MAM
Turner appoints Glenn Bartlett as APAC creative director
MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Glenn Bartlett as creative director, to lead the company‘s on-air and off-air creative direction.
Based in Hong Kong and reporting to Lucien Harrington, VP of Branding and Communications, Glenn is responsible for managing the creative strategy for Turner‘s entertainment portfolio including Cartoon Network, Pogo, Boomerang, truTV and Turner Classic Movies, while supporting the development of key kids‘ franchises such as Ben 10 and The Amazing World of Gumball.
“Glenn is a creative leader in its broadest sense who will inspire those he works with and take the creative execution associated with our brands to the next level”, said Harrington. “Brands no longer live on a single platform and Glenn‘s agency and digital experience will ensure that we continue to over deliver on consumers‘ high expectations of how they can engage with our brands.”
Prior to joining TBSAP, Glenn was the senior/executive creative director at I&S BBDO/Proximity in Tokyo for four years and earlier in Shanghai for two years. There he built the creative team from the ground up, turning it into a world-class, award-winning agency in no time.
A native Canadian, Glenn started his career in Toronto, where he spent years working his way up through various creative roles including creative director at Modem Media, from where he transferred to Asia.
Brands
Kingfisher signs three-year IPL partnership
Packaged water brand signs on as ‘good times partner’ for 2026–28 cycle
MUMBAI: Kingfisher Premium Packaged Drinking Water is betting big on cricket’s biggest stage, sealing a three-year partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to sharpen fan engagement at the TATA Indian Premier League.
The brand, owned by United Breweries, will serve as the official “good times partner” for the men’s IPL from 2026 to 2028, extending a relationship that began with the Women’s Premier League. The move signals a broader push to embed itself deeper into live sport, with a focus on immersive, consumer-led experiences rather than conventional sponsorship visibility.
At the heart of the tie-up is a suite of fan-first activations spanning broadcast, stadiums and digital channels. These include the “Kingfisher Bird Cam”, offering a branded spider-cam perspective during live matches, and the “Good Times Zone”, an in-stadium entertainment hub during play-offs aimed at amplifying match-day buzz. The brand will also back IPL fan parks, elevate public screening experiences and run digital contests tied to key moments through the season.
Vikram Bahl, chief marketing officer, United Breweries, said cricket in India “is more than a sport, it is a shared cultural moment”, adding that the IPL brings that energy alive at scale. “For Kingfisher Premium Packaged Drinking Water, being present at the heart of these moments, in partnership with the BCCI, is a natural extension of what we stand for. Through this association, we aim to enrich how fans experience the game… making every match more immersive, social and memorable,” Bahl said.
Devajit Saikia, honorary secretary, BCCI, said the IPL “has always been at the forefront of redefining sports entertainment and fan engagement”. He added that the collaboration would fuse cricket fandom with “innovative fan experiences that extend beyond the stadium”, helping create memorable moments for audiences nationwide.
For United Breweries, part of the HEINEKEN group, the play is clear: move from passive branding to active participation in the fan journey—on screens, in stands and across social spaces. With millions tuning in and turning up each season, the IPL remains the country’s most potent marketing theatre. The question now is whether “good times” can translate into lasting brand recall in a market where visibility is easy, but engagement is hard-won.
