MAM
Cartoon Network prepares to ‘Get Animated’
MUMBAI: A healthy lifestyle is what Cartoon Network in the US is advocating in its new marketing initiative. Targeted to kids in the 6-14 age group Get Animated is an on-air, online, print and off-channel campaign and kicks off on 28 February.
The programme will tap into the network’s roster of cartoon characters and distinctive 3D on-air environment to communicate positive lifestyle messages through multiple Public Service Announcements (PSAs). These will air in Cartoon Network’s morning, afternoon and prime time day-parts. These pro-social spots also will point viewers to www.GetAnimated.com. On this site content will further communicate messages around the benefits of making good lifestyle choices.
Kids will find tips, lifestyle recommendations and an interactive game that will focus on the importance of being active. Additionally Get Animated messages will appear within a series of consumer and trade ads in key publications.
The broadcaster has launched the initiative Movement Ink. This will serve as a place where cartoon characters and,at times, live kids can come together for growth, inspiration and action. Activities housed within the facility will vary from traditional sports to non-traditional activities, such as, tree house climbing.
Kids onscreen will encounter and interact with their favourite characters from series such as Codename: Kids Next Door, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, The Powerpuff Girls and Ed, Edd n Eddy. Characters will come together at Movement Ink to share with viewers at home fun ideas for healthy snacks and new twists on familiar games that kids could try at home, a park or at school.
Two 15-second teaser spots will introduce the on-air campaign. The first is an official ceremony on the site where Movement Ink will be constructed featuring the Mayor of Townsville and his assistant Sara Bellum of The Powerpuff Girls. The second will be a star-studded ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the various inhabitants of Cartoon Network’s on-air world to the newly completed Movement Ink facility.
Four PSAs will follow on-air and will be tagged with Movement Ink. This will serve as the official voice for healthy living on the broadcaster. Get Animated will air on a regular basis and new PSAs will be created to keep the programme as fresh and timely as possible.
Meanwhile Cartoon Network’s current cause-marketing programme Animate Your World will expand its continuing partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to introduce nutritional and fitness elements into its computer animation program that young club members enjoy at more than 3,800 BGCA locations across the US. The CD Rom programme uses the latest in computer animation technology to give kids the tools to create their own animation while learning lessons about developing good character traits.
The programme will work in tandem with BGCA’s existing health and wellness initiative that empowers young people to make informed decisions about their physical, mental and social well being. This effort is endorsed by the US department of health and human services (HHS).
Cartoon Network executive VP and GM Jim Samples says, “Knowing that kids connect strongly with Cartoon Network’s characters, we integrated our most popular stars into an all-inclusive healthy lifestyles program that kids will relate to. It was important to us that these messages feel like they belong at Cartoon Network, where we strive always to remain fun, funny and fearless.
” That’s why we created a new permanent destination Movement Ink within our existing on-air environment, which will serve as a portal for key messages such as the importance of increasing time spent being active and making the right choices around nutrition”.
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.
