MAM
Tribal DDB boosts creative team in India
MUMBAI: Tribal DDB India is investing in a significant ramp up of its creative team. The agency has entrusted DDB Mudra Mumbai group creative directors Ashish Phatak and Aman Mannan the additional role of driving the Tribal DDB creative mandate. Both joined DDB Mudra Mumbai in 2010 and have been working on LIC, Godrej, Future Group, Union Bank of India among others.
The duo have individually and together worked on brands like Union Bank of India, Parachute, Saffola, Tata Indico, Hit, Jaipur Foot Foundation.
The agency has a newcomer in Satish Sethumadhavan (popularly known as Sethu) who has joined as creative director. His last stint was with Ogilvy & Mather, Bengaluru. Over the past decade, Sethu has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Western Union, American Express, ITC’s Bingo, Marico’s Parachute, Haywards, Vicks and Titan.
DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral said, “With technology opening up endless possibilities in the way we converse with our target audience these are truly exciting times. At DDB Mudra Group we want to be the best when it comes to providing breakthrough creative solutions to our clients across multiple media and platforms. With this new beefed up creative structure at Tribal DDB we are walking our talk.”
Tribal DDB and Rapp India president Venkat Mallik said, “At Tribal DDB, we believe that the best work in the digital space will emerge from the fusion of the highest standards of brand creative thinking with Digital inventiveness. We are building our team with award winning talent with backgrounds in digital, as well as, mainstream brand communication. Aman & Ashish and Sethu are individually outstanding creative talent who we are proud to have lead the creative show for us and help set a new benchmark for digital brand creativity.”
MAM
Adidas Originals unveils India co-created Superstar with Ranveer
Tiger-inspired limited edition marks brand’s first India-led sneaker design
MUMBAI: From stripes on the field to stripes on sneakers, Ranveer Singh is leaving his mark this time in black and white. Adidas Originals has launched its first India co-created sneaker in collaboration with Ranveer Singh, signalling a sharper push towards localisation as India’s sneaker culture continues to gain ground. The limited-edition drop reworks the iconic Superstar silhouette through Singh’s personal aesthetic, drawing heavily from the Royal Bengal Tiger his self-described spirit animal. The design blends bold black-and-white tones with tiger-inspired detailing across the signature three stripes, alongside a bespoke Ranveer Singh insignia and jewel-like accents that add texture and visual punch.
Positioned as the brand’s first hyperlocal expression from India, the release reflects a broader strategy, take a globally recognised icon and reinterpret it through regional identity.
The campaign mirrors that idea. Set in an urban jungle, it explores themes of instinct, individuality and duality aligning both with the symbolism of the tiger and the long-standing ethos of originality tied to the Superstar line.
Adidas India senior brand director Bhawna Sikka described the drop as a milestone moment, noting that it reinforces India’s growing influence in shaping global sneaker narratives. The collaboration also builds on a decade-long association between the brand and Singh.
For Singh, the project carries a personal arc from wearing Superstars in college to co-creating one. The design, he said, reflects a belief in embracing one’s raw, instinctive identity.
With this launch, adidas Originals isn’t just releasing another sneaker, it’s testing how far local storytelling can travel on a global sole.
