MAM
Crayons Network appoints Vishnu Sharma as executive VP
MUMBAI: The Crayons Network has appointed Vishnu Sharma as executive vice president heading media division of The Crayons Network. Prior to this sharma was heading the Arena division at Havas media group. Sharma also had couple of successful stints at the publishing side having worked as the national brand head at India Today Group and head of business analytics at HT Media.
An Alumnus of Delhi College of Engineering & IMT Sharma has over 22 years of experience spanning media strategy, planning, buying and managing large AORs driving integrated media offering with digital at the core. He has worked with major agency groups like GroupM, Madison, Zenithoptimedia, Initiative and Havas. He has worked with clients across sectors such as LG, Hero, Airtel, Videocon, Maruti, Sony, Tinder, OkCupid, Reebok and various others.
Commenting on the hiring The Crayons Network Chairman Kunal Lalani said, “Vishnu's inputs shall help better navigate the complex media environment and bring incremental value for our esteemed clients. The crayons network has a unified operating model and collaboration is the cornerstone of our business model helping us to deliver full accountability of our client’s investments and bring about ideas that flourish without boundaries. The Crayons network has capabilities and is well positioned to be a data-cum-content driven media partner to brands across sectors driving their overall marketing strategy and Vishnu’s addition to the team will enhance our delivery.“
The Crayons Network president Ranjan Bargotra said, “Vishnu is one of those few media professionals who have great expertise in traditional as well as digital media, which is a strong attribute in today fast changing media landscape. We are delighted to have Vishnu on board and I am certain that our clients will benefit from his rich expertise in media.”
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.
