MAM
L&K Saatchi & Saatchi strengthens creative team in Mumbai
Mumbai: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India has announced two key appointments for its creative teams in Mumbai. Joining the agency are Chandani Samdaria, who comes on board as senior creative director and Nikita Goswami who has joined as creative director. The duo will report to L&K Saatchi & Saatchi joint national creative director Rohit Malkani.
Both join at a time when the agency has been winning a stream of new businesses since the start of 2020. Their task would be to ideate, co-create and put out compelling pieces of work in the marketplace while also playing an important role in increasing the creative standing of the agency especially in the western region.
Malkani said: “At L&K Saatchi and Saatchi Mumbai, we are at the crux of a fabulous tomorrow, with a slew of new brands, leadership and energy. In the sea of prospective candidates that I met over the last few months two individuals stood out for me. They were bright, articulate and talented of course, but above all, they both had minds that were buzzing with fresh perspectives and a hunger for great work that I have rarely seen. Thank you Nikita and Chandani for teaming up for this gig and we’re looking forward to some seriously differentiated work from you!”
Samdaria joins the agency from Leo Burnett and has nearly a decade of creative experience handling brands across categories like F&B, entertainment, haircare, detergent, personal hygiene etc. Some of the brands she has worked on include Amazon Audible, Tide, Knorr, Closeup, Clinic Plus, Ariel, Hotstar, Kwality Walls, Pillsbury etc.
Chandani said: “L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has a bag full of established brands and I feel that I can help build the creative prowess further. When I spoke to Paritosh, I liked the vision he had for the agency and that’s what pulled me towards it. The only challenge was joining during the ongoing Covid2019 crisis, but everything fell into place sooner than I’d imagined. In fact, this pandemic made me realise that advertising today is more relevant than ever before. We are not just selling a product, we are selling stories of hope and emotions that will help us rebuild as a race. There’s a sea of negativity around us. Along with L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, I’m just hoping to create a few waves of positivity in it.”
Goswami joins the agency from Ogilvy & Mather and has over ten years of experience managing creative mandates for brands like Taj Hotels, Dove Hair, Tang, Cadbury’s, Red Label Tea, Vodafone, Parachute, State Bank of India, Vodafone among others. She has also had promising stints at Publicis Capital, Euro RSCG, McCann Erickson and Lowe Lintas.
Goswami said: “I see myself as a perfect fit for the leadership Paritosh and Rohit were looking for. I'm thrilled to join L&K Saatchi & Saatchi – a place with rich veins of talent and a good portfolio to match. I enjoy being a part of a dynamic culture that continues to bring forth interesting opportunities despite an ongoing pandemic. Today's advertising is particularly challenging and needs conscious messaging and speedy execution. I look forward to bring these to the agency and contribute meaningfully to its creative output.”
Both the appointments are effective immediately and based out of Mumbai.
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MAM
Birla Opus unveils IPL campaign with 10 cricketers
3 films in 4 languages showcase 16-year warranty and 99 plus stain protection as stars echo “Main Bhi…”
MUMBAI: Birla Opus has just painted the perfect IPL boundary and this time the whole team is on the same canvas. The forward-looking paint brand has launched a high-impact, multi-language campaign for IPL 2026 that cleverly taps into India’s cricket fever. In a first-of-its-kind execution, it brings together 10 prominent IPL cricketers across three films in four languages, turning everyday tournament rituals into relatable moments that celebrate belief and optimism.
The cricketers Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Ashutosh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Avesh Khan and Nehal Wadhera feature in light-hearted stories built around net practice, photoshoots and travel. Each film playfully captures a moment of scepticism about paint performance, followed by a collective, unscripted “Main Bhi…” from the players, hands raised in agreement. The narrative seamlessly highlights Birla Opus’s key innovations: 16-year warranty for exterior emulsion paints, scratch-resistant wood paints, and 99 plus stain protection for interior paints.
Birla Opus Paints head of marketing Inderpreet Singh said the campaign reflects the passion of cricket fans across regions and languages. “IPL is one of India’s biggest cultural unifiers. This year we wanted to bring our best-in-class features to life in a contextually relevant manner,” he noted.
Leo South Asia, chief creative officer, Sachin Kamble added, “‘Main Bhi’ is a simple but powerful expression of belief. By bringing together some of the biggest voices from this year’s IPL, we have turned an individual endorsement into a collective voice of validation.”
With its fresh, engaging storytelling and star power, Birla Opus has turned a paint campaign into a nationwide conversation. As the IPL season heats up, the brand is proving that the best way to stand out is to paint a picture everyone can relate to, one where trust, performance and a shared “Main Bhi…” moment come together in perfect harmony.
