MAM
CupShup joins hands with Oxfam India to support rights of tea plantation workers
India: CupShup – an independent advertising start-up, has joined hands with Oxfam India, to campaign for fair wages and better living conditions of tea plantation workers of Assam. Oxfam India is a non-profit organization fighting discrimination and working to improve the lives of vulnerable groups in the country including tea plantation workers in the north eastern state of Assam.
Through CupShup’s network, Oxfam India aims to reach out to corporates to create awareness regarding the living & working conditions of tea plantation workers in Assam. The campaign also encourages corporate employees to donate and support the cause.
The team distributed cups to more than 200 corporates across Mumbai, Pune & Bengaluru, through this campaign. CupShup distributed cups with unique taglines and quotes printed on it, highlighting the issues faced by tea farmers in their day-to-day life, along with the details of the campaign which an individual can support.
Commenting on the campaign, Sidharth Singh, Co-Founder, CupShup, said, “We are delighted to be associated with such a noble cause with Oxfam India. The cups distributed to our network is primarily used for consumption of tea, hence, associating ourselves with a cause which would benefit the ones who help produce tea on ground made a lot of us sense for me & my team. Through this campaign, CupShup is not only going to help them raise donations, but also enlighten the corporates about the severe conditions which a tea plantation worker faces in his/her day to day life.”
“Our research points to the fact that the tea plantation workers and their families have a very vulnerable existence. It is important that Indian consumers continue enjoying their cup of tea and at the same time demand fair living wages for workers. Our partnership with CupShup is extremely valuable and we hope to receive support from corporates for the campaign. It will help us fight for the rights of tea workers and improve their lives,” said Amitabh Behar, CEO, Oxfam India.
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.
