MAM
The MMA announces ‘The Smarties India 2016’ jury & awards shortlist
MUMBAI: Celebrating the teams and talent who are leveraging the power of mobile to create innovative and effective marketing campaigns, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), today announced the jury and awards shortlist for the 2016 edition of the MMA India SMARTIES™ Awards.
The SMARTIES™ is the world’s only global mobile marketing awards program that honours innovation, creativity and success in the field of mobile marketing. The MMA SMARTIES™ India Awards, where the final winners will be announced, will take place on 7th October 2016 at The Leela Ambience Hotel, Gurgaon, India.
Selected from submissions from across India, the shortlisted entries represent the platform’s immense potential to reach and engage connected consumers in unique and original ways. The shortlist was selected by the Smarties Pre-Screening Council, which includes more than 107 senior level mobile marketers from India, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Thailand and Australia. These entries will now undergo review by the MMA’s ‘all-Brand Jury’ consisting of celebrated marketers from leading corporates in India. The Jury will evaluate the shortlisted campaigns under 15 categories on four criteria: strategy, execution, creativity and results. (*see pg. 3 – Appendix 1, The All Brand Jury Members for the Smarties India 2016)
The Smarties™ India 2016 covers everything from brand awareness to innovation, video/rich media and social media, and strives to find the best campaigns from across the country. The awards celebrate the excellent work being done on mobile by both brands and agencies, and to inspire marketers to push the envelope in their own campaigns.
“The Mobile today has become a consistent game changer for marketers in India. It’s interesting to see how marketers are constantly learning to innovate with this medium. Given the mobile marketing innovations we are seeing this year it’s clear that the industry is taking notice and using the mobile evolution in the country to their advantage. The jury this year is faced with the exciting-yet-difficult task of selecting the winning campaigns, setting a rigorous bar to take home a coveted Smarties.” said MMA India, Chairperson, D Shivakumar, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd.
“Mobile’s pervasiveness, flexibility and capacity for creativity is driving the transformation of business and marketing. This is evident in the entries that are representative of the breakthrough mobile strategies that have been adopted by brands and agencies in varied industries through the past year” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association – Asia Pacific. “The response that we have received for The Smarties™ India 2016 is very encouraging and demonstrative of the growing potential of mobile marketing in India. We are now in a mobile-first world, and these campaigns demonstrate the endless opportunities the platform offers for marketers to make meaningful connections with consumers.”
The 2016 Smarties shortlist consists of 85 campaigns over 15 categories from all over the country with an increment in participation from regional markets. Entries are from across the industry verticals like from the healthcare, sports, auto, ecommerce, mobile FMCG etc The diverse range proves the growing prominence of mobile as a marketing medium.
Cross Media Integration and Relationship Building with maximum entries has also further solidified the importance for traditional media to work with / leverage mobile for consumer engagement. (see pg. 4, Appendix 2, Shortlisted Campaigns for The Smarties™ India 2016 for All 15 Categories)
Appendix 1
THE ALL BRAND JURY MEMBERS FOR THE SMARTIES™ INDIA 2016
Ajit Mohan, Executive Vice President & Head, Digital for Star India, Novi Digital Entertainment Limited
Amarjit Singh Batra, Chief Executive Officer, OLX India
Amrit Thomas, Chief Marketing Officer, United Spirits Limited
Gaurav Jeet Singh, Head Media Services, South Asia, Hindustan Unilever Limited
Hemant Mehta, Senior Vice President, IMRB
Karthi Marshan, Senior Executive Vice President & Head, Group Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Bank
Manav Sethi, Group CMO, ASKME India & Malaysia
Manish Aggarwal, Vice President, Marcom, Le Ecosystem Technology India Private Limited
Prasun Basu, President, South Asia, The Nielsen Company
Rajiv Mathrani, Chief Brand Officer, Airtel
Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited
Sameer Pitalwalla, CEO and Co-Founder, Culture Machine
Sapna Chadha, Head of Marketing, Google India
Shireesh Joshi, Head, Strategic Marketing, Godrej Group
Shubhodip Pal, Chief Operating Officer, YU Televentures Ltd
Umang Bedi, Managing Director, Facebook India
Vinodh Bhat, Co-founder & President, Saavn
Appendix 2
SHORTLISTED CAMPAIGNS FOR THE SMARTIES™ INDIA 2016
Brand Awareness
Burger King and Autum Worldwide
“Pre – Book a Whopper”
Idea Cellular Pvt ltd and Mindshare India
“Powering the next Gen Internet ready India”
Bajaj Auto and Indigo Consulting & Leo Burnett
“The Nation’s Bike”
Café TC and Dentsu Web Chutney
“Cafe TC Liquor Ticker – The World’s First Ad Ticker on WhatsApp”
Rin and PHD India
“Rin Career Ready Academy”
Pepsi and Mindshare India
“Crash the Pepsi IPL”
Lead Generation / Direct Response / Conversion
Café TC and Dentsu Web Chutney
“Cafe TC Liquor Ticker – The World’s First Ad Ticker on WhatsApp”
Bharti Airtel and Performics
How Airtel Used Digital to Launch 4G in India”
P&G India and PHD India
“Chatur Chachi Program”
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mindshare
“Creation of fan zones using location based technology”
Bajaj Auto and Indigo Consulting & Leo Burnett
“The Nation’s Bike”
OLX and Performics
“Data paves the way for success”
Product / Services Launch
Moto India and Mindshare India
“Motographs – When time stood still”
Mountain Dew and Mindshare India
“Mountain Dew takes the OTT world by storm by launching Indias’s first branded channel”
Star India Pvt Ltd / Star Sports and Mindshare India
“Le Panga Le Panga !!”
