MAM
Shaking up brands in a jar, agency brews success with creative mix
MUMBAI: When it comes to branding, Brandsjar has found the perfect recipe shake well, add creativity, and serve with a dash of personalisation. In just six years since its founding in 2019, the digital integrated creative agency has worked its way onto the radar of some of the biggest names in business, from Clean Slate Filmz and Monginis to Tourism New Zealand, Swiggy Packaging and even Maserati.
What started as the brainchild of Shlokh Sanjay Sangtani and Sidhant Sanjeev Kakar has grown into a two-city operation, with branches in Mumbai and Pune, and a portfolio spanning branding, social media marketing, performance marketing, SEO, UI/UX design, and website development.
The agency even managed to impress the notoriously tough panel of Shark Tank India with Ashneer Grover, Namita Thapar, and Aman Mittal praising Brandsjar’s smart and budget-friendly design for Inacan, a crafted canned cocktail brand. For a young shop competing in a crowded creative market, that sort of applause is worth more than a marketing award.
“Our journey has just begun, but we’re delighted with the overwhelming response from partner brands,” said Shlokh Sangtani, pointing to the firm’s insistence on tailoring every campaign so brands achieve top-of-mind recall.
Brandsjar co-founder Sidhant Kakar added that value for money and distinct brand appeal remain the agency’s guiding principles. “Being praised on Shark Tank India was a sign we’re on the right track,” he said, noting that the agency now wants to scale its formula for success to even more industries.
For a company that prides itself on shaking up conventional brand storytelling at a time when attention spans are shrinking and engagement matters more than ever, BrandsJar has managed to create something rare, a blend that works for both start-ups and global giants. And if its trajectory so far is any indication, this jar is only just being opened.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
