MAM
Skoda assigns creative mandate to Publicis India
MUMBAI: Popular automobile brand Skoda Auto India has extended its partnership with its creative Agency on Record (AoR) Publicis India by another three years.
The agency was awarded the extension after a hotly contested multi-agency pitch and will continue to manage the business out of its Mumbai office.
As part of its mandate, the agency will continue to provide mainline strategy and creative communication solutions to Skoda. It will handle all the sub-brands from Skoda including Rapid, Octavia, Superb, Kodiaq and soon launched Karoq.
Skoda Auto India head of marketing and product Tarun Jha says, “Skoda India is currently in a positive growth phase, and will be launching products across segments in the next few years. We were looking for a partner to help us achieve our goals and further strengthen Skoda’s equity in the Indian market. Publicis India showcased a thorough strategic and strong creative framework which was in alignment with the brand’s vision for the future. We are happy to be renewing our creative partnership with them and look forward to a great body of work in the coming years.”
Publicis Ambience COO Paritosh Srivastava mentions, “We expected nothing less given the body of work created by us in the last three years, which has also been recognised by the global Skoda team. It was a long and tough pitch and we are thankful that the team at Skoda has entrusted us for another three years. We are lucky to have been a part of an exciting transformation that Skoda India has undergone in the last three years from product design to experience to after-sales and are delighted that it has given the brand a boost in India.”
In Skoda Auto’s almost two-decade long presence in India, Publicis India has the longest association as its agency partner.
“There are always newer and bigger challenges in the tremendous growth journey we’re on and we are ready as trusted partners to help Skoda Auto India overcome them in the next few years,” adds Srivastava.
Over the past few years, Publics India has rolled out a series of campaigns for a range of brands under Skoda Auto. Be it the launch of the new Superb, new Rapid, new Octavia and even the Kodiaq, each communication material that has been released has resulted in significant returns for the auto-maker in India. Not to forget the extremely positive views and likes garnered from the customers across its social & digital channels.
The agency is currently working on a new brand campaign for Skoda Auto that would be unveiled very soon.
In India, the agency works with an impressive array of clients that include Nestle, Citibank, Zee, Garnier, Heineken, Nerolac, Skoda, Malaysia Tourism, HDFC Mutual Funds, etc.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
