MAM
D’damas partners with IIFA Awards yet again
MUMBAI: Diamond and gold jewelry major D’damas has decided to partner with the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2005 for the second consecutive year. The IIFA Awards are scheduled to be held in Amsterdam this year on 11 June.
The announcement was made today in Mumbai. A fashion show with models sashaying down the ramp in three sequences displaying exquisite diamond and gold collections from the house of D’damas further added to the speculation of glitz that will enthrall Amsterdam at the IIFA Awards.
D’damas will host the ‘Grand Red Carpet Champagne Evening’ for the 800 spectators before the award ceremony on 11 June, which would have the cr?me-de-la-cr?me from across the globe.
And that’s not all, five lucky winners will get a chance to win D’damas Solitaire – a signature line of diamonds rings endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan who is also the brand ambassador for IIFA. Presenting India in its true style with a right mix of Bollywood and cricket D’damas will also be a part of the celebrity cricket match, the proceeds of which would go to the IIFA Foundation.
Speaking on the occasion Gitanjali group chairman Mehul Choksi said, “We are pleased to be associated with IIFA for the second year. Our brand D’damas has designed ‘Glitteratti’- a special signature jewelry line by Bollywood stars in association with IIFA launched last year. IIFA and D’damas share the same synergies of reaching global Indian audiences with Bollywood as the common platform.”
IIFA Foundation Celebrity cricket match, with rules and the excitement no different from the ones played between the countries sweating it out crucially at the every big and small tournament will be replicated for the IIFA awards.
All performers at the IIFA Awards will also be flaunting D’damas jewelry D’damas also announced that it will award exquisite Collection G ornaments to the Best Debutante Director and the Best Debutante Actress.
AD Agencies
The Advertising Club adds new categories to Creative Abby 2026
Awards expand global focus; entries open until 6 April
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club has unveiled a fresh set of categories for Creative Abby 2026, sharpening the awards’ global edge while keeping creativity firmly centre stage.
The updated entry form, reflecting all category refinements, is now live on the Club’s website. The awards continue their partnership with The One Club and The One Show. Entries close on April 6, 2026, and eligible work must have been released between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Winners will be announced at Goafest 2026.
This year, the Abby Awards Governing Council went a step further, inviting some of India’s most awarded creative leaders and global jury veterans to help reimagine the categories and judging process. The result is a sharper, more future facing framework.
Two new categories have been introduced:
Social content and influencer marketing
Recognising the fast expanding universe of digital creators, collaborations and community building.
Creative commerce, use of data and B2B
Celebrating innovation across online and offline commerce, payment solutions, data driven channels, creative B2B and immersive brand experiences.
Both categories are designed to reward craft and quality of impact, rather than pure effectiveness metrics.
In a bid to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, seven sub categories within the Digital vertical have been removed after being deemed redundant.
Three social good verticals, Green Abby, Red Abby and Diversity Equality and Inclusivity, have now been merged into a single category titled Sustainability and Inclusion, bringing purpose driven work under one cohesive umbrella.
The Mobile category has been discontinued, reflecting the reality that mobile is no longer a niche medium but embedded across digital formats. The new Social Content and Influencer Marketing vertical is expected to absorb much of this work.
Acknowledging the role of marketers in driving creative excellence, a new honour titled Client of the Year has been introduced. It will be awarded to the client whose brands accumulate the highest number of points.
There is also a key change in how Creative Agency of the Year is calculated. Previously determined by points across eight traditional categories such as Print, Film, OOH, Integrated, Audio and Digital, the award will now consider performance across 18 creative categories, excluding Video Craft and Young Maverick Abby. The shift broadens the competitive canvas and reflects the industry’s expanding definition of creativity.
The Advertising Club president and McCann India CEO Dheeraj Sinha said Goafest has long stood for collaboration and creative excellence. He noted that in its 57th year, the Abby Awards continue to raise the bar and bring together the brightest minds in the business.
Abby Awards 2026 chairperson Ajay Kakar, added that the categories had been co created with leading creative luminaries for the first time. He expressed gratitude to The One Club and The One Show for supporting the judging process over the past five years and thanked agencies and clients for their consistent participation.
With new categories, sharper criteria and a broader lens on creativity, Creative Abby 2026 signals that in advertising, evolution is not optional. It is the brief.
