MAM
Cannes Lions: Starcom MediaVest Group grabs ‘Media Network of the Year’ award
MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group has bagged the ‘Media Network of the Year’ award at the ongoing Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Three days into the annual festival, SMG’s total across all categories includes 34 wins and 120 shortlists.
‘The Media Network of the Year’ win comes as a result of SMG’s three Silvers, nine Bronzes and 14 shortlists in the Media Lions category. Winning campaigns have come from clients including Bank of America, Esurance, Heineken and Samsung, among others.
The win has come less than two weeks after SMG was named the Most Effective Agency and Most Effective Agency Network by the Effie Index at the North American Effie Awards Gala in New York, where Publicis Groupe also took top honours as Most Effective Holding Company. In April, SMG was awarded Agency Network of the Year at the Festival of Media Global Awards in Rome for the second year in a row.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the work SMG is producing for its clients around the globe,” said Starcom MediaVest Group Global CEO Laura Desmond.
“Winning Media Network of the Year after our previous wins is truly incredible and proves that we’re at the top of our game. The work we’re producing for our clients is inspired by creativity and informed by converged data, a combination that is clearly resonating with the industry. We’re thrilled to be able to create these campaigns for our clients and have that hard work and dedication recognised here at Cannes,” added Desmond.
Brands
Aptronix unveils ‘Big & Beyond’ campaign, opens largest store in Hyderabad
Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita front push as retailer expands premium Apple experience
HYDERABAD: Aptronix has rolled out its most ambitious brand push yet with the launch of the ‘Big & Beyond Aptronix’ campaign, alongside the opening of its largest retail store in India.
The campaign features actors Akkineni Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala as brand faces, signalling a sharper focus on aspirational, experience-led retail as the company scales its presence in the premium Apple ecosystem.
At the centre of the rollout is a new 8,000 sq. ft. flagship outlet at Sarath City Capital Mall, now the largest Aptronix store in the country and among the biggest Apple Premium Reseller formats in India. The space is designed to offer immersive product discovery, personalised guidance and integrated service support, positioning the store as more than just a point of sale.
The campaign itself leans into themes of scale, ambition and accessibility, aiming to connect with a younger, increasingly design-conscious generation of Apple users. By pairing celebrity appeal with in-store experience, Aptronix is looking to deepen emotional engagement while reinforcing its premium positioning.
A key pillar remains its ‘Limitless Aptronix Exchange’ programme, which offers customers simplified upgrade paths, transparent pricing and wider access to Apple devices. The initiative has been central to driving adoption by making high-end technology more approachable for a broader audience.
Premium Lifestyle and Fashion founder & owner Sutinder Singh said the new store reflects a long-held belief that Indian consumers should have access to the best Apple retail experience without compromise. He added that the campaign’s celebrity faces mirror the brand’s core values of elegance, ambition and confidence.
Aptronix CEO Meghna Singh said the ‘Big & Beyond’ theme reflects how the company operates, with a focus on building a best-in-class retail experience. She noted that the Hyderabad launch and the campaign together signal Aptronix’s intent to set new benchmarks in the category.
With this dual push of scale and storytelling, Aptronix is not just expanding its footprint but also redefining how premium tech retail is experienced in India.
