MAM
Dentsu creates Dainik Bhaskar’s new ad campaign
MUMBAI: Dainik Bhaskar has launched a new advertising campaign, created by Dentsu Communications.
The campaign is about how if we keep saying Na – and persistently, chances are, we will become a naya jahan. :Na se banega naya jahan”, that is the core message of the campaign.
The film shows several people in our country caught in tough situations like boys being ragged in hostels, a young housewife going to be burnt alive, a government officer who is tempted with hard cash, a young lonely woman in the middle of the night being chased by a ruffian. They all refuse to cow down and say na. The several Nas are then strung together in an edit pattern that helps emerge a collective hum of a familiar tune. Saare jahan se achcha. The film ends with the message – Buraiyon ko na kaho, naya jahan banao.
The campaign will run across TV, Print, Radio, Outdoor, cinema and digital.
Dainik Bhaskar Group VP Sanjeev Kotnala said, “NA is perhaps the most important and certainly the most powerful word in any language. Every day we find ourselves in situations where we need to say NA – at work, at home, and in our communities – because it is our prerogative to decide if I as an individual will protect and be the change agent for everyone and everything that matters to me. Dainik Bhaskar Group does believe that for change to come around you may not need a crowd or a revolution – it can be brought about even by simple acts of individuals”
“At one level, the film uses irony. Because while everyone is collectively seen to be saying that our country is Saare Jahan se Achcha, what we are seeing is a world that is far from good. Historically, we have seen that it did not take long, beautifully crafted speeches to cause great movements. If we recall the freedom movement, there were just two words: Quit India. In this campaign, there are no long speeches that ask us to change ourselves and make our world a better place. Dainik Bhaskar wishes to continue its crusade with the thought of Zidd. One of the simplest things that illustrate Zidd is saying no or na. When we hum a song, we usually do it using a syllable. I thought if that syllable was a Na and if we string several Nas together, a song would emerge – a song that can show us the path to a Naya Jahan. That‘s how Na se Naya Jahan came about” says Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu Communications.
Ad film storyboard
The film shows three boys being ragged in a hostel. While two of the boys are made to strip, the third boy stands firm and refuses saying Na. We next see a young woman about to be burnt alive with kerosene oil by a husband and her mother-in-law. But she screams her lungs out with a Na. Elsewhere a creepy looking husband wants to find out if the child his wife is carrying was a girl child by passing on a chit to the doctor, through his wife. The doctor looks at him and firmly says Na. Next, a young woman is chased by a ruffian at a lonely bus stop.
She turns back and gives him a resounding slap before screaming Na. Similarly, we see an official refusing bribe, a child refusing to become a bride by hiding herself behind her mother and so on and so forth. We then cut to see several people saying Na in different parts of the country. Young, old, children, men, women, and the film is cut such that a familiar tune emerges. Saare Jahan se achcha.
Brands
Chinese Wok appoints Havas as integrated creative and media partner
Desi-Chinese chain bets on integrated creative and media muscle to power national expansion
MUMBAI: Chinese Wok is turning up the heat. India’s largest desi-Chinese qsr chain has appointed Havas Creative India and Arena Media as its integrated creative, social and digital media partner, sharpening its marketing firepower as it pushes past 260 outlets and eyes 500 stores across tier 1, 2 and 3 cities.
The mandate is sweeping. Havas Creative India and Arena Media, part of Havas Media Network India, will steer creative strategy, brand campaigns, social media, digital performance marketing and media planning and buying, orchestrating campaigns across atl, digital and in-store touchpoints. The brief: build a unified, platform-led brand system fit for national scale.
Founded in 2015 under Lenexis Foodworks, Chinese Wok has grown into the country’s largest Chinese qsr brand, with a footprint spanning more than 50 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad. Now it wants more. Much more.
Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal, founder and director, Lenexis Foodworks, said the shift marks an investment in integrated brand building that matches the company’s growth ambitions. “As Chinese Wok scales nationally, we are investing in integrated brand building that matches our growth ambition. Havas will partner with us in shaping the next chapter of our journey, where creativity, culture and commerce work seamlessly together.”
The brand is doubling down on its youth-first positioning, amplifying cultural properties such as Wok FM and Crush Hour while building a broader content slate. The pivot away from campaign-led bursts to a continuous, platform-driven narrative signals a more systematised approach to brand equity.
Vikas Iyer, marketing head, Lenexis Foodworks, framed the move as essential to winning over Gen Z. “Chinese Wok has always been a culture-first brand, and as we deepen our connect with Gen Z, integration becomes critical. With Havas, we aim to create sharper campaigns, stronger digital ecosystems, and measurable impact, ensuring the brand stays relevant, visible, and performance-driven at scale”.
On the creative front, Anupama Ramaswamy, managing director and chief creative officer, Havas Creative India, described the brand as “pure fire, fast, flavourful and completely plugged into pop culture”. Her ambition: “to bottle that energy into a living brand platform that fuels everything, from big campaigns to cheeky social chatter to irresistible in-store experiences.” The goal, she added, is “stronger brand love, deeper youth obsession, and work that doesn’t just look good but moves business. More heat. More heart. More hunger”.
Uday Mohan, coo, Havas Media India and Havas Play, said integration is the real unlock. “By bringing together creative, media, and performance under one cohesive vision, we aim to build a brand ecosystem that is culturally sharp, digitally agile, and built for scale”.
Lenexis Foodworks also operates The Momo Co. and Big Bowl, but Chinese Wok remains its flagship and growth engine . As competition intensifies in India’s fast-food sector, scale alone is no longer enough. Cultural fluency, data-driven performance and seamless brand experiences are the new battleground.
Chinese Wok is betting that with Havas in its corner, it can serve up all three — fast, loud and at national scale.