Bajaj Auto and Indigo Consulting & Leo Burnett
“The Nation’s Bike”
Castrol India Ltd and Mindshare India
“How Castrol activated mini truck driver targeted only campaign”
Stayfree and OMD India
“Stayfree Stay Ahead Helpline”
Promotion
Kinder Joy and OMD India
“Kinder Joy Story Station”
Café TC and Dentsu Web Chutney
“Cafe TC Liquor Ticker – The World’s First Ad Ticker on WhatsApp”
Stayfree and OMD India
“Stayfree Stay Ahead Helpline”
Hindustan Unilever Limited and Mindshare India
“MMS 2.0”
Godrej and Madison
“Free G: India’s first consumer engagement campaign through mobile”
Moto India and Mindshare India
“India’s first Elections to be covered only on Smartphones”
Relationship Building / CRM
Rin and PHD India
“Rin Career Ready Academy”
Castrol India Ltd and Mindshare India
“How Castrol activated mini truck driver targeted only campaign”
Lakme and PHD India
“Lakme Makeup Pro”
Pepsi and Mindshare India
“Crash the Pepsi IPL”
P&G India and PHD India
“Chatur Chachi Program”
Airtel Wynk Music and Performics
“Wynk – Music on the go!”
Cross Media / Cross Mobile Integration
Active Wheel and PHD India
“Lo Kar Lo Baat”
Bajaj Auto and Indigo Consulting & Leo Burnett
“The Nation’s Bike”
Pepsi and Mindshare India
“Crash the Pepsi IPL”
Nestle Maggi and Performics
“#WelcomeBack”
Kinder Joy and OMD India
“Kinder Joy Story Station”
Brooke Bond Red Label Tea and Mindshare
“6 Pack Band”
Cross Screen Advertising
Brooke Bond Red Label Tea and Mindshare
“6 Pack Band”
Bajaj Auto and Indigo Consulting & Leo Burnett
“The Nation’s Bike”
OLX and Performics
“OLX’s Progressive Remarketing”
Pepsi and Mindshare India
“Crash the Pepsi IPL”
Hindustan Unilever Limited and Mindshare
“Outshout or Outsmart ???”
Akzonobel and Maxus
“How Dulux Paints Consumer Cross Screen”
Messaging
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and netCORE Solutions Pvt Ltd
“PMKVY- A Call for Skill Development”
Hindustan Unilever Limited and Mindshare India
“MMS 2.0”
CEAT tyres and Group M
“Making PhDs Real – Party hard, Drive safe”
Kelloggs and Mindshare
“#FeedingDreams”
Godrej and Netcore Solutions
“Continous engagement with our consumers through Free G”
YUM Restaurants India / KFC and Mindshare India
“When KFC emerged as a winner of India’s biggest Cricket bash”
Mobile Social
Café TC and Dentsu Web Chutney
“Cafe TC Liquor Ticker – The World’s First Ad Ticker on WhatsApp”
Pepsi and Mindshare India
“Crash the Pepsi IPL”
Brooke Bond Red Label Tea and Mindshare
“6 Pack Band”
CEAT tyres and Group M
“Making PhDs Real – Party hard, Drive safe”
Coca Cola India Pvt Ltd and Interactive Avenues
“Coke Wishes”
Castrol India Ltd and Mindshare India
“How Castrol activated mini truck driver targeted only campaign”
Innovation
Hindustan Unilever Limited and Mindshare India
“MMS 2.0”
Stayfree and OMD India
“Stayfree Stay Ahead Helpline”
Kelloggs and Mindshare
“#FeedingDreams”
Active Wheel and PHD India
“Lo Kar Lo Baat”
Kinder Joy and OMD India
“Kinder Joy Story Station”
Hindustan Unilever – Pureit and Mindshare India
“Outshout or Outsmart ???”
Location Based
Hindustan Unilever Limited and Mindshare India
“MMS 2.0”
Castrol India Ltd and Mindshare India
“How Castrol activated mini truck driver targeted only campaign”
Reliance Infrastructure / Reliance Energy and MEC Group M
“EnergyonApp – Hyperlocal Suburb Targeting”
OLX and Performics
“OLX Location Leads to Conversions”
GRT Jewellers and Saavn Pvt Ltd
“GRT Live”
Glaxo SmithKline Pharma / Iodex and Mindshare India
“Iodex ambushed Zandu by chasing their TV GRPS via Mobile”
Mobile Payments
1. Paytm and Mcann
“Paytm”
2. Airtel and Performics
“Airtel Money – Break The Clutter”
Best Brand Experience in Mobile Rich Media
Lakme and PHD India
“Lakme Makeup Pro”
Fitbit and Resultrix
“Showroom on your wrist”
Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Healthcare /Horlicks and Mindshare India
“Add a little ‘Awesome’”
ACC Cement and Hungama Digital Services
“BUILDING DREAMS”
ACC Cement and Hungama Digital Services
“THE ACC GOLD DIFFERENCE”
Most Engaging Mobile Creative
Idea Cellular Pvt Ltd and Mindshare India
“Powering the next Gen Internet ready India”
P&G India and PHD India
“Chatur Chachi Program
National Geographic Channel and Vserv Digital Services and Flying Cursor
“NGC’s How to Win at Everything launch campaign”
YU Mobile and Interactive Avenues
“Banner Wale Babu Mera Gaana Baja Do”
Fitbit and Resultrix
“Showroom on your wrist”
Apus and Apus
“#SupportYourTeam- APUS Cricket Mobile Marketing Campaign”
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
