AD Agencies
Dentsu Marcom flies away on Hondas’ Activa
MUMBAI: In a bid to reinforce its market leadership, Honda, launched a new campaign for its first personal compact scooter offering under the brand name ACTIVA-I.
The campaign was conceptualised by Denstu Marcom on the brief that the customers desire an automatic scooter for daily commute, which is lightweight, compact and easy to handle yet comfortable for both genders.
Dentsu Marcom NCD Titus Upputuru said, “As children, most of us have played the chidhya udh, totha udh, maina udh game. It’s when we become adults and start leaving our homes and begin earning that we actually start udhna. The game combines with young men and women setting out of homes with optimism to inspire young people to come out of homes and fly. This also brings alive the iconic symbol of Honda, the wing mark, in a refreshing manner.”
Added, agency’s account management VP Abhinav Kaushik, “Today’s young generation is not ridden by any past baggage. They are supremely confident, they think differently, they have a can-do attitude and they are charting new territories. They are willing to ride into the future knowing fully well what they want out of life. This expression udh or ‘ready to fly’ captures the mindset of this generation that has the desire to excel, follow their own direction and happily take on the challenges of the life ahead.”
The campaign works on the approach that Indian youth today finds new ways to show the world that ‘I am standing on my feet, and powering myself on my own dreams and ambitions’. They are affirmative and seek identity independence, in everything they do.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India VP Yadvinder S. Guleria said, “From its first family scooter Activa, Honda has always understood the pulse of the nation in its journey as undisputed leader in automatic scooter industry. Addressing the need of today’s customers, Honda has now brought the next revolution in personal lightweight mobility. The new Activa-i empowers Indian customers to be “Ready to Fly”. The Dream mileage of 60kmpl powered by the revolutionary Honda Eco Technology, features like combi-brakes, lightweight and compact design ensures that Honda is the customers trusted partner for every empowering ride.”
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
