MUMBAI: Aspiring adlanders, polish those portfolios, your big night is here. ‘The One Club for Creativity’ has opened registrations for ‘Portfolio Night 2025’, with Google on board as exclusive global sponsor. In India, the event will be hosted by BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group and TBWA India. Budding creatives can log in online on 6 October or meet in person on 7 October, with entries closing on 3 October.
Billed as the world’s premier speed-dating event for talent and top creative leaders, Portfolio Night gives young hopefuls the chance to showcase work, receive one-to-one feedback, and even spark their advertising careers.
This year, Google is setting the live brief for the Portfolio Night All-Stars competition. Winners will earn a coveted trip to New York in 2026 to present their campaign during The One Club’s creative week.
On the jury are some of the most celebrated names in Indian advertising, including Josy Paul (BBDO India), Kainaz Karmakar (Ogilvy India), Abhijit Awasthi (Sideways Consulting), Russell Barrett (TBWAIndia), Swati Bhattacharya (Lightbox), Rahul Mathew (DDB Mudra), and Ashish Khazanchi (Enormous), alongside a long list of national creative heavyweights.
With humour, hustle and a shot at global glory, Portfolio Night 2025 promises not just feedback, but a foot firmly in the door of advertising’s big league.
Mumbai : Cannot possibly keep calm because that one day of the week that we all eagerly look forward to just got more exciting! Licious, the meat & seafood brand, now ensures your Sundays are a cause for celebration.
Recognising that this is the one day when fursat, farmaishein and family come together, the brand beckons ‘Licious Mangaiye, Sunday Manaiye’.
Order your favourites from the Licious app or website and make it a day to remember, because nothing renders a Sunday more special than a meal of meaty delights with family and loved ones. This invitation to make it a memorable Sunday was strategised and conceptualised in partnership with Sideways Consulting, a creative problem-solving outfit.
This is the first film of the campaign and is directed by acclaimed director Amit Sharma (of Badhaai Ho fame), starring the versatile Gajraj Rao. The film presents a lunch table scenario from a bright Sunday, with family members relishing a great spread of chicken and mutton delicacies, gleefully asking – aap Sunday nahi manate kya?
Telling us more about earmarking your Sundays with Licious, brand Licious, vice president Santosh Hedge said, “Great food with great company is what Licious is all about. And we are humbled to be a part of every special occasion & celebration with our consumers since great food is inherent to every celebration. However, in the wait for these ‘special occasions’ we miss out on the 52 such occasions that are available to us once every week – the coveted Sundays! We all know how important a role ‘Sundays’ play is when it comes to culminating the week with a spread of the choicest meat delicacies, devoured with the entire family. After all, why wait for a special occasion when a hearty lunch with near and dear ones on a Sunday is as special as it can get. This campaign is a reminder to not let Sundays slip by, and the film shows you just how it is done. So, wait no more, get your folks together and fursat, farmaishein and family ke saath Sunday Manaiye!”
Sundays – the days when time seems to deliberately slow down, and when the aroma of your special chicken curry or mutton biryani travels through the house, inducing craving & drool. The film opens on one such Sunday, with a relatable scenario of a Mamaji (played by Gajraj Rao) dropping in since he was in the neighbourhood.
Delighted at the arrival of the unexpected guest, the family invites him to join them at the lunch table. One look at the table laden with an extensive spread of chicken and meat preparations, Mamaji wonders if this delectable celebration is in his honour. He is quick to ask if it’s a birthday or promotion that’s being celebrated. This fun guessing game continues until the woman reveals that it is in fact a celebration of Sunday.
A visibly awkward Mamaji is quick to mask his surprise, and even quicker to join in the celebration as he quips – chalo Sunday manate hai! The film ends on a reminder that there is just that one day in the week when fursat, farmaishein and family come together, and it calls for a special celebration with Licious. And the Licious App or website is all you need. The film will be aired on TV and digital platforms, while the brand would continue to work with Sideways Consulting to extend the campaign platform into more exciting initiatives. So, make the best day of the week even better – milke Sunday Manaiye!
Mumbai: Sleepwell, India’s leading and most trusted mattress brand has adopted a warm-hearted approach in its latest brand campaign to communicate its core philosophy that ‘there is comfort in comforting others.’ The multimedia brand campaign will be launched during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup across various platforms such as TV, digital and retail OOH mediums.
This campaign comes at a time when brands, both offline as well as online, are employing similar technical and product-centric language in their interactions with consumers, posing challenges in distinguishing one brand’s communication from another. Sleepwell’s nationwide campaign has disrupted communication by talking about the emotional well-being and comfort of people, going beyond just product promotion Resonating with the need for deeper connections in today’s fast-paced world, Sleepwell emphasizes that showing concern for or inquiring about someone’s sleep is not just a gesture, but an expression of love and care.
Speaking about the campaign, Sheela Foam Ltd CEO Nilesh Mazumdar said “Sleepwell wants to change how consumers look at the sleep category, beyond just products and its inherent technical language. We want to introduce the human element of emotions and empathy in the conversations and are inviting people to show that empathy by asking ‘Did you sleep well?’ The campaign promoting a culture of care for others will further deepen the bond that people have with the brand Sleepwell and be a crucial element in driving the business growth with equal rejuvenation through innovations and retail.”
