MAM
Bournvita Li’l Champs’ launches new TVC with Kajol
MUMBAI: The nutritional chocolaty drink Bournvita Lil‘ Champs has launched its latest TVC featuring Kajol.
The TVC shows Kajol as a mother struggling to keep up with her child‘s seemingly infinite questions. It captures how in today‘s times, mothers have to keep up with their child‘s curious minds and find ways and means to satisfy their questioning nature.
Cadbury India director – beverages, candy and gum, consumer insights and strategy Narayan Sundararaman said, “We are excited to be associated with Kajol and have her endorse Bournvita Li‘l Champs. Our focus remains in addressing a mother‘s concern to get the right balance of nutrition for the physical and mental well-being of her child. As a mother of two children, Kajol is a representation of this focus and we look forward to our relationship with her.”
The new commercial, which has been created by Ogilvy, is banter between a mother played by Kajol, and her inquisitive son. She leaves no stone unturned in finding facts about the shape of the moon and color of the sky. After rummaging through books and the internet she ultimately finds out that “aasman mein anginit tare hai.” Overjoyed she approaches her son with her new found answer, only to be faced by a different mind boggling query “February mein 28 days kyun hote hai?”. In the closing sequence the mother opines to all young parents “thodi mehnat to aapko bhi karni paregi.”
Ogilvy India NCD Abijit Avasthi added, “Post millennium, parenting has undergone a paradigm shift. Mothers, in particular, are taking an eager interest in educating themselves on what‘s best for their children. This is also why they‘re better read and hence, better prepared for anything their child throws their way.”
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.
