MAM
The SMC Group inks deal with ESSC to launch operations in India
Mumbai: The U.K. headquartered entertainment marketing, The SMC Group has announced its operation in India in a strategic partnership with El Sol Strategic Consultants (ESSC), a full-service brand consultancy. Through this venture, The SMC Group aims to unite companies and talent together in India and establish brands via engrossing avenues of sonic marketing, gaming, and e-sports. ESSC’s founder & CEO Elisha Saigal will take on the baton to represent SMC in India.
The association will enable The SMC Group to lay the groundwork for its initiatives in India whilst also providing ESSC clients access to a global network of artists and global talent from across countries.
“We are forging an exciting partnership through this unison as SMC India – one that is essential to local industries to create valuable opportunities for brands from across sectors,” said The SMC Group CEO Maurice Hamilton. “With El Sol Strategic Consultants’ strong foundation and network in PR, social media marketing along with influence and celebrity outreach, SMC India will explore modern marketing via gaming, sonic, and e-sports. The workshop with El Sol Strategic Consultants is the first of many initiatives to strengthen our talent and our presence not only locally but also globally and we look forward to what the association has in store for us.”
Speaking on the partnership, Saigal said, “We are elated to be partnering with the SMC group in a long-term association as SMC India. With the newly-formed SMC India, we are now adding a new vertical to our existing business. Keeping in mind the constantly evolving modern marketing trends, SMC India will introduce Indian brands to exciting facets of sonic, gaming & e-sports marketing and provide brands in India, access to talent from across 16 countries.”
To kick start its operations in India, an introductory workshop on the latest trends and the various marketing, branding, engagement opportunities that can be leveraged by brands, and agencies through the medium of gaming and e-sports will be hosted on 30 June at 5pm.
The two-hour session will be conducted by SMC Gaming directors Nick Smith and Romain Tixier who bring with them a plethora of experience in the global gaming and esports space.
Brands
Parle-G celebrates Bihu with music-led campaign rooted in culture
Two-part films blend nostalgia and storytelling to capture Assam’s festive soul
MUMBAI: Parle-G has turned to music, memory and meaning in its latest campaign celebrating Bihu, offering a culturally rooted tribute that goes beyond typical festive advertising.
Created by Thought Blurb Communications, the two-part campaign builds on the brand’s long-standing thought of finding joy in others’ happiness. It begins with a music-led prequel and culminates in a narrative-driven film that explores the emotional essence of the festival.
The campaign opened with a two-and-a-half-minute Bihu music video featuring Partha Hazarika, with music composed by Nilotpal Bora and vocals by Dikshu. Rather than positioning itself as a conventional brand piece, the video leaned into authenticity, capturing the vibrancy and rhythm of Bihu. Viewers also drew emotional parallels to Zubeen Garg, whose absence lent the film a nostalgic undertone. The response was swift, with over 12 million combined views across YouTube and Instagram within a week.
Building on this momentum, the main film tells the story of Ahir, a musician struggling to compose a Bihu song within the confines of a studio. His journey takes him into the open landscapes of Assam and eventually to the banks of the Brahmaputra, where a boatman helps him rediscover the true spirit of Bihu. The narrative underscores a simple idea that the festival cannot be manufactured in isolation, it must be experienced in nature, community and shared joy.
Speaking about the campaign, Parle Products vice president Mayank Shah said the initiative aims to celebrate not just the festival but the emotion behind it. He noted that Bihu reflects the idea that joy multiplies when shared, a theme that sits at the heart of the story.
From the agency side, Thought Blurb Communications chief creative officer Vinod Kunj said the team sought to tap into Assam’s cultural pulse, acknowledging the emotional void left by the absence of Zubeen Garg while celebrating the enduring spirit of the festival.
Adding to this, Thought Blurb Communications national creative director Renu Somani Karwa said the campaign draws from deeply human stories, where small acts of generosity become powerful expressions of connection.
Meanwhile, Thought Blurb Communications executive creative director Auryndom Bose highlighted the importance of nature in shaping Bihu’s identity, noting that the film attempts to capture how music and movement emerge organically from the landscape itself.
With this campaign, Parle-G leans into cultural storytelling with a lighter brand footprint and a stronger emotional core. By placing music and community at the centre, it offers a reminder that some stories are best told not in studios, but in the shared rhythms of real life
