MAM
Nikhil Kumar joins Publicis India as VP
MUMBAI: Publicis India has announced the appointment of Nikhil Kumar as vice president. Based out of Mumbai, Nikhil will focus on both organic and inorganic growth for the agency.
Nikhil Kumar will report to Publicis India COO Paritosh Srivastava.
Nikhil joins Publics India from Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd where he was the chief manager for The Economic Times (ET), looking after the brand performance and brand health of ET while heading the Brand Equity product portfolio.
Speaking on his appointment, Srivastava says, “We are happy to have Nikhil Kumar on-board the agency. Nikhil has donned multiple hats and comes with rich experience of both sides across organisations. We’re confident that his vast exposure in the realm of marketing and advertising will play a distinctive role in offering meaningful solutions to clients and further strengthening the agency relations.”
An MBA in International Business Management from University of Maryland, USA, Nikhil has a decade-long experience in building brands. In the past, Nikhil has worked both in a marketing role as well as had a fair share of exposure to the advertising world. His experience across diverse brands & agencies including Jet Airways, MullenLowe Lintas Group, Bosch & Siemens and ET will be key in translating the client’s business needs into distinctive brand strategies. In addition, his exposure within the product development domain and his ability to gauge the profitability of brands will further assist agency partners in creating a sustainable impact for their brands.
Nikhil Kumar adds, “Publicis India has been in the news lately for putting out a plethora of good work and key people appointments. I was impressed by the vision and direction that Paritosh and the team had for the future of the agency and how I would play a key role in shaping it. I’m excited to begin this new chapter and help achieve bigger milestones for the agency.”
Brands
Ogilvy India teams with Zoya Akhtar for Ceat Tyres skid challenge campaign
Every little counts as precision grip steals the show in high-octane campaign
MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has rolled out a high-octane campaign for Ceat Tyres, built around the insight that on every road, even the smallest difference in performance can make all the difference. Conceptualised under the thought Every Little Counts, the campaign demonstrates how precision engineering can transform driving confidence.
Performance, as the campaign shows, isn’t just about big moments. It’s stopping half a metre earlier, manoeuvring half a second quicker, slipping slightly less, or gripping just outside the road. Ceat Tyres are designed with this philosophy at their core.
The campaign film takes an unexpected storytelling turn, featuring acclaimed filmmaker Zoya Akhtar attempting a perfect car skid for a movie scene. As she battles dry asphalt, rain-soaked roads, and loose gravel, the tyres refuse to betray her, delivering unwavering grip no matter how many retakes she demands. Instead of dramatizing loss of control, the film celebrates precision, safety, and reliability.
Directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, aka Bob, from Good Morning Films, the shoot spans the cinematic landscapes of Baku, Azerbaijan, adding scale and drama to the performance-led narrative.
Speaking on the campaign, Ogilvy India chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak said, “With Ceat Tyres, we wanted to go beyond conventional tyre ads. When a tyre is built for grip, even a filmmaker chasing the perfect skid won’t get one. This campaign celebrates engineering excellence in a story everyone can relate to and enjoy.”
Buzz built before the launch with teaser clips showing Zoya visibly frustrated on set, sparking online speculation and chatter on platforms like Pinkvilla and Reddit. The full reveal came when Zoya shared the campaign on Instagram, captioning it: “I wanted a perfect skid — but got perfect grip instead.” Audiences loved it, driving engagement and reinforcing Ceat’s message of performance and precision.
Through this campaign, Ceat Tyres and Ogilvy India underscore the brand’s commitment to engineering innovation while delivering storytelling that is entertaining, insightful, and memorable.
