MAM
Cornitos declares snack war with a K-Twist that refuses to play nice
MUMBAI: When everyone is busy dancing to the same K-pop beat, Cornitos has decided to bang a different drum and loudly. With the launch of its Korean Chilli Nachos, the snack brand has rolled out a sharply satirical campaign that calls out the creative sameness creeping into Korean-flavour advertising in India, choosing humour over hype and irreverence over imitation.
As Korean-inspired flavours surge in popularity, the category’s advertising has begun to look eerily familiarV sync-heavy K-pop moves, teary K-drama expressions and glossy K-beauty aesthetics. Cornitos, working with The Crayons Network, deliberately swerves away from these well-worn tropes, opting instead for a disruptive narrative that turns the genre on its head.
The films parody the tone of high-intensity Korean state broadcasts, complete with stern generals and dramatic monologues. But the twist lands via English subtitles, revealing that the fiery rhetoric is not about geopolitics or power plays, it’s about nachos, chilli heat, crunch and flavour dominance. The joke unfolds quietly, trusting viewers to connect the dots without being spoon-fed the punchline.
According to The Crayons Network, the idea was born out of creative fatigue in the category. When every brand starts leaning on the same cultural shorthand, the codes lose their impact. Cornitos’ response was to use contrast and satire to cut through the clutter rather than add to it.
Visually, the campaign blends AI-generated imagery with public-domain footage to create scale and authenticity, while keeping the humour tightly controlled. The restrained execution mirrors the product’s own positioning bold, fiery and unapologetic.
Cornitos says the campaign reflects the personality of its Korean Chilli Nachos, crafted for consumers who enjoy intense flavours and global inspirations without the predictable packaging. The films close with a line that neatly sums up both the product and the provocation, “Undiplomatically Delicious.”
In a sea of K-inspired sameness, Cornitos has chosen to stir things up not with another dance routine, but with a wink, a jab and a generous helping of chilli.
MAM
WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
