MAM
DDB Mudra creates star studded TVC for McDowell’s No. 1 soda
MUMBAI: McDowell‘s No. 1, the beverage brand from the house of United Spirits, has launched a new television commercial for its soda extension.
The TVC features Farhan Akthar, who is the brand ambassador for McDowell‘s No. 1. He is the brand‘s first celebrity endorser in its 40 year existence. It also features Purab Kohli, Cyrus Sahukar, Zoa Morani and Meiyang Chang.
Titled ‘Dosti ka No. 1 spirit‘, the commercial has been created by DDB Mudra, Bangalore.
Additionally, the brand is also organizing activations including multicity musicals with music composer duo Vishal and Shekhar.
DDB Mudra South executive creative director Vipul Thakkar said, “McDowell‘s No.1 soda is all about getting together and having fun. The brief we received from the brand was to highlight the fact that McDowell‘s spreads the spirit of friendship, which is the brand proposition. So we went about creating a campaign around these friends.”
DDB Mudra president Ranji Cherian believes that the campaign will drive a greater level of interest among the younger consumers. He said, “With this campaign the brand hopes to capture the friendship space from which memorable moments are born.”
United Spirits president and managing director Ashok Capoor said, “McDowell‘s No. 1 represents the social aspirations of today‘s youth. Spending time with friends is paramount for them. The McDowell‘s No.1 group of friends – our new brand ambassadors from Bollywood – echo these sentiments and situations that anyone can easily identify with. McDowell‘s No. 1 has set benchmarks for the alco bev industry – be it be the unmatched sales of 17 million cases this year, innovations in packaging, large unique events, activations and promotions. McDowell‘s No.1‘s association with Farhan, Purab, Zoa, Chang and Cyrus will set a similar benchmark for friends wanting to have a good time together. The new TVC is themed on the ‘No.1 spirit of friendship‘ and showcases interesting friendship moments appropriately for McDowell‘s No. 1 given its stellar performance in the industry.”
DDB Mudra, Bangalore also handles the creative duties for USL‘s Power Brands such as McDowell‘s No.1 Platinum, Bagpiper, McDowell‘s No.1 Celebration, McDowell‘s No.1 Cariba and Louis Vernant XO Brandy.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
