MAM
Cheil Worldwide SW Asia appoints Saurabh Mathur as senior VP
MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has brought on board Saurabh Mathur as senior vice president – client servicing as part of the agency’s strategy of building a strong integrated local team. He will be leading Cheil India’s client servicing team and working closely with Cheil Worldwide SW Asia president and head of regional headquarters John Koo.
Before joining Cheil, Mathur was with Dentsu, where he led the agency’s efforts on all key businesses including Aircel’s Wifi and 3G campaigns, Panasonic business and launch of the Ingersoll Rand group in India.
Koo said, “Cheil’s SW Asia’s operations are growing at an extraordinary pace. Saurabh’s rich experience and stellar track record makes him ideal to lead the client servicing team. He is highly energetic and is well aligned with the agency vision and philosophy Cheil India to manage the growing business.”
Mathur said, “Cheil is leading the change with its new model of communication that is holistic in its approach and with a greater degree of integration across disciplines. This represents a great opportunity and I believe it is the right time for me to be at Cheil and drive the change.”
Mathur has 20 years experience in advertising and has worked with ad agencies like JWT, Contract and Grey. Prior to joining Dentsu, Mathur was at Contract where he was involved with brands like DelMonte in India besides leading the communication efforts for Dabur’s Hair Care and Glucose businesses, Spice Group’s mobile handsets and retail business. At Grey, he launched Suzuki Motorcycles and Ebony Gautier apart from handling other businesses like Wrigley-JoyCo, India Today group, Ranbaxy, Haier, Genpact and Halonix. During his eight-year stint at JWT, he worked on some iconic brands like Pepsico’s Kurkure, Nestle’s Maggi, Reebok, HT, ITC Hotels, Swatch Group and Hero Honda.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
