AD Agencies
ad:tech: Marketing startups to pitch for Nestlé pilot
MUMBAI: For the first time in India, ad:tech is bringing their global initiative “The Next Big Thing” to the country in collaboration with Nestlé India. The Next Big Thing intends to build a platform that brings entrepreneurs and marketing leaders together and kick start collaborations. This pitch and award initiative gives startups an exclusive opportunity to showcase their technology, win a fully funded pilot with Nestlé, as well as the coveted recognition of The Next Big Thing.
To participate in this challenge, start-ups can view and apply to the marketing briefs developed by Nestlé. The shortlisted submissions will be judged by a jury comprising of Nestlé India’s top management, venture capitalists and technology industry leaders.
Speaking on the announcement, Nestlé India head of communication & eCommerce Chandrasekhar Radhakrishnan said, “Technology is disrupting businesses and the startup ecosystem is flourishing in India with entrepreneurial spirit and other positive environmental factors. This provides a great opportunity for brands to engage with these startups and try solving business problems through technological solutions. The Next Big Thing in partnership with ad:tech is one of our efforts this year to participate in the innovation ecosystem in India and work with start-ups to delight consumers and strengthen brands. Through start-up outreach programs such as this one, we will combine the creative spirit and ingenuity of external innovators with the scale and expertise of the world’s leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company.”
Commenting on the partnership and initiative Comexposium India country MD Jaswant Singh said, “Leading brands and agencies across the world are looking for more innovation, and we’re extremely excited to partner with Nestlé for ‘The Next Big Thing’. We strongly believe that The Next Big Thing will be a great platform for start-ups. The design philosophy of ad:tech is to constantly innovate and serve the needs of the modern marketers. Through this challenge, start-ups have the opportunity to showcase the latest technology and most ideas in front of Nestlé and digital media professionals.”
The registration for The Next Big Thing will be open till 13 February 2017. From all the submitted entries, 10 start-ups will be selected by a jury to take part in the final pitch event which will be held on 10 March at The Leela Ambience Hotel and Residences, Gurgaon.
AD Agencies
The Advertising Club adds new categories to Creative Abby 2026
Awards expand global focus; entries open until 6 April
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club has unveiled a fresh set of categories for Creative Abby 2026, sharpening the awards’ global edge while keeping creativity firmly centre stage.
The updated entry form, reflecting all category refinements, is now live on the Club’s website. The awards continue their partnership with The One Club and The One Show. Entries close on April 6, 2026, and eligible work must have been released between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Winners will be announced at Goafest 2026.
This year, the Abby Awards Governing Council went a step further, inviting some of India’s most awarded creative leaders and global jury veterans to help reimagine the categories and judging process. The result is a sharper, more future facing framework.
Two new categories have been introduced:
Social content and influencer marketing
Recognising the fast expanding universe of digital creators, collaborations and community building.
Creative commerce, use of data and B2B
Celebrating innovation across online and offline commerce, payment solutions, data driven channels, creative B2B and immersive brand experiences.
Both categories are designed to reward craft and quality of impact, rather than pure effectiveness metrics.
In a bid to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, seven sub categories within the Digital vertical have been removed after being deemed redundant.
Three social good verticals, Green Abby, Red Abby and Diversity Equality and Inclusivity, have now been merged into a single category titled Sustainability and Inclusion, bringing purpose driven work under one cohesive umbrella.
The Mobile category has been discontinued, reflecting the reality that mobile is no longer a niche medium but embedded across digital formats. The new Social Content and Influencer Marketing vertical is expected to absorb much of this work.
Acknowledging the role of marketers in driving creative excellence, a new honour titled Client of the Year has been introduced. It will be awarded to the client whose brands accumulate the highest number of points.
There is also a key change in how Creative Agency of the Year is calculated. Previously determined by points across eight traditional categories such as Print, Film, OOH, Integrated, Audio and Digital, the award will now consider performance across 18 creative categories, excluding Video Craft and Young Maverick Abby. The shift broadens the competitive canvas and reflects the industry’s expanding definition of creativity.
The Advertising Club president and McCann India CEO Dheeraj Sinha said Goafest has long stood for collaboration and creative excellence. He noted that in its 57th year, the Abby Awards continue to raise the bar and bring together the brightest minds in the business.
Abby Awards 2026 chairperson Ajay Kakar, added that the categories had been co created with leading creative luminaries for the first time. He expressed gratitude to The One Club and The One Show for supporting the judging process over the past five years and thanked agencies and clients for their consistent participation.
With new categories, sharper criteria and a broader lens on creativity, Creative Abby 2026 signals that in advertising, evolution is not optional. It is the brief.