Conceptualised by Sideways Consulting, this emotional yet earnest bank of films nudges Indians to show care and compassion for their loved ones by asking a simple yet meaningful question, “Did you sleep well?”, along with their morning greetings. What sets it apart is that the message of this campaign cuts across identities and unites us by promoting a culture of care and concern and fostering emotional bonds that comfort us. Sideways founder Abhijit Avasthi said “I am excited about this really big idea. Not only is it disruptive in a category that lacks marketing imagination and relies heavily on celebrities, but it plants the seed of a much-needed texture of softness and empathy in the fabric of our society. And that too by leveraging the brand name!”
With over 30 years of rich professional experience, Altivyst Advisors founder Vivek Sharma has been roped in as a marketing consultant for Sheela Foam where he is helping shape the marketing strategy and organisation. Vivek Sharma added, “In a category that comes in consumer life once in 8-10 years, sowing the seeds of everyday care and concern through the brand Sleepwell is a fantastic way of building continuous engagement and consideration with people.”
Launched in 1994, Sleepwell is the leading brand of mattress and home comfort products that has held its ground amidst growing competition from online and offline brands and carries immense trust among consumers, retailers, and traders alike. It has a nationwide presence with a robust distribution network of exclusive retail outlets, multi-brand outlets and distributors. The brand always stays up to date on consumer behaviour – right from how they live, to how they sleep and is constantly innovating, with its technological capabilities, to keep up with their evolving needs.
Mumbai: From a small line of homemade masalas to becoming a household name in Maharashtra, Suhana has come a long way. Along with securing their legacy over time, they cracked the knack of understanding nuances of regional palates and catering to the same. Today their portfolio ranges from pure masalas to spice mixes to ready-to-cook and even ready-to-eat ranges.
Suhana now wants to take on the Gujarat spice market with the same spirit. To do so, the brand spent time with well-seasoned cooks to understand the Gujarati palate in-depth and curate specific spice powders.
Suhana thus partnered with Sideways Consulting to conceptualise a campaign to elevate their spice line in Gujarat.
While the entire category plays on taste and colour, Suhana realised that their product was winning at aroma – which gave Sideways a fresh proposition to play with.
The campaign is built around the counter-intuitive insight that – ‘the most well-seasoned cooks rarely judge by taste, but by smell.’ Sideways chose to bring this alive through the humorous lens of a ‘picky daadi’ in a Gujarati household.
Suhana’s relationship with Sideways Consulting is a long-standing one going back to their iconic ‘Mazaa aa gaya” campaigns. The new campaign reflects the same essence of cheeky fun brought to the table.
The film will be released in Gujarati and Hindi across television as well as digital platforms.
No one sniffs out what’s going on in a house like a daadi. It feels like she has a superhuman ability. So, when it came to launching Suhana’s new chilli powder that has a distinct aroma, we saw an opportunity.
Sideways’ newest film attempts to capture this insight in the most hilarious manner possible. Here’s what the team had to say about the campaign.
Pravin Masalewale (Suhana) director – strategy, marketing and finance Vishal Chordia: “We debuted in the Gujarat market back in 2009 and are now elated to further expand our product range. The renewed marketing initiative in Gujarat with a special product range and a multimedia marketing campaign will reinforce our existing legacy, broaden our customer base, and contribute towards our business expansion plans. We are delighted to have partnered up with Sideways Consulting, Altivyst Advisors, and Corcoise Films to bring this vision to life.”
Sideways founder Abhijit Avasthi: “We’ve always done humorous films for Suhana, rooted in real-life insights.
So when it came to launching a chilli powder with a distinct aroma, we thought who better to use than someone who can sniff out everything that goes on in a house… the daadi.”
Nilay Moonje & Sameer Sojwal (creative heads & ECDs, Sideways) had this to say about the campaign: “When it comes to cooking, the daadi is the authority figure in most households. Our campaign uses this insight to land Suhana’s new chilli powder in the most fun way possible.”
MUMBAI: TBWAIndia has appointed Satish Krishnamurthy as chief strategy officer, with immediate effect. He takes over from Subramanian Krishnan, who will be transitioning into a part time consulting role with the agency.
Before joining TBWAIndia, Krishnamurthy was head of strategy at Sideways Consulting based out of Mumbai. Prior to that, he was with telecom major Jio as general manager – brand strategy for close to two years.
TBWAIndia CEO Govind Pandey said, “Satish is a leading strategist in India with global stature and knows how brands drive business growth in these times. We are delighted to have him on board as the agency is transforming and further evolving its operating system to DisruptionX. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Subu for his commitment and passion to drive our businesses forward and are delighted we will continue to benefit from his experience as he continues with the agency as a consultant and mentor.”
“Consumers don’t break down online and offline separately, it’s all an integrated experience for them. We have to create strategy to consider all moments of truth where consumer friction exists. If we build for the entire experience, we can deliver disproportionate outcomes for the clients. I’m looking forward to returning to TBWA, their methodology and philosophy of disruption is something I’ve valued since I first joined the Collective in NY in 2005," Krishnamurthy added.
