t want your ad to be an irritant, instead something people look forward to in the breaks. We feel the Doves and the Guturgoos may have just helped us land these two things right.” – Lowe Lintas India regional creative officer Sarvesh Raikar.
“Generative AI is revolutionizing brand experiences, creating deeper connections with audiences and becoming a cornerstone of our marketing initiatives. By integrating AI with cutting-edge technologies like AR avatars, Mindshare is pioneering experiences that are not just industry firsts, but world firsts. Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri exemplifies this innovation, offering a sustained, evolving property that continuously delights consumers with fresh and engaging interactions. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring that each encounter with our brand is memorable and impactful.” – Mindshare, South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani.
“At Xtendr our mission has always been to augment human vision using spatial computing & AI. We have been blending technology, design and human imagination to make objects talk and narrate brand stories in an immersive manner. This partnership with Britannia and the team at Mindshare had us take branded content conversations to the next level of engagement – creating something that has never been done before. We made brand storytelling real-time & immersive about the moments that matter the most.” – Xtendr founder and CEO Anurag Sachdeva.
Steps to chat with Ravi avatar:
1 Click on the link: https://www.5050cricket.in/ 2 Verify your details 3 Ask or Type your cricketing queries to Ravi 4 Get live Golmaal responses from Ravi’s AR avatar 5 Record and share your Golmaal conversation with Ravi on Instagram or Facebook tagging @britanniasnackinc 6 Stand a chance to win* a trip to Australia to watch a match or exciting Golmaal cricket hampers *T&C applied
MUMBAI: Scarecrow Communications has been appointed as the creative agency to handle three of the fashion world’s most renowned brands – Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden and Quiksilver – as they foray to scorch up the Indian fashion scene.
The accounts were awarded to Scarecrow without any pitch process. All three brands have entered India through a joint venture with Reliance Brands, a source from Reliance brands confirmed.
Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt is thrilled to add some glam quotient to the agency’s clientele. “What makes this triple acquisition really exciting is the fact that while all three brands are iconic, each has a unique tone of voice. They all have done some really brave, clutter-breaking work, globally. It’s indeed a privilege to work on brands with such great legacy.”
Steve Madden and Kenneth Cole marketing head Kavita Khiara added “Increasingly fashion consumers expect from the brands that they adorn the same tonality that is the signature to its clothing and accessories ; bringing in a freshness and yet carrying forward the soul of the brand is a communication challenge that we see the team at Scarecrow well adept at handling.”
Scarecrow Communication senior creative director Sarvesh Raikar said, “Fashion advertising has really evolved, globally. We have seen apparel catalogues sold as music albums! Not just ATL and digital, but even retail and promo-led communication offers huge scope for innovations today. Our young, tech-savvy and highly talented team makes us believe these brands are right up our alley!”
The agency has won numerous awards and recognitions in a short span. The latest being named as the Agency of the Year at Mirchi Kaan Awards, that was held on 17 April, 2014, where many of the country’s big agencies were also contenders.
